March 2008 : Kruger National Park

Welcome to another SKNP Journal. There seems to be a slight chill in the air in the mornings before the am game drive goes out. Winter is slowly clawing its way back into our lives. The concession is drying out quickly; the once flowing and flourishing Nwanetsi has become a gooey, sloshy series of mud pools, frequented only by a few dagga boys and white rhino. The few remaining clear pools are magnets for game and on some days, literally hundreds of elephant, impala and waterbuck can be seen quenching their thirsts on the river banks.

The real fascination this past month has been the amount of birds, especially larger birds, being seen on the concession. The northern parts have been overrun by lesser spotted eagles and marabou storks. The storks are still around in great numbers, their ominous presence felt as they stare emotionlessly down at you from their perch in a dead Leadwood or knob thorn. We have been speculating as to why they are up there in such huge numbers; more than likely it is the presence of large colonies of red billed quelas or the huge armies of armored ground crickets in those areas. These large birds are one of the easiest storks to identify with their bare‐head, bare neck and the fleshy pouch on the lower fore neck. They appear to have white legs but in actual fact they are grey in color. This stork performs what is called Urohydrossis. Essentially this means that they urinate on their own legs to
cool down their body temperature.

Scorpion stories

Towards the end of February we were fortunate enough to have Jonathan Leeming, author of Scorpions of Southern Africa, visit us as SKNP and SSS. He did 6 days of training and taught us about the wonders of scorpions and spiders found in these areas. We did daily field trips collected many interesting and uncommon species. Pictured above is Uroplectes carinatus, a wide spread and commonly found scorpion in the drier parts of South Africa. Generally found under rocks in permanent burrows, these scorpions are not as partial to wandering about like their cousins U. vittatus and U olivaci. These two are commonly found inhuman dwellings, finding themselves in shoes and clothes resulting in a rather nasty
surprise when dressing…

Lion Liasons

We have suspected it for a long time and finally the Xirombe pride have introduced us to their new additions. 3 new Xirombi cubs have been seen with their proud mother around the Nwanetsi river. About 3 monthes back we found the mother hanging around by herslf a lot, spending the most of her time between Xingwenyana crossing and Green appple hill. Xingwenyana is where the great old Xiromberombe (fig) tree lies in which the previous litter were raised, so these new cubs are really being braught up in the old tradition We have only been seeing 5 of the previous litter for the last few weeks but still presume that all 7 are still alive. The pride seems to have fragmented somewhat in the last while but should now be 15 lions when all together. The new cubs are still a little nervous around the vehicles so the guides are keeping their distance.

The amazing Mountain pride is a huge pride of 19 lions. They occupy the whole of central and northern parts of the concession, a huge area of around 10 000 hectares. They have been thrilling guests at SKNP for last 5 years and continue to do so today. The sight of 19 adult and sub adult lions walking past your vehicle is a sight never to be forgotten. One of the greatest obstacles that a pride of this size has to overcome is the huge amount of food required to support them. They need too kill something substantial every day to keep their bellies full and maintain tip top condition. This last month we have noticed that they are hunting more and more in day light hours. Lions are predominantly nocturnal, and use the cover of darkness to to conceal themselves (this is very important with large prides) from prey. The fact that this very large pride gives up this advantage and still hunts very succesfully bears testimony to their hunting skills (or constant hunger!!!). This past month they have been focusing mainly on zebra, wildebeest,kudu, waterbuck and young giraffe; all large ungulates and occuring in abundance at SKNP. Most mornings however, guides find nothing more than a few knawed bones and a scattering of very full, panting lions, lying on their backs paws in the air.

Musical Giraffe

The Nwanetsi concession is very well known for it extremely high densities of game, especially plains game. Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis are one of the most sought after species of guests coming on an African safari. Their strange shape, incredible height and patch work coloration always evoke gasps of delight. They occur in abundance in this area and its not uncommon to find yourself in the middle of a journey of 30 or more animals, quite often accompanied by dazzles of zebra and herds of wildebeest. Giraffe are generally considered silent but recent studies have found that they may communicate via infrasound (which we would not hear) but also with grunts, snorts, bellows, bays and, wait for it, soft flute like noises! I can’t say I have ever experienced anything orchestral in the bush but I am waiting with bated breath!

Snakes Alive

The beautiful snake pictured above is the eastern tiger snake Telescopus semmiannualtus. It’s not difficult to see where the English name comes from, its orange body and black blotches being identical to its mammalian counterpart, the tiger. The tiger snake has very large eyes and vertical pupils, indicating that it is a nocturnal species. This individual was found in the canteen and, as expected being in the canteen, had a full belly. (as seen in the picture above, just before its tail leaves the ground). They have a varied diet including lizards and skinks, small birds and even bats. They subdue their prey with amild venom, which fortunately, is harmless to humans. In Shangaan culture the snake is believed to be associated with those who passed away. They are often seen in the roofs of houses and it’s believed to be a reminder or sign that you must worship or remember your forefathers. E. despite a poor knowledge of conservation and a general fear of all snakes, killing the Eastern Tiger Snake is prohibited in our culture.