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August 2024

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Although we live near Durban on the Eastern Seaboard of South Africa, where the warm Mozambique current allows for all-year bathing, we have been reluctant to swim in the sea. This is because of the high levels of e.coli present in the water. I recall the recent Paris Olympics in...

July 2024

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Climate change has been in the forefront of world news this year with devastating reports of irregular and unexpected effects. South Africa has not been spared and we have recently had fires, tornados and floods. Viva Safaris’ lodges are situated in the areas around Hoedspruit....

June 2024

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Really good news received this month is that about 120 White Rhino have been released onto the regions comprising what is generally known as the Greater Kruger Park. Balule Nature Reserve, on which Tremisana Lodge is situated, has benefitted and we are proud to know that our...

May 2024

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Many wild African animals were first seen and recorded by early European settlers in the areas around Cape Town. As a result, many animals that occur through vast areas of Africa were named using the word “Cape”. As a young boy living in Hillbrow, I remember the prevalence of the...

April 2024

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In last month’s newsletter, Nyarai posted a photo of an elephant inside Tremisana Lodge. A concerned prospective tourist asked about the potential danger. We established that the elephant did not break through our electric fence but walked through the back gate that had been...

March 2024

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Some 30 years ago, I gave a talk at the University of the Witwatersrand to graduate students who were about to go on their first Mathematics teaching practical. Teaching can be both very rewarding and extremely punishing. I tried to encourage these student teachers to look...

February 2024

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Viva Safaris has always attempted to engender in our tourists an awareness of good conservation practice. If you have the time, please look at the Home Page of https://www.vivasafaris.com. A much younger version of yours truly appears on the video entitled “Kruger Park Safaris...

December 2023 / January 2024

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The Pel’s Fishing Owl, Scotopelia Peli, is a ‘top trophy” sighting as it is mainly nocturnal. It is a large light brown owl with rufous flecks on its plumage. It is found almost exclusively on large rivers that afford it nesting sites as well as prey. I was thrilled in early...

November 2023

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My oldest grandchild, Seanna, turns 14 on 28 December and is at that stage of her cognitive development that manifests in her asking many questions. Her favourite is a one-worder : “why?” Yesterday, we were watching a TV news report of the terrible suffering presently experienced...
At Nsemana Dam in KNP, this leopard crossed right in front of us, heading south.

October 2023

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The monkeys at our lodges are a source of entertainment for all guests, most of the time. The playful antics and family relations including scenes of both love and aggression are similar to those of us humans. It gets even more similar when naughty monkeys steal. When our guests...