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Baboon troop with young.

December 2016 / January 2017

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The rains have had an amazing effect on the veld. Lush grass and vibrant green foliage bear testimony to the end of the drought. The young impala are having a great time ! The herbivores certainly suffered during the drought and I believe that the numbers of zebra, wildebeest,...
Brilliant shot of Wild Dog pack on the road.

November 2016

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The Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus Strepsiceros, is the third largest antelope in Kruger Park, after the Eland and Roan Antelope. The Kudu is an elegant antelope with bulls having magnificent spiral horns that can grow up to 1.75 metres long. Its coat is fawn-coloured with the sides...
Yellow-billed hornbill.

September 2016

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The drought continued throughout September 2016. Unlike Kruger Park, some of the Private Game Reserves that Viva Safaris visit have decided to feed the animals. Both Kapama Game Reserve and Tshukudu Game Reserve have been feeding their grazers on a daily basis. In Kruger I am...
Great off road experience with lion pride.

December 2015 / January 2016

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This is a double-month edition so I shall keep my introduction short. There is only one thing on everyone’s mind at this time : the persistent drought. It looks like the El Nino effect will limit the rainfall in our region to less than half of what normally falls – we expect that...
Great lion sighting

October 2015

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The Woodland Kingfisher, Halcyon Senegalensis, is an amazingly striking bird. Colourful and noisy (it has a loud trill as its call), it is easily noticed. So far this year, we have not seen nor heard a single Woodland Kingfisher and that, for me, is very bad news. The Woodland...
Leopard grabs hold of warthog on Sunset Drive

June 2015

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From my home in Durban, I normally drive via Northern kwa-Zulu Natal through Swaziland and enter the Kruger Park at Crocodile Bridge and then proceed to Tremisana Lodge via Orpen Gate. It is a journey of about 850 km. On my most recent trip (end of June) I was very concerned to...
Lioness really close to us on the tarred road

April 2015

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I was pleased to receive feedback to my last newsletter (March 2015). There were two notable responses to my call to exterminate Mallard ducks and their hybrid offspring from all nature reserves. Cosimo Brescia, MD of Sandown Travel, plans to organise Italian hunters to do duck...