August 2009 : Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe

The August winds arrived with precise timing bearing the promise of spring to come. It’s very apparent that the dry season is in full swing now, all natural surface water has either evaporated or dissipated into the soils below, this is the time when sustenance for most species becomes harder and harder to find, they have to forage greater areas as the bush thins out, but for most predators life becomes easier as their prey species start to lose condition. The game is now frequenting permanent water sites, creating a hunting ground for predators much like a convenient store with a wide selection of tasty morsels to choose from.

ROAN ANTELOPE

The guides have resumed the feeding of the Roan antelope (Hippotragus Equines)that we have enclosed in a huge area. Supplementary feeding is necessary at this time of year due to the onset of the dry season. These particular animals are destined to be our breeding stock for the future, the herd has produced two calves this year, which is fantastic, as in years gone by the calves have either died or fallen victim to predators. Roan are the fourth largest antelope and have a gestation period of 9 – 9½ months and they start mating again only a few weeks after giving birth.

Roan antelope used to occur here naturally and we hope to move the herd,  22 in total, to the captive breeding area with the promise of future release. It will be awesome to see them in the wild once again. Roan antelope are spectacular with their large ears and facial markings that resemble war paint or the markings of Tribal Dancers.

 

WILD DOG (Lycaon pictus)– ‘PAINTED, WOLF-LIKE

’From losing nearly all our wild dog to rabies a few years ago they have made a miraculous recovery and their numbers have increased from just one remaining dog to 21 members!

This was made possible by two females and a new male coming onto the property to establish the new pack. We had a set-back this month when nature took its course and a pride of lion stumbled across the den and ended up killing the alpha male and a sub adult. The pack have since recovered from that incident and are back to their usual activities. The total pack size now is made up of 19 members, of which eleven are new pups from this year.

In my opinion wild dogs are the supreme predator’s of the bush and I am fascinated by their social structures, from time to time they have a wicked sense of humour, scaring the daylights out of other game, as you can see in these photographs, the zebra’s did not take it too seriously but they managed to startle the elephant bull somewhat!

 

WHITE RHINOCEROS (Ceratotherium Simum)

This big chap had a field day at Nduna dam wallowing in the mud! He came strutting out, gloating like a gentleman walking out of a shop wearing a new suite. These prehistoric beasts from the past are always a welcome sight at Pamushana.

BLACK RHINOCEROS (Diceros Bicornis)

It’s not uncommon to see wounds from territorial disputes between bulls. The rhino pictured here has recovered well and a large part of the healing process must be attributed to the ox peckers who constantly keep wounds clean, this is found with many game species, a necessary irritation! We were on foot when this Black rhino was photographed, the wind was constant and the animal had no idea we were there. It is not that easy getting photographs of Black rhino like this, as more often than not, being solitary and secretive animals, all you get is a fleeting glimpse, and a cloud of dust!

 

ROCK ART AT PAMUSHANA

The tranquility of morning walks through the sandstone hills is something to experience, from the colours of the rocks and lichen, to the amazing diversity of flora. We are blessed here with a multitude of bushman rock art and it is always exciting knowing that you just might find a new painting on your next walk. To date we have over a hundred sites ranging from paintings, iron ore smelting sites, maize or millet grinding sites, and sites where they carved out games in the sandstone rock, as pictured, this game is well know even today and is played with pebbles, it is called “Tsoro” (Shona).  The hills have quite a few caves as well which always gets the adrenalin going as you don’t really know what might be lurking in there and they should always be approached with caution.

 

SCORPION KING!

It is fantastic seeing all the big game but the little critters can be just as exciting. This year all the guides expanded their knowledge and we had the privilege of partaking in a scorpion course. This equipped us with the knowledge to understand these creatures a bit more and to iron out any of the myths that surround these interesting little chaps.

It’s amazing how a little knowledge can go a long way, from people being absolutely petrified of scorpions to being able to handle them in the correct way, make no mistake there are some species here that are very venomous and I implore you do not go and handle just any scorpions, the guides pictured here have had special training to do this. To date we have found 6 different species of scorpions.

Pictured here are Jephat Diza, Fortune Masuka, Time Mutema and Tengwe Siabwanda They are all handling the Rock scorpion (Hadogenes Troglodytes). The male of the species can grow up to 21cm in length, it can live up to thirty years of age and has been known to use the same rock crevice or home for up to as much as six years. This species is the longest in the world and is possibly the heaviest too.

SOME OF PAMUSHANA’S RESIDENTS

Eland (Tragelaphus Oryx) are a more common sight from now until the rains come. The eland is the biggest of the antelope species and weighs more than a buffalo. They can certainly defy gravity, weighing in as much as 1 ton for the bulls, they are also able to jump and clear a six foot height with dexterity.

ZEBRA (Equus burchelli burchelli)

Although a common sight here, they are never passed up as they dazzle us with their stunning stripes, and are so photogenic, in colour or monotone making it easy for camouflage and hiding from/confusing predators.

KLIPSPRINGER (Oreotragus)

Having such a vast extent of sandstone hills, Klipspringers’ are often spotted. The name means rock jumper and when you get the chance to witness the agility of these exceptional little guys in action you will agree with the name! This year we were lucky enough to see a family unit of four - it is very rare to witness a pair of klipspringers with twins.

NYALA (Tragelaphus Aangasii)

What a sight! Sexual dimorphism is very apparent as male and female could easily pass off as different species all together.

 

AFRICAN CAPE BUFFALO (Syncerus caffer)

Their colloquial name, Dagga Boy, is the perfect name for these old boys who breakaway from the main herds when old age sets in and they stay close to good grazing and water. With old age, facial and body hair start to thin out leaving little protection from biting flies and parasites. They combat this by mud wallowing and this is where the name Dagga Boy comes from – dagga means mud!

Buffalo have always been synonymous with being highly aggressive; this is true when dealing with a Dagga Boy or a wounded buffalo. Generally speaking, the herds of buffalo that are often seen from the vehicles or on foot will give you rite of passage and would much rather create distance between themselves and the people watching them.

AFRICAN LION (Panthera Leo)

is mating pair was spotted on a morning drive around the Banyini area, mating every seven to fifteen minutes. The lioness would sidle up to the male lion to let him know she was once again ready, facial rubbing and affection aplenty and once the deed was done she would get highly aggressive with him. This would make him particularly nervous for the next bout and he made very sure he got out of the way in time, some of the time!

SPOTTED HYENA (Crocuta crocuta)

We have been so privileged with the hyena on our property - They have opened up their everyday lives to us and we have access to their den site. They have grown accustomed to our presence and we have watched them for some time now and have had the opportunity to welcome 2 new pups!

AFRICAN ELEPHANT (Loxodonta Africana)

Sosigi Dam is always a good place for a bath! These 2 two herds that had arrived at the same time and there were over 50 elephant - we sat with them and enjoyed the spectacle for about 1½ hours. They were so entertaining, from the youngsters frolicking in the mud to the adolescent bulls sizing each other up and asserting their dominance, all good training for the future. Elephants are an amazing animal to watch - coming down to the water, there is electricity in the air, an ambiance of excitement and happiness not to mention the promise of relief from the midday sun, you can see it in their walk, what we call the “water walk”.

The elephants have this rolling action to their front shoulders and their heads bob up and down at the same time, like an excited child skipping to the play ground. What a vision to behold!

All text & photographs by Brad Fouche
Singita Pamushana, Zimbabwe
31 August 2009