May 2008 : Sabi Sand Reserve

The mighty Sparta

We spotted the Sparta pride in the far eastern reaches of Singita’s 18 000 hectare (45 000 acres / 180 square kilometers) traversing area. The pride consists of three adult lionesses and nine youngsters – five of whom obligingly posed for the portrait below!

These cubs have got big paws to fill as it’s their mighty brothers who now rule the Sabi Sand as the much feared “Coalition”.

What normally happens is that female cubs stay with their mothers, and expand the core pride, while young males leave at about 24 months and eventually, after a few years of lying low, try to stake their own claim on a territory.

I noticed that the mothers’ coats were sleek and beautiful while the youngsters’ were full of scratches and little wounds. The cause became obvious after observing the cubs for an hour – they didn’t sit still for very long and were otherwise a constant tumble of claws, paws and jaws! As the saying goes; “Play is the ancient dress rehearsal for the kill” and they play just as hard as they can!

Lions are social cats and thrive on touch to strengthen and reaffirm their bond.

Frederick the fugitive dormouse

By Aimee Van Hecke: Ebony Front of House

Ed’s note: The following story has been gratefully received from Aimee and is a first-hand account of her hand-rearing and releasing a Woodland Dormouse (Graphiurus murinus). Singita’s policy is to never interfere with the natural circle of life except where that circle has been compromised due to man’s interference – i.e. where an animal has been hurt or abandoned due to mans’ actions or man-made structures.

It all started when Field Guide Marc Eschenlohr received a call from Ebony Lodge to say that there was a little mouse that needed rescuing. A guest had found it in their room and a staff member had removed it. Marc eagerly did so and I somehow managed to convince him to give me partial custody of the baby Woodland Dormouse in the evenings, while he was driving. I promised to feed him every two hours with the
strawberry protein shake that he’d prepared. As time went by I became so attached to poor dormouse that Mark, I think, felt too bad to take him back from me – and my partner Ryan and I became the proud new parents of little Fredrick.

It didn’t take long for Fredrick to let us know that strawberry wasn’t his style and he much preferred cow’s milk. And what a guts he was! He would whinge and squeak at all hours of the morning for his feed! Ryan and I took turns to wake up and feed him and soon his tail got bushier and he was quite eager to try solids. We alternated between banana and baby corn which were his absolute favorites, although he did quite enjoy Singita’s home-made muesli…

Time came for us to depart on our two weeks leave and under no circumstances were we going to leave our child behind, so Fredrick went away with us. I’m sure he was the first dormouse to travel across an international border and then back into South Africa without being detected by the border officials! It was in Mozambique that he learnt to catch his own grasshoppers. As days passed he became faster, feistier and a lean, mean, grasshopper killing machine!

It was apparent that Fredrick didn’t need to rely on us any longer and yearned for the great outdoors. (He could jump meters and at the speed of lightning!). So upon our return to the Sabi Sand we drove around the park looking for a prime new property for Fredrick’s first ‘alone’ home. We located a log with a hollowing in it not too far from water. We stashed his trusty old ‘blanky’ in it and sprinkled the area with some muesli – just in case these grasshoppers were much fiercer than those in Mozambique, and wished our baby farewell…

I’ll huff and I’ll puff…

Just look at the superb camouflage of this sneaky Puffadder (Bitis arietans vittatus) hiding among the undergrowth!

The Puffadder’s cryptic colouring is one of its greatest assets as its able to lie undetected until prey comes unsuspectingly to it. Then, with lightening speed, it lashes out and inflicts a painful bit administering deadly cytotoxic venom into the victim. The venom affects living cells but does not cause instant death.

The Puffadder releases its prey and follows its scent trail. It does this with the help of a forked tongue – see the detail so sharply shown in Marc’s photograph. It taste/smells the scent articles of the fleeing animal on its tongue, follows it, and then consumes it whole as it dies…

The Puffadder gets its name because, when agitated, it will often hiss and “puff”! During the puffing they will inflate their body and loudly “exhale” which is a serious warning and should be heeded!

The Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)

By Shelley Pope: Field Guide

The Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) is the most widely distributed of the Cercopithecus monkeys and ranges throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They are one of few species to escape the rain forest and come down from the trees to also forage on the ground.

In southern Africa these small grey monkeys with human-like black faces are found wherever there is enough tree density and available surface water. It is therefore no surprise to encounter these primates around human inhabitations, even in the suburbs of cities.

A Vervet troop is a hierarchy of families whose members sleep, forage and rest together. Troop size varies from 8 – 50 with anywhere from 1 – 8 males. Females stay in their natal groups and bond together with female relatives through strict rankings of which juveniles hold the position of their mothers. This competitive coalition creates a strong defense against larger males who join them and also when competing with other troops.

Males begin emigrating to a neighbouring troop as they near maturity at around five years, often along with other young males. These transfers prevent inbreeding and often lead to attaining a higher rank in a new troop as they mature further. As position in a troop is important for mating opportunities as well as access to resources, males need to signal status and mood clearly hence the significantly vivid colouration of their genitalia – bright red penis and pale blue scrotum!

Reproduction is seasonal with mating taking place during the dry season and births falling an average of 165 days later during the wet months when food is plentiful. Vervet babies are born more developed than most and grow up quickly. I’m sure a contributing reason for this is due to suckling from both of the mother’s close-set nipples at once! Juveniles and other females in the troop will help groom, cuddle and play with an infant. Yearlings of two years old become suddenly barred from their mother as she begins to raise a new infant, but form companionships with their peers and older juveniles.

Feeding is a daily routine under the assistance of sunlight and their colour vision. They are opportunistic omnivores and will feed on whatever is most abundant at certain times of the year. Their diet includes: fruit, seeds, leaves, buds, sap, flowers, herbs, grasses, invertebrates and occasionally vertebrates such as lizards, eggs and nestling birds.

Because of their size and terrestrial habits, Vervets are vulnerable to more predators than probably any other African primate. They will use an array of different alarm calls to indicate what kind of trouble looms and therefore what type of action to take. This may be a lingering eagle, a leopard or snake as you can see in the picture of a large African Rock Python (Python natalensis) who snatched up and constricted an adult female recently one late afternoon.

It is important to continue to treat these rather cute and entertaining relations of the human race with the respect all wild animals deserve in order to live compatibly for many years to come.

The chameleon that lays eggs

By Lazaraus Mahore: Field Guide

The common female chameleon exudes an odour that attracts males for mating opportunities. The males proceed to follow the female until she becomes receptive. During the process of following her, she keeps them at bay by hissing, kicking and lunging at them.

When a male mounts the female he rubs his spurs over her body to stimulate mating. If more than one male is present while she is receptive many fights will take place and the males will all try to mate at once in a squirming, writhing mass! The mating lasts twenty minutes and happens three to four times during the course of the day.

In January and February the chameleon lays about 30 to 50 eggs.

Interview with Field Guide, Leonard Makukule

Q: What is you age, and when is your birthday?
A: I’m a full-grown territorial male of 44 years! My birthday is on April the 7th.

Q: Where are you from?
A: A village nearby called Lillydale.

Q: Are you married? How many children do you have?
A: Yes, and I have three wonderful children.

Q: How long have you been a field guide for? And how long at Singita?
A: I’ve been doing this for 18 years now so I’ve a lot of experience. Nine of those years have been with Singita.

Q: If you could be an animal what would you choose to be and why?
A: A leopard. They are very clean and smart!

Q: You win the lottery! How do you spend your millions?
A: I would invest it for my children and give them a better education.

Q: Your most embarrassing moment as a field guide is…?
A: When I track an animal for hours and don’t find it! Especially if it has crossed into another property where we cannot follow – that is very frustrating.

Q: Your favourite meal is…?
A: A good old South African braai with lots of nyama (Shangaan for meat) and pap – a maize meal starch.

Q: You know you’re in the African bush when…?
A: You look up at an unpolluted night sky and see the Southern Cross shining down on you.

Q: What’s been your favourite sighting in the last two weeks?
A: It was two bull rhinos fighting for a territory. They advanced and retreated like two warriors in a fencing contest with their deadly swords attached to their heads! Rhino males are very territorial – they stake out a territory with good grazing and a constant water supply in the hope luring females into their private domain. If the females are attracted to the territory and arrive in a breeding state the male rhino has the opportunity of mating with them. I didn’t get a photograph but here’s one of a rhino in a very different mood – wallowing in a mud bath!

“Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.”
- African Proverb

Entry by Jenny Hishin
Singita Sabi Sand
Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve
South Africa
Thirtieth of April 2008