* On the afternoon of the 14th there was a Female Kudu in Base Camp and all 5 the Wild Dogs were running around on the outside of the fence looking for the Kudu. We tried to chase the Kudu out, but every time we opened the gate the Dogs ran closer and we had to close the gate again. Eventually the Kudu ran and jumped through the fence. The Dogs didn't see her get out and ran along the fence for a little bit longer before they left to go find something else.
* On the morning of the 17th we discovered a strange snake on an Aloe in Base Camp. We caught it and it kept striking at us showing the inside of his mouth which was very black. We let it go outside Base Camp and later I found out it was a Common Egg-eater. It's harmless to humans and doesn't have any teeth. It was very beautiful.
* On the afternoon of the 18th I found the Rhino Cow with her 18 month old Bull Calf and one of the big Bulls walking along the riverbed. The calf seems to be getting bigger every day and I think he's gonna be a very big Rhino when he's grown up. I also saw the collard Lioness with her 2 daughters, but the Cubs weren't there. They moved away from the road since I was driving in a Land Cruiser and they don't like the Land Cruiser.
* On the morning of the 19th I found a Hyena sleeping at the Cheetah Bomas. He stood next to me after a while and started chewing on some old bones. He was very relaxed and there was a time I thought it might chew on the Land Rover. I left him and found the Female Cheetah on Meyer's section next to the fence. She rolled around and looked very relaxed.
* In the afternoon I found the Hyena on the Savannah area again and it was being chased by Zebras and Wildebeest. When the guides came I left to go find the Dogs. They were sleeping on a hill next to a quarry site where they had killed a Sub-Adult Male Nyala.
* On the morning of the 20th there was a Female Cheetah close to the JAC House along the P450 fence. In the afternoon she was still next to the fence, but closer to North Gate. I followed her until the guides showed up and left her.
* On the morning of the 21st I went looking for the Wild Dogs and found the collared Lioness and her two older daughters close to South Gate. I eventually found the Wild Dogs in the South Eastern side of the Reserve and they looked healthy and relaxed. After that I found a Rhino Cow and her Calf at mud-wallows in the same area. The calf lay down in her mom's shade and rested for a while. I found 3 other Rhino Cows on my way back to Base Camp in a pan where they were also wallowing.
* In the afternoon I took some guests out on a drive. We found a Black-backed Jackal close to the Bomas and saw the Rhino Cow with her Calf quite a distance from where I saw them in the morning. During sundowners we heard the Lion roar and found him on a cutline. He got up and roared right next to the vehicle. Talk about sending chills up your spine. Wow!
* On the morning of the 22nd I found the Buffalo Herd resting in an open area and then found the Elephant Herd at Lodgedam. The calf is so small compared to the big Bull. It's amazing how the calf walks in the middle of the Herd without getting squashed under their big feet. In the afternoon I had guests and we saw 3 Rhino Cows before we went to Vula Zulu.
* On the morning of the 23rd we saw the Male Lion from the Lodge walking along a hill, but we couldn't find him during Game Drive. We did manage to find the 2 Phinda Lionesses with the 3 very small very cute cubs. Oh and all 3 the Cubs are also Males. Now we have a pride of 3 Females and 2 Males and a pride of 2 Females and 3 Males and the Adult Male just moves around between the two prides. We saw the Buffalos again and watched them almost get stuck in very small trees while trying to scratch themselves. Silly animals.
* In the afternoon we found the Male Lion close to the Lodge and he looked like he was posing for the guests. Every time another vehicle approached he'd look up, yawn, lick his paw and go back to sleep again. We went to find the Elephants, but only found a lone Buffalo Bull and then one Elephant Bull after dark. It started raining very hard and we had to get back to the Lodge very fast. It was one of those storms that you'd expect in the African bush where you have thunder and lightning surrounding you before the water starts bucketing down. Great fun!
* On the morning of the 24th we went out to look for the Elephants again. We eventually found them and followed one of the big Bulls into an open area. He was in musth and even though it was very nice to see him from close-by we couldn't stay there for much longer. The smell was just too much to handle. We found 2 of the younger Bulls again and I went to show the guests the Giant Eagle Owl chick. On our way back to the Lodge we found the Buffalo herd again.
* In the afternoon I had new guests and they wanted to see the Elephants as well. We heard them in the bushes, but could not see them. We found the 2 Phinda Lionesses with the 3 Cubs resting in the bushes. The 2 adults got up and walked away. I decided to wait with the Cubs. After a few minutes we heard a Warthog squeal and I decided not to go there, but rather take a chance and hope they bring the food back to the cubs. Sure enough a few minutes later mom came back dragging a huge Warthog towards the cubs. They just started eating when their aunt came and grabbed the Warthog. She dragged it away and the rest of the family followed her to try and steal back some of the food, but they disappeared into the bushes and that was the end of that.
* On the morning of the 25th it was raining on and off and we struggled to find the animals since it was quite cold as well. It started raining harder and we had to go back to the Lodge. In the afternoon we went to South Gate to see the Elephants, but they were in the bushes. We did see a Rhino Cow with her Calf and we saw a Hyena chase a Nyala Female. We had to rush back to get to Vula Zulu on time and saw the Buffalo Herd along the way as well. It's amazing how it happens that whenever you are in a hurry you'll find every single animal that the guests want to see and then you're late anyway. I guess Mother Nature has her own time.
* I went to look for the Wild Dogs before Game Drive on the morning of the 26th (which means getting up very early) and only managed to find the Male Lion with the 2 Phinda Lionesses and the 3 Cubs. I picked up my guests and could not find the Lions again. We did find an Elephant Bull in the same area and on top of the hill behind the Villa we found a newborn Zebra foal. Its legs were still a little shaky and the mom was still licking it clean. We then found the place where the Wild Dogs were sleeping, but could not see them.
* We went to look for the Lions again and found them along the fence where they had killed a Warthog. The Male was eating and the cubs joined him, but he did not allow the two Females to eat at all. After drive I went back there and the vet darted one of the Females so that she would go to sleep and he could contracept her. Alan and Dr Dave Cooper tried to get close to her to contracept her, but the Male Lion didn't allow them to get close to her and after an hour and a half they decided to leave her. She woke up a little later and I don't think she's going to like the Land Cruiser anymore.
* In the afternoon we found the Elephant Bull again and there were 2 other guides as well. I parked on one side and watched the Bull forcing the other 2 Land Rovers to reverse. It was great fun, because he was playing with them and I wasn't included in the game. After the other guides left I stayed there to watch him for a little bit longer. We went to look for the Lions again, but couldn't find them.
* On the 27th my guests left and I helped Michelle van der Merwe to check the Leopard cameras. There were no Leopard photos, but it'll take time. In the afternoon I went to track the Wild Dogs and found them below the Tented Camp. They were all over the place and lost each other somehow. I heard one "whoo-call" and they found each other again, but one of them was missing. They went into the bushes and I didn't see them again.
* On the morning of the 28th I took Sandiso's guests on drive. They wanted to see the Cheetah's in the Boma, some Giraffes and Lions. We found the Lion, 2 Phinda Lionesses and 3 Cubs at the Boma before we could see the Cheetahs and followed the Lions. They hunted and split up. A Wildebeest almost walked right into a Lioness, but the Monkeys gave the Lions away and everything else disappeared. The 3 Adults left the Cubs in the shade and walked away. After a few minutes the Cubs decided to go look for the Adults and walked down the road calling. It was so cute. They met up with mom and they all slept in the shade. We then went to see the Cheetahs and saw lots of Giraffe just around the corner on the way back. The whole Game Drive happened 15 minutes from the Lodge.
* In the afternoon I took them out again and went looking for the Elephants. I decided to "cheat" and I drove along a hill to look out over the reserve to see if we could find something from up there. I spotted the Elephant Herd close to a road coming down from another hill. We drove down and watched the Elephants for along time. We saw some Giraffe and found the Lions from the morning somewhere else. They were resting on a cutline and we sat with them till after dark.
* On the afternoon of the 29th I took guests on drive again. We went to look for the Wild Dogs and found them resting next to a road close to the Tented Camp. They got up and played in front of the vehicle for a long time. They ran up the road and we carried on with the drive. We found 3 Rhinos and went off-road to follow them. They walked back onto another road and were so busy eating that I thought the one Cow was going to walk into the side of the Land Rover. After dark something with a white tail (Leopard?) flashed across the road in front of us. I drove closer and found a Porcupine halfway down a hole looking at us. On our way back we found a big Rock Python on the road. I pulled him back onto the road so that the guests could take a photo and we left him to go his own way. We heard some Monkeys making alarm calls on the next road and drove there, but didn't see anything.
* On the morning of the 30th we went on drive again and found the Buffalo Herd on the Savannah area. We also saw one of the Elephant Bulls close to the Villa and that was the end of the drive. In the afternoon I had new guests and we found the Elephant Bull again. He made Sandiso reverse very far and we wanted to go see the Hyena on the other side of the Elephant, but he wasn't planning on letting anybody go passed him. We eventually drove around the block, but the Hyena was gone. The rest of the Elephants were also close-by. The drive was short since we started later, but when I took the guide back to the Tents after dinner we did manage to see a Rhino Bull.
* On the morning of the 31st we saw a lot of general game. We went to see the Cheetahs in the boma and went back to the Lodge. In the afternoon we drove along a hill hoping to see some Rhinos somewhere and saw a Rhino and her calf on the opposite hill. We went there and watched the calf and his mom lay down to rest. It was cold and windy and they jumped up every now and again to make sure it was safe when they smelt something funny. After that we found the Elephant Herd at Lodgedam. There was another newborn calf which means we now have 15 Elephants. The calf couldn't have been more than a day old. It went to the water and slipped in the mud. One of the older Elephants then pulled it out with her trunk.
* We had sundowners and on the way back we saw the Elephants again. We found all 5 Wild Dogs just around the corner from the Lodge. All the Elephants were at the Lodge and drinking water from the water feature. The big bull stayed there fro a long time. We watched him step OVER the walkway and he stood in front of the reception area eating the plants in the garden. He came so close that I'm sure we could've touched him. He walked around to the steps and we all backed away wondering if he'd walk up the steps towards us, but he didn't. He left after a few minutes to break a tree at the Spa and give Alan some more cleaning up to do. We played with a Scorpion and I left the guests to go have some dinner before the Chef decided to chase me away before the food got cold. All fun and games.
* On the morning of the 17th we discovered a strange snake on an Aloe in Base Camp. We caught it and it kept striking at us showing the inside of his mouth which was very black. We let it go outside Base Camp and later I found out it was a Common Egg-eater. It's harmless to humans and doesn't have any teeth. It was very beautiful.
* On the afternoon of the 18th I found the Rhino Cow with her 18 month old Bull Calf and one of the big Bulls walking along the riverbed. The calf seems to be getting bigger every day and I think he's gonna be a very big Rhino when he's grown up. I also saw the collard Lioness with her 2 daughters, but the Cubs weren't there. They moved away from the road since I was driving in a Land Cruiser and they don't like the Land Cruiser.
* On the morning of the 19th I found a Hyena sleeping at the Cheetah Bomas. He stood next to me after a while and started chewing on some old bones. He was very relaxed and there was a time I thought it might chew on the Land Rover. I left him and found the Female Cheetah on Meyer's section next to the fence. She rolled around and looked very relaxed.
* In the afternoon I found the Hyena on the Savannah area again and it was being chased by Zebras and Wildebeest. When the guides came I left to go find the Dogs. They were sleeping on a hill next to a quarry site where they had killed a Sub-Adult Male Nyala.
* On the morning of the 20th there was a Female Cheetah close to the JAC House along the P450 fence. In the afternoon she was still next to the fence, but closer to North Gate. I followed her until the guides showed up and left her.
* On the morning of the 21st I went looking for the Wild Dogs and found the collared Lioness and her two older daughters close to South Gate. I eventually found the Wild Dogs in the South Eastern side of the Reserve and they looked healthy and relaxed. After that I found a Rhino Cow and her Calf at mud-wallows in the same area. The calf lay down in her mom's shade and rested for a while. I found 3 other Rhino Cows on my way back to Base Camp in a pan where they were also wallowing.
* In the afternoon I took some guests out on a drive. We found a Black-backed Jackal close to the Bomas and saw the Rhino Cow with her Calf quite a distance from where I saw them in the morning. During sundowners we heard the Lion roar and found him on a cutline. He got up and roared right next to the vehicle. Talk about sending chills up your spine. Wow!
* On the morning of the 22nd I found the Buffalo Herd resting in an open area and then found the Elephant Herd at Lodgedam. The calf is so small compared to the big Bull. It's amazing how the calf walks in the middle of the Herd without getting squashed under their big feet. In the afternoon I had guests and we saw 3 Rhino Cows before we went to Vula Zulu.
* On the morning of the 23rd we saw the Male Lion from the Lodge walking along a hill, but we couldn't find him during Game Drive. We did manage to find the 2 Phinda Lionesses with the 3 very small very cute cubs. Oh and all 3 the Cubs are also Males. Now we have a pride of 3 Females and 2 Males and a pride of 2 Females and 3 Males and the Adult Male just moves around between the two prides. We saw the Buffalos again and watched them almost get stuck in very small trees while trying to scratch themselves. Silly animals.
* In the afternoon we found the Male Lion close to the Lodge and he looked like he was posing for the guests. Every time another vehicle approached he'd look up, yawn, lick his paw and go back to sleep again. We went to find the Elephants, but only found a lone Buffalo Bull and then one Elephant Bull after dark. It started raining very hard and we had to get back to the Lodge very fast. It was one of those storms that you'd expect in the African bush where you have thunder and lightning surrounding you before the water starts bucketing down. Great fun!
* On the morning of the 24th we went out to look for the Elephants again. We eventually found them and followed one of the big Bulls into an open area. He was in musth and even though it was very nice to see him from close-by we couldn't stay there for much longer. The smell was just too much to handle. We found 2 of the younger Bulls again and I went to show the guests the Giant Eagle Owl chick. On our way back to the Lodge we found the Buffalo herd again.
* In the afternoon I had new guests and they wanted to see the Elephants as well. We heard them in the bushes, but could not see them. We found the 2 Phinda Lionesses with the 3 Cubs resting in the bushes. The 2 adults got up and walked away. I decided to wait with the Cubs. After a few minutes we heard a Warthog squeal and I decided not to go there, but rather take a chance and hope they bring the food back to the cubs. Sure enough a few minutes later mom came back dragging a huge Warthog towards the cubs. They just started eating when their aunt came and grabbed the Warthog. She dragged it away and the rest of the family followed her to try and steal back some of the food, but they disappeared into the bushes and that was the end of that.
* On the morning of the 25th it was raining on and off and we struggled to find the animals since it was quite cold as well. It started raining harder and we had to go back to the Lodge. In the afternoon we went to South Gate to see the Elephants, but they were in the bushes. We did see a Rhino Cow with her Calf and we saw a Hyena chase a Nyala Female. We had to rush back to get to Vula Zulu on time and saw the Buffalo Herd along the way as well. It's amazing how it happens that whenever you are in a hurry you'll find every single animal that the guests want to see and then you're late anyway. I guess Mother Nature has her own time.
* I went to look for the Wild Dogs before Game Drive on the morning of the 26th (which means getting up very early) and only managed to find the Male Lion with the 2 Phinda Lionesses and the 3 Cubs. I picked up my guests and could not find the Lions again. We did find an Elephant Bull in the same area and on top of the hill behind the Villa we found a newborn Zebra foal. Its legs were still a little shaky and the mom was still licking it clean. We then found the place where the Wild Dogs were sleeping, but could not see them.
* We went to look for the Lions again and found them along the fence where they had killed a Warthog. The Male was eating and the cubs joined him, but he did not allow the two Females to eat at all. After drive I went back there and the vet darted one of the Females so that she would go to sleep and he could contracept her. Alan and Dr Dave Cooper tried to get close to her to contracept her, but the Male Lion didn't allow them to get close to her and after an hour and a half they decided to leave her. She woke up a little later and I don't think she's going to like the Land Cruiser anymore.
* In the afternoon we found the Elephant Bull again and there were 2 other guides as well. I parked on one side and watched the Bull forcing the other 2 Land Rovers to reverse. It was great fun, because he was playing with them and I wasn't included in the game. After the other guides left I stayed there to watch him for a little bit longer. We went to look for the Lions again, but couldn't find them.
* On the 27th my guests left and I helped Michelle van der Merwe to check the Leopard cameras. There were no Leopard photos, but it'll take time. In the afternoon I went to track the Wild Dogs and found them below the Tented Camp. They were all over the place and lost each other somehow. I heard one "whoo-call" and they found each other again, but one of them was missing. They went into the bushes and I didn't see them again.
* On the morning of the 28th I took Sandiso's guests on drive. They wanted to see the Cheetah's in the Boma, some Giraffes and Lions. We found the Lion, 2 Phinda Lionesses and 3 Cubs at the Boma before we could see the Cheetahs and followed the Lions. They hunted and split up. A Wildebeest almost walked right into a Lioness, but the Monkeys gave the Lions away and everything else disappeared. The 3 Adults left the Cubs in the shade and walked away. After a few minutes the Cubs decided to go look for the Adults and walked down the road calling. It was so cute. They met up with mom and they all slept in the shade. We then went to see the Cheetahs and saw lots of Giraffe just around the corner on the way back. The whole Game Drive happened 15 minutes from the Lodge.
* In the afternoon I took them out again and went looking for the Elephants. I decided to "cheat" and I drove along a hill to look out over the reserve to see if we could find something from up there. I spotted the Elephant Herd close to a road coming down from another hill. We drove down and watched the Elephants for along time. We saw some Giraffe and found the Lions from the morning somewhere else. They were resting on a cutline and we sat with them till after dark.
* On the afternoon of the 29th I took guests on drive again. We went to look for the Wild Dogs and found them resting next to a road close to the Tented Camp. They got up and played in front of the vehicle for a long time. They ran up the road and we carried on with the drive. We found 3 Rhinos and went off-road to follow them. They walked back onto another road and were so busy eating that I thought the one Cow was going to walk into the side of the Land Rover. After dark something with a white tail (Leopard?) flashed across the road in front of us. I drove closer and found a Porcupine halfway down a hole looking at us. On our way back we found a big Rock Python on the road. I pulled him back onto the road so that the guests could take a photo and we left him to go his own way. We heard some Monkeys making alarm calls on the next road and drove there, but didn't see anything.
* On the morning of the 30th we went on drive again and found the Buffalo Herd on the Savannah area. We also saw one of the Elephant Bulls close to the Villa and that was the end of the drive. In the afternoon I had new guests and we found the Elephant Bull again. He made Sandiso reverse very far and we wanted to go see the Hyena on the other side of the Elephant, but he wasn't planning on letting anybody go passed him. We eventually drove around the block, but the Hyena was gone. The rest of the Elephants were also close-by. The drive was short since we started later, but when I took the guide back to the Tents after dinner we did manage to see a Rhino Bull.
* On the morning of the 31st we saw a lot of general game. We went to see the Cheetahs in the boma and went back to the Lodge. In the afternoon we drove along a hill hoping to see some Rhinos somewhere and saw a Rhino and her calf on the opposite hill. We went there and watched the calf and his mom lay down to rest. It was cold and windy and they jumped up every now and again to make sure it was safe when they smelt something funny. After that we found the Elephant Herd at Lodgedam. There was another newborn calf which means we now have 15 Elephants. The calf couldn't have been more than a day old. It went to the water and slipped in the mud. One of the older Elephants then pulled it out with her trunk.
* We had sundowners and on the way back we saw the Elephants again. We found all 5 Wild Dogs just around the corner from the Lodge. All the Elephants were at the Lodge and drinking water from the water feature. The big bull stayed there fro a long time. We watched him step OVER the walkway and he stood in front of the reception area eating the plants in the garden. He came so close that I'm sure we could've touched him. He walked around to the steps and we all backed away wondering if he'd walk up the steps towards us, but he didn't. He left after a few minutes to break a tree at the Spa and give Alan some more cleaning up to do. We played with a Scorpion and I left the guests to go have some dinner before the Chef decided to chase me away before the food got cold. All fun and games.
Prepared by Mariana Venter - Wildlife Monitor/Back-up guide