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We Captured A Buffalo Birth On Camera

The Cape Buffalo is a rather unpredictable bovid and coming face-to-face with this member of the big five can be quite intimidating. They don’t actively do anything but it’s that blank, sociopathic buffalo stare that sends shivers down your spine. Interestingly enough, they rely more on their acute sense of smell to detect potential threats than their sight. They actually have a division in their herds called “Pathfinders” who utilise their keen sense of smell to create direction for the rest of the herd.

This week Jochen and guests witnessed something rare – the birth of a buffalo calf on the Africa on Foot traverse in Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.

In this instance, Jochen noticed the pathfinders leading the herd to the dam. It was then he caught a glimpse of the birth of a buffalo calf. Hidden behind the grass was a cow giving birth. Luckily, there was enough clarity in the thicket of vegetation to take these photos. Buffalo mate during the rainy season when there is an abudance of food. With such thick vegetation and nutritious grasses, it helps to supply essential nutrients to lactating cows.

Cows give birth in the midst of the herd and a newborn calf can stand within ten minutes of being born. It is only stable on its legs after a few weeks. During this period of time it is building its strength, becoming more co-ordinated and learning how to run with the rest of the herd.

We hope you enjoy this heartwarming game viewing experience. Did you know there is a sequel to this story? When the herd made their way to the dam, Jochen sped off to capture the rest of this event on camera and stumbled upon a hippo defending his dam from the buffalo herd.

This is what happens in the Klaserie, one event leads into another incredible wildlife moment !

Giraffe Bulls Go Neck And Neck In A Duel

Bull giraffe are not violent by nature but certainly have a protective instinct when their young are under threat. By nature, they are not territorial like many of the cat species and they move from one location to the next in search of cows on heat. The only antagonism that arises between giraffe bulls is when a hierarchy is being established, or they are protecting a female in estrus.

Guests may come across two giraffe necking in a rhythmic and graceful manner. This is not a mating dance but in fact a duel. Giraffe are not violent, predatory animals but rather gentle herbivores. Seeing bachelor giraffe go neck and neck in a duel is a placid affair to witness. The aim here is for the bull to thrust his horns onto his enemy’s body, defend himself and mimic the oppositions movements. With these interactions a type of dance ensues.

Here Jochen capture this elegant duel on camera.

Trilogy Lions: The Boys Are Back In Town

The Trilogy appear to be staking their claim on the old Ross Pride territory which covers the nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot traverse in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Over the past few months, and in the latter part of 2014, this trio have become a formidable force in “their” reserve. Their presence is more dominant than ever and with the added attraction of the two ex Ross pride females, sightings of the Trilogy are quite common.

Will they join forces with these females? Who knows – only time will tell.

The trials and tribulations of the lions of the Klaserie makes for an interesting tale. Keep reading our lion updates – we will shortly be releasing a concise history of the Trilogy and introduce you to the faces of the Klaserie’s famous coalition.

Below we have a few photos that were taken over the weekend. Here you see the three boys and two of the Ross Pride lionesses.

Week In Pictures: Plenty Of Predators In The Klaserie

There has been plenty of wildlife activity this week in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve . We’ve seen a hippo defending his dam within the Africa on Foot and nthambo Tree camp territory, herds of elephants framed by spectacular sunsets at nDzuti main dam and leopard sightings at nThambo Tree Camp. Rangers at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp even arranged a romantic sundowner session for guests on Valentine’s day. We’ll let this week’s pictures tell the story.

The predator sightings have been at an all time high, with guests delighting in the abundance of lion and leopard sightings.

Happy Friday everyone – hopefully next week we will be as successful with our Kruger wildlife sightings.

nThambo Tree Camp Sightings

Hippo Vs Buffalo At Klaserie Dam. Large And In Charge !

t was one of those perfect days in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Come to think of it, most days on safari are nothing short of perfect. But today, something unusual happened. Jochen and the team witnessed quite a flamboyant display from a territorial hippo defending his dam. These displays of animal behaviour are always fascinating to observe.

Jochen said, “The hippo vs buffalo incident was an amazing day. We saw the buffalo herd and, depisite bad visibility, we decided to stay with them. After 30 minutes we actually saw a female buffalo with a newborn calf!”

Jochen made an educated guess that the buffalo herd would be headed for the dam, so off he sped. Soon enough, the buffalo filtered down to the dam and clambered into the water. Cue five minutes later and 200 buffalo were drinking from the dam. In the distance it appeared there was a rather agitated hippo swimming moving closer to the herd. At first the hippo merely observed the shoreline activity and then became anxious. At this stage, the buffalo and calf stayed in the deep end for safety reasons.

The lone hippo eventually lost his cool and decided to defend his dam. Hippos make an impressive honking sound to advertise their territory. They actually have a harem system where pods of bulls occupy dams filled with breeding females. Bulls are notorius for having a bad temper and are known to clash with one another. To show dominance they open their mouths and display a set of rather ominous looking teeth. In the video and the images from Jochen, you will notice the open mouth, the snapping and the grunting sounds – all indicative of territorial behaviour.

All of this in one sighting – a newborn buffalo calf, buffalo herds drinking and a defensive hippo. No wonder Jochen was excited !

Klaserie Love Story: Two Lions Show Us How Love Can Overcome Obstacles

Ladies. Gentlemen. All and sundry. This is a sweet video about how true love can overcome obstacles – just in time for Valentine’s day. Love, chemical attraction and obsession are three factors present in both the human and animal world. This video proves just that. Watch how this “Jaydee” lioness overcame obstacles to get to the lion of her dreams.

Let’s explore this tale of love in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. The Trilogy are a coalition of three male lions in their prime who displaced the two Ross pride dominant leaders (the Good and the Bad). We suspect they have been mating with the Giraffe pride females and two Ross pride females who have broken away from the pride. The lioness in this video is the “Jaydee” lioness, who crossed over from the Klaserie into a neighbouring property.

Judging from this video, she clearly has her sights set on one of the Trilogy males. She seemed to remain close to the fence line in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her favourite Trilogy male. Here we see him patrolling the fence line. The day after we witnessed this courtship-with-barriers, the “Jaydee” lioness decided that enough is enough. She managed to crawl under the fence and…well…the rest is history !

Happy Valentine’s Day -we hope this video made you purr with delight.

Week In Pictures: Kruger’s Klaserie Vs Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Our week in pictures story is normally launched on Friday but we’re ahead of the game this week. Why? Because Saturday is Valentine’s day and we have a heartwarming story that will be posted tomorrow.

This week has seen an influx of images from our photographer, Jochen, who is based in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. In conjunction with that, Kevin and Chloe have just sent through a plethora of wildife images from the Okavango Delta. Kevlo (combine Chloe and Kevin’s name) appear to be having an incredible time on their African adventure with Afrika Ecco Safaris.

The Klaserie saw an abundance of African wild dog sightings this past week, the birth of a buffalo calf, a hippo showdown and elephant herds swimming in the dam. Oh, and let’s not forget – there were also sightings of the Trilogy coalition of lions. There is a consistent flow of ranger reports about the the presence of elephant herds around our camps. For all the Ornithologists out there, there have been reports of tawny eagles, herons and vultures.

It seems Kevlo have spotted plenty of elephants, hippos, zebra, baboon and red lechwe while in the Delta. I am sure they are enjoing taking photos of wildlife dotted against the Botswana horizon while exploring untouched corners of the globe.

Browse through this week’s images and let us know your favourite image – is it one of Kevlo’s photos from the Okavango Delta or Jochen’s photos from the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve?

Photos from the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Kruger

Photos from the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Wild Dogs For Africa ! A Week Of Mayhem !

This week there have been prolific African wild dog sightings throughout the nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot traverse within the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. A pack of 32 African wild dogs made their public debut two consecutive days in a row, which pleased both rangers and guests. Jochen, our resident photographer, thinks they are the “Orpen” pack who decided to cross the reserve, stay the night and return the following morning.

When wild dogs are spotted traversing our property it is normally a solid pack of 12 dogs. Seeing the “Orpen” pack was quite an anamoly – luckily Jochen was there to capture the hive of wild dog activity on camera.

There is something innocent, graceful and majestic about the these small carnivores. Greetings between family members are always ceremonious. Their tails wag, they lower their forequarters and there is an array of high pitched vocalizations, creating quite an elaborate display. Slender bodies and mottled coats are flung about in playful antics.

The reason for such a dramatic greeting? The African wild dog is a highly evolved, social creature that travels in packs lead by a dominant male and female. They have an innate sense of community and sharing; and it’s quite a privilege to watch their greeting spectacle!

Watch this African wild dog video to witness their unique way of greeting.

The African wild dog has a narrow body which allows for speed needed to hunt prey. Their method of hunting prey begins with a slow walk which breaks into a trot and then finally a sprint as their prey flees. If the pack splits and a lone dog makes a kill, they will feast on the heart and liver; and then emit a series of calls to signal to the pack that their “dinner is served”. An African wild dog’s prey consists predominantly of antelope.

A few interesting facts about the African wild dog:

Wild dogs move in packs (on average) between 8 – 11 adults.
They are not solitary creatures and move around in close-knit family packs.
If a lone dog is spotted, it is often a male who has wandered off in search of a new pack.
There are normally two dominant leaders within the pack but the rest of the structure is weak.
Wild dogs use aardvark burrows as dens. Pups are helpless when born and need safety from predators.
Only the “alpha” pair in the pack breeds. The rest of the dogs provide family support and help with hunting.

And, guess what? After a week of wild dog hysteria, Jochen has just reported that a lone African wild dog was seen in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps next week we will bear witness to yet another rare occurance on our traverse.

This week we were certainly exposed to wild dogs for Africa!

Week In Pictures – Klaserie & Kalahari

This past week, Kevin & Chloe send us images from Haina Kalahari Lodge and Jochen & Mira have been blessed with some wonderful game viewing in the Klaserie at Africa on Foot & nThambo Tree Camp.

Enjoy the Week in Pictures!

Classic Kalahari: Into Deception Valley

True to its name, the ancient riverbed of Deception Valley is a fossilised remnant of the great body of water it used to be thousands of years ago. Like much of the Kalahari Desert, Deception Valley is a piece of history; a history of the movements of water, the migrations of animals, and the footsteps of people. The stars blanketing this vast, flat land are some of the most spectacular in Africa, and the drought-resistant plant life stands routed into the sandy floor.

On the northern border of Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Haina Kalahari Lodge is situated about 80km from Deception Valley. On occasion for adventurous guests, Haina’s energetic hosts Adriaan and Wanda, take a 4×4 equipped with kitchen utilities, tents and the game viewing essentials to set up for a stellar night at Deception Pan, surrounded by the wild desert.

Overnight in Deception Valley with Haina. Image by Em Gatland.

Image by Em Gatland.

Canvas tents, stretcher beds, camping chairs, and potjie-kos; a night in the Kalahari is about as peaceful as can be. In the summer months when rainfall paints the sandy floor an emerald green and dresses the bare trees in a coat of leaves, springbok and gemsbok fill the plains in a satisfied state of grazing. Guests at Haina spend the day watching the ample ungulate population moving along the horizon, and spying the black-maned heads of lions and their sleek female companions as they time their attacks. In the evenings, guests return to a campsite setup with safari tents and chairs circling the campfire, and enjoy an evening exchanging stories and listening to the sounds of the wild.

The birds of prey are known to adorn the treetops lining the sandy, two-track roads traversing through the reserve, while humming flocks of queleas take off and move through the air in swarms. Shaft-tailed whydahs, grey-backed shrikes, larks, and pratincoles make up only a handful of a population of birds almost 300-strong. Ground squirrels provide endless entertainment as they bury themselves in the shallow sand and raise their bushy tails above their heads for shade. Jackals yelp into the sherbet sunsets that stain the skies bright pink and orange, concluding a day of white-cotton clouds and baby blue.

The mystery behind this exceptional region of the Kalahari lies in the mirage that appears on Deception Pan. The bare, clay earth that used to be a body of water still fools travellers into thinking that the river exists, although it has not flowed in thousands of years. In the dry season when the clouds retain their rains, the earth dries up and only the tsamma melons offer a form of hydration for the resilient animals of the desert. It is a stark beauty that in summer transforms into a lush, vegetated wildlife paradise, offering photographers, bird-watchers, and solace-seekers a destination of dreams.