March 2008 : Sabi Sand Reserve

February has seen some scorching summer days, dramatic thunderstorms and even a fire started by a lightening strike – but it was quickly contained and put out by the well-trained actions of Singita staff.

 

All seven of the lion cubs (see January’s Journal) are doing very well and have progressed from being undeniably adorable to undeniably adorable and naughty! They are obsessed with biting their mothers’ tails, stalking and pouncing upon each other, attacking sticks, jumping into muddy ponds, pestering to be fed and, as you can see from the above photograph, if your mother won’t wake up or is ignoring you, you can always use her as a balancing beam…

The dominant male leopard that ruled these lands for many a year has, we conclude, passed away. He was remarkably old for a territorial male but had been losing condition for some time and we haven’t seen him for many months. His absence his drawn a quite a few male leopards that are unknown to us onto this prime property and we are eagerly waiting to see who the new ruler and sire to future cubs will be.

A leap of leopards in a Leap Year

I hinted at it in the December Journal but at last we have the proof! Two baby leopard cubs (Panthera pardus) were born on about the 14th of December 2007. They are the perfect pair – a male and a female. They look like miniature versions of their mother, but the rosettes of their coats are still tightly bunched together and their eyes are a soft blue-grey.

Their mother chose a den site surprisingly close to the lodges. Although the cubs were very well hidden in a rocky outcrop they now seem quite used to the sound of vehicles and human voices. They were first glimpsed perched upon a rocky outcrop surveying the goings on between Ebony and Boulders lodges.

This is the second time this mother leopard has chosen a den site so close to the lodges - she successfully raised a male cub who, in his ‘growing up’ stage, thought nothing of helping himself to certain items that were left lying about these included hot water-bottles, shoes, Nguni cattle skin rugs, mops and a jacket (see photo).

Who knows if these new twins will follow in their big brother’s paw prints but by the curiosity in the cub’s face on the next page I would certainly think so!

 

These two predators of the sky soar over Singita – they are the Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) on the left and the Brown Snake Eagle (Ciracaetus cinereus) below.

The Tawny Eagle is distinctive in its two-tone plumage and long chestnut leg feathers, while the Brown Snake Eagle, as the name suggests, has brown plumage as well as bright yellow eyes, a large head and featherless legs.

The Brown Snake Eagle is renowned for its ability to swoop down and catch largesnakes, and its featherless legs that are covered with tough scales help to ensure that their prey are not able to deliver what may be a deadly bite

The Tawny Eagle can be seen perched conspicuously on the top of trees, watching and waiting for a variety of prey.

Raptors eyes are particularly well equipped with visual cells. There are two types – one that is sensitive to light, and the other sensitive to colour. Eagles have as many as one million of these compared to only about 200 000 in our eyes! This gives them superb vision and allows the to see in much greater detail – hence the saying ‘eyes like an eagle’.

 

The Golden Orb-web spider
(Nephila senegalensis)

There’s gold to be found on our game drives! It is the beautiful golden silk spun by the female Golden Orb-web spider for her insect-catching web. The silk looks so delicate and fine, yet the breaking strain of it is greater in diameter than that of steel!

Above her you can see the remains of insects. They would have flown into the sticky web and become tangled up. The spider would swiftly rush over to the trapped insect and bite it, then consume its juicy contents.

Fortunately for us this large spider is harmless to humans although it can give a rather nasty bite.

The brightly contrasting colours of yellow and black are nature’s way of warning other animals that this arachnid is potentially harmful and they should avoid feasting upon it themselves.

 

Q: Age, birthday, star sign etc…?
A: 36! 20 April – I’m an Aries.

Q: Where are you from?
A: The Mother City – Cape Town.

Q: What did you do before Singita?
A: Hmmm – well I was a Writer in the advertising industry but then decided to pursue my dreams and become a Field Guide.

Q: Everyone remembers his or her first drive. How was yours?
A: I was driving none other than family of the Senior General Manager! We were enjoying a perfectly lovely drinks stop on a narrow road at a waterhole. The gin and tonics were poured, a candle flickered in the twilight and the snacks were being offered when two enormous, dominant male lions manifested themselves from around a nearby bend in the road!

On command the guests levitated back into the vehicle without spilling a splash of their sundowners, and the lions cautiously decided it was safe to continue, so they sidled pass the Land Rover – thankfully ignoring us, the tasty beef kebabs and the biltong still set out on the table.

Q: What’s your charity of choice & why?
A: The Cart Horse Foundation. Any form of animal abuse sickens me to the core, and as a horse rider I have a particular affinity for these gentle intelligent creatures.

Q: If you could be an animal what would you choose to be and why?
A: A porcupine – definitely. They’re gorgeous, quite shy, follow their nose – but irritate them and you’ll receive a sharp piercing response.

Q: Do you talk to animals?
A: Always!!

Q: What are your hobbies and interests?
A: Photography, designing and making silver jewellery, horse riding, the arts and, of course, anything to do with animals and conservation.

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: I think Jane Goodall and David Attenborough should come along, but sitting upfront would be Robbie Williams and Brad Pitt. Jane and David would be lifted back to the lodge a little earlier, while Robbie and Brad would need to tend to my Land Rover’s mysterious engine trouble…

 

Leopard mating is accompanied by ferocious growling, spitting and hissing and is incredibly intimidating – especially when you hear it at such close quarters.

We left the sighting and I was feeling relieved at having negotiated the vehicle out of the drainage system, but then a small leadwood stump caught the valve of the tyre and punctured it. The uninspiring sound of air whooshing out meant an immediate tyre change was necessary… We offered our guests some juice and then began the tyre-changing excercise. It went relatively smoothly but I was keen to get going as it was not an ideal venue given the mating leopards nearby. I hurried the guests back onto the vehicle, hopped in and drove off.

Well, I hadn’t even got out of first gear and there we saw a male lion lying in the long grass. I made a little U-turn and we went to view him - after we had calmed down to a mild panic.

So, there we sat in the sun, watching this magnificent king and remarking on how close he must have been to us, when four other members of his coalition came nonchalantly strolling along in the wake of our vehicle tracks! They lay down nearby – a line of lions lying - and dozed off to sleep with their mighty paws draped over one another…

The wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please, we have it in trust, we must account for it to those who come after.

King George V.

Jenny Hishin
Singita Sabi Sand