It seems somehow inevitable that I commence every newsletter with a comment on rainfall figures or weather conditions. I had the good fortune of visiting Italy in the latter half of June. This visit to Italy, after an absence of 37 years, coincided with an amazing "premature" and "unseasonal" heat wave where on one afternoon the Roman mercury touched 40 C. In my absence from South Africa, there was freezing cold accompanied by snow in Johannesburg - a rare event indeed.
Global warming is a serious reality and the "unseasonality" of certain weather conditions will become more and more regular. The July 2007 issue of Getaway has an editorial in which it is stated that " an American adds around five tons of carbon dioxide yearly and uses as much energy as a whale; South Africans add two and a half tons of carbon dioxide and use as much energy as two dolphins" I can only shudder at the impact these emissions are having on the ozone layer.
Education authorities and chemistry boffins are no doubt doing their best to encourage people to do their bit to help. I imagine it is a very difficult task, given the need of most well-heeled people to demonstrate their financial status. I am always amazed at the number of 4 x 4 vehicles, with huge 3 or 4 and even 5 litre engines doing the rounds on the perfectly asphalted roads in the affluent suburbs. Most of these vehicles probably go through life without ever having the 4 x 4 gears engaged. Unfortunately they emit, on a daily basis, vast amounts of carbon dioxide which is steadily depleting our ozone layer. I was pleased to see that the Milan authorities have placed stringent restrictions on use of motor vehicles . We had to use the Metro ( underground railway ) as some motor vehicles were not allowed into central Milan on certain days.
In summary, the simple question that we need to answer is this : Are we going to allow our vanity, fuelled by all-encompassing consumerism, to grow unabated and leave little or no heritage for our children's children ?
I have had a number of responses to my concerns about the growing elephant population in Kruger. Let me repeat - we have a problem.
The Minister of Tourism has announced the publication of " Draft Norms and Standards for Management of Elephants in South Africa". In this document, the following options are given for population control :
1. Range manipulation
2. Removal by Translocation
3. Introduction of Elephants ?
4. Contraception
5. Culling
As I understand it,
1. Range manipulation involves the control over supply of water; creation of corridors for movement and expansion of range by acquisition of additional land. In my opinion it is highly unlikely that this is a practical option as there just isn't any more suitable land. The creation of the Transfrontier Park has eased the overpopulation temporarily, but how many more such parks can be created ?
2. Translocation is similarly hamstrung as all the parks to which Kruger elephants were translocated, including Pilanesberg and Imfolozi-Hluhluwe are also now saturated. In fact these parks are now faced with the same problems as Kruger in terms of overpopulation.
3. I am not clear as to exactly where Kruger elephants may still be introduced - perhaps there are large tracts of suitably vegetated land in Southern Africa of which I am woefully unaware.
4. Contraception is an invasive and costly procedure. Not enough research has been done on long term psychological and social side effects on elephants that will experience unnatural rhythms as a result of abnormal parturition.
That leaves only the last option : culling
We need to remember that our brief in nature conservation is premised on being environmentally responsible. In Italy I found a great interest in visiting South Africa. Perhaps it has something to do with Italian pride in defending their title in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. While tour operators will welcome increased tourism, we need to remember that there may also be some negative side-effects. Two questions come immediately to mind :
Will the current management and operational strategies in tourism be able to sustain large numbers ?
Will our fragile ecosystems and limited resources handle excessive pressure ?
Seen in this context, the idea of elephant culling becomes less abhorrent and more practically expedient. It is a sensitive and often a very emotional issue and we hope that clear-mindedness prevails.
Another issue that I discussed in the April 2007 newsletter has raised a fair amount of interest : Musth in male elephants. A few readers have requested further information. I shall dedicate a large part of next month's newsletter to this very interesting topic.
GAMEVIEWING IN KRUGER
June has been a good month in terms of gameviewing. There was no rainfall during the month apart from a localized shower south of Orpen at the beginning of the month, which had no effect on surface water. The veld has dried out and we are pleased to report that large herds of animals are drinking regularly from the permanent waterholes. The Timbavati river, which straddles the main Orpen-Satara road has stopped flowing and only isolated pools exist. These attract large congregations of animals. Grass cover is very good and the leaves provide ample browse at the moment.
BONGANI was on leave until 14 June. He reports his highlights as follows : "On Saturday 30 June , we found Three of the Big Five all congregating at Ngotso spring, north of Satara. A pride of lions attempted unsuccessfully to catch a buffalo at the waterhole, while a small herd of elephants watched completely unconcerned. Later the same afternoon, I stopped at Nsemani Dam and was watching the hippo when, all of a sudden, we heard the loud alarm chattering of a troop of monkeys. They had climbed a tree and were all looking in the same direction, so I knew there was a predator around. About one minute later, a large male leopard appeared from the undergrowth and walked right past the tree up which the monkeys had climbed." Bongani reports a 50% success rate with leopards this June with numerous sightings along the Timbavati river road .
NELLY also got into the leopard viewing act. His very fortunate clients witnessed a leopard kill and then eat a porcupine. This very rare event took place on 24th June only 5 km from the Orpen Gate. A half hour later, near Mudzanzene picnic spot, this same group came across a pair of mating lions right near the road. On the 25th June, Nelly was awakened at Marc's Treehouse Lodge at 03h00 by the alarm calls of impala. He then listened carefully and heard the characteristic ' sawing of wood ' call of a leopard. He reckons it was really close and told the occupants of treehouse 1 about it. They had also heard the noise but weren't aware that it was a leopard. Nelly was very lucky on an afternoon game drive at Tremisana on 22nd June. A pride of seven lions crossed the road right in front of the Landcruiser. He has been enjoying the bush walks at Marc's Treehouse Lodge and reports that he almost always sees nyala, buffalo and giraffe close up. Nelly also had good luck with rhino sightings : he saw Black Rhino on the S 100 ( gravel road between Satara and Nwanedzi ) and White Rhino regularly along the Rabelais loop. On one occasion he found a group of four cheetah, also on the Rabelais loop, a mere 300 metres from a White Rhino bull.
CHARLES reports a pride of lions attempting to catch breakfast at Ngirivana waterhole on 2nd June. It is always very exciting to come across lions at a waterhole in the morning. As the day progresses and the sun climbs higher into the heavens, the animals' thirst increases. There is always a chance of seeing a kill, but these events take a lot of time and patience. Charles' group saw an attempted kill on a herd of impala. Thereafter it took another 30 minutes before a sounder of three warthogs appeared. Once again the overzealous lions showed themselves too soon and the warthogs ran away. By now the heat was too much for the group who decided to move on to Satara for lunch and ice-cold beers.
ANTHONY R spent eight days in June guiding while the full-time guides were on long leave. He has set a new record in that his groups saw leopard on all eight occasions - a 100 % leopard success rate. Well done, Anthony ! It must be driving Charles mad ! He has also had occasion to see lions and cheetah. On one occasion, near Phalaborwa, his group saw one of the " Magnificent Tuskers " - elephants with magnificent tusks that even touch the ground. We don't know which one it was and are awaiting photos from our clients so that a positive identification may be made. There are about 10 of these new giants with huge tusks in Kruger at the present time.
ELVIS has been on long leave and is now on extended leave and was unable to submit his report timeously for this newsletter.
NEWS AT TREMISANA
We have appointed a new guide who will be responsible for the new product we are offering : the full day Balule safari. Jonas Phokungwane comes from a good hospitality background. He has worked for Eastgate Safaris and Transfers and has qualified through the prestigious Gold Reef Guides course. Jonas has also run his own catering business, providing meals for group functions. He has a better than average knowledge of motor mechanics and has driven many kilometers on Landcruisers. We think he is eminently qualified to cater to all the needs of our tourists that will be doing the Balule safaris.
We have bought a hand-held radio which has a range of about 20 km. Riaan, the warden of the new traversing area has promised to let us have a daily report of the whereabouts of the big game. We shall be governed by strict protocol in terms of gameviewing. We do not subscribe to the policy of having up to 10 vehicles cluttered around a sighting of one lioness ( this actually happens at some very fancy Lodges ). The protocol will allow for staggered time periods for each gameviewing vehicle, thus ensuring that the experience doesn't degenerate into a circus. Another advantage over our normal Kruger safaris is that we shall be allowed to alight from the vehicle and stretch our legs whenever and wherever we so wish. It is possible therefore to have a break from gameviewing from a vehicle and have a short ( or long ) bush walk before returning to the vehicle for further gameviewing. An integral part of the evening drive will be the Sundowner Stop. It allows guests a bit of a break to stretch their legs, enjoy a drink while watching the sunset and have a ( non-necessary ) smoke-break. It also has the added advantage of giving the ranger an opportunity to discuss what has been seen as well as what to expect during the night drive.
Delina reports that our elephants have once again entered the camp. This time it happened early evening of the 8th June. It is amazing how elephants can get past 8000 volt fences. What I think happens is that they break a tree and this then touches the electrified wire and thus earths the electric potential. Thereafter the elephants can go through without being shocked. Electricians of note, these Tremisana elephants !
The swimming pool has been emptied and repainted and looks very cool !
NEWS AT MARC'S TREEHOUSE LODGE
The new additional toilet for treehouse 8 has been completed. The areas for the two tents has been cleared and the tents will be ready by the end of July. Ronald has commenced work on the new viewing deck for treehouse 3 and work has begun on the kitchenette we shall need for self-catering guests.
I forgot to mention in last month's newsletter that Ziggi Hugo, who spent over five happy years with Viva Safaris, conducted two excellent " bush experience " programs with pupils from Summerhill School. He will be conducting another similar program with pupils from Unicorn Prep in mid-July. His enthusiasm and encouragement, especially at the Obstacle Course, were really appreciated.
A number of young nyala have been noticed around the camp. These were probably born in May. They are very cute and are extremely popular with the tourists.
NEWS AT CHEETAH INN
The bird aviary is complete. We are awaiting a delivery of South African finches. We need permits to keep these ( required for all indigenous birds ) and will be having an inspection in this regard.
The first animals to be released on the property will be a herd of three zebra. These have been kept in quarantine in the bomas at Moholoholo ( where we bring guests to see the rehabilitation program ). Apparently they are fairly tame . The herd consists of an adult mare and two teenagers : a colt and a filly. Delivery date is 07/07/07 - an interesting numerical issue. ( I have backed horse number 7 in this year's Durban July Handicap to be run on the same day ). We have again seen leopard tracks on the property and hope that our zebras don't become leopard lunch ! We have put in an order for some wildebeest and expect these to be delivered by the beginning of August.
Marcelle and Anthony have been assisting in guiding our clients while the regular guides have been on long leave. Thanks for the excellent work done !
Anthony has taken some excellent photos of wildlife and has kindly offered us copies. We shall be printing large copies of these excellent photos and will be using these as pictures in the rooms at Cheetah Inn.
Thanks also to Marcelle and Anthony for hosting Aubrey, Camp Manager at Orpen gate, and his administrative staff, at Cheetah Inn. They have been working hard for years to help Viva Safaris and we were pleased to give them a braai in the boma. The cold was offset by a huge fire in the Boma.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
Anthony C was in Cape Town for a conference for operators involved in the backpacker industry. From all accounts, our Treehouse Experience has been a great hit with all the lodges and hostels. We shall be sending out a letter specifically to Backpacker establishments clarifying our new commission structures. It was very gratifying to learn that we have had really excellent report-backs by clients who fell in love with their treehouses.
We have been approached by a consortium of black ladies who wish to buy a stake of our entire operation. This is part of the BEE ( Black Economic Empowerment ) initiative that is very important in the transformation process in the new South Africa. Towards the middle of June, the ladies sent a delegation consisting of four members on an evaluation safari. By all accounts they are very excited. The Tourism sector has been one of the more difficult areas for BEE. There is a need not only for above-average management capabilities but any good tour operation is necessarily capital-intensive. We shall be pleased to consider any market-related offer. I shall keep you posted on this interesting development.
I held an in-service training course for all four fulltime guides as well as Sidney, our fulltime mechanic. We covered issues such as customer care, tourist expectations, Viva Safaris' policies in terms of eco-friendly behaviour both by tourguides and tourists and general points relating to tour-guiding. We finished off with a quiz on the towns we drive through on our way from Gauteng to Kruger as well as a question and answer session on the fauna, flora and vegetation zones we visit in Kruger. I am pleased to report that our guides all fared very well. They enjoyed the course. All the guides also went on a rifle-handling course in June. I believe that this skill needs constant refining. We have bought two additional .458 rifles and Ronald, who also completed the course, has taken charge of all licences.
Our offer of a subsidized holiday in Umdloti to our supportive travel agents remains in place : Please avail yourself of the opportunity of sharing the excellent Natal weather in the winter season. San's Place is a really good idea for a short getaway from the colder climes of the interior. Please look at www.sansplace.co.za for further particulars. You can contact us via sandy@vivasafaris.co.za or else directly by telephone.
I wish you an enjoyable winter break.
Regards
Piero
|
