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Week in Pictures: Welcoming the Silly Season

A week into November, and silly season is soon upon us! The world is beginning to think about the holidays that lie ahead and perhaps some are heading into the African wilderness for an end-of-year celebration. In the bush, we see less of the festive season decorations adorning shop windows, and more of the seasonal changes that we have become accustomed to seeing this time of year. The dams in the Kruger are filling up, which is a relief from the drought that has penetrated the area for a year. Botswana’s Okavango Delta is seeing flocks of those migratory yellow-billed kites, European bee-eaters, and the seasonal drop in the water level, revealing extensive grass plains where there used to be swamps.

Highlights of the week include unbelievable camera trap activity in the Kwatale Conservancy where Tuskers Bush Camp is tucked away. Shy lions discovered under the cover of darkness, and leopards prowl after Cape fox’s at the local waterhole. Swimming hyenas, mating Mapoza male lions, and a brand new elephant enters the world in the Klaserie, while the Balule Nature Reserve continually impresses with unpredictable and astonishing wildlife activity. Take a look at the Week in Pictures and discover what makes us excited about the silly season!

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Xobega Island Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

VIDEO: Newborn Elephant Finding Its Feet in Klaserie

When Africa on Foot guide, Mike, stumbled upon a small herd of elephants standing in a huddle, he was delighted to see there was a small calf hiding in the middle, offering his guests a rare opportunity to see the world’s largest land mammal as a tiny baby. They are among the cutest of the cute, with wildly flapping ears, wobbly legs, and trunks they don’t quite know how to use. After a minute or two at the sighting, the big female elephant picked up a mass of fleshy tissue, which initially looked like the remains of a carcass, and started thrashing it around. Mike and his guests watched in awe as it dawned on them that the baby elephant they were seeing was freshly out of the womb, and that they must have missed the birth by minutes! The mass of tissue was in fact the mother’s placenta, which many mammals are known to consume or bury in order to get rid of the scent, which might otherwise attract predators.

We couldn’t have imagined a more incredible scene to witness so unexpectedly. Elephants are known to be emotional animals, and have a very close-knit social structure, especially among the females in a herd. It takes 22 months for a calf to come to full term in the womb, and when the time comes for birth, all the females (all blood-relatives) will position themselves around the mother in labour and create a wall of protection.

There is a definite sense of celebration in the herd, and once the little one arrives, all the elephants reach out to touch it with their trunks, as if introducing themselves to the newest member of their family. When the calf tries to stand, it receives help in the form of the elephants’ nurturing trunks, lifting it up and helping it carry its weight on its new legs. They are known to throw grass and soil around and on themselves, as if part of a ceremony. Usually, the evidence of the birth is buried or covered, or the mother elephant will eat the placenta, which hides the scent from predators. This time, however, we watched as the mother elephant picked up her placenta in her trunk and flung it around, covering her body with the blood and tissue.

It is amazing to watch how attentive their mothers are with their young, and to watch how they stick close to their mother’s side, and then when they become a little more confident they put on famous attitude-fuelled displays of mock charging and trumpeting at their audience. This little one was still trying to figure out this big new world, and it seemed as if he initially attached himself to the wrong female, while his mother was busy seeing to the afterbirth! The little one had the right idea, and appeared to be searching for the teat between another female’s front legs, looking to get his first drink of milk. He popped his own trunk into his mouth a few times and realised that wasn’t right, and finally Mike and his guests watched as the tiny newborn latched on to his mother and got the nourishment he needed.

We are so privileged to be able to watch the first steps, the first breaths, and the first moments of an elephants life as it is born into the wild. The responsibility we have as visitors in the Kruger Park is enormous, and it is richly rewarded as we get to bear witness to these precious moments.

Tales from Tuskers Camera Trap : Leopard Explores the Pan

Daniel Dugmore, one of our avid wildlife photographers, is based at Tuskers Bush Camp. His unwavering passion for the bushveld and intimate knowledge of the Kalahari Moremi corridor area of Botswana, makes him the ideal candidate for documenting the wildlife mysteries of this 365 000 hectare concession! Over the past few months, prior to Dan’s arrival, conservationists strategically placed one of the camp’s camera traps close to the pan in front of the boma area. Subsequent to that, they placed the camera in other high wildlife traffic areas and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of predator activity right on their doorstep!

We had yet to identify the current lion pride dynamics and their origin; but hopefully with Dan there, we’re better equipped to studying, observing and photographing the abundance of game hiding in the thickets. In conjunction with the appearance of lions on the Tuskers Bush Camp Camera Trap, there has also been regular leopard sightings. Just a few nights ago, the camera trap revealed a majestic leopard exploring the area around the pan in front of the lodge. It was patrolling possible turf and exploring the thickets. The leopard became rather fixated on a small Cape fox that was oblivious to the presence of this master stalker!

Hearing the contact calling at night from lions and the unmistakable bark of leopards, it has become clear that the camp is rife with predators. A decision was taken to monitor activity at the pan in front of the lodge and set up the camera in the perfect position to monitor all nocturnal antics. We’ve introduced the Tuskers Bush Camp lions that made an appearance at the pan outside tent 6 and a few months ago we introduced you to the leopards of Tuskers Bush Camp, that were also spotted outside tent 6 (this tent seems to be an attraction for predators!).

We have a confirmed presence of two leopards and the possibility of a third. At the beginning of the year, a leopard gave birth to a cub close to the store room at camp; so it makes sense that the two leopards seen at camp are the mother and cub.

What do we know about leopards and their natural behaviour?

When a leopard cub is born it remains in the den for up to 3 months, after which it will start to accompany its mother on hunts. It stays with its mother for 12 – 18 months and at 2 – 3 years the cub will being to produce their own offspring. We suspect the two leopards on our turf are the mother and her cub from the beginning of the year.
Females are drawn to territories because of presence of possible den sites and availability of prey. Males are drawn to areas because of the presence of females and have wide territories. The possible presence of the third leopard, seen on occassion, could be a male.
When a leopard is ready to begin its aloof lifestyle and hunt alone, the mother will tolerate the cub on the periphery of her range. She will even tolerate young leopards crossing over in an attempt to explore new territories.
Leopards lead aloof lifestyles and are opportunistic hunters. With their master stalking skills and finely tuned ambuhsing ability, they’re ready for anything.

The Tuskers Bush Camp traverse is a place where nature unfolds and unravels while you sleep soundly in your tent. Tusker’s Bush Camp is nestled on a 365, 000 traverse and there’s plenty of untamed wildlife hiding in the arid thickets, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves.

Tales from Tuskers Camera Trap: Lions at Tent 6 Pan!

Almost every night, Tuskers Bush Camp resident photographer, Daniel Dugmore, has heard lions calling around camp. The deep, resonating sound has penetrated the still, dark atmosphere, and with there being no fences around the camp, the powerful roar can be heard loud and clear. Guests enjoying the evening skies from around the campfire are treated to the iconic call of Africa, enhancing their experience of the wild world of Botswana even more. This king of the jungle has kept to the shadows when we’ve been out following up on his vocalisations, and we’ve only managed to peer at him from about 20m. The beauty of camera traps, however, is that it gives us an eye into the wilderness without the wildlife knowing we are there, and we have been astonished at the density of predators that live around the camp! Take a look at our shy male lion and mate looking ultra-relaxed in the early hours of the morning at a pan in front of the camp…

The small pan located about 100m in front of Tent 6 is one of the closest sources of water to Tuskers, and it has proven an absolute hit among the plethora of wild animals that reside in this unadulterated wilderness. The concession is a vast 365 000 hectares of unexplored land, and Tuskers is the only lodge in the area, meaning that much of the concession remains entirely private, and an undisturbed area. Bordering Nxai Pan in the east and Moremi Game Reserve in the west, while Chobe is located not far north of the concession, there are famous wildlife areas circling Tuskers, and with the lack of fences in much of Botswana, animals roam free.

With the blissful privacy of the area, comes the reality of truly wild animals, which might not be used to the presence of vehicles. This could explain why these incredible lions prefer to watch us from the shadows, and really come out of their shells at night when they think no one is watching. It is a real privilege to solely occupy this spot in the wild bushveld and to get to know the lions no one else sees. After two years of extreme drought in Botswana, the natural water sources in the area dried up, and the wildlife would naturally have moved away to find more reliable water. Now, as Tuskers attempts to return water to the area and bring balance back to the concession, we have witnessed the presence of lions – the pioneer predator species. Exciting times lie ahead for safaris in this incredible private concession!

One night, Dan went out in the direction of the lion’s roar to see if he could catch a glimpse of this king of beasts as it sent its call out every night. The lion fell silent, and Dan patiently waited to hear him again. An hour or so went by before that ‘goosebumps’ moment arrived once again, and the lion bellowed into the darkness, sending vibrations through the air and warming the soul. Not only that, but on this post-dinner game drive, Dan saw a leopard crossing the dry pan right in front of the Tuskers camp main area, and after that bumped into a lioness lying silently in the sand road. She was relaxed, and happy in the presence of the vehicle, giving Dan the opportunity to snap a quick photograph through the shrubbery.

New Cruisers for Africa on Foot & nThambo

We’ve recorded so many magnificent memories trundling through the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve in our open-top Land Rovers, offering our guests front row seats to the Kruger’s most phenomenal wildlife sightings. The original Ross Pride at 20+ lions, old dominant males Tyson and Fabio, the Good and the Bad, the Trilogy, and now the Mapoza. Hundreds and thousands of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, kudu, warthog, zebra, and can you imagine how many impala? Epic leopards, honey badgers, porcupines, hyenas – the list goes on! And now, we retire our Land Rovers and welcome the shiny and new. A pair of Toyota’s tried and test, comfortable, classic, and brand spanking new Land Cruiser game viewers! Let the new adventures begin in these state of the art off-road machines!

The teams at Africa on Foot and nThambo are like family. Out in the bush, the guides spend weeks on end with one another, saying hello to new guests, and goodbye to those who have become friends by the end of their days in the Klaserie. Personal jokes and banter, and maybe a bit of healthy competition get the guides through their cycles, and there is certainly no doubt that practical jokes are pulled! Boss Man, Courteney Blunden, maintains a close relationship with the guides he appoints, and wouldn’t hesitate to pull a fast one on any one of them. The delivery of the new Cruisers seemed the perfect opportunity to catch out Africa on Foot guides Greg, Mike, and Enoch. When nThambo received the surprise delivery of their new vehicle last week, news spread to the neighbouring camp, where the guys were left wondering where their shiny, new game viewer was…

What must have been an agonising 24 hours went by, as Greg and Mike could only watch as nThambo’s sleek new game viewing machine purred passed them in the bush, until finally Courteney deemed it ‘time’. We secretly delivered the Africa on Foot Land Cruiser to nThambo Tree Camp where Courteney called for a ranger meeting. This was of course all part of the joke, and Kevin was on the scene, rolling camera, to capture the reactions of Greg, Mike, and Enoch as it was revealed that they too had been given a brand new Cruiser!

Being accountable for lodge property, and certainly the vehicles, is high up on the list of responsibilities as a guide, and when Luan, Ryan, and Issack at nThambo were bestowed the responsibility of these epic new Cruisers, it must have stung a little over at Africa on Foot! Now that the joke is over, both our teams are over the moon with the comfort and quality that comes with driving a Toyota Land Cruiser through the bush. Both vehicles have detachable canopies, which come in handy when summer’s temperatures soar into the 40s, while the individual bucket seats, cup-holders, a camera mount, and beanbag offer guests even more convenience when they are sailing through the Kruger, making memories to last a lifetime.

The Week in Pictures: Mama Africa

She lives and breathes through the earth, the rivers, the sky, and the sun. The wind is her whisper, and the trees are her limbs, reaching out to hold us in her embrace. She is beautiful, yet she is devastating; her moods can be joyous, and they can be foul. We marvel at her creation of the mountains, the oceans, the sand dunes, and the forests. We live at her mercy. There are moments of dead silence, when the flutter of wings can be heard echoing through a valley, and there are times of turmoil when the sound of a stampede can not be drowned out. She is Mama Africa, and we are her children.

Under the blue abyss we’ve seen change a million times, we venture out into the garden of the wild, where we find the true children of Africa surviving amid all the earth’s elements. Flawless leopardesses, ancient crocodiles, and delicate aves roam wild and free among the perfectly woven terrains of South Africa and Botswana, where safari gives us the opportunity to share in Mama Africa’s greatest creations.

After another week of astonishing sights and sounds, we’ve gathered our favourite moments caught on camera and present them here in the Week in Pictures. This is an adventure like no other; one where our guests get a glance into the world of this wild and wonderful continent.

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Umkumbe Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger Park

Xobega Island Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Walking Safari in Botswana : The Romantic Hornbill

Article by guest blogger Mike McCaffrey, Nomadic by Nature.

Taking game drives around Botswana, you are likely to see the yellow-billed hornbill flying around often. It is one of the most common birds in the country, however, the best way to get to know it is taking a walking safari in Botswana.

One of the first things people generally notice, is that when you see one hornbill, you should look for another. Hornbills are monogamous, and are often seen in pairs. Besides their beautiful dappled plumage, long eyelashes, and big banana-shaped beaks, this is what makes them so endearing.

Not only do they couple-up, but they cooperate to share the responsibility of parenting. After mating, they find a hole in a tree to make a nest, and they both help build a comfortable lining of grasses. Then the female hops in and builds a little protective wall at the entrance of the nest.

The male stays outside, hunting for them both for around a month while the female incubates the eggs. He flies back to the nest, sticking his long beak into the small entrance she leaves open and brings her tasty little treats.

Hornbills are also known to cooperate with mongoose, which is quite interesting. As the mongoose forages through the brush, the hornbill follows, eating all the little insects that are uncovered. In return the hornbill keeps watch, sounding an alarm whenever predators are near.

Besides being such caring birds, they are actually quite skilled hunters. They can be seen in trees, scouting the ground, and occasionally taking off to intercept flying insects. On the ground they use their beaks to forage around through the detritus. Hornbills have been known to eat a variety of things including small rodents, venomous scorpions, and centipedes, and even snakes and frogs.

One of the best parts of finding these birds while walking through the bush is that you can stay and watch them hunt. They hop around on the ground, peering through the grasses, with their brilliant yellow eyes. When they find prey, they stab it with a giant peck, and then will often fly up to a branch to enjoy it. My favorite part of the show to watch is when they throw their prey from their beaks up into the air, and then catch it in their mouths. They are quite flamboyant eaters!

So come to the Moremi East Wilderness Area to do a walking safari. When you see a hornbill, take some time to watch it hunt, and be reminded of the romance that exists, even deep in the bush.

Unexplored cities

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“Believe in yourself! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
– Hosea Ballou

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Don’t forget to explore these things in Iceland

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This Halloween: The Dark Side of Going on Safari

We are not going to beat around the bush here, or rather the bushveld, but this article is not really about anything sinister or sensationalist. We’re actually using Halloween as an opportunity to celebrate a trio of nocturnal species shrouded in superstition. They’re the protagonists in ancient folklore and even witchcraft! Hyenas, lions and owls are our chosen souls for this Halloween…

Nighttime is a misunderstood time of day straddling between the gentle evening and sharp morning light. A time that holds many secrets and tales of predator activity, often only physically evident in the morning light. There is a mysterious magic that happens under the starlit canopy of darkness hanging over the Kruger veld. For what lies beneath this expanse of black? Oh there’s plenty, but our weak human eyes fail to see the antics of the wild.

If twigs could talk and marula trees converse, they’d have plenty to tell us mortal souls about the wild. While we can’t see much, we certainly hear a sliver of what happens in the dead of night. When night falls, the wind drops which means sound carries further. We hear the cacophony of whooping sounds from hyenas, the desperate contact calling from lions and the delightful sounds of owls breaking the critical silence. All a bit scary and perfectly fitting for Halloween!

It is rumoured that Halloween has evolved from a Celtic festival where all and sundry would light bonfires to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated the start of November as the time to honor saints. Nov 1st thus became known as All Saints’ Day and it draws many parallels with the Celtic festival. The night before was referred to as All Hallows’ Eve and thus with a combination of Celtic and Christian traditions, Halloween was born. It has now become a much celebrated, mass marketed and fun event taking on many quirks and traditions throughout the years.

So, in sticking with the theme of the misunderstood, let’s find out the various superstitions surrounding three key species to spot while on safari in the Kruger.

Hyena : Famous literary genius, Ernest Hemingway, detested hyenas and didn’t do much to encourage their worthiness. In ancient African legend, the hyena has heavy connotations with witchcraft. In Tanzania, it is believed that these creatures were actually considered to be a mode of transport.

During the Middle Ages, various groups believed that hyenas used to dig up and consume human corpses! Let’s dispel the myth a bit – hyenas are vital to a reserve roaming with predators. They clean up debris, remove rotting carcasses and thus prevent the spread of a potential disease. They’re beautiful, mysterious and fascinating!

Lions: Lions are powerful beasts and a much respected predator. With a roar that reverberates through the land, it’s hard not to pay attention to these cats. The white lion in particular carries with it many forms of superstition. Believed to be a sacred entity, it is thought to bring good luck to those that see it in the wild.

There are rumours abound that white lions can see the future and are agents of light. Truth be told, these lions are actually not a rare entity but merely a product of biology. They are leucistic, which means they lack pigmentation in certain areas of their body.

Owls : This night time raptor is certainly not short of superstitions and is dripping in lore. In some cultures it is believed that the owl symbolizes death, but other cultures believe it is a spirit watching over a warrior of the bushveld. Whatever you choose to believe, the fact is there are many species of owl within the Kruger. They’re quite common birds and are by no means eerie in their demeanour.

So, while you’re cocooned in your percale linen and guided by the soft light of the fading lanterns outside, you can be rest assured that there is no need to be spooked by the nocturnal life surrounding your chalet. Enjoy Africa as the night protects you while you sleep!

The Gorgeous Ground Hornbills of Klaserie

Some might consider it a face only a mother would love, but if you look a little more closely at the Southern ground hornbill, you’ll notice its luscious long eyelashes, mesmerising blue eyes, and the vibrancy of the bulging red skin on its face. This dinosaur-like bird is a relative of the yellow- and red-billed hornbill we see all over the reserve, so what makes this hornbill so different? Well, it’s listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s red list, and for good reason. There are only an estimated 3000 of these birds left in the wild, and they have a very slow reproductive cycle, making their future seem rather threatened. The Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, where Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp are located is the home of a ground hornbill conservation project, where the Fitztitute’s Southern Ground-Hornbill Research Programme works hard to study the social aspect of these birds’ lives, and assist the wild birds with breeding effectively, so that they can maintain numbers.

The programme has been at work for 16 years, building many artificial nests to help give these large cooperative breeders suitable places to nest. Even though these are ground hornbills, they nest in the cavities of large trees, and are sometimes seen flying up into the safety of high branches. Such large birds with glossy black feathers, tipped with white feathers, which are exposed in flight, the ground hornbills really are a spectacular sight. Africa on Foot guests got a fantastic look at a family of these birds recently as a couple of them flew up into the branches of a green marula tree!

In the Klaserie, where assisted nesting takes place by the conservation-minded team of the ground hornbill project, we see more ground hornbills than, perhaps, elsewhere. South Africa is the home to about half of the total population of these birds in southern Africa – an honour and a responsibility. In aiding these birds’ nesting practices, the programme workers have studied the environment which enables the successful breeding of ground hornbills and replicated that in the form of artificial nests. What happens often in the wild is the breeding pair might produce two eggs, but only one chick survives, so under the strict conditions of the conservation project, researchers have managed to produce two chicks out of two eggs, and therefore doubling the reproductive rate of the breeding pair.

Being cooperative breeders, not every male and female bird will pair up and mate. In fact, there is only one breeding pair, and the rest of the birds in the group tend to be young males, which have stuck around since birth. The breeding female in the group only lays 1-2 eggs every 9 years during breeding season, making the successful birth and rearing of the chicks most imperative to the survival of the species. Unfortunately, as environments change over long periods of time, there might not be the same amount of large, thick-trunk trees around, offering suitable nesting spaces for these birds. They have not been known to adapt easily to the changing surroundings in finding a ‘replacement’ nesting spot, so the chances of breeding successfully become slim.

These fascinating ground birds are strict carnivores, and are frequently seen eating snakes (even the venomous ones!). When we come across ground hornbills on safari, we find them foraging on the ground where they use their large beaks to attack reptiles like snakes and lizards, or perhaps mice, birds, or tortoises. In Xitsonga, the local language in this area of Limpopo, a ground hornbill is called ‘nghututu’, which refers to the deep repetitive bass beat of its call. It is an all-round fascinating bird, and we are honoured to be able to show our guests this prehistoric-looking creature to add to their safari experience!