While You Were Sleeping
January 2026
Watching without disturbing
When daylight fades at Okonjima Nature Reserve, a different ecological rhythm takes over. Many of the Reserve’s key species are nocturnal, relying on darkness to forage, hunt, and move safely through the landscape. Understanding this nocturnal activity is essential for effective conservation, yet direct observation is rarely possible. To document this hidden world, AfriCat operates an extensive, long-term camera trap network across Okonjima.
Camera traps are motion-activated and photograph animals as they move through the landscape. At Okonjima, nearly 200 cameras are deployed in a carefully designed system that serves the foundation’s multiple research objectives. There are grid and fenceline cameras provide broad coverage of wildlife presence and movement across the Reserve. Baited tree cameras focus primarily on leopards, burrow cameras monitor pangolin activity, and den cameras capture brown hyena den use and clan dynamics. Additional cameras are placed opportunistically at carcasses, fence breaches, or other short-lived events that offer valuable ecological insight.
These cameras collectively generate around 50,000 images each month. Images are processed using TrapTagger, an open-source platform that applies artificial intelligence to assist with species identification. AfriCat staff then manually identify all leopards, brown hyenas, pangolins, rhinos, aardwolves, aardvarks and servals based on individual identification kits developed by AfriCat. All individual identifications are independently verified by a second member of the camera trap processing team. Together, these data form the backbone of AfriCat’s long-term conservation research at Okonjima, supporting population monitoring, movement studies, and behavioural research.
This new monthly series, While You Were Sleeping, draws from this extensive dataset to share a small selection of notable nocturnal (or otherwise rare) moments. These images are more than striking photographs. They are data points that reveal how wildlife uses space, interacts, and survives in a changing landscape, night after night.
Now grab a cup of coffee, sit back & enjoy a sneak peek into the animals that call Okonjima their home!
ZAZU (PP133) and honey badger
When Bold Meets Stealth
High in the branches, the male leopard PP133 (Zazu) watches as a honey badger climbs the same tree, seemingly unaware of the predator right below him. Leopards frequently use trees to rest or feed, and especially to avoid competition from other carnivores. Honey badgers, by contrast, are bold, opportunistic foragers with few natural predators due to their aggression and thick skin. The lack of immediate conflict reflects mutual risk assessment rather than indifference. Both species are capable climbers, and this image captures a brief stalemate where caution outweighs confrontation.
Three Pangolin Fighting
A Burrow Dispute
Three pangolin converge at a burrow entrance. Two males, Zeus and Apollo, face a female, Athen. This encounter may involve competition for access to a receptive female, territorial defence of a known burrow, or assessment following overlapping foraging routes. Pangolins are typically solitary, making such interactions notable. Understanding these rare encounters contributes to knowledge of social tolerance, mating systems, and spatial organisation within an enclosed reserve.
Phoebe & Pup
Carried with Care
Phoebe, a female pangolin, enters her burrow with a pup riding on her tail and back. This image is particularly important for inventory and reproductive monitoring. Pangolin pups are dependent on their mothers for several months, and carrying behaviour allows young to accompany adults during foraging while remaining protected. The image may reflect post-natal foraging, burrow relocation, or disturbance avoidance. Recording confirmed births provides critical data for assessing population viability for one of the world’s most trafficked mammals.
Aardvark with baby
An engineer in training
An aardvark mother enters her burrow, followed closely by her calf. Aardvarks are primarily nocturnal and feed exclusively on ants and termites, eating up to 50,000 in a single night. Juveniles accompany their mothers on these excursions to learn foraging routes, burrow use and soil types suitable for digging. This image documents early-life behaviour in a species that is rarely seen despite its ecological importance as an ecosystem engineer.
Porcupine mom and baby
Quills and Caution
A porcupine mother and her young pause at the entrance to their burrow. Porcupines are slow-moving but well-defended, and juveniles learn defensive behaviours early. Burrow emergence timing may be linked to reduced predator activity, temperature regulation, or foraging needs. This image highlights parental investment and the importance of secure refuges for species that rely on physical defences rather than speed or stealth.
Brown Hyena with babies at den
Den Life
A female brown hyena is seen with her cubs at the den. Dens are the social and developmental core of brown hyena clans, providing shelter during the most vulnerable stages of early life. Cubs remain den-bound for long periods while adults forage over vast areas, returning to feed them through regurgitation. This image confirms active reproduction and den use at Okonjima, both critical indicators of population health. Because brown hyenas are highly nocturnal and elusive, camera traps are often the only way to document maternal care and cub survival
Gennet vs African Rock Python
Eyes on the Fangs
A spotted genet pauses as it encounters a puff adder partially emerged from its burrow, tongue extended in a defensive display. Both animals are nocturnal hunters, and such encounters pose a significant risk. Genets rely on agility and caution, while puff adders depend on camouflage and venom rather than pursuit. The genet’s fixed stare suggests assessment rather than aggression, likely deciding whether to retreat or reroute its foraging path. This image captures a moment of behavioural negotiation, highlighting how predators constantly balance feeding opportunities against injury risk in the dark.
Every image captured by AfriCat’s camera traps is part of a much larger effort to understand and protect wildlife at Okonjima. Together, these quiet observers reveal the hidden rhythms of the Reserve, night after night.
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Check back next month for more remarkable moments captured – “While You Were Sleeping”.
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