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Rangers Journal May 2019

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A warm hello once again to all our fans.

This month has been a month of sadness and happiness.

Lets get the sad out of the way first. It seems as if the Legend that is Tsala, our resident female leopard has passed on to a better place, as we have not had any tracks or sightings of her for the last 2 months. She will leave a huge hole in our hearts and will be sorely missed as she exuded a presence here on the ridge around the lodge for the last 13 years. We hope that her vacant territory will be filled by another female soon, so that we can start getting to now her.

RIP TSALA

The happy news is that we have a new female cheetah, which is going to be joining our other 2 males and the other female in the park.She has been in a holding BOMA for the last 2 weeks or so now, and is responding well to the habituation process and is very calm around the vehicles, and has even killed her own scrub hare inside the enclosure. She should be good for release shortly, and we will be following her movements closely to see how she fares out there in the big bad world, which is Madikwe.

The male that was killed by the 2 from the north has been removed from Madikwe, and is on his way to a reserve in Malawi, and we wish him well on his journey there.

There are also plans to introduce 2 more male cheetahs in the near future, and we really hope that these females will produce some cubs shortly.

We have also acquired 2 new male lions from the Addo National Park which will bolster our genetics within the park, and are also currently in a holding BOMA for habituation, and should be due for release in the next month or so.

As far as the lion politics is going in the park, it is all stable in the north west, as the Kwandwe and Monomoholo males seem to have now settled into the task of running two different prides, as the females from the south have been seen interacting with them on a few occasions, but not always favorably, as some of the 2 older Jamala females don’t seem to want to accept the new change, and still have been hissing and slapping the new males as they approach their new family to set their rule of the new territory.

The 3 Mahiwa males which have now left their mother, are also starting to create a few waves in the male lion hierarchal society as they also seem to be becoming more vocal and even challenged the Lenyalo males from the east to a duel which the youngsters had won. So it will be very interesting to see where they settle, and which pride they will be taking over in the near future.

There is also another form of chaos going on in the park at the moment. That comes in the form of the annual impala rutting season, which is very loud and at times very amusing as the male impalas are all challenging each other to earn the rights to real estate and females.

Every year around the month of May adult male impalas transform from being very calm and relaxed looking antelope to fierce ego driven maniacs as they try to gather a harem of about 20-30 females, where they will try and mate with all of them as the estrus levels of the females reaches a fever pitch which drives the males to protect his territory against other intruders which all have the same idea.

In this melee of mating, the males seem to forget to eat, which results in them losing condition, which ultimately results in a new male ousting the current one, where the whole saga starts all over again. The females don’t become receptive until the last week of the rutting period, and the ram which has endured this harsh mating routine will be the father of the lambs when they are born in December. This is what makes impalas so resilient, as they seem to have the right recipe for success in terms of rooting out the weak genes amongst their ranks.

We have had some very good photographic opportunities this month as the light from the early and late afternoon safaris envelopes our subjects. We have had some awesome sightings of elephants at the waterholes as they run towards the life-giving liquid, and in the process chasing all smaller sized beings out of the way with force. Once they have had their thirsts satisfied, they will often get involved in a bout of mud bathing, which cools the large pachyderms from overheating, but then they will also go and dust bathe to seal in that moisture on their skin. This gives us great scenes as the dust gets backlit by the warm sun, and just creates some magic times to create amazing images.

We have also had some very good sightings of rhinos, and its very satisfying to know that their numbers are doing very well here in Madikwe, with only 3 rhinos lost this year so far to poaching.

Which is also a constant threat to these awesome beasts. Be sure to join our annual “WALK FOR RHINOS” event which will be held in September, and all proceeds go towards the protection of our rhinos here in Madikwe.

Talking about warm sun on a chilly morning, we also came across a mob of Dwarf Mongoose as they sat at the entrance to an excavated termite mound, which brought out a few “ooohss” and “aahhhs” as the cute factor went through the roof.

There has as always been awesome sightings of a plethora of general game species you can see in between the big ones on safari, and as always the giraffe always remains to be a firm favorite amongst our guests.

Munye, our resident male leopard has been scarce this month, and we think that he has his hands full, trying to maintain his territory boundaries which are quiet large, and also in pursuit of the female that has come into oestrus down in the south west of the park.

The wild dog packs are also doing very well, and we have had them around the lodge on a few occasions this month, and seem to be looking for denning locations, as the alpha females are now very heavily pregnant and should be settling down to give birth to a new generation of Africa’s second most endangered carnivore. We cannot wait for this, so that we can locate the dens and hopefully be able to access the sites this year. If we locate the den sites in an accessible area, we will be showing you some amazing images in the next month or so.

So that’s it for this month…

Stay warm through the winter, and be safe…

Lotsa bush regards from

Gavin and the T-Team

 

 

 

Introducing the Shy Five of Madikwe Game Reserve

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Tuningi Ranger’s Journal March 2019

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Hot, Dry and Dusty… Best description for March

With temperatures rising close 40 degrees Celsius and no rain, we have had some challenging days.

The animals moved far for water and food, interrupting their normal movements which challenged us in finding

them a bit more.

But we have had some incredible sightings through out the month and a massive variety of animals.

At waterholes we were properly entertained, from all the big ones to birds.

The waterhole at the lodge was incredible, almost no need to go on game drive. At times you could easily mistake it for the Serengeti.

The two male lions from the north that took over the southern part of the park are making their rounds all over

the extended territory.  Some nights they would easily walk 10 to 15 kilometres patrolling.

The single male cheetah has settled in his solitary lifestyle and is doing well.  We often saw him with a full belly.

We were also lucky enough to see both the packs of Wild Dogs, even when the full moon made it difficult to determine where they would be next.

The original pack of 6 are still doing well.

The newly bonded pack of 8 are still settling and sorting out the hierarchy but they all healthy.

We truly struggled with leopard sightings. There were no tracks of any leopard for us to follow for a long time.

We finally got to see Munye which ended the dry spell of more than a month of leopard sightings.  This made the finding so much more rewarding. We tend to forget how easily they can disappear for a day, a week or a month.

Time is running out, but we hope for some rain.

There are very few of the waterholes with water which is not a good sign as the water there is will have to last the coming winter.

The month had its ups and downs with game viewing, but that is what the African bush is about, it will decide what we get.

With every sunrise we are reminded that not one day is ever the same, not every season is the same, but what will remain is the beauty of Africa.

Cornelius and the T-Team

 

Have Kids; Will Travel

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Handy tips for travelling with children

Family holidays are the time to build memories, bond with your little ones and break the routine of daily life. While it’s easy to imagine that travelling with children is like in the movies, in reality it can often be stressful and draining for parents. While a military approach might be appealing to some, there are other more child-friendly hacks to take the stress out of travelling with kids. As one of the top family holiday resorts in South Africa that caters to children, we’d like to share some tips for travelling with kids. Continue reading “Have Kids; Will Travel”

Tuningi Ranger’s Journal February 2019

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A fiery hot welcome to all our fans once again !!

Yep!! Its been hot, steaming hot…. With not to much rain I must add.

Temperatures have been climbing this month from a rather cooler January, but still we have not had our big rain yet that would make sure that all the dams would fill up and carry us through the winter. Albeit saying that, we have had regular rain in small amounts which has had a very good effect on the bush, and is looking surprisingly well for the total rainfall so far been a bit meagre.

Anyway, lets get the bad news out the way….

The first bit of bad news is that 2 of the 3 female cheetahs have died caused by a disease which they picked up which made their bodies weak, and as a result could not hunt. The vet did try to treat these female cheetahs, but was sadly in vane.

The remaining female has been doing really well, and continues to carry our hopes of one day producing some cheetah cubs for Madikwe.

The cheetahs have had a real bad month as one of the Sable males, the ones that used to frequent the south west very often. Has died of his injuries from a fight with the Phinda males from the north as reported by Cornelius last month . We presume that the 2 coalitions had come into contact with each other in the north of the reserve one day. The female was also in the same area at the same time, so it could have been a fight for the mating rights on this female as she was showing signs of been in estrus.

The vet also tried to treat his injuries, but they were too severe and died the same night.

The remaining male has been doing well under the circumstances, and has been making regular kills and he is looking supreme.

The other bad news was that Tsala our resident leopardess was injured in some fight too. We think she was involved in a skirmish with a prey item she was attacking, and seemed to have come off second best. The injuries were quite serious, and what made it difficult for us to do anything with her, was the fact that she is old, and the vet was concerned that she might not come out of the sedation drugs if we had to tranquilize her.

BUT… she has been seen again.. yes, the legend that is Tsala, is still alive and well, even making her own kills again, so we hope she makes a full recovery so that we can spend more time with her, as she heads into her twilight years here in Madikwe.

The Mica pride to the south has still been very nervous of the regular incursions from the Males from the Tchaba pride from the north, and have been seen on many occasions very far out of their normal territory boundaries. The Chimbro males have been very quiet, and are not showing any signs just yet, that they are wanting to challenge the Kwandwe and Monomoholo males.

We did find the Mica pride on a giraffe kill this month, so they are still not doing too badly as far as their confidence goes in the hunting department.

While the bush conditions are in good condition, the bigger herbivores like the rhinos and buffalos have been in heaven, as they have abundant food supply, and are loving the fact that they can just go to their local water puddle to quench their thirsts and take a well deserved mud bath to irritate the parasites on their skin, and also cool them from the searing heat beating down on them.

The elephants are also living the “Elephant Dream”, as conditions are super favorable for them. The lodges’ waterhole has also been a hive of activity, and with the hide been in such an awesome location, you are able to get within touching distance of these juggernauts as they splash and drink and bathe in the fresh water provided for by our eco-purification plant.

Munye was not found too regularly this month, and was found on the very far reaches of his territory on a few occasions, but did come home just the other day to brag with a zebra kill he had made, and even dragged into a marula tree for us to view him in his full glory.

The clan of hyenas in the south have appeared once again at the culverts under the airstrip, and seem to have 2 new editions to the party with 2 8 month old cubs that are very curious of the vehicles, and are a welcome addition to our sightings, especially early in the mornings, or late at night when they come out of their safe haven to groom, and socialise with the other members.

The other feel good story from this month, was that the second pack of wild dogs was released into Madikwe, after spending nearly 4 months in the holding BOMA in the north of the park to bond with the 4 new males that came from kwazulu natal. Things have been going really well for them, and they have made the best start to their new life together, and are making kills left, right and centre. So we now have 2 packs again in Madikwe, which is probably the best place to see wild dogs in the wild right now in South Africa.

So we cant wait for them to choose their den sites for this year, and hopefully our wild dog population will get back on track as it was in previous years.

Well, that’s all I got for you all this time….

Best Bush regards,

Gavin and the T-Team.

 

Tuningi Ranger’s Journal January 2019

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Without a pause, we are in a new year.

Besides the bush that is greener the animals carry on with their day to day activities.

We finally received a decent amount of rain and the bush is looking green and full of life.  All the antelope species gave birth and babies

are plentiful.  We are still amazed every rainy season of the transformation that takes place in the bush.

The waterholes have not been that productive due to the rain, but every now and then something still happens.

A few seconds after I took this photo, this male elephant charged at us.  We were far enough to make a safe retreat. He was in musth.

Musth is a hormonal phase that male elephants go into and is a sign that they are ready to mate.  In musth, male elephants become

very aggressive.  It is not only in this phase that male elephants can mate, it makes then a lot more aggressive because of the rise in

testosterone levels.  This aggression give younger males a chance at mating.  

Signs of musth are constant urine dribbling from the male as well as the fluid excreted from the temporal gland on the side of his head.

The Chimbro male lions that were chased by the northern males, made their way back to the females in the south west. 

But that did not last for long.

The Monomogolo male made his rounds in the south a few times and we still need to see the Chimbros.

The females and youngsters from the northern pride made up most of our lion sightings this month. 

They were found twice with wildebeest kills and could enjoy it all since the males were preoccupied with their territory patrols.

In the rain we had an incredible sighting of the two male cheetahs courting with a female.  The young girl stood her ground and handled the males

very well. No actual mating took place as far as we know. But it is good to know the female can handle the boys.

A few days after that happened in the same area, the two pairs of males encountered each other and a massive fight took place.  It is not very common

for cheetahs to fight as aggressively as these did.  Unfortunately after a short search one of the males were found badly injured.  He was treated for

the wounds but did not survive. 

His brother escaped without any major injuries and is doing fine on his own. 

 

Spectacular sunsets at Tlou dam. 

Lots of other smaller things and plenty of reptiles made their appearance.

Already through a month of this year but there is still change to book a trip with us.

Regards

Cornelius and the T-Team

December 2018 Rangers Journal

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Hello to all our most loyal fans once again !!

HOLY COW or is it BUFFALO..? !!

HOW THIS YEAR HAS FLOWN PAST !!

After a very successful Christmas period we here at Tuningi have finally received some rain, and it is falling as I write this letter…..BLISS !!

So within the next few days these dry scenes should transform, as the grasses should start growing pretty quickly, as well as the trees all sending out new leaf recruits, all to the biggest approval of all the residents in Madikwe.

So…. Lets get into it…

The big news is that the Kwandwe and Monomoholo male lions have officially taken over the south west of the park, having driven the Chimbro males very far to the east, and have been with the females on more than one occasion. So this will be very interesting to see what they are going to do with their females from the north. It is possible that they can run both prides, but it will be a super lion effort if they will keep other males out from both sides of the ridge.

The other news from the lions, is that the Matlapa lioness which gave birth here to 3 boys 3 years ago, has returned to her original pride after getting her 3 boys to the point where they are almost ready to leave her and go in search of territories of their own. This will be very interesting to see how they cope without their legend mom.

We have had 1 or 2 sightings of the wild dogs, which was great, and we eagerly await the release of the new pack back into Madikwe after the bonding process in the boma of the new males with our females is complete, That will give the sighting opportunities a big boost, as our chances will double to get to see these super rare mammals

I also have some bad news, in that Tsala our local resident leopardess has been injured in what seems to be a fight with an impala or the like, as she has sustained wounds to her chest and arms, and seems to be losing condition. She is estimated to be around 14 years old, which is getting old for a leopard, and we are still looking for her, so that we can get a vet in to treat her wounds, as she means so much to us over the years as far as the sighting value she brings our guests. So once we locate her again, we will hopefully be able to treat her wounds and give her a fighting chance, HOWEVER we also need to raised some funds for this project, and if you would like to help, please contact the lodge mail at : lodge@tuningi.co.za if you would like to help us out. We will need R7000.00 to do what we need.

THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE ASAP, BECAUSE AS SOON AS WE LOCATE HER WE WILL BE CALLING THE VETS TO COME IN.

As far as the rest of the usual suspect are concerned, the 2 cheetah boys gave a splendid sighting one stormy afternoon in the north of the park where they chased and killed a large wildebeest right in front of our very eyes.

Munye has also been doing his rounds, and has been spending more time on the ridge around the lodge, and we are always grateful to spend time in his regal presence.

 

We also had some amazing sightings of the rarely seen small cats such as the Caracal which we found hunting in the plains in the north one afternoon, and tried to catch a bird or two while we followed her for around 20 minutes, which was one of the highlights of my year.

Also we managed to see a Serval in the tall grasslands on Ophir plains to the south, which was also a female, and adamantly hunting some francolin in the grass. The jumping powers these cats possess is something else, but unfortunately she did not show us her capabilities, as she was bounding in and out of the grass tufts.

We also have had the privilege of coming across this tiny white rhino calf which could not have been more than a day or 2 old, and was been defended by her very chuffed mother who was keeping another young male at bay. The rhino situation in the park has been very good, and we have lost only 2 animals and we hope that this may last going into the new year !!

So to finish off on this note I would like to wish everyone….

A SUPERSPLENDID AND PROSPEROUS 2019 FILLED WITH MANY SAFARI TRIPS TO TUNINGI SAFARI LODGE !!

 

 

 

South Africa’s Ugly 5: Who To Look Out for in Madikwe

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Tuningi Ranger’s Journal November 2018

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November was a short month for me but we saw some wonderful things with amazing guests.

We have not had any real rain which had an impact on water levels, all of the natural waterhole are dry and those with solar pumps are barely keeping up.  Some trees did push out green leaves while most of the grasses are still dormant.

The eagerness of nature to grow is inspiring.

With no rain, the waterholes that do have water produce amazing interaction between species. Elephants are bullies when it comes to water and they will try to chase most things away to have the water to themselves. Even birds are chased from the waters edge by thirsty elephants. 

It was the first time in a while I had the opportunity to use the hide at the lodge and, oh my, does that change the way you see things. This new perspective of photography allows you to shoot from a different angle and to witness the interaction up close and personal.

The lions from our southern pride did move further east.  They did that because the northern males spent more time on the ridge bordering their southern territory.  We did get to see them a few times with the Chimbro males that recovered well from their injuries they sustained in a fight with the northern boys.

The Matlapa female lioness with her three boys the Mahiwa’s are back in the south for the time being.  This is after all, were she was raised by the Mica female.  She’s been gone for a good three years after the fathers of her three boys were chased out of the territory and she was scared the new males would kill the youngsters. 

She left to keep them safe and did an amazing job in teaching them to hunt and look after themselves.

We never see her or the boys hungry, they always have full bellies.

Munye, being a master of elusiveness, was not seen too often but we did have a glimpse of him. 

Tsala the local female leopard, was seen a few times.  One morning after following the sound of a jackal  in distress I found her in a big Marula tree eating on a young Caracal. 

Jip, a caracal.  Leopards are extremely adaptable and can live off anything. 

The Wild dogs also made their appearance a few times on our side of the park. We saw 11 adults together, the only dogs in Madikwe for now. There are however, a strong possibility f0r more Wild dogs from a new blood line to come into the park.

Exciting times ahead, hopefully the Wild dog population can recover and restore the Madikwe’s Wild dogs for what it is known for.

We did see the Black Backed Jackal pups.  Later than usual, but on the airstrip there is a den with 3 pups.  Early mornings are when they most active and over the past few weeks they became a lot more relaxed with the vehicles.

For a short month we were very lucky with the amount we saw, sunrises and sunsets, and everything in between!!

We hope to see you all again.

Regards

Cornelius and the T-Team

5 Reasons to Choose Madikwe Game Reserve as Your Next Safari Destination

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Tuningi Ranger’s Journal October 2018

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When you don’t know what to talk about, weather always comes up first.  Then everyone relaxes and real conversation starts.

So, the temperature has improved massively over the last month and we even had days in the high 30*C.  With the hot days it became noticeably dryer.  The bush was eager to grow and produce food, some greenery became visible very quickly after the first drops of rain. It wasn’t much, but after 5 months of no rain any thing will help.

The retuning moisture produces amazing sunrises and sunsets.

Thankfully we saw a big variety of animals as well this month, so the weather won’t be the only topic, everything from birds to the elusive leopard.

The southern pride of lions are doing very well and keep us on our toes trying find them.  

The two males from the north came into the southern territory and all the lions is the south scattered.  The lionesses with the sub adults moved into unfamiliar areas to get away from the intruders.  The two Chimbro males also made them selves scares.

We did see the northern pride with the youngsters a few times.  All four young ones are still around and are safe with the Kwandwe and Monamogolo males keeping the territory clear from invaders.

The males are still very patient with the youngsters when they wake up looking for someone to play with.

The Wild dogs made their way into our area again, but only 6 of them with 1 pup.  We are not sure why they have split up, but the two groups consist of 5 and 6 adults.

Unfortunately nature is cruel, none of the youngsters made it.  We saw them the one morning with only one pup and a couple of hours later they had a run in with a lioness and the last pup was killed.  We can only hope that they could be more successful next year.

We saw the two male cheetahs in the south of the park a few times.  Some times resting the shade on hot days and other time very active.  We were fortunate enough to see them hunt late one afternoon and successfully kill a male impala.  The stalking takes up all the time, because when they start running nothing can keep up with them or get away from them.

There was a giraffe that died from natural causes, most probably old age.  We did not have major lion, hyena or even vulture activity, but every few days we got to see a brown hyena grinding on the bone or dragging a piece away.

Big herds of buffalo spent their time in the south this past month and we saw them on a regular basis, whether at a waterhole or in the open plains they have so much attitude.  They would split up into smaller herds to make feeding easier but when you see 200 in one herd together you do not know where to look.  

 Our local male leopard made his appearance in the south of the park again a few time, mostly on a kill.  He had two impala kills that he stashed in trees.  He is not the most comfortable cat up a tree but he kept his food safe in some very awkward positions.

The variety this month was incredible.  Let’s hope for more rain and that great sightings will continue.

Regards

Cornelius and the T-Team

Tuningi Ranger’s Journal September 2018

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Welcome back to a very dry and parched landscape which is Madikwe this month. And with the rains only expected in November, things are not going to get any better for now.

The winds have been relentless, blowing dust into the air, which creates some seriously frustrating moments for us on safari, as you stop for a sighting, and the dust envelopes the vehicle, but… it also creates some awesome sunsets and sunrises, as the dust illuminates in the crepuscular times of the day. The winds are called the TRADE WINDS, and are a very important part of the weather cycle in south Africa, as they bring the moist air in from the equator downwards to us, as described next…..

As part of the Hadley cell, surface air flows toward the equator while the flow aloft is towards the poles. A low-pressure area of calm, light variable winds near the equator is known as the doldrums,[7] near-equatorial trough,[8] intertropical front, or the Intertropical Convergence Zone.[9] When located within a monsoon region, this zone of low pressure and wind convergence is also known as the monsoon trough.[10] Around 30° in both hemispheres, air begins to descend toward the surface in subtropical high-pressure belts known as subtropical ridges. The subsident (sinking) air is relatively dry because as it descends, the temperature increases, but the absolute humidity remains constant, which lowers the relative humidity of the air mass. This warm, dry air is known as a superior air mass and normally resides above a maritime tropical (warm and moist) air mass. An increase of temperature with height is known as a temperature inversion. When it occurs within a trade wind regime, it is known as a trade wind inversion.[11]

The surface air that flows from these subtropical high-pressure belts toward the Equator is deflected toward the west in both hemispheres by the Coriolis effect.[12] These winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.[13] Because winds are named for the direction from which the wind is blowing,[14] these winds are called the northeasterly trade winds in the Northern Hemisphere and the southeasterly trade winds in the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds of both hemispheres meet at the doldrums.[7]

 

So, besides the dust we have had a good month, and we will start with Munye… that’s our local male leopard for those who don’t know, and he also felt the need to pack his bags and go on a holiday to the north west of the park. Yes, he walked from one end of the park all the way across to the opposite end, and spent a few days up in unfamiliar territory, even killing an impala and relaxing in a very tall tree for s couple days. He has since come back home, and has got a lot of us puzzled as to the need of his traveling ideas!!

The wild dogs have also come back to town, and have spent most of this month in our areas close to the lodge, and of the reports that started with 12 puppies been seen, only 2 are now left, and we think that they have had contact with either lions, hyenas, which killed the other pups… this is all speculation though. But they still get the blood flowing when they go hunting, as the excitement amongst us guides gets very high, as we know that if you can stay with their pace, you may experience a wild dog killing its prey.

On the lion front, the local boys have been chasing the threat from the east, and have in fact managed to kill one of the invaders. So peace has now resumed, and the pride is still not together as much, because of this. However the males did give us a very good sighting when they managed to kill a zebra for themselves.

The cheetah boys who we see almost on a daily basis, have also been spoiling us with amazing sightings once again, and we had them in hot pursuit of many prey items this month, and they seem to have a fetish for young zebra. Watching them get up to speeds of over 100km/hour is something you want to come and see for yourself, because it is blistering !!!

That’s it for this month..

Hope to see you all here for the first rains, and the transformation of this dry land to the amazing fresh new growth coming soon…

Regards,

Gavin and the T-Team