Rangers Report January 2013

It is so exciting to be writing my first report for the year 2013 and keeping you up to date with the highs and lows and everything else happening in the bush. This first month of 2013 was such a delight to be out in the bushveld. It was really full of action and just jam packed. We had some strange weather this month as well. We had really hot days, cold days, windy days and then, of course, also a lot of rain. The average maximum temperature for the month was 28°C, mainly because the rainy days brought the temperatures down. We had a total of 337mm rain for the month! With all these hot days the bush started to change color, from the lush green to a pale yellow color. After the first two spells of rain the bush changed back to the dark and lush green color almost overnight. The bush was crawling with life and we welcomed all the frog species like the African bull frogs, rain frogs, Foam nesting frogs and a lot more. When driving past the waterholes and puddles next to the road the first thing you see is thousands of frog eggs floating in the water, little tadpoles and also the foam nesting frog nests hanging in the trees over the water. It is so beautiful at night when the sounds of the frogs and crickets fill the air and it sounds like a well-trained symphony. Before you know it you and your guests have been sitting there in silence, just listening to the bush choir. Game viewing was again really good as we had two different packs of wild dogs in our area. We were very spoiled with the wild dog sightings this month. We had saw wonderful general game like wildebeest, zebra, warthog, giraffe and much more.

Zebra and Impala - by Richard Davis

Leopard

The leopard sightings were just phenomenal this month. Salayexe and her little one, who I love very much, are looking really good and very healthy. The little one is growing up really fast. She’s got a wonderful personality and is full of surprises. It is such a treat to watch her playing around without a worry in the world. The other day Salayexe and the cub were resting, when two big buffalo bulls came out from behind a bush.  The little one stood up and started staking these big heavy weights… She’s really adventurous and growing in confidence. Shadow was awesome this month and we saw her a few times with the little cubs at her den and moving around. Although her two cubs are still very small, we can already see that there is a shy cub and an adventurous one.  In almost every litter of cubs that is born, this will be the case.

Shadow and her cub - by Willie Woest

Shadow is also moving her den every so often to avoid unwelcome guests like lions or hyenas that will kill the little cubs if they get the opportunity. Kurula was very elusive this month and we didn’t see a lot of her. Ntima, the older lady, is doing very well and it looks like she might be pregnant again. It will be really nice if she can have another litter of cubs. We started to see a lot more of Nsele this month and it also looks like she might be pregnant as well, because her milk glands are swollen.  Nsele is looking stunning and she grew up into a beautiful cat. She is not yet as big as her mother, or her aunt Nyeleti or even Ntima, but she will get more bulky in time. Tingana, our male leopard, is still looking good if not better than before. He is still holding on to his big territory but there is still a few challengers waiting and wanting to expand their territories and a new kid on the block looking for a place to call home. Mvula and Lamula have been keeping a very low profile this month.

Lion

The lion sightings this month was once again brilliant. We saw the three older Tsalala females a few times and once they were accompanied by the Black Maned Majingi male. There is something strange going on with him as he is always chasing the sub adult females of the Tsalala pride around. It seems like he doesn’t want them around at all. The one sub adult female got separated from the rest of the pride and to make things worse she’s got an injured back leg as well. We are unsure as to how she sustained the injury and where it happened.  We saw the Tsalala pride the one night with the two sub adult females and then the next morning she was all alone with an injured leg. At this stage we keep our fingers crossed that the pride will reunite very soon. The four Breakaway Tsalala females are doing really well and one of the females are very far pregnant. Two of the other three females were also pregnant but it is unsure to what happened to the cubs and if there actually were any.  I can’t wait for the day when this young pride has their first cubs and starts growing in numbers. These four ladies are still moving around in their mother’s territory, but they avoid each other as far as they possibly can. If the three older females just let these four ladies rejoin the pride they would benefit out of this and it will be good for the four youngsters to have some experience on their side.  Chances are good that maybe one day when this older trio gets too old, the four breakaway females might be strong enough to push them out seeing that they use the same territory. As I always say, the stage is set and only time will tell. The Styx pride is also looking good. The four sub adults and the three young cubs are growing up and looking really healthy. It looks like things are eventually looking up for the Styx pride and it looks like the cubs will survive.

Buffalo

Young Tsalala lioness - by Morné Fouché

What a treat, we were so spoiled this month with the buffalo sightings!  The big breeding herds we were waiting for returned to our area this month and we had a herd of about 400! With all the lush green vegetation all over, the buffaloes don’t stay in one area very long. If you think about it this way, in a big herd you can get anywhere between 400 and 2000 individuals. When you have so many mouths to feed you can’t stay in one area for too long, because buffaloes are bulk grazers. They get driven by food and water supplies so they need to be on the move all the time in search of enough food for all of them. It was so nice to see all the small calves in the herd as this is also the time of the year where the females will have their babies. The old buffalo bulls are still out and about, spending their days lying in the water or mud wallows or just relaxing somewhere in the shade.

Elephant

Elephant sightings were also very good this month and the reason for all the lovely sightings was the start of the marula season. All the herds had a field day with all this marula trees that’s full of fruits. The marula fruit is also very high in vitamin C, even more than oranges. When the fruiting season starts, elephants can be very destructive when it comes to getting the fruits. Here in the northern part of the Sabi Sand we have a lot of marula trees and this time of the year we have lots of elephant herds all over, walking from one marula tree to the next. As you drive around and past some of the marula trees, you might find that there are branches all over the road. The elephants will break the higher branches to get to the juicy marula fruits. Some of the bigger elephants will shake the trees for the fruits to fall to the ground and if they can’t reach they will even push over the whole tree.

Special sighting

The special sighting of the month was when Salayexe’s 7 month old cub played a very dangerous game with two big buffalo bulls. The little cub saw these two big animals feeding on the nice green grass and she saw an opportunity to practice her stalking skills. Things went really well until the wind direction changed and the buffalo got the upper hand. After the buffalo swung around and moved closer to the young leopard, mum knew that things could go wrong and she jumped up and drew the attention away from the cub, thereby leading the buffalo away. As soon as the buffalo turned and went for mom, the small cub couldn’t help herself and chased after the buffalo again. Luckily it all ended well and the buffaloes and leopards went their separate ways.

Did you know?

A giraffe is the biggest ruminant of all the land mammals.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s report. See you out on game drive soon!

Morné Fouché

Big 5 Sightings 04 – 10 February 2013

The Big 5 highlight of the week was having three of the Majingilane male lions spend a few days around EP airstrip!

Majingi male lions - Louis Liversage

Monday, 4 February 2013

(31 ºC)

• Shadow, the female leopard and her two cubs, moving east from Marula Bult Central
• Breeding herd of about ten elephants drinking water at Land Cruiser Crossing
• The Styx pride of lions moving north on Safari airstrip
• Tingana, the male leopard, resting with a juvenile kudu kill on Lost Track Road
• Salayexe, the female leopard, resting south of EP / Shirley’s cutline
• Two buffalo bulls resting in the water on EP open area
• Breeding herd of about ten elephants moving south on A-main Road

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

(26 ºC)

• Salayexe, the female leopard, moving west from EP airstrip
• Moya, the female leopard and Lamula, the male leopard, moving south from A-main
• Two elephant bulls feeding on Kuala Bear Road
• Tingana, the male leopard, resting on Madash Road
• Two buffalo bulls resting on Madash Road

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

(29 ºC)

• The Styx pride of lions resting on Londoz boundary
• One buffalo bull resting on Sixes Road
• Breeding herd of ten elephants feeding, north of EP Lodge
• One lioness of the Breakaway pride and her one month old cub, resting on Saseka Road

Moya the female leopard - Louis Liversage

Thursday, 7 February 2013

(32 ºC) and 5 mm of rain

• Two Majingi male lions and two Breakaway lionesses resting on EP airstrip
• Herd of forty elephants feeding on Wetpatch open
• Herd of fifteen elephants feeding north from Kimbians Crossing

Friday, 8 February 2013

(33 ºC)

• Three Majingi male lions and two Tsalala lionesses resting on EP airstrip
• Herd of ten elephants feeding around Bushcamp
• Two lionesses of the Breakaway pride, resting at 5-way Junction
• The Styx pride of lions resting close to Buff Pan
• Young male leopard on an impala kill east of Treehouse Pan
• Two buffalo bulls resting in the water at Treehouse Pan

Saturday, 9 February 2013

(29 ºC)

• Two Majingi male lions and two Tsalala lionesses resting on Big Dam Link South
• Herd of twenty elephants feeding on Shirley’s open area
• Eight wild dogs moving east from Knobthorn Pan
• One elephant bull feeding on Safari airstrip
• Herd of seven elephants feeding around a Marula tree on Marula Bult South
• Moya, the female leopard, resting on Seepline
• Tingana, the male leopard, walking north from Serengeti

Elephant cow - Louis Liversage

Sunday, 10 February 2013

(31 ºC)

• Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, playing on The Rocks
• One elephant bull feeding on Wetpatch open area
• Ntima, the female leopard, and a young unknown male resting east of Wessels
• The Styx pride of lions resting south of Ingwe Pan
• Seven buffalo’s resting in the water west of Mesi Mati

Scalp Massages

Even though massages are commonly found all over the world, we can say with certainty that the Scalp massage (Indian Head Massage) found its origin in India. There they have practiced and perfected scalp massaging for over 5000 years as part of a holistic medicine source. Today it is well known in all parts of the world.

Scalp Massaging

Here is why we love it so much:

The extreme sense of relaxation is not just in your head, so to speak. When massaging the scalp, it increases the production of chemicals, including endorphins and serotonin, the feel good hormones that in turn puts you in a better mood, reduces stress and induces relaxation.

The massage also stimulates the nerves and the blood vessels beneath the skin, calming the muscle tension. Combine this with temporal massaging and some good pressure on the base of the scalp and there you have the perfect, long lasting remedy for tension headaches.

It is not just good for relieving tension, though. It is also great for the general health of your scalp and hair. The increased blood flow from the massage in turn makes sure that the skin is healthy as it gets enough oxygen flow. Anybody struggling with dandruff will also benefit from this as the massage movements, combined with grape seed/ coconut oil, removes the dandruff leaving the scalp clean and well nourished. Add all of the above together and you will most definitely get fast growing healthy hair.

Make the most of the time you have available and indulge in a scalp massage the next time you pass by the African Health Spa at Elephant Plains.

Big 5 Sightings 28 January – 03 February 2013

The Big 5 highlight of the week was watching all eleven members of the Styx lion pride playing on Safari airstrip!

Styx pride of lions - Richard Davis

Monday, 28 January 2013

(30 ºC)

• Herd of three elephants feeding south on Leadwood Road.
• Breeding herd of fifteen elephants moving west on Marula Bult.
• Tingana, the male leopard, moving west from Wetpatch drink stop.

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

(29 ºC)

• Young Nkuhuma male lion, walking east on Tsololo Road.
• Six buffalo bulls feeding on Madash Road close to the S bend.
• Breeding herd of twenty elephants playing on the road on Shirley’s EP cutline
• Breeding herd of eight elephants feeding on Shortcut Wetpatch.
• Three buffalo bulls resting in the mud on Kudu Drift.
• One buffalo bull resting close to Serengeti Pan.
• Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, feeding on a juvenile kudu kill on Kudu Drift.

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

(31 ºC)

• Salayexe, the female leopard, still on the kudu kill off of Kudu Drift.
• Lamula, the male leopard, scent marking close to Londoz Drift.
• Shadow, the female leopard with one cub, resting on Ellie Alley
• Fifteen buffalo bulls feeding on Safari airstrip.
• Herd of three elephants feeding north on Marula Bult.

Buffalo Bull - Richard Davis

Thursday, 31 January 2013

(32 ºC) and 15 mm of rain

• One elephant bull feeding on Leopard Drift.
• Breeding herd of about fifteen elephants feeding on EP open area.

Friday, 01 February 2013

(31 ºC)

• Breeding herd of about twenty elephants feeding on Safari airstrip.
• Shadow, the female leopard and her two cubs, feeding on an impala kill close to Safari Dam.
• Two buffalo bulls feeding on Wetpatch Road.

Saturday, 02 February 2013

(30 ºC)

• Breeding herd of ten elephants feeding south on Robson’s boundary.
• One buffalo bull feeding on Kudu Drift.
• Tingana, the male leopard, moving south from Second Windmill.
• Moya, the female leopard, moving west on Seepline.

Elephant Bull - Richard Davis

Sunday, 03 February 2013

(33 ºC)

• Salayexe, the female leopard, hunting warthog and impala on EP airstrip.
• One elephant bull moving west from Rhino Ring South.
• Breeding herd of twenty elephants feeding on marulas on Marula Bult Central.
• Two buffalo bulls resting in the water at Treehouse Pan
• Breeding herd of about twenty elephants feeding on One Eyed Pan Road.

Big 5 Sightings 21 – 27 January 2013

The Big 5 highlight of the week was to see Shadow, the female leopard, and her two tiny cubs!

Shadow and her cubs - Willie Woest

Monday, 21 January 2013

(27ºC)

• One elephant bull feeding on marula fruits on EP airstrip
• A breeding herd of about 15 elephants feeding on Drongo South
• Two elephant bulls feeding on Robson’s boundary
• Two buffalo bulls resting on Sawmill Road
• Nsele, the female leopard, resting on Robson’s boundary

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

(31ºC)

• One elephant bull feeding on EP airstrip

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

(33ºC)

• One elephant bull feeding on Kudu Drift
• One buffalo bull resting in the mud wallows on EP open area

Two kudu females - Morné Fouché

Thursday, 24 January 2013

(32ºC)

• A herd of about 25 elephants feeding on 16th Crossing road
• Xivambalana, the sub adult male leopard, feeding on a juvenile zebra kill on Cheetah Plains driveway
• The Styx lion pride resting on Annette’s / Wessel’s cutline
• The three older Tsalala lionesses killing a warthog on Saffron Road
• Another breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Marula Bult
• One buffalo bull resting in Old Borehole crossing

Friday, 25 January 2013

(33ºC)

• Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, playing on EP/Shirley’s cutline
• A breeding herd of about 15 elephants feeding on Rhino Ring North
• One unknown male leopard with a warthog kill on EP/Simbambili cutline
• Two wild dogs resting on Treehouse Pan open area
• The three older lionesses of the Tsalala pride resting on Saffron Road

Saturday, 26 January 2013

(28ºC)

• The three older lionesses of the Tsalala pride chasing Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, into a tree
• Three buffalo bulls resting in Serengeti/Manyeleti crossing
• One buffalo bull resting in the mud wallows on Kudu Drift
• Shadow, the female leopard and her two cubs, walking east on Horseshoe East
• One elephant bull feeding close to Zimba Bridge
• A breeding herd of about 10 elephants feeding on Nyati Bamba Road

Tree squirrel - Louis Liversage

Sunday, 27 January 2013

(31ºC)

• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Mfezi open area
• Two buffalo bulls feeding close to Big Dam
• Two buffalo bulls rolling in the mud on Leopard Drift
• Salayexe, the female leopard, stalking a few kudu females on Kudu Drift
• Tingana, the male leopard, scent marking on Rhino Ring South
• Two wild dogs eating a side striped jackal on the fire break, east of Simbambili Dam

Big 5 Sightings 14 – 20 January 2013

The Big 5 highlight of the week was to see Salayexe, the leopard’s little female cub stalking two big buffalo bulls the one morning, not to make a kill of course but just to practice her technique. Everything went according to plan and she got really close to the buffaloes until the wind changed direction in the favor of the buffaloes. When the buffaloes got the scent of the leopard he swung around to face the danger head on. Salayexe knew this game of cat and mouse can go sour very quickly. She jumped up, walked to the cub and drew the attention away from the cub and the buffalo followed her and just gave her half a charge attempt. This wasn’t the last of this dangerous game. After the buffalo turned his back to chase Salayexe, the cub immediately resumed her position and started stalking these big animals again!

Salayexe, her cub and the buffalo - Morné Fouché

Monday, 14 January 2013

(24 ºC, 16mm rain)

• A breeding herd of about ten elephants feeding on Robson’s Boundary
• Another breeding herd of about fifteen elephants feeding on EP open area
• Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, resting on Shirley’s open area
• Three buffalo bulls resting in the water at Big Dam

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

(25 ºC, 48mm rain)

• A breeding herd of about twenty elephants drinking water at Serengeti Dam
• Another breeding herd of about forty elephants feeding on Madash Road
• One elephant bull feeding close to Boundary Pan

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

(27 ºC, 2,5mm rain)

• Five buffalo bulls feeding on Ngala open area
• A breeding herd of about forty elephants feeding on Safari airstrip
• One sub adult lioness of the Tsalala pride resting on Tamboti open area
• Tingana, the male leopard, scent marking on Rhino Ring North
• One big elephant in musth moving north on Marula Bult South

Sunset - Morné Fouché

Thursday, 17 January 2013

(32 ºC)

• Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, playing on the sand north of Eagle Owl Crossing
• A breeding herd of about twenty elephants feeding on Safari/Shirley’s cutline
• One buffalo bull resting in the water at Buff Pan

Friday, 18 January 2013

(33 ºC)

• Three Breakaway Tsalala lionesses resting on the Northern side of EP airstrip
• Salayexe, the female leopard, moving north from Wetpatch Road while her cub was stalking two buffalo bulls
• One elephant bull feeding on Rhino Ring North
• One sub adult Tsalala lioness having a standoff with one of the Styx pride lionesses

Saturday, 19 January 2013

(24 ºC, 190mm rain)

• One buffalo bull resting close to Land Cruiser Crossing
• A breeding herd of about fifteen elephants feeding on EP old driveway

Juvenile Martial eagle - Morné Fouché

Sunday, 20 January 2013

(22 ºC, 50mm rain)

• One elephant bull feeding on EP old driveway
• Three older Tsalala lionesses resting on EP airstrip