MANAGERS REPORT

Dear Friends 

The month was filled with excitement, not just great game viewing, but also romance, as we hosted many a couple on honeymoon as well as some beautiful weddings at the lodge. It is always both a joy and a privilege to host these special occasions. Congratulations to the couples below who shared there special day with us.

                   

George Vlochaitpoulos & Alexandra Tsigkouni

                

Andrew York & Suzanne Read

Staff

Our staff member for the month of August is Aaron Kgetse. Now this is a man that has worked all over the place here at Madikwe Hills. Aaron started with the company 1^st May 2004 in the position of room attendant. He has since done duty as a maintenance attendant as well as night watchmen and back again to where he is best as a room attendant. Thank you Aaron for your dedication and being part of the team. As they say…older than some of the furniture here.

 

Hennie & Adrienne de Clerk

Ranger Report

It is now the month of August and locally in South Africa it is also known as the windy month. During this time we normally experience very windy days which is usually an indication of how good the rainy season will be. For a long time now it is believed that if the wind doesn’t blow in August we will experience drought and if it blows strong and continuous for the month of August it foretells of a good rainy season. This might sound like an old wives tale but I can tell you in my experience that it is as true as it comes. Lots of wind in August means lots of rain like in 2000 when we had the floods in South Africa. The wind blew strong for about two months straight with various dense dust storms all over the country. In 2003 the winds never came and the result was a severe drought over most of the country. Some say superstition but it looks to me like there is some truth in this.

 

 

Here at Madikwe the bush is dry as a bone and very dusty indeed. The August winds are blowing strong and also make for some dusty game drives. During the hotter parts of the day you can see little mini twisters (we call them dust devils) kicking up all over and sometimes they can ruffle a couple of feathers if you know what I mean. The weather is also getting warmer on average with some very cold spells in between. Indications that spring is on the way is also evident because some of the Black Hook Thorns (Acacia meliffera) are starting to flower as well as the Knob thorns (Acacia nigrescens).

 

Madikwe is very dry at the moment but this is normal for this time of the year. The big dams still hold lots of water for all the animals as well as the ever faithful Marico River. The Groot Marico River is a perennial river and it is also known as Maligwa in Tswana - meaning "erratic river". The main stem of the Marico River is perennial, but most of its tributaries have seasonal or episodic flows owning to its name. It has hardly ever run dry in history and is the source of life in the area fed by a number of springs within the Groot Marico dolomitic aquifer compartment.  These dolomitic eyes include the Marico Eye and it is an incredible body of water surrounded by reeds and is 16m deep and crystal clear on a cloudless day. The water lilies make this natural feature a sight to behold. The Marico River drains from its headwaters in the dolomitic aquifers between the towns of Zeerust and Lichtenburg, past the reserve to its confluence with the Ngotwane River to eventually form the great Limpopo River.

One of the Bush willow species occurs next to the river and nowhere else on the reserve. The River Bush willow, Combretum erythrophyllum, is a medium to large deciduous tree with reddish autumn colors. Flowers are cream to pale yellow (September - November). Fruit are small, 4-winged and a greenish brown color, ripening to yellowish brown and drying to a honey-brown. They remain on the tree for a long time and are reputed to be poisonous, causing hiccups and leading to one of its other names the “Hiccup nut”. The bark is a pale brown, smooth, but flaking with age to expose grey patches, which give it a mottled appearance. Knob-like outgrowths commonly occur in older trees, giving them an old, gnarled look. The young leaves are yellowish and shiny maturing to a fresh mid-green. Trees are often multi-stemmed and somewhat willow-like in habit. Giraffe and elephant browse the tree often. The seeds, although poisonous, are eaten by Pied Barbets. Wasps sometimes lay their eggs through the fruit wall. The newly hatched larvae then feed on the seeds. Birds such as the Southern Black Tit tap each fruit, open those that contain grubs and eat them. The gum has interesting properties. It is non-toxic, elastic, producing a non-cracking varnish. The roots which some regard as poisonous are used as a purgative and to treat venereal diseases. Ornaments, cattle troughs and grain mortars are made from the wood. A dark, rich brown dye is extracted from the roots. The dried fruits also work well in flower arrangements as well as confetti for weddings we hold here at the lodge. This group of trees is probably the most talked about due to the discovery of combretastatin which showed promise as a possible cure for cancer. Combretastatin is an experimental treatment that is being tested in the UK, as well as in other countries.  It is also called CA4P.  It makes the cells that line the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) swell up.  This blocks the blood flow to the cancer.  All cancers need a blood supply so that they can get oxygen and food they need to survive.  So if we can block the blood flow to a cancer, we might be able to stop it growing. Combretastatin will only affect blood vessels that supply cancer cells.  Cells lining normal blood vessels contain a protein called actin. This protects the blood vessels from combretastatin.  Cells lining blood vessels that supply a cancer don’t have actin.  Combretastatin is sometimes called a ‘vascular targeting agent’. 

 

 

All the animals frequent the river from one time to another but what I like about it is the beautiful scenery and abundant bird life that you find there. Being an ever present constant you can find some very impressive birds here indeed, most of which you won’t find anywhere else on the reserve. This list is quite long but most notably you could find Fish Eagle, African Finfoot, Pied and Brown-Hooded Kingfisher, White-Breasted and Black Cormorants and an array of Warblers to name but a few. In the summer months you can also find the migrant woodlands Kingfisher. Their calls eco throughout the river line and is as characteristic of the bush as is the roar of a lion. Our Hippo’s made their home here at the river (since it never dries up) and travels up and down the river as they search for suitable grazing to sustain their unbelievable bulk. Once thought to be relatives of the pig family has been proved by genetic studies that they are closely related to today’s whales and dolphins. Ancestors of whales were once terrestrial animals and started to move more towards an aquatic habitat. Whales and dolphins took this all the way but hippos decided to remain at an amphibious type of lifestyle. Excellent sightings of them are quite frequent. Most people think that there aren’t any crocodiles in the river but I have seen a two metre one my-self while fishing one day, needless to say that a quick dip to cool off in the summer time is very dangerous indeed. Even the name Madikwe (or Madikwena) means “mud of crocodile”.

 

This month also became known for its predator sightings in Madikwe. Numerous sightings of lion, cheetah, leopard, hyenas, and wild dog were reported. And sometimes if you were lucky enough you might be able to see some interaction between them. Nicholas was that lucky one on a cold winter’s morning. He was responding to a call made that the wild dogs were in a stretch of bush just to the east of the plains. Just before he arrived at the scene everything started to happen. They suddenly shot off after a herd of wildebeest and managed to separate a youngster from the herd. Now the writing was on the wall and very soon the young wildebeest started getting tired. The hungry pack of wild dogs was all over him in a flash and very soon it was all over. Suspecting nothing though they were busy feeding not knowing that two big and scary yellow eyes were watching them. Some brown hyena and jackal also pitched up but was quickly chased off by the dogs. All of a sudden Ditaba (one of our pride lion males) burst out of the bush rushing towards the unsuspecting wild dogs. When they saw him all pandemonium broke loose. Dogs, hyenas and jackal were scattering in all directions as Ditaba (who luckily) ignored them and went straight for the kill. The wild dogs weren’t too happy with their food being stolen and tried to scare of Ditaba by employing mobbing behaviour. Load chattering and vocalizations sounded around the lion but he is one cat that will not be intimidated. One charge after a wild dog sent them all scattering again and consequently they left the thief with his prize. Interaction like this is rarely witnessed and when you are lucky enough to see it, you must remember it for the rest of your life.

 

Jaco and the rangers’ team