News April 2009

April is a lovely month to be in the bush. The temperatures are relatively mild and the green grasses take on a yellow hue, transforming the savanna into a truly golden sea of undulating grassland.

April also marks the start of the annual impala rut. The grunting/roaring sound that the rams make is heard all day and all night as the rams make it their business to gather as many ewes into their harem as possible. They fight amongst themselves, reaffirming dominance hierarchies that have been established in the past. It is a great spectacle to watch as these normally placid animals are driven hormonally to behave in a quite aggressive fashion. Nature is great: the selection process results in only the boldest and fiercest rams being given the right to propagate their superior genes.
 
Our tourists are absolutely amazed (maybe the male tourists a trifle awed?) when they come across a breeding herd in which one ram is in charge of 30 or more ewes. The tourists are usually sorry to find all male bachelor herds of up to 30. The reason the males stick around together is out of a need to have better security: the more eyes and ears to notice a potential predator, the better!

Gameviewing has been fairly good this month, but is not yet at its best. As the pools dry out in the veld, so the animals move towards the permanent water supplies along the rivers and dams. Sightings of the Big Five have been good, with Leopard being the most difficult to locate. They are without doubt one of Nature’s great survivors. In some of our local cultures, the leopard skin is a coveted item for ceremonial garb. Despite being hunted down for its attractive spotted fur or for having killed livestock, the leopard remains in areas where other large game has long been exterminated. Part of the secret of the leopard’s success is found in its adaptability. For example, as regards its diet, leopard are able to survive on very small creatures like cane rats, hares, francolins and guinea fowl. As far as water dependence goes, leopard will avail themselves of accessible water but can survive on the moisture supplied by the body fluids of the animals they kill.
 
Another secret of the leopard’s survival is its silent, solitary habits and secretive nature. There is evidence of leopard living in fairly close proximity of all the major urban areas in South Africa. As long as there is a good amount of thick bush where the leopard can find place to hide, its existence is guaranteed. Most of the leopard’s activities, including hunting, are done under the cover of darkness, so it is able to survive simply because it is not often seen by day. So whenever one of our guides does encounter a leopard on a game drive, it is a good reason to celebrate.

GAMEVIEWING NEWS

Bongani has sent the following report:
 
“On 2nd April I did a morning walk around Balule. We heard a sound coming from the bushes. It looked like a lion and leopard were fighting. By the time we got there the leopard was already gone, but the lion was still there. It came out of the bushes and charged towards us. It stopped right before us; estimated 6-8 meters close. My guests were a little frightened but thankfully no one ran away. After the walk, during breakfast they couldn’t stop talking about this experience!
 
The game viewing in Balule for me has been excellent. This month we found lots of lions, elephants and buffaloes. There is one lioness with four cubs walking around our part of Balule, sometimes coming to Tremisana Lodge. During one morning drive we saw her walking on the road at Tremisana Lodge.
 
The 4th of April was a good day in KNP. There were 14 Wild Dogs lying on the Orpen road at the Kingfisherspruit turnoff. After viewing the Wild Dogs, we saw two cheetahs walking along the road. One of these cheetahs was limping. On our way back to the gate we saw the same Wild Dogs again - this time they were busy eating two impalas very close to the road. At that same location there were jackals running around as well. From a safe distance there were even some impalas watching the wild dogs while they were busy eating. I wonder whether they were feeling emotions for their dead friends……
 
In my opinion, the best roads to drive in the Park are the river roads S100 and S 125 and around Timbavati. On the 25th of April, we saw on the S39 (Timbavati River road) 12 lions eating a giraffe. There were lots of hyenas and vultures waiting for the leftovers. They were there for four days. The 25th really was a wonderful day because we saw the big five plus a cheetah.
 
On the 26th of April, there were two lionesses at Nsemani Dam hiding in the bushes, waiting for the zebras to come down to the waterhole to drink. Lucky for the zebras, two elephants came before them and chased the lions away. ”

Animals (4 species) congregating around water

Bertus has submitted the following:

Kruger

“I went to Kruger just a few times this last month but the sightings are definitely improving with the vegetation that is diminishing and the animals that are concentrating more around the waterholes.

Some of the highlights were witnessed around waterholes. On the 21st of April we had a great sighting of lions that caught a giraffe next to the Roodewal waterhole. What an experience! Later that same day, we found 3 lions next to the Ngotso North waterhole.

On the 22nd April we had an early day in Kruger that paid off as well with Rhinos and huge breeding herds of elephants next to the Olifants River on the way to Letaba.
We also found a Leopard on the S100 that was very relaxed in her tree next to the road. It was one of the few times we actually left the sighting before the leopard did.

The Monthly Highlight was on the 28th. We started the morning slowly with not much happening. We saw a Bateleur Eagle on the road between Orpen and Satara eating a Spurfowl but he flew off as we approached. Also some elephant bulls were seen in the distance. At Girivana waterhole our luck changed and we saw two buffalo bulls that came out of the water. We continued on our journey and found some Hippo lying in the sun close to the Ratelpan Hide. From there we went towards Satara. Some other tourist generously informed us about a leopard sighting. We found the leopard in a tree close to the road. Once again we left the sighting after some time. After lunch we drove on the S100. We found herds of elephant and buffalo almost immediately as well as the usual plentiful amount of plains game. When we turned off towards Nwanetsi we found 4 rhino in the road and from there it was not two km when we found 3 lions also basking in the sun.

Other highlights for the day were Ground Hornbill,. Kori Bustard and a Sharpe’s Grysbok. We are also starting to see a lot of snakes in the road – they appreciate the heat in the early mornings and late afternoons. On this particular day we saw a Puffader, a Snouted Cobra as well as a Boomslang crossing the road.

Balule

Balule also had its ups and downs this month - either being quiet or very good to us. We still had good sightings at the beginning of the month of the local lioness with her four cubs. We are starting to see a lot more of the rhino bull again as well as the two bulls walking together. The elephants come and go but we had some special sightings of them in the Balule plains area.

We are still keeping track of the Ground Hornbills and I am now reporting all sightings of them as well as other rare birds to a researcher for the APNR
( Association of Private Nature Reserves ) who is focussing on the distribution of this rare and endangered bird. I also hope to start to see a lot more on our walks now that the bush is starting to open up and the game is becoming more visible. ”

A group of Ground Hornbills.

Nelly started the month by seeing 4 of the Big 5 before lunch on 1 April. He kicked off with a good leopard sighting at Rabelais, followed by a large herd of elephants along the Timbavati River. He then found two cheetah sleeping close to the road. The S 100 road produced the goods with a sighting of two lionesses with three cubs. Rhino were wallowing at Shimanganini waterhole. Nelly completed his sightings of the Big Five by locating a small herd of buffalo bulls shortly after lunch on the main Satara – Olifants road.

Nelly repeated his feat of seeing the Big Five on 5 April. Five lions killed a wildebeest one km in from the Orpen Gate. White Rhino were seen at Nwamatsatsa waterhole, a leopard was seen fast asleep on a tree at Ngotso Dam and elephants were seen bathing in the ever-decreasing water of the same dam. A herd of buffalo on the road completed the sightings for an apparently very appreciative group of our tourists.

Nelly had an even better day on 17 April. Besides the Big Five, he and his fortunate guests also came across five Wild Dogs loping along the tar road between Orpen and Satara.

Rhulani had his first day of success in seeing the Big Five only on 7 April. Prior to that he had good sightings of what he terms “ the Easy Four ” having missed out on Leopard. He found lionesses with cubs on the Timbavati River Road which also produced elephants and rhino. A leopard was seen 4 km from Satara camp and buffalo were seen 2 km from the camp.

Rhulani has had quite good luck with cheetah sightings – he reports seeing these animals regularly between Orpen and Satara.

Rhulani reports his most exciting sighting as that of a big male leopard on Motlala Reserve ( of which Marc’s Treehouse Lodge forms a part ). We offer this game drive to those of our clients doing the 5, 6, or 7-day safaris. What really impressed Rhulani and his clients was the calm and relaxed behaviour of the leopard. He walked not more than two metres from the vehicle.

His second best sighting of the month is reported as viewing a pack of 11 Wild Dogs about halfway between Orpen and Satara.

Thulani had to outdo Rhulani on Wild Dogs : on 8 April, he and his very lucky guests came across a pack of 26 only three km from Orpen.

On the 11 April there was a good sighting of a lion pride on a giraffe kill on the Sweni River road. Thulani prefers operating in this area as he believes that good rhino sightings around here are almost guaranteed - a claim substantiated by the fact that on each and every occasion he drove on the Sweni Road in April, he did find Rhinos – well done Thulani ! He also reports regular sightings of lions in this zone so there is definite method in his mania for the S 125..

NEWS AT TREMISANA GAME LODGE

Tremisana has had a good coat of paint just about everywhere. The rooms’ exteriors are looking very light and bright and the woodwork has benefited from a liberal dousing of creosote. We are waiting for end of May to repaint the swimming pool.

The game viewing has been good with regular sightings of lions and buffalo. In fact a herd of about 40 buffalo regularly drink from Tremisana Dam each and every evening. They have made their presence felt insofar as the water levels have been dropping and I doubt that the water will last longer than end of June.

Our Warden has sunk his own borehole and we are hoping that as of 1 May he will supply his household and the Gate with his own water. Water is always a problem and we have embarked on an educational program to encourage all the Tremisana staff to be aware of the need to conserve water. We also have notices in all the chalets requesting all our guests to use water sparingly.

NEWS AT MARC’S TREEHOUSE LODGE

Marc’s Treehouse Lodge has seen a number of improvements in building of various bridges across gullies and dry waterways. Some of our ( more elderly ) guests have had a rough time trying to negotiate their ways on the morning bush walks. Ronald has identified at least three locations where bridges were necessary.

In addition, we have been busy with revarnishing all the woodwork – and there is an absolute fortune of wooden poles at Marc’s.

The rhinos are being seen more often. The buffalos are also around and one fine morning a buffalo bull put a dent into one of our Toyota Quantums. This is the second time we have gone along to the insurance with a claim where the cause of damage was a charging buffalo ! I wonder whether they actually believe us . Thankfully the Quantum is a stable vehicle and our clients were unscathed. We have had a few near misses also with impalas. As the rut goes on, the impala rams chase one another as well as the ewes and we are fortunate that we have not had more accidents!

NEWS AT THE CHEETAH INN

Cheetah Inn has done well this month and our monthly bed occupancy is climbing steadily. The Viva Safaris clients that have booked our 3 and 4 day safaris have been very impressed with the standards of the rooms as well as the friendliness and professionalism of our staff. Well done to Alice, Margaret and Patrick.

We have recombed the thatch roofs and have started introducing reed ceilings throughout – it gives a lovely rustic touch. The seats of the chairs in the dining room have been reupholstered and we have reupholstered all furniture in the TV lounge.

Our warthog sounder has increased to seven. The grass at Cheetah Inn is fairly high and despite raising their tails in antenna-fashion, we usually see the warthogs’ progress only in terms of the movement of the grass.

NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS

We are looking forward to Indaba 2009. Trevor has used his not inconsiderable talent to get us stand number 007 – the secret agents’ stand ! We promise that there will be no secrets between us and our agents – we shall continue to offer your our very best service in a very open and non-secretive way!
 
Once again I shall be bringing in my personal Cappuccino machine, complete with imported Italian Caffe Belvedere sachets.
 
You will be pleased to know that I do not offer cappuccinos to every guest that comes to visit me in my home. So if you are not certain as to how much we value your continued support, be aware that the cappuccino I shall give you is eloquent proof.
 
I am bringing the original Guest Comments Books from Tremisana and Marc’s to Indaba 2009. I invite you to open the books on any page and see for yourself what our previous guests have to say about our operation.
 
Included herewith are some of the entries from the books for April 2009.

TREMISANA

01-04-09, Otto Family:
"This trip was marvellous. The price is very fair and the service is terrific ! Bertus was the best. ”

06-04-09 , Lauren Kelly:
"I have a huge pit in my stomach now that I’m about to leave. Thank you for this paradise, wonderful staff, amazing animals and ….CORN MUFFINS !! A wonderful way to conclude the best month of my life . ”

08-04-09, Donna Banks:
"What a wonderful holiday ! This absolutely beats all my expectations. The animals were beautiful, the guides were knowledgeable and fun and the staff at Tremisana were outstanding. I believe I’ve gained a few kilos on this trip ! Thanks for everything. ”

14-04-09, Mario and Vero:
"Thanks for a wonderful stay in this gorgeous lodge ! We have had a lot of fun and had fantastic animal sightings. Special thanks to Bongani for showing us how to eat Marula fruits from elephant dung !!! ”

MARC’S

08-04-09, Alex Cooperstock:
"Amazing and unforgettable ! Ronald was a fantastic guide/host and all his staff are so warm and welcoming. Kruger and our treehouse were great. Thank you, thank you, thank you . ”

14-04-09, Alex and Anne-Marie:
"Fantastic experience ! Awesome game drives – saw the Big Five !! Accommodation was great – we will return. Mayneth is a great part-time ranger – appoint him full-time ! Siyathanda ukugla lapha. Siyathanda uMarc’s Treehouses. Thanks ! Siyabonga ! ”

28-04-09, Robert and Janelle Schultz:
"Thank you so much for making our African experience so unforgettable ! The balance here between being in the bush and having a little luxury is just right ! We shall always remember the fun times we have had with you all! ”
 
30-04-09, Lara Rohde:
“Ich habe noch nie so wunderschoene Sonnen untergange erlebt und so viele furchterregende Spinnen gehesen. Eindeutig eine schoene neue Erfahrung!”


CHEETAH INN
 
01-04-09, Annemarie and Richard Wright:
"A breath of fresh air ! Great place – so clean. Friendly and warm welcoming service and – free of spiders! Loved the taxidermy in the bar. Alice and Patrick were great hosts. Many thanks.”

04-04-09, Roswith Susskamp:
“Excellent food, friendly folks, beautiful surroundings and a whole lot warmer than our home in Canada!”

25-04-09, Lino e Luciana, Augusta, Manuela:
"Ottima occoglienza, ottimo cibo. Personale molto gentile e paziente. Grazie per il soggiorno.”
 
Hope you enjoyed (and understood) the comments in isiZulu, German and Italian.
 
Regards and best wishes,
Piero