June 2009 : Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

One needs to wrap up tight against the chill of the morning safaris – the blankets, beanies, fleece ponchos and beloved hot water bottles are nestled into and a pair of eyes peeping out of the fluffy mound might be the only thing betraying its human contents! But braving the cold is a worthwhile experience. Being up to witness the first golden rays of light as a lethargic sun pushes itself up from the horizon, bathing the stark Bushveld landscape in a palette of orange and pink hues is quite an experience. The cooler day-time temperatures mean that the predator activity periods are not restricted to nights, and we enjoy active sightings of lion, leopard and hyaena and hunting behavior at any time of the day.

Elephant herds have been seen in large numbers, as the perennial waters of the Sand River – which flows through Singita’s Sabi Sand property – act as an enormous attraction to these water-dependent pachyderms. Interesting to note, too, how their feeding habits begin showing an increased utilization of woody vegetation as the grass becomes less suitable.

Shrubs such as the Round-leaved Teak (Pterocarpus rotundifolius) are prized for their highly nutritious bark and it is always amazing to watch as the elephants dexterously mill the bark off each branch between their four enormous molars. Pedantic in their focus on the minute quantities that they are able to get off each thin branch, indicating its importance to them nutritionally, and their selective feeding behaviour.

Much to our delight a new pack of Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus) are denning on the property, and we have counted nine adult dogs and four new pups, taking their first tentative look at the world from the entrance of their den inside an old termite mound. The other pack of three adults is also seen from time to time, but they do not appear to have denned yet this winter. Wild Dogs are highly endangered so this is thrilling news for Singita and for the conservation of this fascinating species. Hopefully this year the big pack will successfully rear these young pups to boost the dwindling population. We are also holding thumbs that the small pack which consists of a single male and two females might still den this season.

THE GREY GHOST

It has been a long and heated debate about who is actually the ‘King’ of the Bush Veld. Most people suggest the lion; some argue the massive elephant should reign supreme.  However, I would like to propose the true King: The Southern Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). The largest antelope within Singita Sabi Sands’ traversing area, the Kudu stands 1-1 1/2 meters tall at the shoulder, and the males (we refer to them as bulls) can reach nearly 280 kg in weight. Only two other antelope outweigh the Kudu, being the Roan Antelope and Eland, but they are not seen within our area, although both still roam some areas in the Greater Kruger National Park area. The most striking feature of the male Kudu are their incredible horns. These ‘oversized corkscrews’ reach an average length of 50 -56 inches in fully mature bulls, and they are used as weapons against other bulls in dominance disputes. The longest horns measured were a staggering 72 inches. They were picked up in Southern Mozambique where the animal had died from wounds sustained during a fight with another male. This handsome animal still roams most of the Bushveld regions in South Africa, even outside conservation areas. I still see them regularly on my father’s cattle ranch. Their preference to thicket habitat and shy nature, along with their ability to jump fences of 2m high, have contributed to their ability to survive outside of protected areas and assist in their safe conservation status in South Africa.

A safari trip to South Africa would just not be complete without an encounter with the Grey Ghost, and maybe those corkscrew horns and handsome features will convince you as well of the deserved title – The True King of the Bushveld!

By Chris Erasmus - Singita Field Guide

 

THE HYAENA CLAN

The resident clan of hyenas has been doing incredibly well over the past year. A visit to their den is a firm highlight and does much to soften people’s perspective on these much maligned creatures.

The communal den is one of the most important aspects of the hyena clan; it is the centre of all social activity. Being home to many cubs and their mothers, and is also visited by females without cubs as well as sub-adults of both sexes, although, adult males are generally excluded from the den. Spotted Hyaenas live in extremely complicated societies, which we are only just beginning to understand. A female dominated world, where the lowest-ranking female holds dominance over even the highest-ranking male. Newborns weigh about a kilogram at birth, have open eyes and, unusually for carnivores, have fully erupted canines and incisor teeth. Just a few hours after they are born, siblings will fight amongst each other to establish dominance. After one or two days of intense battles, sibling rank will be determined and this will remain throughout their lives. Cubs will stay at the den up until the age of eight or nine months. After-which they will follow their mother on foraging excursions and to kills. Even then only the cubs of high-ranking females can feed from the carcasses. As a result sometimes the cubs of higher-ranking females will be weaned at a far faster rate than those of lower-ranking females. This month two new editions where added to the den. Still dappled black they are wonderfully amusing to watch as they scamper around the den area, learning about the world around them.

THE PAINTED AND SPOTTED WARRIORS OF THE BUSH

These are amazing creatures! People are often surprised when they see them for the first time as they are a lot prettier than their name, Wild Dog suggests. Each individual dog has its own unique pattern to its tortoise-shell coat. As guides, we generally prefer the name ‘Painted Hunting Dog’ which is a far better description of these beautiful animals that somewhat resemble a painted German shepherd.

A project has been running within the Kruger National Park whereby tourists were encouraged to submit photographs of their wild dog sightings along with the pack composition and location. This was done as the researchers wanted to build up a database of each individual dog as well as their movements as a conservation initiative – What better way than creating an awareness of such an endangered species and using everyone’s eyes to monitor the park!

A few days ago we came across three painted hunting dogs in the northern portion of our traversing area feeding on a fully grown adult male impala. The dogs seemed a little agitated and kept pouncing onto their back legs peering into the long grass beyond the carcass. Suddenly a huge female hyena emerged from the grass and chased the dogs off their meal and claimed it for herself. In all the commotion they didn’t notice a huge male leopard approaching. He waited, evaluated the options, planned his approach and sized up his opponents. Suddenly, he rushed in, paws flailing and growling, headed straight towards the grand prize. The bewildered hyena and surprised dogs fled to a safe distance before stopping to take stock of what had just happened. The leopard began to feast while all the others could do was find a shady spot to rest after a very busy morning affair. Or was it all over…?

Just when we thought things had calmed down the dogs and hyena rallied together and tried to reclaim the impala but they were not counting and the leopard’s trump card - he effortlessly hoisted the carcass up into a nearby tree where he was able to enjoy the rest of his meal in peace.

By Lazarus Mahore - Singita Field Guide

BLACK VS. WHITE

Two species of rhinoceros are native to Africa, they are the Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) and the White rhino (Ceratotherium simum). These common names are completely undescriptive, as both species are a muted grey colour (beneath the usually constant layer of mud that is caked over their skin, rendering their overall colour variable according to the soil-type). The origin of these apparently unfitting vernacular names is debatable; however it is commonly believed that the White rhino inherited its name as a result of a mistaken understanding of a Dutch word “wyd” which was a descriptor of its “wide”mouth. “Wyd” was interpreted at “White” (not “wide” as the translation should have been), and it is with reference to the species’ broad, square lips that facilitate its feeding strategy – that of cropping off swathes of grass, as it is a grazer.

The name Black rhinoceros was thus most likely chosen to distinguish this species from the White rhinoceros, a confusing choice for two species are not distinguishable by colour. Another possible origin of the names was that the Black rhino was first described close to a South African river known as the Black Umfolozi, and that the White was named similarly for distinction. Either way, the names have stuck, but reference books are beginning to make use of far more suitably descriptive common names for these two species: “Square-lipped Rhino” for the White and “Hook-lipped Rhino” for the Black. The Black rhino shows a dietary preference for feeding on leaves and branches, and has a pointed mouth with a prehensile upper lip that enables it to pull branches into its mouth, giving it a hook-lipped appearance. The Black Rhinos with its prehensile (hooked) upper lip, The long elongated head needed to reach the ground to make grazing effective is typical of the white (square lipped) rhino. Here at Singita Sabi sands it would be unusual to see a black rhino, but the white rhino population is excellent.

Text and pictures by Nicky Silberbauer
Singita Sabi Sand
30 June 2009