TREMISANA LODGE
The Balule Game Reserve is experiencing a dry period and the gameviewing at Tremisana has improved, as happens every winter. We keep the Tremisana waterhole filled by pumping water from our borehole and this pays handsome dividends: Lions visit the waterhole on a daily basis. Elephant are still messing with our water-supply pipes and Ziggi and the staff have had to do some overtime work so that our guests may have water for showers.
The waterbuck herd sleeps near the camp – unfortunately for them, the lions killed a young waterbuck last month just 15 metres from the back gate. We have daily visits from large herds of wildebeest, zebra, giraffe and kudu.
Our warden, Tom Yule, reports that some 70 buffalo were taken off Balule so as to keep the herd clean of BTB (bovine tuberculosis). The herd has been infected sometime during the last 4 years, as all buffalo captured 4 years ago were clean at the time. It is thought that the sickness must have been brought into the area by a Kruger Park buffalo.The situation is being very closely monitored.
The WORKING for WATER group has started clearing all invasive alien plants along the Olifants River. The project will be completed by the end of the year.
Our night drives have been good and all our guests are satisfied. As the reserve develops, the animals are becoming less wary of vehicles and are being photographed more regularly than before. The number of jackal seem to be on the increase and are seen on almost every drive. Judging by the wails heard at night, the jackal population is definitely growing. Perhaps there is a link to the increasing number of lion kills around Tremisana.
MARC'S CAMP
News of the month, probably of the year, is the leopard chase. Our startled clients, while relaxing at the bar, saw an impala ewe charge through the open front door of the main lodge and then out the back sliding door straight into the swimming pool. The rangers then pointed out a leopard disappearing into the bush after its failed attempt at catching the impala ! Sadly the impala was so stressed that it did not make it.
Another tragedy involved our young rhino bull that many people had photographed over the last year. We had noticed that the old bull had been approaching the young bull and every time was chased away by the rhino mother. It got serious enough to have her horn partly trimmed for fear of her doing damage to the old bull, who never retaliated. The mother rhino left the young bull towards the end of May to give birth to another calf. In the period she was away, tragedy struck: the older bull gored the younger bull to death !
Another cow has now been bought and it is hoped that this will preclude further unfortunate episodes.
The number of tsessebe has decreased over the last year. It would appear that the abundant water on the Motlala Reserve provides the wrong type of grazing for these antelope. In the Kruger Park, they occur in areas with a much lower annual rainfall.
The numbers of impala and nyala, on the other hand, have risen significantly. The concentration of nyala is probably the highest in the entire province. Our buffalo numbers are also increasing and these animals are seen regularly around the treehouses at Marc’s Camp. We also have our old bull, nicknamed “ Marc” by the tourguides, who has a particular love for the dam at the adventure camp. Almost all our visiting school and church groups have seen him around the Adventure Camp. He is quite docile and reluctantly gives way when the students go to the obstacle course.
"Marc" wallowing in the mud at the obstacle course dam.
Two young hyena have been seen regularly along the road between the Treeehouse Camp and the Adventure Camp. The number of hyena appears to be increasing. It is still such a thrill to hear their blood-curdling calls late at night and all our guests remark how it instills in them an appreciation for the wild.
An interesting recent sighting of a cane-rat at the waterhole is a first for Marc’s Camp. These are nocturnal animals and we will be keeping an eye out for them in future.
With the onset of our dry period, more and more animals are eating our grass and flowers around the pool. There is a family of warthogs which has become very tame - firm favourites with our visitors. Last month, we had a giraffe bull sipping from the pool – perhaps he needs some chlorinating. All in all, a good time to be visiting Marc’s Camp.
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