McBrides' Camp

20/08/2026

A male leopard is one of the true ghosts of the African bush.

Powerful, secretive and mostly solitary, a mature male leopard can move across a large territory, patrolling riverlines, woodland, thickets and game paths as he searches for food, avoids rivals and monitors the movements of females in his range.

Leopard home range size varies enormously depending on habitat, prey availability and the number of other leopards in the area. In some African landscapes, adult male leopards may use very large ranges, while in richer habitats with more prey, their ranges can be smaller and more concentrated.

That is what makes every leopard sighting at McBrides Camp so special. You are not simply seeing an animal; you are catching a brief glimpse into the private world of one of Africa’s most elusive predators.

Here in Kafue National Park, the river, woodland and wild country around McBrides provide the perfect setting for these remarkable cats to move silently through the landscape.

A leopard may pass through camp, vanish into the shadows, cross a sandy track in the night, or leave only footprints behind by morning.

At McBrides Camp, the wilderness still belongs to the wild.

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11/08/2026

🐾 THE AFRICAN WILDCAT — THE ANCESTOR HIDING IN THE BUSH

Not every special sighting at McBrides Camp comes with a roar.

The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a secretive and beautifully adapted little predator found across Africa — and is considered one of the principal ancestors of the domestic cats that share our homes today.

At first glance, you might mistake one for a slightly lean house cat. Look more closely and the wild character begins to show: longer legs, a sandy-grey coat, distinctive markings around the face and legs, and a ringed tail with a dark tip.

Mostly nocturnal and solitary, African wildcats spend much of their time hunting rodents, birds, reptiles and insects. Their excellent hearing and low-light vision make them remarkably efficient hunters.

In the vast wilderness of Kafue National Park, encounters with these elusive little cats are never guaranteed — which makes spotting one all the more rewarding.

It’s also a reminder that a safari isn’t only about lions, leopards and elephants. Sometimes one of Africa’s smallest predators has one of the most fascinating stories to tell.

📍 McBrides Camp | Kafue National Park, Zambia

🌍 www.mcbridescamp.com
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11/08/2026

A very special sighting at McBrides Camp — an African Hawk-Eagle with its prey.

African Hawk-Eagles are powerful, agile raptors found in Kafue National Park, but seeing one this clearly, perched with a guineafowl kill, is not something you witness every day. They are skilled hunters, built for speed, strength and precision, often taking birds and small mammals with remarkable efficiency.

What makes this sighting so special is the raw detail of the moment: the eagle standing proudly over its meal, the yellow eye alert, the powerful talons holding firm, and the bush carrying on quietly around it.

Kafue is full of these unexpected moments. Sometimes it is lions or elephants that steal the show. Other times, it is a magnificent raptor reminding us just how alive the wilderness really is.

At McBrides Camp, every day in the bush has a story.

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31/07/2026

This is the raw reality of the African bush.

At McBrides Camp, a hippo was recently killed in a territorial fight with another hippo — a powerful reminder of just how intense life in the wild can be. What followed was nature doing what nature does best.

A lion found the carcass and began feeding, tearing through one of the toughest hides in Africa. A hippo’s skin can be around 5–6 cm thick, and in some areas even thicker, making it an incredibly tough barrier. Yet for a lion, this was a rare and valuable opportunity: an easy meal after an event it did not have to risk its own life to create.

Hippos may look calm in the water, but they are among Africa’s most powerful and aggressive animals, especially when fighting over territory. Out here, nothing is wasted. Every death feeds new life, and every sighting tells a bigger story about survival in Kafue National Park.

At McBrides Camp, the wilderness is real, unscripted and unforgettable.

Video courtesy or Erika Meyer.

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30/07/2026

At McBrides Camp, elephants often move through the camp environment peacefully and at ease — not because they are tame, but because they feel unthreatened.

We have always believed that we borrow this space from the wildlife.

Kafue National Park is their home first. We are simply privileged to share it with them.

That means we do everything we can to allow wildlife to move naturally, calmly and without unnecessary disturbance. We do not try to block their paths, change their behaviour, or force the bush to work around us. Instead, we try to adapt our behaviour to suit theirs.

When elephants feel safe, respected and unthreatened, their gentleness is extraordinary to witness. They browse quietly, move with purpose, and remind us that true wilderness is not something we control — it is something we respect.

At McBrides Camp, we live alongside the wild, not above it.

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29/07/2026

One of the most extraordinary things you can watch on safari is an elephant using its trunk.

At first glance, it looks powerful — and it is. An elephant can use its trunk to break branches, pull grass, lift objects, drink water and reach high into the trees. But what makes it truly remarkable is not just its strength, but its sensitivity.

An elephant’s trunk has no bones. Instead, it is made up of thousands upon thousands of muscle units, nerves and sensitive tissue, giving it incredible agility and control. It can be strong enough to push through thick bush, yet delicate enough to pick up the smallest piece of food.

It is a nose, a hand, a drinking tool, a communication tool and one of the most sensitive instruments in the African bush.

At McBrides Camp in Kafue National Park, watching elephants along the river and through the woodland is always special. Every movement of the trunk tells a story — curiosity, confidence, caution, feeding, drinking and sometimes pure mischief.

Come and experience the quiet intelligence of elephants in the wild.

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27/07/2026

You know that feeling when you have just tidied the house… and the cat walks in and immediately makes a mess?

Well, at McBrides Camp, we know that feeling very well — except our “cats” are a little bigger.

After a full day of cleaning, preparing rooms and getting the camp ready for our next guests, the wildlife often reminds us that this is their home too. Tracks appear where we have just swept. Leaves are scattered. Elephants may wander through. Monkeys inspect everything. And somewhere in the distance, lions remind us who really owns the night.

That is the magic of McBrides Camp.

We are not separate from the wilderness — we live within it. Camp life and wildlife move together in a rhythm that is beautifully, wonderfully African, wonderfully Zambia and wonderfully Kafue National Park

McBrides Camp is Kafue’s classical safari lodge, where comfort, character and true wilderness work in harmony.

www.mcbridescamp.com
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26/07/2026

🦅 THE WHITE-HEADED VULTURE — ONE OF KAFUE’S SPECIAL SIGHTINGS

Not every great safari sighting has four legs.

The White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) is one of Africa’s most distinctive vultures — instantly recognisable by its largely white head, powerful bill and striking black-and-white plumage.

Sadly, it is also a bird in serious trouble. The White-headed Vulture is classified as Critically Endangered, with populations having declined dramatically across much of its African range. Like many of Africa’s vultures, it faces threats from poisoning, habitat loss, disturbance and other human pressures.

That makes every sighting here at McBrides Camp something worth appreciating.

Vultures are sometimes overlooked in favour of Africa’s larger and more glamorous wildlife, but they perform an extraordinarily important job. By rapidly consuming carcasses, they help remove decaying remains from the environment and reduce opportunities for disease to spread.

And in the vast wilderness of Kafue National Park, there is still room for these remarkable birds.

At McBrides, safari isn’t only about ticking off the Big Five. It’s about slowing down, looking up, watching the riverbanks and trees, and discovering just how much wildlife still survives in one of Africa’s great wild landscapes.

Sometimes the rarest sighting of the day might be circling quietly above you.

📍 McBrides Camp | Kafue National Park, Zambia
🌍 www.mcbridescamp.com
📧 [email protected]

26/07/2026

26/07/2026

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! … BUT ARE THEY? 🦁

Things are getting very interesting around McBrides Camp.

At the moment, we have three male lions moving through the area — and unusually, two of them are males we don’t recognise.

A couple of weeks ago, the Shuba Coalition passed through our area. Around the same time, our familiar resident males, Chris and Charlie, disappeared — and perhaps wisely so. An encounter between competing males could have resulted in a very serious battle.

Now the story has taken another turn.

Three males have made an appearance around McBrides. Who are they? Where have they come from? And what does their arrival mean for Chris, Charlie and the other lions that call this area home?

Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll be watching closely as we try to identify these newcomers and understand how — or if — they fit into the existing social structure.

Are they simply passing through?

Are Chris and Charlie waiting quietly for things to settle down?

Or are we witnessing the beginning of a shift in the lion dynamics around McBrides?

That uncertainty is one of the extraordinary things about observing truly wild lions. There is no script, and the next chapter is unfolding right in front of us.

We’ll keep you posted as the story develops. 🦁🐾

📍 McBrides Camp | Kafue National Park, Zambia
🌍 www.mcbridescamp.com
📧 [email protected]