The yellow hues of autumn are upon us . Gradually but definitely the veld is changing from the summer greens to the browns and yellows of the dry season. With the change in conditions, we experience a change in animal distribution. As the scarcity of water becomes more pronounced, so the concentrations of animals around dams and river courses increase.
Our guides report far greater numbers of animals around the main waterholes that are becoming extremely productive. Nsemani Dam ( the large dam on the tar road between Orpen and Satara ) has been very good. A pride of lions with 3 adult females and seven very young cubs are seen regularly. It is very unusual to have 7 cubs of roughly the same age in one pride. Clearly, they cannot belong to only one mother - so it would appear that at least two lionesses came into oestrus at the same time. These cubs have a very good chance of survival - the lionesses are guaranteed a good supply of prey animals (that are forced to come to drink at the dam) and therefore do not need to move large distances. In the wet season, lion cubs are at a great disadvantage - the lionesses have to travel greater distances to make their kills and often leave the young cubs unattended for long periods of time. We are told that the survival rate of lion cubs born in the dry season ( April to September) is about 80% while the rate of wet season (October to March) is as little as 25 %.
The issue of elephant culling is not yet resolved - our guess is that a limited number of elephants will in fact be culled. The policy with elephants has been to eliminate whole herds - we believe that the time has come to identify older bulls and perhaps make these available for professional hunters - at a hefty price. A similar plan is being mooted with black rhinos - we read that 5 are being made available for hunters this season. This may well upset many people as there are only 3000 black rhinos left in the wild ,but the reasoning makes sense : only older non-breeding bulls will be selected for culling ;these animals can kill other younger breeding bulls during fights for mating rights. We would struggle to explain to our guests why culling of rhinos takes place - especially when we sometimes struggle to see these animals on safari.
NEWS AT TREMISANA
The fig tree inside the camp has borne much fruit this year - we have had sightings of unusual species such as trumpeter hornbills and green pigeons this month. We have had excellent rains in March and Tremisana Dam is 100% full. On a recent night drive, we initially spotted 3 bull elephants frolicking in the water . As the spotlight scanned the rest of the dam, 2 more elephants appeared from under the water - not more than 10 metres from our vehicle. They were completely submerged on our arrival and gave us quite a scare.
Night drives have been good in general - with the high grass and dense foliage, it is not so easy to spot smaller animals such as bushbaby, genet, scrub hare and wild cat. So often , we see " eyes " in the darkness, but are unable to positively identify their owners. The guides have been encouraged to find a quiet spot and switch off the engine and spotlights and ask the clients to be absolutely quiet for 2 or 3 minutes. It is so wonderful to hear nothing but the sounds of the bush - the insects, night birds ( mainly owls) and hopefully the jackals and lions. It is so special to hear lions at close quarters at night - the spine-tingling fear is a very real thing !
Our Warden reports that a family of 7 cheetah has been seen by his staff around Tremisana as well as a herd of 6 buffalo. He reports finding spoor of a female leopard and a very young cub on our boundary with the neighbouring game farm. The hyenas are also active and the wild dog pack is almost ready for release. They are waiting for a cell-transmitter on a collar to be fitted on one of the dogs before the pack is released. Some commercial game farmers simply shoot wild dogs on sight - so we need to know where they are all the time !
NEWS AT MARC'S CAMP
The rainfall has been very poor. Grass cover is limited and the condition of the animals is nowhere near as good as those at Tremisana. Once again, these conditions favour our predators on the property - the hyenas and leopards are due for a good season of easy pickings.
All our treehouses are now equipped with overhead fans - these not only keep things cool but tend to keep away mosquitoes - good news for those of our guests who prefer not to sleep under a mosquito net !
We hope to introduce a new item for our guests - a night walk using spotlights ! Accompanied by an armed ranger, the intention is to spot nocturnal animals on foot. We don't believe that this will constitute a dangerous or hazardous experience . As there are no lions or elephants on Marc's Camp property , we believe that it will be an exciting and safe experience.Judging by the outstanding comments in our guestbook, the backpackers that are now being hosted at Marc's Camp are really enjoying the experience. We are confident that our 6-day safari (see our website : www.vivasafaris) will become a major attraction for international backpackers.
Our Adventure Camp will be hosting some local schools from Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa next month .
NEWS AT THE CHEETAH INN
The conference facility is now fully upgraded. We have had delegates from the departments of Agriculture and Labour. We have a big conference lined up for the SAPS ( Police Services). We shall have to be on our very best behaviour when they are here.
The Sunday lunches are going very well - Pearl reports that the local Hoedspruit community has warmed to her excellent cooking and great hospitality. The tilapia in the pond in the quadrangle have bred and we now have the interested attentions of some kingfishers. We are hoping to close a few deals with incoming operators at Indaba 2005. The Cheetah Inn is ideal for groups of tourists up to 40 in number. The proximity of so many wildlife venues such as Kapama Cheetah and Endangered Species Breeding Project, Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre , Mokwalo White Lion Project and Orpen Gate of Kruger Park make the Cheetah Inn attractive. We have had a number of groups that have enjoyed both the night drives and the bush walks at Kapama. We are looking forward to feedback from our clients who are booked on the new bush walks in Kruger Park - if these prove to be as good as we think they are, then we shall certainly incorporate them in our programs for big groups.
Our neighbours have erected a fence around the property. This has allowed us to consider introducing some big game e.g. giraffe and zebra . We shall have to fence the road and the one side and sort out something at the front gate - but it is a really attractive idea. Bets are being taken that it will all be in place by 2010 - just in time for the Soccer World Cup.
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