June 2010 : Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe

2010 Soccer World Cup fever has taken us by storm and what better way to celebrate our South African neighbours as the hosts, than to join them in support and glory as we watch soccer played on African soil! The Singita Pamushana team proudly fly the South African flag and mimic the elephants as our booming vuvuzelas compete with their trumpeting trunks!

DON’T SWEAT!

Our Head Guide, Brad Fouché, captured this magnificent black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in the golden grass and light of early morning. Rhinos spend the hottest hours of the day in shady thickets or wallowing in cooling mud, as they are unable to sweat! We, however, are most likely to break out into a sweat should we come across one during a walk as they’re unpredictable and confrontational and the idea of double-horned missile weighing the same as a family-sized car galloping towards you at 50km/h is most undesirable! Reassuringly though it is our scent and sound that the rhino relies on to take early evasive action as their excellent hearing and sense of smell make up for very poor eyesight. The population of black rhinos, as well as all the wildlife here, enjoy the protection of our highly trained regiment of scouts that constantly patrol the reserve and monitor the movements of all rhinos.

HERRINGBONE GRASS (Pogonarthria squarrosa)

Grass is one of those things that we tend to take for granted yet it means so much to so many. It is eaten by man in a variety of forms such as maize, wheat and rice, it’s food for domestic cattle and wildlife and it’s the covering on which children play. Gardeners cultivate it, sportspeople enjoy their athletic pursuits upon it and photographers revere it for its gossamer qualities – to mention but a few. The grass family is without a doubt the most important on Earth. They were the first plants to be cultivated as food over 10 000 years ago and are still the most popular foods today. One of its greatest values is the role it plays in stabilising and protecting the soil from the erosive effects of rain and wind.

Herringbone grass gets its name from the way the spikelets (the parts that contain the small flowers) are arranged on the inflorescence (the flowerhead) in a way that resembles the bones in a fish. It’s often found growing in sandy disturbed soil and in undisturbed veld. Although it is rather unpalatable to grazing animals it is sometimes harvested by local people, tied in a bunch and used as a very effective hand broom.

IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY

There’s no better way to start a morning drive than to find fresh perfect pug marks of a territorial male lion (Panthera leo)… We followed the tracks down a road and it soon became apparent that a pride of lionesses and cubs had walked that way too.

We don’t have a dense network of roads at Singita Pamushana and fortunately many animals tend to use the roads in much the same way as we do – there are no nasty surprises such as snakes hiding in the grass, thorns to prick your paws, rocks to trip over and there’s a clear view ahead of you. It wasn’t long before we located this magnificent male peacefully posed to his most flattering advantage in the early sunlight, in the same way that all felines seem predisposed to do. His brother soon joined him and although they seemed interested in the possibilities of hunting, were in no hurry to do so.

Not far away, looking for all the world as if they were enjoying a teddy bears’ picnic beneath a baobab, was the pride. They lay about in the grass, relaxing and stretching, but they hadn’t eaten yet, and from the far recesses of my childhood memories I was reminded of the following sage advise…

If you go down to the woods today,
You’re sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today,
You’d better go in disguise.

 

UNDERTAKERS UNDER THREAT

Now is the breeding time for the African White-backed Vulture
(Gyps africanus) here in Zimbabwe. A large platform of sticks is arranged as a nest at the top of tall trees and is used for several years. One white egg is laid and incubated for just less than two months, by both parents. The chick is also fed by both parents and fledges after four months. Unfortunately though the species is in decline and is listed as Near Threatened. This is due to habitat loss – tall trees are chopped down for a variety of uses and land clearing; declines in wild ungulate populations; a reduction in naturally recurring carcasses because of hunting; collision with man-made objects; persecution and poisoning.

What we might perceive as a lack of appealing looks is counteracted by a feast of interesting facts about these birds, for instance they glide at speeds of 58-65km/h with dives of 120km/h – the speed limit of cars on our freeways! They’re a gregarious species – you’ll find a wake of vultures at a carcass, gliding in a thermal and at a roost site.

All CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

A group of trainee Field Guides from South Africa went out with one of our Field Guides, Jephat Diza, on a fact finding mission and it wasn’t long before they came across a speed trap in the road…

These were marauding Matabele Ants (Megaponera foetens) on a foraging mission! The Matabele were an African tribe that swept through southern Africa in the early 1800s destroying everything in their path. The ants live in colonies that can be 20 million members strong, and are most often seen on the march when they’re hunting.
The colony moves as one, with the larger soldier ants on the edge of the column providing protection for the smaller worker ants within the column. Smaller columns like this one move in search of prey such as termites and once located release a pheromone to attract the rest of the column to the source. They’ll attack a termite colony en masse, killing the soldier termites and pirating the eggs and nymphs within the colony which are taken back to be fed to their queen, males, larvae and other ant colony members.
The soldiers have formidable pincers that are easily able to puncture flesh. If you’re on the unfortunate end of a bite removing the ant is tricky as their jaws are extremely strong, and you can pull a soldier in two without it releasing its hold. Such is the strength of the ant’s jaws that many tribal people use them as natural, emergency sutures! When they suffer a gash in the bush they’ll use the soldiers to stitch the wound, by getting the ants to bite on both sides of the gash, then breaking off the body. This seal can hold for days at a time, and if necessary, the procedure repeated - allowing sufficient time for natural healing to occur.
They may be small creatures and nowhere near as intimidating as a lion, but for those unable to move such as infants, the infirm, or otherwise debilitated there is the greatest risk. There have been reported cases of humans being killed, often dying of asphyxiation, and eventually consumed by these ants.

 

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Cucumis metuliferus is its scientific name - Cucumis is the Latin name for cucumber and metuliferus refers to the sharp spines on the fruit, from the Latin words, metula, meaning a small pyramid, and ferus, meaning bearing. A couple of its common names include the horned melon, the African horned cucumber and the jelly melon. It is native to Africa, but now grown on various continents and the name ‘Kiwano’ was registered as the trademark. A great nickname is the blowfish fruit, coined in the United States due to its bloated spiky similarity to a blowfish!

The fruit are ripening to a bright orange colour this month with a lime green jelly-like flesh within. They’re edible when ripe (the one in the photograph is still green and inedible) and taste like a combination of banana, cucumber and lemon. They can be eaten as a fruit-snack, in a salad and are a useful source of water in arid areas. Birds eat the juicy ripe flesh and seeds, and rodents, primates and small antelope nibble on the fruit.

CHILLING OUT

I often find my mind seems to be whirring away with a million and one thoughts and racing off at break neck speed in all directions… This is when I need a ‘chill out session’ as some might say, or to practice meditation – in my own personal way. Meditation is defined as: self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry, in the here and now. I find a beautiful spot and settle myself down comfortably whether it be sitting upright or lying on the curve of a rock, and with my eyes closed or half closed I try to concentrate on just one thing – be it the sounds I hear, the scene I see, my breathing or a mantra.

If I’m concentrating on the sounds alone it’s easy to get distracted by trying to identify the bird, animal or insect that’s calling - but that is the whole art of it – attempting to suspend logical thought, acknowledging that your mind is straying and returning to the task of just simply listening without interpreting or getting distracted.

There’s a certain amount of mumbo jumbo that’s connected to meditation, but I’m really not interested in all that. For me it’s an open-minded way of getting beyond reflexive thinking into a state of relaxation and awareness. It is a way of cultivating a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind and if I am able to increase my compassion, receive spiritual inspiration, greater focus, creativity and self-awareness while doing so then that’s all good. Try it for yourself for just a minute or two, wherever you are. I have to concede that it’s much easier when you’re here at Singita Pamushana with a tranquil scene in front of you like the one photographed – but then that’s what holidays are all about!

“5 years on (almost to the day) and again we have to leave with heavy hearts.  Look after this precious treasure.  We will be back.”
Singita Pamushana guests, Jeremy & Jacqui Mansfield, Johannesburg, RSA.