The first hints of winter are evident : some of our clients are wearing duffle-coats on the morning walks and asking for blankets on the night drives. Winter has its own attractions : crisp fresh air , steam from the mouths of roaring lions or snorting rhinos and the great appreciation for our hot soup starters at dinners.
As always, the game-viewing improves over the drier months. Our guides report that the lion pride at Nsemani Dam now has 10 adults along with the seven cubs mentioned in last month's newsletter. A pride of 17 lions needs regular food - so there should be quite a lot of action around Nsemani Dam this winter. Marcel reported a sighting of a large male leopard dragging a near-adult ostrich up a tree just north of Satara. We have never heard of a leopard killing such a large ostrich before.
The impala rut is in full swing : dominant males are gathering their harems for mating. It is a wonderful natural selection process : only the strongest and boldest rams are entitled to pass on their genes. The grunts that they make while attempting to herd the ewes together have caused a few " stop and reverse" requests from our guests who hear this loud call very clearly from the open vehicles and may believe the call to be lions. The not-so-strong rams form bachelor groups in April - this is done to ensure that there is safety in numbers. After a gestation period of about 7 months, the impala ewes produce a single lamb around the middle of November.
The dropping of the fence between Balule Game Reserve and Klaserie Game Reserve is now complete. This makes Tremisana Lodge the most western camp in the greater Kruger Park. The tar road between Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa now constitutes the western boundary of the Kruger Park. Road signs with a picture of an elephant have been erected along the road . It is likely that the speed limit along this stretch will be reduced.
The authorities at Kruger Park have insisted that all guides improve their qualifications to include a first Aid certificate. We feel happier that our guides will be able to handle any minor injuries , in the unlikely event that these occur.
We have bought a new 14 - seater Toyota Quantum. With the expected increase in tourism, especially for the Backpacker Safaris to Marc's Camp , we expect to put this vehicle to good use. Sidney , our fulltime mechanic has test-driven the vehicle and has given it an enthusiastic and unqualified thumbs-up.
NEWS AT TREMISANA
We had a visit from a swarm of bees at the beginning of April. As luck would have it , the queen-bee decided to set up camp right above the spirits shelf at the bar. This didn't discourage thirsty tourists and we are pleased to report that after a short interlude of 2 nights , her royal highness flew off without any injury to anybody. We were in a tricky situation : in the normal course of events, a bee-keeper would have been called in to remove the bees to an apiary . Within a game reserve or conservation area it is not so simple to do this. Our Warden advised us to leave Nature to do her thing - and all's well that ends well !
Night Drives have been good - Marcel even had the guts to allow an elephant , a benign old chap we see regularly, to touch the bonnet of the open Landcruiser. Perhaps the old boy was smelling the water or just warming the end of his trunk, but it certainly got the adrenaline moving.
A porcupine and a civet are seen regularly around the camp. They enjoy the leftover veggies that Delina puts out for the birds.
We have extended the boma area to include the water feature , which is now illuminated by two spotlights, giving a new surreal effect , no doubt adding to the dining experience.
The wild dog pack has been released - the alpha female has a cell-transmitter in a specially made collar. So far the pack has remained on Balule, but we are sure that this situation won't last too long - as soon as the prey species become depleted , the wild dogs will move on.
NEWS AT MARC'S CAMP
The grass cover is dwindling rapidly. There has been no rain of any significance since January. As a result we are worried that the buffalo herd , now numbering over 200 animals, will not have sufficient pasture. Last year , the bulk of the herd was kept in a specially constructed boma where we were able to guarantee the availability of food. These buffalo are all disease-free , so to lose even one would be a big blow. At the moment the herds are scattered all over the Motlala property. We expect the grazing to become insufficient by the end of August unless we have a late rain in May. Even then , it will probably not result in any significant growth of grass. The browsers such as giraffe, kudu, nyala and impala( mainly grazers most of the time ) are OK - the trees are still very green and the sicklebush and acacias will provide enough food right through the drought. The Klaserie Dam is still above 80 % full so there will be no shortage of water and we can be sure that the Klaserie river will flow all through the dry months. We pump water from the river to the "Breakfast Dam" and from there to the "Obstacle Course Dam" so there is water available all over Marc's Camp property. Now that the reeds have been removed from the "Breakfast Dam" we are seeing a smaller drop in the water level. The leguaan ( monitor lizard ) family still frequents this dam and have easy pickings from the numerous tilapia fish that seem to breed so successfully here.
We are exremely pleased with the responses of some of our visitors as described in the guest book. We quote a few here : " Lovely food - thank you Paulina ! To be actually sleeping in treehouses was a real adventure - especially for our 12-year old twins " Jennifer Ruurd , Zeist , The Netherlands. " VERY close to Nature - we've seen lots of amazing animals ! The food here was delicious ! Looking forward to coming again ! Definitely will recommend this place to friends and family ! " Graham and Stella , Spain. " Once-in-a-lifetime must-have experience - thanks to all Viva Safaris staff " Masa Okazaki , Japan. It is reading comments like these that makes our operation so worthwhile and brings fulfillment to our staff.
NEWS AT CHEETAH INN
It has been a relatively quiet month with our regular customers keeping us going. The Sunday lunches are doing well and the rugby fraternity gather in great numbers whenever the Blue Bulls are playing. We hosted a successful conference for the staff of the nearby Tintswalo Hospital . We have had visits from new tour operators this month and from all accounts, they had a good time. Our advertised rate of R 225 per person Bed and Breakfast is extremely good value for money and our STO ( Standard Tour Operator ) rates are even better ! As mentioned in the previous newsletter , the proximity of Cheetah Inn to Orpen Gate of Kruger (on an all-weather tarred road ) is a great plus. We are meeting some new tour operators at the INDABA tourism show early May and hope to sign some new deals. The epaulletted fruit bats that hang under the thatched roof at the front entrance have grown in number to 23. Perhaps with the first cold snap, they have decided to find a more secure refuge. Birdlife in the gardens has shown an increase now that the water supplies in the veld are drying up - we were pleased to see Green Pigeons and Plum-coloured starlings feeding on the fruits of the fig trees.
|
