Towards the end of the month I was horrified to see a pair of Indian Myna birds flying around the new Pick and Pay centre in Hoedspruit. I am very familiar with the Myna as my home town, Durban, is the city from where these exotics were first introduced into South Africa by Indian immigrants. I know the species to be extremely pugnacious and aggressive. They have spread from Durban to Gauteng and now, unfortunately, even to Hoedspruit. These birds are a real menace insofar as they can displace the endemic species. We have in excess of 500 bird species in Kruger Park and environs and it would be a sad situation if any of these species were to suffer as a result of the presence of Mynas.
When people emigrated to South Africa, they brought with them certain animal species. They probably did this so as to feel a little more “at home” in a new country. Cecil Rhodes brought with him a number of animals to Cape Town. The Grey Squirrel and Tahr (a type of mountain goat )are examples. After over 100 years, the Tahr was regarded as a problem animal and a concerted effort was made to eliminate these aliens from Table Mountain. I am told that there are still a few wily individuals that have managed to survive. I am also told by my friends in Northern Italy that the Grey Squirrel has done enormous damage to the continued wellbeing of the indigenous Red Squirrel. In fact there is concern that unless some drastic action is taken soon, the entire European population of Red Squirrels may be under threat. In South Africa we need to monitor the spread of the Grey Squirrel in case it also does damage to local squirrel populations.
At Tremisana Lodge we have a number of House Sparrows. This species was introduced by the 1820 British settlers. I remember as a young man living in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, how I would be awakened by the call of the Cape Sparrow. Within 10 years, the House Sparrow had displaced the Cape Sparrow.
Problems with alien animal introduction occur internationally. The extermination of a local species by an alien is always a sad event. In Kruger Park there is much concern about the extermination of a number of fish species. I know of a number of dams very near the boundary of Kruger in which exotic species such as carp and bass have been introduced. In fact we have such a dam not very far from Marc’s Treehouse Lodge. At the beginning of this year after the major rains we had, it is very possible that some of these exotic fish may have entered the Klaserie River. This river flows past Marc’s on its way to the Olifants River which it joins not far from Phalaborwa. Imagine what chaos Large-mouthed Bass would cause if they were to establish themselves in the Olifants River! Kruger Park scientists are aware of the potential hazards to conservation and must continue to monitor the rivers entering the Park.
We do not allow any domestic cats into wildlife conservation areas. The reason for this is that they may breed with the African Wild Cat. In fact I remember the acute embarrassment I felt on a Night Drive some years ago on encountering a domestic cat. The tourists were as shocked as I was.
We need to be serious when it comes to preserving the wildlife in our custody!
GAMEVIEWING NEWS
The dry conditions have resulted in excellent game-viewing this month. The guides have had all manner of wonderful sightings, including some rarer species such as Wild Dog and Black Rhino. I had occasion to spend two days in Kruger while I was training new guides. On both occasions we saw the Big Five and also saw lions on kills.
BONGANI reports that he has had a very good month, with regular sightings of the Big Five. He reports the highlights as follows:
“On 1 July, near Kingfisherspruit between Orpen and Satara we came across two Cheetah that were hunting. They located a Steenbuck and chased it. They got really close, but because the Steenbuck can zig-zag while it is running, the Cheetah were unable to catch it. After their chase, the exhausted cheetah returned to the tar road and went to sleep on the road. Later on the same day we had a sighting of a big herd of Buffalo. Two lionesses approached the herd. It was so interesting to see how the herd reacted. The calves and cows gathered in the centre of the group while the bulls moved to the periphery, Once all the cows and calves were settled, 3 big buffalo bulls charged at the lionesses and chased them away. In the afternoon we had a great sighting of elephants swimming in Nsemani Dam. The guests were thoroughly entertained by the antics of the elephants and we spent almost an hour watching them. ”
He continues : “On 11 July, I had great luck with White Rhino. We saw 10 together – the most I have ever seen in one group! They were walking on the road along the Rabelais loop and were moving towards a stream to take a mud bath. While they were busy in the water, two elephants bulls arrived on the scene. I was expecting an altercation, but the big rhino bull simply ignored (maybe he was having such fun that he didn’t see )the elephants who drank and moved away. At Nsemani dam we had a sighting of two lionesses attempting to stalk some kudu. The kudu were very wary and ran away. Later on we drove on the S 100 and located a leopard that was stalking a herd of impala. It was getting really close and our expectations were high. Suddenly there was a huge hullabaloo from the trees – a group of Vervet Monkeys had spotted the Leopard and were telling the whole of Africa about it! The impalas ran off.”
He concludes : “On the 19th I was awakened at Tremisana by a lot of bellowing. I woke up the guests and before the sun had risen, we went looking for what I knew was going to be great. Not more than 50 metres from the staff quarters, 2 male lions were killing a buffalo cow. Before they started eating some buffalo bulls came to investigate, maybe to see if they could help their friend. The lions left the carcass and went straight for the buffalo bulls, dispersing them very quickly. It was great to have a buffalo kill so close to the lodge – the guests could not believe it!”
2 lions killed a buffalo cow at Tremisana
BERTUS spent most of the month on long leave. His best day in Kruger was reported as follows :
“On the 11th July, I had a great day : Buffalo right at Orpen Gate; 5 White Rhino on the Rabelais loop; Lions and Elephant at Nsemani Dam; Leopard along the Nwanedzi River; more White Rhino on the Sweni River road and to end it off on a terrific high : another Leopard at Orpen Gate!!!! ”
Bertus had a good time on Balule Plains as well. On one occasion he saw Black Rhino and Buffalo at Peter’s Rock.
ANDRIES has joined us for a fixed period on a fulltime basis. He reports as follows : “On 1st July, we had a great day seeing all the Big Five apart from Leopard. I had an Australian guest on board who had told me that he really wanted to see a Honey Badger. I told him that in 5 years of guiding, I had only once before seen a Honey Badger. Well, he had the luck with him : we came across a honey badger and he was absolutely thrilled. He kept on thanking me that his dream had been fulfilled.”
On 3rd, Andries managed to see a Leopard and easily provided sightings of the Big Five. He repeated the feat on 25th, this time getting even better and closer sightings.
MAYNETH, a freelance guide, had some great sightings as well : On 18th he came across two different prides of lions along the S 41 within 7 km of each other. On the 19th his excited clients saw lionesses hunting impala unsuccessfully. On the 24th, he found two lionesses on a buffalo kill. Right above them, up in a tree, was a leopard! It must have run away from the lionesses or perhaps was up there resting when the lions caught the buffalo. Who knows ? On the 28th Mayneth saw a pair of mating leopards on the S41 as well as another buffalo kill on the S 100.
On the 29th I joined him on a training course and we were all very pleased to find 2 male lions on a giraffe kill right on the road about 5 km from the Sweni waterhole. When we got there the giraffe was literally still kicking while the lion was applying a final squeeze on the throat! They opened up the stomach and started feeding right in front of us. Wonderful sighting!
RHULANI had a good day on 4th - there were excellent sightings of all the Big Five including these highlights : A pride of lions consisting of seven cubs and three lionesses were sighted near Mudzanzene. The cubs were reasonably small and entertained the guests by the manner in which they were jumping all over the adults. The clients were really lucky in that there were no fewer than three separate Leopard sightings.
A leopard up a Leadwood Tree just north of Timbavati picnic spot
The 11th was a good Cheetah day – the two males that are frequently encountered near the Timbavati turnoff were relaxing right on the tar road. Later that evening as Rhulani was exiting the Park, small cubs which he reckons were about one month old crossed right in front of the Quantum. This was an unexpected bonus as the group had already left the main Orpen Gate. The new entry point is now about 6 km further on – all the gameviewing along this stretch is gratis.
On the 12th Rhulani and guests had a very unusual sighting of a leopard up a tree with a dead Serval it had killed. It had not started consuming the Serval and was resting.
On our return trip from Orpen to the lodges we travel past game reserves all the way. On 14th Rhulani was lucky to have a sighting of the White Lions along the Timbavati fence. They had killed a zebra very close to the road.
Rhulani reports his most exiting sighting of the month as follows : “On the 19th the two male lions that live around Tremisana caught a buffalo at Tremisana. One of the lions was two metres from our Landcruiser. He was full and his stomach was huge! He was lying around lazily. Suddenly he stood up and walked towards the back of the Cruiser. All three guests on the back seat landed up on top of one another in one seat! He is really a big animal and it was quite scary!”
THULANI submitted the following report: “July has been an excellent month for me. Not only are we seeing the Big Five regularly, but the sightings seem to be closer to the vehicle this month. A typical day occurred on the 4th July : Elephant herd on the Sweni road ; Buffalos on the tar road just before Satara; White Rhinos north of Satara on the tar road; a Leopard on an impala kill on the link roads to Timbavati; another Leopard up a Leadwood Tree just north of Timbavati picnic spot; lions 10 km further on.”
On the 17th, Thulani and guests came across a Martial Eagle that had just caught a Helmeted Guineafowl and was “busy suffocating it”.
The 18th July was “Leopard Day” for Thulani and extremely fortunate guests.
They started off by having a sighting of a leopard with kill up a tree on the Timbavati road. Later that morning a leopard with its impala kill in its mouth crossed in front of the Open Vehicle on the S 100. About 12 km on, the highlight of all leopard sightings: mother teaching two teenage cubs the skill of hunting while stalking a Bushbuck ewe! What a day – five leopards!!! NEW RECORD
Thulani also had luck on the Balule and Motlala drives : “I saw the buffalo kill with the two big males at Tremisana for three consecutive days from 21st onwards. On 25th we saw a pride of 16 lions on the Marula road and the next day we had an excellent sighting of a lioness with cubs crossing the road. At Motlala, on 24th we had a great sighting of the pair of Black Rhino not far from a big herd of buffalo”.
NEWS AT TREMISANA GAME LODGE
TREMISANA has had some great sightings of lions. The two males seem really expert at catching buffalo and in the week I was there, towards the end of July, they caught three different buffalo. We also had a good sighting of the rest of the pride, around 17 in all, when they were eating on a dead elephant close to Tremisana. Apparently two elephant bulls in musth had a terrible fight and the one had its neck broken. Wynand, our warden, had to finish him off and thus provided a big meal for all the predators in the area.
The lapa at Tremisana overlooks a floodlit waterhole
We had a light shower of rain right at the end of the month and the gardens are looking quite good for this time of the year. There is a lot more grazing in the veld and the warthogs have not even thought of entering Tremisana as they were doing last year in July. Unfortunately the porcupine has decided that Tremisana is a good bet to find well - watered trees and he has ring-barked a number of our larger trees including the Sausage Tree.
Warthogs outside Tremisana - they have not entered the camp this year
NEWS AT MARC’S TREEHOUSE LODGE
MARC’S has had an increase in July in the number of buffalo sightings. There is a herd of bulls, around eight in number, that graze near the road from the entrance gate to the Main Lodge. It is always exciting to see how absolutely amazed our clients are as they see these relatively tame and relaxed animals from very close proximity. Dan, our trainee guide, is available to provide an armed escort for any guests who feel a tad nervous in walking back to their treehouses after dinner. The buffalo have never attacked any clients but they are essentially wild animals and should be given as wide a berth as possible when encountered on foot.
Buffalo at Marc's Camp
We have started building three units for guides nearer the treehouses. The idea is to have members of staff a little closer to the guests in the treehouses in the unlikely event of there being some kind of emergency. We have been running Marc’s since 1995 and have never had any problems but one never knows.
The units will be spaced unobtrusively in the bush, well away from the treehouses, but within earshot.
NEWS AT THE CHEETAH INN
CHEETAH INN has had a facelift. We are painting all the inside and outside of the hotel in the same brown and white as the outside rondawels. We have added a new air conditioner to the bar which not only cools but also heats up the room. It was put to excellent use towards the end of July when I experienced the coldest night I have ever had in the bush.
The Banded Mongoose troop has increased to over 50 individuals and are becoming reasonably tame as they scurry around foraging. They get along quite well with the Vervet Monkeys that seem to be everywhere. The main hotel rooms have tin roofs and it is quite an experience to hear the monkeys chasing one another around.
The Banded Mongoose troop has increased to over 50 individuals!
We had a second visit from the volunteers from West Coast. Once again, they did a magnificent job in helping Shilekhisi School. Well done!
Volunteers from West Coast handing out oranges to learners at Shilekhisi School
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
I sent all of our agents on the mailing list a copy of our 2010 tariffs. Should you not have received same, please let me know and I shall get it to you.
Please be aware that the most efficient way to book a safari with us is via email, as long as the safari is not for the next day or two. I can be contacted at vivasaf@icon.co.za
For urgent bookings, please call Head Office 011 4768842
From: Lauren and Neville at Flight Centre.
Dear Anthony and Trevor
Thank you so much for an amazing weekend at the Kruger, we could not have asked for a better experience. I must mention that Pearl and Bongani were fantastic, very accommodating, friendly and informative!
Tremisana Lodge is really beautiful and the facilities are great! We spent many evening around the Boma laughing and sharing experiences!
You really have a great team! Thank you again. I posted all my photos on Facebook and have had many enquires from friends and family, you definitely have my support!
COMMENTS FROM THE GUESTBOOKS
Cheetah Inn
02-07: M Wyleh : “Was an amazing adventure and experience. I met very interesting and friendly staff, especially Astrid. I shall definitely returning to South Africa in the near future.”
19-07: C de Waal : “Tanks for really great times. We enjoyed every minute of it in this friendly atmosphere with great hard-working and good-natured people.”
Marc’s
04-07: E Martinez : “Merci, Thank you, Dankie, Ndakesegomfu swinene!
What a wonderful time I had here. This place is very unique and made me feel close to Nature and the wild……
The staff has been wonderful, taking very good care of us. I also met some amazing people here during my stay. All of this will make this week unforgettable and a perfect ending to my trip to South Africa. Kia Ora!”
08-07: C Coulson : “Thank you very much for a wonderful experience. The accommodation was interesting - have never stayed in anything like this before!
All the staff were great and very friendly. Thanks especially for catering to my Veggie needs – the food was great. Will come back here as soon as I can!
Saw the Big Five – which I wasn’t really expecting to do. Thanks!”
Tremisana
12-07 : J Robles : “Incredible attention and very well-organised tours – will certainly recommend to my friends. I had a really wonderful time. Special thanks to Pearl who made our stay unforgettable.”
15-07 : S Widdal : “Thank you so much for great hospitality and the sharing of stories and experiences around the campfire.”
24-07 : Ashley and Mark Molinyane : “A great place to honeymoon!!
Wonderful food and beautiful atmosphere. We could not have asked for more!”
COMMENTS RECEIVED VIA EMAIL
From: Steven Gibson
To Whom It May Concern;
G’day, I have recently returned from 6 weeks in South Africa, and during that time I went on your 4 day Safari from Tremisana Lodge.
I am writing to say, thank you so much for a very unique experience, everything was BRILLIANT, I will certainly be recommending Vivi Safaris to all m friends here, and I will be back, I hope, in August 2011 for my 50th birthday, I’d love a 7 day safari, similar to the one I went on, I’d love to see more of the Kruger Park.
Again, thanks for a treasured experience,
From: Irmgard van der Weele
Dear Anthoni,
Our Safari was fabulous. Even the cold weather was not a deterrent with hot water bottles and 4 blankets. The Tree House Experience will linger forever in our memory! Jared and Nathan have a lot of stories to tell to their friends on their return.
Andries and Thabo our drivers were very skilled and good drivers, friendly and fun. Andries was exceptionally good in spotting wild life and had a good knowledge of many aspects of the Kruger Park. On the very first day in the Kruger we saw and enjoyed all of the Big 5.
Louise and Astrid were terrific and very caring! Margrith also has good leadership and people skills and we wish her well in the hospitality industry!
A big thank you to Thabo to return the forgotten black bag with the shoes!!! It was much appreciated. We will recommend and animate our friends to consider a Safari with Viva Safari Tours. Thank you once again for affording us this wonderful experience!
Sincere thanks to the Viva staff for another set of pleasing comments this month.
Regards
Piero
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