September 2009 : Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe

The Flame Creeper echoes above what we’ve been doing below. Our Ecology Department has completed a ‘burn’ - this adds essential elements to the soil and stimulates good grass growth. Fires would occur naturally in any environment and we plan and control them, as a natural management tool, for maximum benefit to the land. Right on cue came a spritzer of rain – just enough to wash the dust away and tease the first signs of green from their woody sanctuaries.

COURTING TROUBLE…

The tawny blonde rose and slunk down the catwalk toward him. Lean, toned and with feline grace she circled the target of her intent. She had only one thing on her mind. She swayed, she sashayed, she swished her tail, but still he lay nonplussed… He breathed in her pheromone–filled scent and with chuffing breath decoded her sexual status. She wasn’t ready yet and he wasn’t wasting any energy. Frustrated she backed off, lay down and pretended to sleep.

STABLE SABLE

Positioned at a waterhole we waited for the thirsty regulars. A pair of warthogs wallowed in thick sticky mud and impala drank alongside a herd of hartebeest while Red-billed Quelias sat chockablock and jostled for position on the branches above. Then the cavalry approached – a herd of Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) led by a magnificent dominant male and his obedient lieutenants. Sable refers to black and his glossy coal coat caught the sunlight and reflected his superiority and stature. Cautiously the females and calves drank from small pools in the mud, rather than the water’s edge, while their leader stood guard. A dominant male defends an area of up to 500 meters extending outward from his herd. Suddenly his recurved weapons scythed the air as he snorted his disgust! An intruder had penetrated his invisible boundary and was advancing to the waterhole. He displayed his stature by standing tall, proud and impenetrable between his herd and the intruder but the advance continued.

Leading his herd away in a controlled steady arc he swiftly changed tack and broke into a flat-out, head down, horns rolled forward gallop aimed straight at the enemy. The challenger fled and they both isappeared to the rhythm of hard hooves hitting the earth. Sable are listed as vulnerable in the Red Data Book. They’re one of the many highlights in Singita Pamushana’s diverse spectrum of wildlife.

THE LURE OF FISHING

Stefan, one of our guests, Time, one of our guides and I participated in the ‘King of the Waters Pamushana Fishing World Cup’ this week (a fiercely contested regular challenge). We patrolled the Malilangwe Dam like pirates secretly visiting our lucky spots and before long lines were tight and ratchets were singing! Our large pontoon is ideal for fishing – it’s sturdy, stable and very spacious. The dam was originally constructed many years ago in a natural valley with Leadwood trees resulting in what we marvel at every day – a vast expanse of water with ancient gnarled wood sculptures connecting the hippo-ed water to the Fish Eagled sky. The best fishing spots are where the Leadwoods are so you simply tie the pontoon to a Leadwood and fish from there.

Photographic evidence is crucial to prove who caught what as we practice ‘catch and release’ fishing. I weighed in with two Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), Time with three Sharp-toothed Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), and Stefan triumphed with some catfish, bream and two Tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus)! Tigers are ferocious hunters with razor-sharp inter-locking teeth and a muscular body built for speed. They are spectacular to see in the water as their shiny silver scales reflect the sun and highlight their black stripes and fiery red and yellow markings.

The largest Tigerfish caught by a guest at Singita Pamushana weighed in at 6.8 kgs – that’s 15 lbs! Catching a fish is always exciting but the hook is spending a few hours on the water watching at the dassie-dotted, Verreaux Eagle-nesting, leopard-lair cliffs, regal trees, soaring birds and variety of animals quenching their thirst at the water’s edge - it’s the ultimate way to relax and reel in the majesty of the surroundings.

SINGITA PAMUSHANA ROCK PAINTINGS

All our ancestors originated here in Africa and the first successful exodus began 85 000 years ago. Pamushana’s sandstone rocky outcrops are a canvas of history of the San (Bushmen) people who depicted their spiritual beliefs, rituals and lives in their art hundreds of years ago. What a humbling experience it is to stand before these masterpieces and how intriguing to know that there are more out there, hidden in the hills, for centuries unseen. It’s believed that the art had powerful ritual significance and was associated with the Trance Dance and the experiences of Shamans - ‘Spirit Mediums’. The Shamans would then paint these trance experiences to portray contact with the spirit world to produce rain, control game movements, ward off evil spirits and heal the sick. To depict the trance they would use metaphoric figures such as the Shaman wholly or partly transformed into an animal, which is possibly why this painting shows a man with a bird-like head being chased by a rhino.

A DELIGHT FOR THE SENSES

Experiencing this pristine wilderness is always a sensory extravaganza – now more so than ever! Dotted on the landscape are the currently leafless Wild/ Mozambique/Inhambane Coffee bushes (Coffea racemosa) currently adorned in a mass of delicate pink blossoms. The purple-black fruits of this native species were used as coffee beans by early settlers in Mozambique. Drinking in their heady, floral, jasmine-like scent is irresistible as you stop to admire their display and hear the hum of insects enthusiastically sipping their sweet nectar.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TIP: SUNSETS

Sunsets in the bush are absolutely spectacular – no pollution to cloud the sky, the tranquil scene before you, birdsong punctuating the perfect silence, and a long tall sundowner in your hand… However photographs of the moment often don’t live up to the memories. This is mainly because your camera is trying to compensate for the bright light of the sun being pointed right at the lens – and is programmed to achieve an overall balance of exposure. A way to overcome this on your digital SLR camera is to use the bracketing mode – this will allow you to shoot the same scene using bigger and smaller F-stops to the one that is automatically selected, and you can then choose which exposure you prefer from the range of photographs taken. Another trick is to use Auto Exposure Lock (the AE-L AE-F button on the Nikon and the * button on the Canon).

Auto exposure lock allows you to point your camera at a darker or lighter place and lock in exposure for that spot. The first disappointing result was taken by simply pointing and shooting the scene with an automatic exposure (F6.3). With the second photograph I ‘locked in’ an exposure for the bright sky (F9) just to the side of the sun, by depressing the auto exposure lock button, in order to underexpose the image for a darker more dramatic result. Then I focused on the water in the foreground, by depressing the shutter-release button halfway, reframed my photograph and took the picture.

...38 countries and 50+ islands past, we find Nirvana! Peace, tranquility and nature along with great service and caring staff - past guests. By Jenny Hishin Singita Pamushana Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe 30 September 2009