November 2008 : Kruger National Park

A Last Supper - 16 December

Yesterday, one of the maintenance gentlemen stumbled across a grizzly scene near the Lebombo generators - a young African Rock Python (2.3m in length) with an impala lamb in its throat, both animals very dead. We did a bit of CSI. (Crime Scene Investigating)

There were no wounds on the python indicating it had been killed by another predator. Leopards often take advantage of “preoccupied” pythons and often kill and eat the snake and its intended meal.

It seems as if this python had swallowed the impala lamb completely, was possibly disturbed and then tried to regurgitate its meal. This was evident due to the saliva on the hind legs of the impala seen sticking out of the snake’s mouth. Pythons will often only have one or two large meals a year, but they make the one meal count.

Having swallowed a huge meal like this, the python would be very immobile and susceptible to predation. As a defense against this, snakes will often quickly regurgitate their meals to make a quick getaway. It’s possible that the impala got wedged in its throat on the way out and the snake died of suffocation.

It’s also possible that the young snake, perhaps due to inexperience, had killed prey just too big for it to handle, and choked to death whilst trying to swallow it.

Thank you to Sam Smout for these images.

The rains have arrived!

Yes, finally, we have had glorious life-giving rain soak the dry dry plains of the Lebombo escarpment. Everything has turned from a dull grey, to a luscious green. Winter and its drought has finally released it’s grip, and the onslaught of summer has saved the day.

You can see the smiles on the faces of those who inhabit the area. No longer do they have to eat dry twigs, but the can gorge themselves on the abundance around them. Plenty of babies have been born, including some long awaited impala lambs. Some other small ones include wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and waterbuck. We thank the heavens for this wonderful gift of life, and of plenty.

A time of plenty for rhino’s
Rhino’s rely heavily on grass as their source of nourishment. During the past months, grass, at least fresh nutritious grass, has been hard to come by. That has changed. Rhino’s can now be seen all over the xinkelengane basin, feeding on the new green shoots making its way through the soil.

It’s especially important for the cows with calves, as they need the nutrients in their milk in order to feed their calves, and we have seen several females with their calves moving around these new green pastures.
The rain also filled plenty of dry wallows, and there’s nothing that a rhino enjoys more, than a good old wallow!

Drama at the waterhole!
The lioness was feeding on the remains of a kudu cow she killed during the night - In the background, a unbelievable scene was about to unfold.

Impala’s made their way to the muddy pool, the only source of water in the area. They were desperate, and they were willing to risk life and limb for those precious little sips of water. One male ventured into the water, and before he knew it, the mud had taken hold of his nimble legs. He was stuck. The more he tried to free himself, the worst his predicament got. All the sloshing about in the mud got the attention of his worst nightmare. The lioness looked straight at the impala.

She stood up, walked to the edge of the embankment, and lay down. She has seen this many times before, and was in no rush to end the suffering of the impala. Before long, more impala’s made their way to the waterhole, not showing much remorse for the doomed impala. Thirst got the better of a young male, and foolishly he walked in too deep, and the mud grabbed hold of his legs. Now there were two impala’s stuck, frantically trying to escape their fate, knowing that in the shadows lurked the reaper, the opportunist.

The poor animals struggled for an hour, eventually tiring themselves to the point of near drowning. This was the opportunity the lioness had been waiting for. She slowly got up, and ambled down the bank, and straight to the first victim. With intent, she walked up to the older male, crawled closer, and seized him by his neck, crushing its spine in just 3 bites. The cubs were there to help her. She dragged it out of the water, and took it further up the bank into some shade where the cubs started feeding again.

The lioness walked up to the side of the pool, trying to figure out a way of getting to the second impala, stuck right in the middle of the thick muddy pool. She could get stuck herself, and what would then happen to her cubs? Throwing caution to the wind, she launched into the dangerous mud, grabbed the impala by the neck, and simply powered her way through the mud in an amazing show of brute strength. Another day in Africa…

Lion Warfare around a giraffe kill!
Two lionesses managed to kill a giraffe around Gudzane dam. This area forms part of the Northern, Shishangaan and Mountain Pride territories. It was a recipe for disaster. Unlike small prey, which can be consumed in a night, a giraffe lasts several days, and it would attract plenty of unwanted attention from vultures and hyena’s…which it did.

Some members of the Mountain Pride snatched the kill from the two lionesses, and fed on it for the most part of the second day. Then all hell broke loose…
A huge male lion appeared on the scene, and attempted to chase the Mountain Pride young males from the kill. The youngsters, not to be pushed around, managed to chase the big male for quite some distance. They made their way back to the carcass, and carried on feeding. They had not seen the last of the big male.

The big male made a wide circle, and made his way straight back to the carcass, marking his territory as far as he walked. The tides were turned, and the big male was intent on revenge. As soon as the 3 young males saw him, they ran, tails between the legs, with the big male close behind. After seeing them off, the male made his way to the carcass, and claimed the rest of the spoils.

National Geographic’s Africa Safari LIVE

National Geographic recently presented “Africa Safari : LIVE” here at Singita Kruger National Park. They started filming on November 8, and finished on the 15th.

It was a successful show as well as a big learning curve for all involved. The viewers ended up seeing amazing sights, and learned a lot from experts involved in teh show. It was good to be part of something like this, and what an opportunity to show the world what stunning creatures we have here in our little slice of heaven.

How to make a sjambok with Christoff Ndlovu

Christoff used a grewia to make this sjambok.

First, chop off a straight branch. Then separate the bark from the branch. Its very important that the tree be moist, otherwise separating the bark will be difficult.

You then need to separate the inside tissue, cambium, from the bark you stripped off the branch. Do not discard the branch, you will use it later.

Gather the cambium, and bundle it into 2 or three strings. Christoff uses two. Arrange them into even lines, and tie a knot at the end to secure the strips.Then start weaving the two strips very tightly. Keep weaving till you have done about 1.2m in length. Then use the branch you used earlier, and tie the weaved portion securely to the branch.

Make sure the rope is moist. This form of rope can be used for many things, and if made thick enough, can even toe a car.

Now that your sjambok is ready, try and master the art of using it.

This entry was sumbitted by Marlon du Toit
All the photographs were taken on location by Marlon du Toit
Singita Kruger National Park
30 November 2008