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November 2007

Dear Friends

Once again, we have had a very varied month with weather highs and lows. We have been experiencing temperatures up to 40c and then plummeting down to 15c. Over the last month, we have had more than 50mm of rain. It has all been soft rain that has done our grass the world of good but has done nothing to fill the dams.

The animals have been congregating around the water holes that still have some water and it was amazing to see early one morning over 100 wildebeest drinking at our camp dams. Our resident hippo at Cheetah flats has provided us with exceptional and amusing viewing over this past month. He was very unhappy to have to share his waterhole (which is already very low making it difficult for him to do his full barrel rolls!) with 600 buffalo. The interaction between him and the buffalo kept us amused for hours. While there was no physical contact, there were times when the buffalo and hippo were nose to nose

We did have a brief visit from the male cheetah that came onto the property for 2 days. Unfortunately, while he was here he killed one family member of our resident reedbuck that spend a lot of their time in and around the camp. This was sad as we are trying to increase the numbers of reedbuck as in this reserve they are a rare commodity.

We have also had a visit from a female cheetah with her cub. She also unfortunately killed a reedbuck. The reedbuck is definitely more vulnerable in the short grass conditions that we have at the moment after the burn. However it was very exciting to see a cheetah cub as we have not seen one in the last 2 years.

The first impalas have been born and unfortunately are quickly becoming casualties to the leopard population. This is always the way and while it seems sad and harsh this is obviously an integral part of the operating of the food chain within the reserve. The first birth occurred on 5th November which is always the day that we think marks the start of the lambing period. Most of the time it is weather related but the 5th is a good guideline.

This brings us to the subject of leopard and as usual our leopard sightings have been outstanding.

We saw Mambiri make a kill of a duiker early one evening and the next morning when we arrived she had brought her cub to the kill. It was very amusing to see the cub trying to hoist the kill which was on a termite mound into a tree.

While the cub thought it had got it into the upper branches, it was only a metre or so from the top of the termite mound. If a hyena had found them, it would have been able to steel the kill without any problem at all!

Mkwela and her cub have been feasting on the young impala and have killed 3 impala lambs in the last 4 days. Mkwela’s cub is due to become independent soon and the timing for this is absolutely impeccable as the cub will soon learn to master its killing skills on the young impala.

We had a phenomenal sighting of the Makubela female fighting with one of Shangwa’s last cubs. Makubela is now nearly 4 ½ years old and Shangwa’s last cub is 2 ½ so there was no real challenge. Makubela was determined to see her future adversary off and had the cub not escaped she surely would have been killed. Makubela did inflict two nasty bite marks and gashes in the cubs back but these seem to be healing quite well.

We have also had a new young male leopard that has moved into our area. He is extremely relaxed and exceptionally beautiful. He was found on a wildebeest kill that he had made, a great feat as it was a fully grown wildebeest. He has been seen several more times on Savanna property and we are hoping that as he matures, he will use Savanna within his territorial boundaries.

With the little bit of rain that we have had, the Sand River has come up over the causeway and one of the resident crocodiles has developed a technique just below this causeway of lying in wait with his jaws open ready for the fish to be swept down his throat.

We can hardly believe that we are only a month away from Christmas. We are looking forward to a very full camp and many repeat guests to celebrate with us during this festive season.

Warm Wishes
Paddy and the Savanna Team

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SA Tourism Grading Council

S A V A N N A P R I V A T E G A M E R E S E R V E F O R T H E U L T I M A T E S A F A R I E X P E R I E N C E

Sabi Sand Game Reserve
www.sabisand.co.za Endangered Wildlife Trust
www.ewt.org.za

Copyright © Photographs taken by Paddy Hagelthorn and Neil Wright Wildlife Interactive

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	S A V A N N A P R I V A T E G A M E R E S E R V E F O R T H E U L T I M A T E S A F A R I E X P E R I E N C E
	www.sabisand.co.za	www.ewt.org.za