MANAGERS REPORT

Dear Friends 

With two very good rainy seasons behind us, there is lots of food out there to keep the animals well fed during this coming winter, which is fast approaching. April has been a month with lots of Public holidays, holidays and long weekends, bringing about many tourists to fill the beds all over South Africa. April was indeed a good month giving people to opportunity to relax and forget about the lingering economic crisis and enjoy the wonderful gift of nature the Madikwe reserve has to offer. Elections for the new president have also gone very smoothly, with all eyes on the inauguration of Pres Zuma and his plan to improve on our beautiful country with its rainbow natio 

Molatedi

We where very fortunate to receive a massive shipping container from SKS kids in the Netherlands, filled with a variety of usable items for the crèche, from furniture and cots to scooters, stationary, toys and many other item

 

 

Thank you to all who contributed to the project in the past mont 

Staff

Herman Rakobane has been elected as the staff member of the month. He is part of the maintenance team, keeping the lodge in pristine condition. Working behind the scenes he is not always noticed by guests, but he is an indispensable part of the glue that holds it all together.

We would also like to give recognition to the following members of staff for 5 years of continuous service. Emmah Maimela, Winny Modise, Mabel Seroke, Victor Masimon and Goodman Mosele.

 

 

 

 

Hope you all hade a wonderful Easter

Hennie & Adrienne de Clerk

Ranger report

Jaco

The month of April has come and gone and left in its wake unforgettable memories and life experiences. Autumn is in full swing here in Madikwe and winter is closing in very quickly indeed. Morning and evening temperatures are getting cooler and cooler by the day and the days are getting shorter. Winter also means the dry season and water is getting scarcer all over the reserve.

The various dams on the reserve are now the principle water supply and animals are starting to concentrate around it. This makes for good sightings with less effort on our side and also a great place to expect the various predators on the reserve, especially the lions. Elephants also frequent these watering holes and the shy more nervous elephant herds are now drawn to it and inevitably will come into contact with humans.

 

 

Elephants are some of the most amazing animals I know and you should always treat them with respect. The level of intelligence that these creature’s posses is astounding and you should never underestimate them, they can turn on you in a flash.

The other day we arrived at a small watering hole and stopped for a moment to see if there was any animal activity. The sound of braking branches was unmistakeable and we waited for the herd of elephants to arrive at the watering hole. The first elephant came out of the tree line towards the water and it was clear from the moment he saw us that he was nervous about our presence.  As the rest appeared they reacted in the same manner. This was a signal to me that we encountered one of the nervous herds of elephants and needed to stay as quiet and inconspicuous as possible to prevent panic. Another vehicle arrived behind me and we sat there quietly watching the approaching elephants. After some time of hesitation they decided that quenching their thirst is more important and started towards the watering hole. They started drinking water and we had a beautiful sighting with babies playing in the water and adults having an equal amount of fun. When I saw that the skew tusk female was amongst them I knew what was going to happen and started preparing myself mentally. When she saw us she immediately stopped drinking water and glared at us ominously. Then she started approaching us. She came quite close and stopped, shaking her head in warning. I held my ground knowing that she is looking for the smallest little excuse to chase something and soon she found what she was looking for. The vehicle behind me started his engine in an attempt to get out of the situation. This was just the thing she was waiting for and charged immediately. She ran straight past my vehicle like I didn’t exist in pursue of the now fleeing vehicle. The rest of the herd followed and they all chased the other vehicle well down the road. My decision to hold my ground took all the attention from me and not even one elephant looked in my direction. All were focused on getting that other vehicle out of there. When most of the elephants passed me I saw my chance and quickly took myself out of the area as well. With nervous laughter everyone reflected on what just happened and I think we all got a little lesson in elephant psychology. Always keep your eye and mind on an elephant, keep your composure and do not over react. And I think most of all, have respect.

 

Sam

It has been a while since the elephant herds came by the lodge at a daily basis. This was mostly because of the large amount of water that was in the bush during the rainy season. This however is starting to change. Winter is coming and water is getting ever scarcer in the bush.

This means that herds of elephants come and go on a daily basis here in front of the lodge. They normally come and visit during lunch hours while everyone is sitting on the deck enjoying something to eat. The soil around the lodge is a dark red colour because of high iron content and once the elephants finished their drink they normally wallow in the water and mud and finishes it off with a good dust bath. Mud bathing serves a very important role. It not only cools the elephant down but also helps in the control of parasites on their body. This inevitably gives them a reddish colour and we get allot of questions about this seemingly new species of elephant here at Madikwe. The funniest part of it all is when it is time to leave. As the adults start to move on, the little ones jump back into the water and refuse to leave the fun behind. It usually takes a strong voice from mom to persuade the little ones to come along. Hilarious!!! 

Werner

On a beautiful autumn morning we drove down to the south of the park on our morning game drive. I was hoping to find an abundance of general game, some white rhino and maybe if we’re very lucky, wild dogs. On our way Max our tracker noticed some lion tracks walking down the road. We decided to follow them for a while to see what they might deliver.

Five minutes later we found 3 lionesses still walking on the road. We followed them for a few minutes until they decided to turn south away from the road. They looked like they were on a mission so we followed through fairly thick bush until they came out on a nice open clearing.

 

In the distance we could see some wildebeest and zebra that they were obviously interested in. We sat with the lionesses next to our vehicle while they calculated their next move.  Fifteen minutes later the one female decided to move around the western side of the clearing. We soon lost visual of her. Ten minutes went by until the second female started moving around the eastern side of the clearing. The third female stayed put, close to our vehicle, scent marking constantly. Another twenty minutes went by before we saw the female that went around the eastern side with our binoculars fairly close to the zebra’s. At that moment the female close to our vehicle also started moving closer but making sure she stays hidden behind some brush. When the female on the eastern side got to about forty meters away she laid down.  All of a sudden the female that went around the western side sprung the trap and started chasing the game towards our vehicle. Almost instantaneously the other two females started running as well. Within a few seconds the female from the east run a young zebra foal down. I waited a few seconds in order not to disturb the hunt and for them to settle down before I moved the vehicle in next to the female busy suffocating the young zebra. Interestingly when we started moving, the baby zebra’s mother and a few big males started running with our vehicle towards the lions probably in the hope of chasing the lions off. It took about five minutes for the zebra to die. By then the other two females also joined and started feeding. Not without a bit of the normal quarrel typical to lions.

Being able to not only witness this kill but also the cooperation between these animals will be stuck in my mind forever.

 

Jacques

 

A sighting that stood out for me this month was not a big animal but indeed a small one! On drive we came upon a Purple roller that caught a small snake. The snake was still alive and was trying with all his power to bite this bird in order for him to let go. All his efforts were in vane though. The Roller smartly moved the snake around in his bill until he came close to its head. He gave the snake a couple of good bites behind the head and then went on to smack the snake against a branch. After a couple of good smacks the snakes head flew off. This phenomenon is usually seen when birds catch venomous snakes. Getting rid of the head ensures that the bird does not get any of the venom of the snake into its system. What was very shocking to see was is that the snake was almost twice the length of the bird but the bird swallowed it completely and with no problem at all. What an amazing sight to witness. There are quite a few bird species that will prey on snakes and they come equipped with some good adaptations for that. All posses lightning speed, sharp bills and some even come equipped with shield like scales on their legs to prevent a venomous snake from biting it. A good example of a bird that prey’s almost exclusively on snakes (and dangerous ones at that) is the Secretary bird. It is said that it is the only bird capable of tackling the infamous Black Mamba.

 

Some times life is good or even great, but other times not so great.

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed our report.

The Rangers team