Singita Sabi Sand Ebony & Boulders Lodges Castleton South Africa

Wildlife Report For the month of April, Two Thousand and Fourteen

Temperature Rainfall Recorded Average minimum: 15.9˚C (60.7˚F) For the period: 4 mm Average maximum: 28.0˚C (82.4˚F) For the year to date: 851 mm Minimum recorded: 13.0˚C (55.4˚F) Maximum recorded: 34.0˚C (93.2˚F)

Predator pathways The Mhangeni pride marched in from the southeast and remained within the central area for a few days before venturing into the north. With the Majingalane males fixated on finding females and overpowering the Selati male coalition it’s inevitable that this is the time of change amongst the lion prides. The coalition of the four Majingalane males has been spending time in the northwest, well out of their normal territorial range. One of the male lions has been reported to be mating with an Othawa lioness. As the Majingalane coalition were increasing their territorial stake within the Sabi Sand, the Mhangeni pride were left on their own. The pride is doing well and all nine cubs are in a good condition. With the males not being around to chase the pride off the kills it has resulted in a positive effect for the pride, particularly when food is abundant for all.

The two subadult cheetahs continue to move together throughout the southwestern section and they both have been surviving well without the assistance of their mother, and are becoming truly independent. The two single male cheetahs that we often encounter have also been seen on separate accounts and are in a good condition. They are roaming within the same terrain as the two subadult cheetahs. The Hlabunkunzi female leopard was visiting what we think was a den-site to the west of Boulders Lodge, in close proximity the lodge's access road. Then one of the guide and tracker teams encountered her moving a cub to a new, unknown den-site, but she has been frequently seen moving through the rocky outcrop to the south of Boulders Lodge. Every morning and afternoon we carefully scan the rocky outcrops and often she can be seen lounging on a rock shelf. She has been seen in the same area on more than one occasion, giving us the idea that she has moved her cub/s to this new den-site. We are waiting with baited breath for their appearance...

The more we learn, the more we realize, the less we know! Article by Ross Couper

What started out as an “interesting observation” of a “pretty” butterfly being eaten by a dragonfly, turned out to be a far greater contribution to science than was ever thought. How often, throughout history have massive breakthroughs been made by luck or chance? It is all about timing and being in the right place at that specific moment. There are few places in the world where man has not been, few things that remain undiscovered. One can be forgiven for thinking that in this well-studied lowveld it is all-known, all-observed, recorded, dissected, classified and analysed, and that there is little room for new discoveries. Just when we think we know it all, nature comes along and puts us straight back in our place! It is humbling, amazing and wonderful all at the same time! A few weeks ago, Debbie Killian (our finance controller) was walking home after work and just outside her office, on the concrete floor, she happened to see a dragonfly consuming a butterfly. Not thinking too much of it, but that it could potentially makes a nice subject to photograph, she meandered home to fetch her cellphone to return and take a few photographs of it. She snapped off a few images and sent the odd photo off to a few friends whom she thought might enjoy it. As things do, one thing leads to another and the photo ended up at Cape Town University’s Animal Demography Unit. They have a show-and-tell session once a week where people share interesting observations. The photo was presented (by Megan, thanks Megan!), still just under the auspices of an “interesting photo” with no real significance or meaning at that stage, but then it all came to light as to what had happened.

So what had happened? Well, someone in the group noticed that this wasn’t just a usual dragonfly, and felt that there was something special about it and sent off the photo to those in the know within the dragonfly world. The result is that these cellphone photos confirm the third record of this particular species ever recorded in South Africa! The other two records were both seen within the Kruger National Park, neither of which was in recent years. The species in question is a female Zambezi siphontail (Neurogomphus zambeziensis). It is not a scarce species but it is just very hard to see due to its preference for frequenting large rivers and due to its fast flying nature. One thus only generally stumbles across the family of Neurogomphus as they fly past, never to be seen again! Klaas-Douwe Dijkstra from the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Netherlands had a trip planned to South Africa and we arranged for him to come through to do some training with the guides on the subject. The evening theory sessions were followed by a day out in the bush collecting dragonfly species, observing specific identification features for various species and formulating a list of species in the area. We managed to draw up a list of over 33 species (excluding the Neurogomphus zambeziensis) and, more importantly, found the very first record of a species for South Africa! It wasn’t a new species to science as it has been classified and recorded in East Africa but never in South Africa, thus a fruitful excursion to say the least! It has opened up an entire new sphere for the guides to explore and just shows, never be too complacent to ones surroundings, for the things we think might be most common could prove the contrary. As for the butterfly, it is an African monarch (Danaus chrysippus) who can’t be forgotten, as it was this butterfly that was the catalyst to the commotion.

In the presence of great Jupiter Article by Mark Broodryk

How truly inspiring it is to gaze up to the starry heavens that grace our night drives during this turn of seasons. The hint of fresh, cool and earthy breezes ground us as we sit or lie quietly, with the occasional utterances of awe, and ponder the wonders of this universe. With crystal clear intensity the diversity of existence becomes apparent, as twilight gradually diminishes. First to catch your eye might be Alpha Centaurus, the closest star to Earth that, with the aid of Beta Centaurus, points directly to the top of the Southern Cross, the latter known for its calculated yet accurate navigation to true south. Or Sirius, a strikingly vibrant white star regarded as the brightest in all our night skies and representing the eye in the constellation of Canis Major, also known as the hunter's dog, who so dutifully follows Orion, the hunter, through our galaxy. In contrast to Sirius' bright white is a characteristic red globe currently being seen low on the eastern horizon. It's not an aged large star, like most red celestial spheres would indicate, but, in fact, our solar system’s "red planet" called Mars. Its surface dust is red due to oxidation that takes place within its thin atmosphere and, due to this coloration, has been named after the Roman God of War. However, there is one celestial object that compels you toward it with the naked eye. It is our solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, and is currently positioned high up above, in the zodiac sign of Gemini. Astonishingly, Jupiter is 500 times the size of Earth and so, at an average distance of 750 000 000 km away from us, still appears as a significant, glowing ball!

One recent evening, upon marvelling Jupiter's presence, my guests and I turned not just our binoculars but Singita's Dobsonian reflector telescope upon the planet. I have the very good fortune to frequently observe our galaxies distant marvels using this telescope yet, on this particular occasion I was stunned by what I saw in the lens. I had never so clearly observed Jupiter with its gaseous and tumultuous atmosphere that gives rise to two dark equatorial bands, plus all four of its major moons, in clear view! The timing was perfect that evening to witness the Galilean Moons, called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, on both sides of Jupiter, as if radial extensions of its equator.

Jupiter in relation to Earth

The Galilean moons, from left to right, in order of increasing distance from Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Jupiter has around 65 moons orbiting its immense presence, however these four, all named after lovers or attendants of Zeus - who is Jupiter's equivalent in Greek mythology, are viewable with any telescope and each have unique features: Io, which is closest to Jupiter, experiences huge tidal forces as it orbits the planet, during which its surface moves in and out by about 100 m (330 ft). This generates a lot of heat which is probably the cause of Io's numerous active volcanoes. Ganymede is the solar system's largest satellite and is mainly an icy body. It has a small solid core, surrounded by a rocky silicate mantle and then an icy surface. Europa has an icy surface too, though features giant fractures in the ice which may have formed lakes of liquid water beneath the surface. Because of this, Europa is considered to be one of the more likely places for life to exist elsewhere in the solar system. Callisto is the only Galilean moon not to show signs of geological activity on its surface. It has the most cratering and these craters are distinct from those seen on the moon. Jupiter, itself, has a small rocky core but a very thick atmosphere made up of 86% hydrogen and 13% helium with clouds of methane and ammonia. Within this atmosphere are storms, and one particularly massive one, that has been raging for hundreds of years now, is known as the Great Red Spot. This well known and distinct cyclone covers an area four times the size of Earth and has a constant wind speed of about 2 000 km/hour! On a very clear evening the Great Red Spot may also be identifiable through a telescope. As we continue to look up at these beautiful sights and phenomena one is always humbled and awed by the secrets they whisper. Next to appear on our evening horizon in May will be Venus - a truly vibrant, shining planet so bright and large in comparison to all but our moon that it's been nicknamed the "Evening Star".

The bush, me and myself Article by Shelley Alkema

The lodges were quiet and I wasn’t guiding for a couple of days. I had some time to relax and catch up on a couple of things. I sat down in front of the desk in my room with all the intentions to continue working on my Level 2 Nature Site Guide Workbook. I looked through the window towards the gardens in the staff village. There I saw among different species of birds, like collared sunbirds, dark-capped bulbuls and white-browed robin-chats, a young female Nyala. She was beautifully lit by the clear morning light. A light drizzle had fallen during the night, which made everything look fresh and new. Tiny little diamonds were hanging from the leaves she was eating. Food and moisture at the same time. My mind began to drift away while staring at the female antelope; watching her as she gently browsed among our gardens. I suddenly had a great idea. Instead of learning new things on my desk, why not learn while being out in the bush? I wanted to get my gear together and just start walking. No fixed destination. Just be out there with nature and take things as they come. Spending time in the bush with guests is a unique experience since you become a crucial link in the circle ‘Nature-Guide-Guests’, but as a guide you must also give yourself the opportunity to spend time in the bush on your own. So, I decided that I wanted to do a sleep-out. I wanted it to be just the bush, me and myself for one night. Of course when you go out there on your own you have to be extra cautious, so I started to plan my trip. Where was I going to walk; where was I going to camp; what was I going to eat; what route was I going to take; etc. A few hours later I was ready to go. Backpack on my back and rifle in hand, I headed out to the bush. I walked for a while without seeing many animals. The first half an hour, while I was getting away from the lodge, I stayed on the roads but then I decided to go off-road. At one point I came across a group of about six giraffes that stared at me from the distance. They were walking towards thick bush. My route was in the same direction and since thick bush can be dangerous I decided to follow them and use their height to my advantage, in case there was danger around. My tall companions took me to more open clearings where visibility was better. There I found the fashionable looking horses of the bush, the zebras. Their heads rose only when I started to come too close. I didn’t want to disturb their feeding time too much so I circled around and continued my walk. After a while I decided to stop for a break. I climbed on top of a termite mound and orientated myself. It was already past lunchtime and my stomach was very much aware of that, so I opened one of the tuna packs and ate it with some crackers. The sounds of the bush were very relaxing. The heat was inviting me to stay in the shade and have a little nap, but reaching my destination in time to set up camp was crucial, so I continued on.

A couple of hours later I reached my destination: a waterhole in the central sections of the reserve. I decided to set up camp on a dry riverbed just south of the pond and away from the water source, since many animals might come to drink during the night and the presence of a tent close to the water might disturb them. Once camp was set and light was fading away I had my second meal of the day: more tuna and crackers plus nuts and fruits. Mosquitoes were out, so I went inside the tent and lay down. The stars were shining through the roofless tent while the nocturnal animals started to advertise themselves: nightjars, owls, thick-knees, frogs, toads and hyenas. My mind was on the present moment. No thinking of the past or the future. Just the stars above me and the sounds of Nature around me... And then I heard it. The one sound that I was hoping to hear while on my sleep-out: lions roaring in the distance!

The Selati Railway Line Article by Ricardo Careaga

Running through the southern section of Singita’s reserve is a very intriguing road that is steeped in history, folklore and tales. You wouldn’t think much of it as one bumbles along on game drive, but when driving along this road you’ll notice it’s raised up on a berm of gravel and in most parts is fairly straight. On reflection you would recognize this as the gravel bed of a railway line with the wooden cross beams and steel tracks removed. It is the remnants of an old railway line called the Selati Line. The railway line was named after the Selati Goldfields and was initially constructed to link the goldfields to the harbour in Lourenco Marques (modern day Maputo, Mozambique). The Selati Goldfields were first discovered in 1887, in the north-eastern region of South Africa, about 160 kilometres north of Singita Sabi Sand. The news of the gold prompted an influx of prospectors and a gold rush to the area, and soon petitions were made for the construction of a railway line - a project that was riddled with financial corruption and scandal. In today’s terms the amount of gold found and mined was very small, however it was enough to launch one of the greatest railway scandals of its time. Baron Eugene Oppenheim and his brother floated the Selati Railway Company, from Brussels, in 1890 and, without waiting to see how the goldfields panned out, went ahead and laid 80 kilometres of track. The track was started from Komatipoort, a town on an existing line running between Maputo and Pretoria to present day Skukuza, in the Kruger National Park. It was four years later, whilst working on building a bridge so that the railway could cross the Sabi River that the company went bankrupt, ending in one of the most expensive railways ever built for the 80 kilometres of line laid. The first warden of the Kruger National Park (then known as the Sabi Game Reserve) was James Stevenson-Hamilton and he arrived in 1902 to the area called the Sabi Bridge, which was where the bridge support pillars were. He made use of the 80 kilometres of track as his private line when he needed to get supplies from Komatipoort or to travel to Pretoria. His mode of transport was a manpowered trolley, a flat platform on wheels pushed along by gangs working in relay.

Photo source: www.sanparks.org He noted that it took him five hours to make the 50 mile journey to Komatipoort and twice as long on his return – when traveling with the goods trolley, the journey would take him a couple of days

Photo source: http://steam-locomotives-south-africa.blogspot.com Work was resumed on the Selati Line in 1912 and it was eventually completed in 1915 and linked onto the railway line from Pretoria to present day Zimbabwe. In the early pioneer days of the Sabi Sand, the families who owned land would travel by train from Pretoria via Komatipoort onto the Selati Line and then get the train driver to stop on request in the middle of the bush. Hopefully staff or a family member already on safari would be there to meet them and then the entire family would trek down to the camps set up along the Sand River. In 1923 the South African Railways introduced a nine-day train tour through the Lowveld, incorporating the “Reserve” halt at Sabi Bridge on the Selati Line, where the train would park for one night and depart again an hour after sunrise. The stopover in the game reserve quickly became the highlight of the tours (which also included the beaches and nightclubs of Maputo, Mozambique), swinging public opinion in favour of the protection of the reserve and its subsequent proclamation as South Africa’s first National Park in 1926. During the mid-1960’s a long negotiation was started by the chairman of the Sabi Sand Reserve to re-route the railway line as dishonest officials were shooting animals from the train and animals sleeping on the tracks were being killed, including three of the first introduced rhinos. Finally around September 1973, the Selati railway line, which ran through the Sabi Sand Wildtuin and the Kruger National Park, was used for the last time.

The decision was made by the National Parks Board to re-route the line along the western boundary of the southern section of the reserves due to the negative effect the railway had on the animals and plants. The last engine to go through the Kruger National Park is now a monument at Skukuza, the park’s administrative headquarters, and one of the original carriages has been turned into the Selati restaurant at the Skukuza camp. Today, only a portion of the rock-clad old railway line can be seen in Singita’s reserve.

Interesting anecdotes:

The workforce involved in building the Selati Line relied heavily on venison for rations, which took a heavy toll on the antelope population in the Sabi Sand and present day Kruger National Park.

It was called the "man a mile" line, a testament to the number of labourers who died from disease or were killed by lions during its construction - its construction witnessed so many tragedies that each sleeper on the line was said to represent one human life.

"Newington Siding" was one of the railway stops in the Sabi Sand and legend has it that one night, the train driver drove on without stopping after not seeing anyone at the stop. Meanwhile, alongside the track dismayed travellers having been forced into the surrounding trees by a pride of lions, watched helplessly as the train steamed away. Eventually permanent ladders were placed against the trees to aid escape for passengers threatened by prowling predators.

The name Selati comes from Shalati, the female Chief of the maTebula tribe.

It is rumoured that Paul Kruger, a former state President of South Africa, hid his millions in Kruger Rands somewhere along the length of this railway line as he used it to escape to exile, via Mozambique, to Switzerland during the final throws of the Anglo Boer War.

A newspaper clipping from 15 June 1900. Source: http://trove.nla.gov.au

Photo source: Custos Magazine Dec 1978 (http://steam-locomotives-south-africa.blogspot.com)

Game viewing summary for April 2014 Article by Jon Morgan

Lion Leopard Cheetah Elephant Buffalo Wild dog Hyena

No. of Sightings 54 52 28 147 48 3 6

Statistical analysis:

Lion sightings: The figures reflect a substantial increase in the number of lion sightings. Up from 32 last month to 54 sightings this month.

Leopard sightings: Leopard sightings are slightly down from 59 to 52, but relatively consistent.

Elephant sightings: A significant increase in elephant sightings this month, up from 108 to 147.

Buffalo sightings: The buffalo herds are starting to roam further as conditions dry out, but only a slight drop in figures by 20 sightings from the previous month.

Cheetah sightings: Cheetah viewing has remained relatively consistent when compared to the previous month. The sub-adult cubs seem to be hanging around and hunting with great success.

Wild dog sightings: The pregnant alpha female from one of the packs is about to burst any moment now. We trust that they will find a humble abode for their den-site somewhere on the property very soon, and look forward to reporting on pups next month!

Hyena: Den-sites are the order of the day for hyena during the winter months and thus we predict that the recorded sightings will increase significantly once den-sites have been established.

Predation analysis:

Leopard (6) Lion (12) Cheetah (4) Wild Dog (1)

Buffalo 6

Grey Duiker 1

Impala 3 2 3 1

Steenbok 1

Warthog 2 1

Wildebeest 2

Zebra 1

Game and weather summary for April 2014: Bird list

190 species recorded in April, migrant birds have departed and thus figures reflect as such. April highlights

The rutting impala and associated activity is always an interesting time of year. For the untrained ear, the sound is very intimidating and not one to be associated with the animal in question!

It is suspected that both the Mobeni female leopard as well as the Hlabunkunzi female leopard have very young cubs on the property. Only the Mobeni female’s cubs have been seen briefly - it is suspected that there are at least two cubs at this point. Sightings are being treated with the utmost sensitivity and we trust that we will reap the benefits in the near future.

The end of the rainy season results in a shift in terms of animal activity and movement. Elephant sightings have been in abundance. I’m personally looking forward to the drier times and the concentration of elephant herds along the river, lining up in front of the lodges – best seats in the house are from the bird’s eye view at the lodge deck or your room.

The Mhangeni pride interacted with the Sparta pride and new territories have been outlined. The Mhangeni pride seems to be more at home on the Ravenscourt area, which suits us perfectly. What was interesting to note is that the male lions (four Majingalane males) participated in the confrontation, supporting the Mhangeni pride even though they oversee the Sparta pride as well as the Mhangeni pride.

The Ravenscourt male leopard seems to have picked up a laceration during his recent outings. Nothing of concern, however, that perfect unblemished coat is starting to bear the scars of experience.

Photographs on location by Ross Couper, Jon Morgan & Ricardo Careaga Addition photographic sources online: http://trove.nla.gov.au, http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net

Singita Ebony and Boulders Lodge Sabi Sand

South Africa Thirtieth of April 2014