February 2008 : Sabi Sand Reserve

The New Year received a Singita welcome with festive song and dance in the wilds (the fluke music notes photograph above captures the atmosphere of the evening), followed by a decadent and delicious 10-course tasting menu prepared by our dedicated chefs, a plentiful supply of fine wine selected by the sommeliers and as 12 o’clock struck the sabrage cork connected the sparkling wine to the stars. May 2008 be as fruitful as the Marula trees are at this time of year! Elephants have gathered in their droves to hoover up these nutritious golden treasures that contain four times as much Vitamin C as an orange!

“Stations we’ve located the two Othawa lionesses and four little cubs! Make that five cubs… Six… SEVEN!”

My excitement knew no bounds! There they were – seven tiny little bundles of fluff padding about on paws way too big for their bodies and with tummies so full the seemed to drag on the soft river bed sand…

We knew that two Othawa lionesses (Panthera leo) that we see from time to time had given birth to cubs but no one had seen them, and their mothers weren’t giving any clues as to their secret den site.

It was the 5th of January and we decided to try our luck across the mighty Sand River. We slowly inched our way down into a dry riverbed where tracks of the lionesses had recently been seen and were about to begin our ascent
when a backward glance around the bend revealed the two magnificent mother lionesses with their new cubs. We could see four of them, which I immediately announced over the radio, and then slowly but surely the curiosity of the little cats got the better of them and three more appeared to inspect us.

Time stood still as we greedily savoured the scene. The lionesses gave us that internationally understood look of any mother, regardless of species, that says, “Admire my beautiful children all you will but one false move and your life, as you know it, will be over.” The cubs viewed us with wonder as to what exactly this big green tin can with lots of eyes was, but then they settled down and began to play with one another, suckle from their mothers and attack precocious pieces of grass blowing in the breeze…

 

Bright Green Reptile versus Bright Green Reptile

The afternoon drive was a good one so far – then we came around a corner and a slight movement caught my eye in front of the Land Rover.

The creature responsible was a Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) of about 1,2 meters, and it was taking on a large Flap-necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)!

The chameleon had puffed itself up to a disproportionate size in order to try and intimidate its attacker - its anti-predator colour-changing camouflage techniques had failed so the next thing option was to make itself look as big and fearsome as possible!

The technique worked at first because the Boomslang, a name that directly translated means ‘tree snake’, was very apprehensive and kept backing off after each short attack. We could not be sure which attack dealt the killer bite but it was soon evident after about 20 minutes of spectacular drama that the chameleon’s actions and efforts were flagging and we knew that the deadly haemotoxin, which this snake possesses, had been administered.

The chameleon’s small frame wobbled from side to side and it seemed he would keel over at any second. Just then the Boomslang struck lodging its fangs behind the head of the helpless creature,
and made off steadily into some long grass nearby to get some privacy and begin the lengthy, energetic process ahead.

We too decided to leave him in peace and go and enjoy the drinks and snacks that the lodge had set up for us at our sundowner venue.

 

Mother’s milk

Elephant mothers are extremely protective of their young calves - and so they should be after 22 long months of pregnancy! This newborn calf’s mom summed us up and decided we were no threat. She came and stood right beside our Land Rover and let her little one blissfully suckle away while we looked on, mesmerized.

I have to say that there is no better traffic jam to be stuck in, in the world, than an elephant roadblock!

 

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed at home…

We had just located the young male leopard that we had been tracking for about forty minutes. He was lying on top of a large termite mound soaking up the first early rays of sun, stretched out in all his splendour and showing off his glorious rosetted coat.

From being fast asleep and not showing too much evidence of even acknowledging that we were within 10 meters of him he suddenly sat up hearing something that we lesser mortals could never have heard. His attention was focused on the burrow below him in the termite mound. The burrow was probably excavated by an aardvark on his solitary late night ventures for food, but was now home to something tastier. The leopard sat up and took a few steps closer to the entrance - all his muscles tensed and ready to apprehend the occupant of the dark cavern.

Suddenly a large female warthog appeared at the entrance, took one sniff of the morning air and fled at full speed through the long damp grass. A second passed and another head appeared in the burrow, this time much smaller -
she had a litter of piglets stowed in this underground hideaway. The first piglet also made a clean exit but the second was not so lucky… The leopard was ready and pounced! These tiny little animals are no match for the quick agile cats with powerful jaws crushing the back of the tiny scull. After only a second or two of the shrill screeching the little pig perished.

The leopard with his prize gripped firmly in his jaws made his was back up to the pinnacle of his sleepy haven, only to be distracted a few moments later by more movement at the burrows entrance. Another piglet was peering out into the sunshine, this being the third one to appear. He made a quick getaway and although the fourth to appear got a little further, the leopard had again darted down after the last little terrified fellow and caught him in the long grass about 15 meters from the safety of the burrow. This one took a little longer to be dispatched and the painful shrieks and squeals must have been heard a long way off. The leopard took it into some thick brush and started to feed on it immediately before one of the other larger predators like a lion or a hyena herd the raucous and came and robbed him of his bounty.

We watched for a while and listened to the bone-crunching sinew-stripping fiasco of the animal feeding, and then we went on our way so that the other rangers could enjoy the sighting with their guests.

 

Interview with Field Guide, Nicholas Hindson

Q: Age, birthday, star sign, etc…?
A: I’m 24, I would be older, but I was born at such a young age. I was born in the great month of August, on the 24th. So that makes me a Virgo…

Q: What did you do before Singita?
A: I’m from Durban so I first worked for the KZN game capture units catching Nyala and working in the Bomas with white and black rhino. Before that I was a pizza delivery guy!

Q: If you could be an animal what would you choose to be and why?
A: A honey badger. They have no fear, they’re tough, tenacious, aggressive and just plain hardcore. And they look cool.

Q: You win the lottery! How do you spend your millions and millions?
A: I’m the type of guy that if I win the lotto, there would be about 17 other winners as well. But if I were to win it I would buy a new car, probably a Porsche (they are my dream cars), build my own house and one for my parents. Give some of it to my family, gather a few mates and go on a road trip through Africa (another dream of mine). And once all that’s done go back to being a ranger - nothing beats this lifestyle. Not all the money in the world could buy you a lifestyle like you have in the bush.

Q: If you could pick any four people in the world to take on a game drive at Singita Sabi Sand who would they be/have been?
A: Dr Ian Player, (if it were not for him we probably wouldn’t have any rhinos left), Sir Winston Churchill, (if it were not for him we probably wouldn’t have anything left) and my parents (they gave me the opportunities that brought me into the guiding industry and for that I am forever grateful).

Q: What makes your heart beat a little faster?
A: Watching predators, particularly lions, on the hunt. Watching them work together, the patience they have, the mad final dash and watching the aggression as they feed.

Q: The 3 course meal of your wishes is…?
A: Potato skins with cheese and bacon, spaghetti bolognaise and chocolate mousse.

Q: What’s your charity of choice & why?
A: It is the ‘Save the Nicholas Fund’ - there’s only one of him so he’s endangered.

Q: You know you’re in Africa when?
A: You hear the call of the Cape Turtle Dove. Every time I went to Kruger as a kid, when we crossed over the Sabi River at Paul Kruger gate, I always used to listen for that bird, and that’s when I knew, “Right, I’m home”. Now if you listen closely when they call, they tell you to “work harder, work harder”, but at 5 in the afternoon, they change their tune and say “drink lager, drink lager”. I like that bird.

Q: Top 5 films?
A: Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Remember the Titans, Lord of the Rings and Snatch.

Q: What’s been your favourite sighting in the last two weeks?
Having a herd of elephant surround my vehicle. Just listening to them feeding, communicating and watching them interact with each other. Just being there, being privileged to be able to get that close. They are awesome animals and I can watch them forever.

 

I spy with my little eye…

There is precious little that misses the eagle-eyes of my Tracker, George Nkuna. We were traveling back to the lodge in the dark after an excellent afternoon’s game viewing, when he rapidly waved the spotlight indicating me to stop. Then reverse. A little bit more. “There it is!” he said. “What exactly are we looking at George?” (At times like these I am never quite sure if it is a leopard hiding in the grass or a scorpion peering out of a tree stump…) Further negotiation revealed the tiniest Flap-necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis) balancing on a blade of grass in the inky darkness of the night! With great relief I gently coxed the little reptile onto my finger – it was barely bigger than my thumbnail, and it warily surveyed us with its turreted eyes that move independently of each other.

About 57 small eggs can be laid but egg-laying is a grueling task. It can take up to 24 hours to complete, and the mother can die from exhaustion at the site of the nest. Eggs may take nine months to hatch. If the mother died at the site then the babies would crawl out of their shells amid the bones of their dead mother. Because of this they are greatly feared in tribal folklore, as it has led to a belief that the babies hatch from the bones of their mothers!

The soul is the same in all living creatures
although the body of each is different.
Hippocrates.