The rains have finally fallen!
We had over 100 mm of rain in November and the veld has been transformed dramatically. Young impala and tiny warthogs are darting around the green carpets of newly-appearing grass. Birdlife is prolific and the early morning chorus of birdsong adds a vigorous impetus to the realization that we are in a full-blown summer. Insect life is evident everywhere – beetles, moths, butterflies, crickets and others remind us that the warm and balmy summer weather is appreciated by all forms of animal life.
The major rivers are all flowing well. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a number of your emails expressing concern about my comments regarding the poor quality of water in the Olifants River. It is encouraging to know that you care so much about a river that, in some cases, is thousands of kilometres away. The time has indeed come for fixing the problem.
How does one go about bringing about the rehabilitation of rivers?
I am pleased to inform you that the Forestry authorities are aware of the very negative effects of afforestation. It is estimated that the replacement of grasslands by timber reduces the run-off by an amount equivalent to a 300 mm reduction in annual rainfall. From an ecological point of view, plantations of trees use water less effectively than natural vegetation. This happens for two reasons: Evapotranspiration is reduced as is the soil’s capacity to retain water. Thus, in areas where forests have replaced natural plant communities, smaller streams stop flowing in the dry season. As a result, aquatic life is severely impoverished.
Exotic species such as Silver Wattle, Acacia Dealbata, Poplar, Populus Alba, Lantana, Lantana Camara and Bugweed, Solanum Mauritanum, all have very detrimental effects on diversity and abundance of aquatic species. The Dept of Forestry is attempting to minimise the spread of these aliens by using mechanical, chemical and biological methods to remove them.
Running water has an amazing capacity to cleanse itself. This property is achieved through the action of the living organisms within the water itself: bacteria, algae and higher plants. Even in sewerage treatment plants, these organisms play a big part in speeding up natural processes.
So when it rains, let us be really grateful as we know the rejuvenation process is under way!
The dams are full once again thanks to the rain
GAMEVIEWING NEWS
With the widespread rains, the game viewing is not as good as it was over the past few months. The prey animals have dispersed and the predators are forced to move far greater distances in order to locate their prey. On the positive side, the antics of the young warthogs and impalas add a new vibrant and dynamic dimension to game viewing.
BERTUS reports an exciting sighting of five cheetah on the road on 15 November. They were very relaxed and walked just in front of the vehicle and then lay down near the vehicle affording some really excellent photos. On the same day Bertus and guests had four different sightings of White Rhino.
He is really enjoying the 4 hour walks on Balule. He reports as follows: “Since the rains, the veld is looking really beautiful. A lot of insects have appeared. The most popular among the tourists is the very conspicuous Red Velvet Mite. We are also seeing a good number of scorpions and baboon spiders. On one occasion we came across a 2, 5 metre python.”
Bertus reports the summer influx of birds is in full swing. The first sighting of a Woodland Kingfisher took place on 12 November. A lot of White Storks have also appeared on Balule. Of course the frenetic activity around nesting is always fun to watch and none more fun than the weavers. The females have an unfortunate knack of not only rejecting a poorly constructed nest, but also vent their ample anger by destroying it and letting it fall to the ground. Bertus reports that the Red-Headed Weavers are building nests at Tremisana. The Pied Crows are rebuild ing their nest atop the Vodacom Tower (55 metres high). A very unusual sighting was of a melanistic(black-coloured) Gabar Goshawk at Tremisana.
A weaver bird in action
TOBY’S highlight of the month occurred when he was given the privilege of hosting and tourguiding a group of very special guests: six members of the production team of a UK TV program, Noel’s Christmas Present , hosted by UK celebrity Noel Edmonds from Sky One. Toby and the group travelled around Hoedspruit and the Kruger Park for four days while they were filming an episode for the show. This specific show involved a young man, Alan, with a very rare heart condition, who had always dreamed of seei ng African animals in the wild, where they belong.
Toby continues: “After working voluntarily in a dog boarding kennels for an extended time and successfully training and preparing a number of problem dogs for adoption, Alan decided he wanted to work with wild animals.
He approached the zoo and offered his services voluntarily but was rejected because of his heart condition. Seeing her heart-broken brother, Alan’s sister, Julie, entered a competition to win a very special Christmas present: a trip to Africa!
She won the competition! On 19 November, Toby and Phineas collected Alan, Julie and the TV Production Team from the airport and drove to Tremisana Lodge. After settling in, they had an exciting sunset drive. Alan was purposely not told what the program entailed. The following day, Toby and Bongani took the group to the Endangered Species Project, where an unbelievably excited Alan got to touch and feed a cheetah. The sound of the purring cheetah will remain with Alan forever.
An even bigger surprise awaited Alan in the afternoon. At Kapama, he touched and fed elephants. Alan’s total absorption and obvious ecstasy brought tears to the eyes of a lot of people, including members of the production team.
After lunch at the Cheetah Inn, we went to Moholoholo, where Alan fed the two baby rhinos as well as the vultures. This day will remain with Alan as perhaps the best day of his life!”
The next day, Toby took the group into Kruger where a great day’s game viewing was had. The last day was a little sad as the group was very sorry to be leaving after such a heart-warming experience. Toby is grateful that he had this opportunity to share the wonderful experience with a young man who goes back to the UK filled with an unforgettable memory.
BONGANI has lamented the arrival of the rains as follows: “We had our first rains at the beginning of November. It rained for three days in a row. The change in colour of the vegetation was amazing. The bush is now green and dense and difficult to look through. The rain has changed game viewing also. There is water everywhere and it is difficult to spot the animals”.
Notwithstanding the above, Bongani had an excellent day on 15 November:
“We saw 14 rhinos at various different sightings. At Bangu waterhole, we came across four lionesses eating a buffalo. While we were watching, two white rhino emerged from the bush and scared the lionesses away. After the rhinos left, a group of four hyenas came to the carcass. They began to eat greedily and after one minute a big male lion appeared and chased them off the dead buffalo.”
On the 27 November, Bongani came across 2 cheetah, one of which was limping badly. Late in the afternoon they killed an impala and were given quite a difficult time by two black-backed jackals trying to get some meat.
Bongani informs me that hyena sightings have improved since the rains and are seen every day. The abundance of young impala has produced a bountiful supply of food and Bongani and guests have come across hyenas eating baby impalas.
He also saw an impala ewe in the actual process of giving birth. Two black-backed jackals realised what was going on and tried to remove the baby as it was being born. Fortunately another impala arrived on the scene and chased them away.
Hyena's are spotted every day
THULANI has had a good month’s sightings, despite the rains. He reports seeing a pack of 24 Wild Dogs near Orpen Gate at the beginning of the month. He stayed with them for almost thirty minutes. He has seen a lot of cheetah as well. At Ngotso Dam, he came across a leopard stalking an impala unsuccessfully and then climbing up a Jackalberry tree. Towards the end of November, he and his lucky guests came across a pack of 21 Wild Dogs, probably part of the pack he had encountered earlier.
Pack of wild dogs spotted by Thulani
NEWS AT TREMISANA GAME LODGE
The gardens have bloomed! The rain has had an almost magical effect. I had thought that the continued battering the grass had taken from desperately hungry warthogs would take forever to fix. The healing power of the rain is evident in the almost miraculous recovery.
The main Boma area has been recovered and lifted by about 20 cm. The bush shower has been revamped and the Guest House roof is being re-thatched. Wynand arranged for our camp to be treated with a special anti-mosquito spray.
Tremisana Dam is about 25% full. We have had regular visits by a large buffalo herd and occasional visits from some lone bull elephants.
The warthogs have left Tremisana and even the monkey troop has decided to forage elsewhere by day, although still returning to the safety of the camp at night.
The gardens at Tremisana have bloomed!
NEWS AT MARC’S TREEHOUSE LODGE
After a particularly heavy storm, we graded all the roads and improved the run-off areas. One of the almost immediate effects of rain is the appearance of termites everywhere – and I mean everywhere. They were so prolific this year that we had to employ a professional fumigator to remove any and all infestations. The treehouses were at risk of becoming part of termite mounds!
A new arrival on the scene is a fairly young buffalo bull that comes around in the late evenings and thrills the guests by staying close to the Boma even during dinner time.
The Breakfast Dam is 100% full and is used daily by the buffalo herd, nyala, impala, kudu, waterbuck and giraffe. All these animals are back to tip-top condition.
NEWS AT THE CHEETAH INN
We have upgraded and enlarged our sewerage system. The gardens are looking good and the Avocado Trees look like they are going to produce a reasonable crop - as long as the monkeys leave the fruits alone.
All the rooms have been fitted with burglar proofing. It is really a pity that we have to do this, but bitter past experiences have taught me that in times of recession, even good people can be driven by hunger to do unfortunate things.
We are expecting the occupancy of the Cheetah Inn to increase as our Volunteer Safaris program kicks in. Imagine the feelings of a volunteer, who is giving up valuable time to uplift the community, when he or she experiences a theft of some valuable item. It would certainly put a major damper in that volunteer’s perceptions of South Africa.
All the outside rondawels have had mosquito-proof screening placed on all windows.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
I spent a few days in Cape Town at the end of November and visited our main suppliers. They all shared their ideas on the current situation regarding incoming tourism. Although we are likely to experience a drop in inbound tourists in 2009, the agents all assured me that our products are still the very best value-for-money safaris available. The message I was given is that the effect of the global economic downturn is to make tourists more selective. They are very aware of the need to get their money’s worth.
What the agents also told me is that their clients really appreciate being picked up from their homes/hotels/hostels. Apart from an obvious savings in taxi fares, the feeling was that Viva Safaris really cared about the safety and security of our guests. I admit that it is a nuisance driving around to the various pickup points (especially when the clients are not ready and make our guides wait) but at least we know that our clients are not going to be mugged. I suppose it is a case of “better late than never”
I take this opportunity of thanking you all for the very solid support we have experienced in 2008.
We were given a good article in the local South African Catholic weekly, the Southern Cross.
Click here to read more.
Included below are comments from past guests. I used to supply the clients’ e-mail address so as to allow for any verification, but was told by a friend that some other operator is actually stooping so low as to send these clients his own newsletter. I am sure that if his intention was to convince our past clients to change allegiance then he is surely badly mistaken. The quality of the comments is such that these past clients will always support Viva Safaris. Anyway, from now on, I shall not be supplying email addresses.
Tremisana Guest Book:
N Mason, 12 Nov 08: “Loved the whole living area, complex, food, garden, warmth of welcome and sustained hospitality, thank you all.”
Jessica Thomas, 22 Nov 08: “Pearl and Toby and staff – you were wonderful – this has been the best week of my life! Thank you all so so much.”
Chris and Lise Barden, 26 Nov 08: “We had an incredible experience. A zoo will never be the same again!!”
Sheila Stead, UK, August 08:
"Hi Piero, Pearl, Bertus and the rest of the gang. Corrine Diggins and I were at Tremisana in August. I have not stopped telling people in the UK what wonderful value for money my holiday was and am hoping by doing a little PR here will bring more visitors to your lovely set up in all three camps.
I do plan to come again but this time want to spend +- 10 days at Tremisana and possibly be collected from the airport direct and then taken back again. However, will discuss this and the costs nearer the time - should be towards middle of 2009.
Piero, I do hope your wife is now much better and well on the road to recovery.
Bertus, thank you personally and Pearl for the time I spent with you and would so have loved being on the 'unhappy chappy' lion episode - how exciting!!!!
My thanks to each and everyone of the staff for their efficiency in ensuring my comfort and safety was foremost in their minds resulting in a really memorable and happy holiday.
I look forward to seeing you all again."
Marc’s Guest Book:
Aaron Kinne , 11 Nov 08: “Thank you for giving me an amazing bush experience!!! This has been truly amazing and will forever remain a happy memory. Every staff member added so much and will be a great part of my African Dream memory. Thanks to all.”
Gabriela Noller, 13 Nov 08: “All I can say is that it was GREAT!!!!
Three days were not enough. I really had such a nice time here. I saw so much and learned a lot! Thanks to all staff for such good days! You are all welcome in Argentina. Mil gracias por todo”
Maurice Fernandez, 29 Nov 08: “What a wonderful experience!
Great service! On behalf of the group, I express deep gratitude. Thanks to Thulani who criss-crossed the entire Kruger to get a fantastic lion sighting!”
Have a Merry Christmas and Prosperous 2009!
With kind regards,
Piero
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