Most predators could be elusive and troublesome to search out, however you solely should look in the proper place on the proper time to get a glimpse of the predators of Zululand.
Listed below are just a few tricks to get you began:
African Wild Canine are diurnal hunters, and run lengthy distances to catch their prey. They’re most lively through the early hours of the day and late within the afternoon when the bush is sweet and funky. Search for them whereas they’re on the hunt and also you would possibly get fortunate, however it does imply that you’ll have to get up further early!
Cheetahs, like Wild Canine, are additionally daytime hunters and like to be lively when temperatures are cooler. They do, nonetheless, spend loads of time resting to preserve their power as their quick, excessive velocity sprinting could be very exhausting. Search for them mendacity flat on the bottom below the shade of some timber on sizzling days.
Leopards are nocturnal animals and use their stealth to hunt their prey. This makes them much more troublesome to see, like many predators of Zululand. They’re usually shy and really properly camouflaged. They do, nonetheless, wish to climb and can usually pull their kills up a tree to maintain it away from scavengers. Be sure you look out (and up) for these elusive cats, as they is likely to be hiding within the timber. To extend your probabilities even additional, go on an evening drive, the place you would possibly see one on the prowl.
African Wild Canine, Cheetahs and Leopards are three of the precedence species and predators of Zululand that Wildlife ACT screens every year. Be a part of our Endangered and Precedence Species Monitoring programme if you’re curious about becoming a member of us within the discipline.
Textual content and pictures by Wildlife ACT Precedence Species Screens on iMfolozi, Chris du Toit and Gareth Robinson