It is October and spring is now turning into summer here at Amakhosi. We have received very good rain so far and the bush is turning into the greenest green I have ever seen. Most plants are busy flowering and this attracts a multitude of insects and birds. When driving through the bush the air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of flowers from almost every plant. What a most beautiful time of year.

As part of the management of the reserve we did control burns in certain areas of the bush. This is mainly aimed at removing moribund material that has been collecting the last couple of years. Fire is also a very important management tool in keeping the bush open to a certain degree. Saplings from especially Sickle bush start germinating and growing in years that no fires were present. A fire will now kill these saplings and keep the bush healthy. If no fires go through the area the grass will eventually smother itself and the saplings will grow into bigger trees pushing out the grass cover. The larger trees are not really affected by fire, because they are well adapted to withstand fire. Only about ten percent of large trees die in really big and intense fires. We did these controlled burns just after the first rains to ensure that the fire is not too intense and just hot enough to remove excess material and the new saplings from the Sickle bush. The grass wasted no time at all and only about a week after the burn the burned area was lush and green with brand new blades of grass. As a result the grazers have got some new tasty food to utilize.

Probably one of the most exciting events that happened during the last couple of years at Amakhosi was the recent relocation of our two new male lions. Since February this year we have put a lot of effort and hard work into making this a reality. The reason for bringing in the two new males is to replenish the genetic composition of the lion population here at Amakhosi. The resident males were moved to other locations and the new coalition from the Madikwe reserve is in the boma awaiting their release. It was a long journey from their old home (almost 1000km), the boys are strong and took the relocation like a breeze. Needles to say that we turned a couple of heads on our journey back with them. A big male lion glaring at a passing motorist is something you don't see every day, not to mention trying to convince the attendant at the fuel station to refill the Land Cruiser with diesel while a 220 kg spitting mad lion in a very cramped crate is growling at you less than half a meter from your head. It made for an interesting and entertaining trip indeed. We finally arrived back home and everybody was here to welcome the new lions. They were darted, offloaded into the boma and after a thorough check-up we left them to recover and settle into their new temporary home. They are set to be released on the 13th of November 2007. We hope that they will enjoy their new home and have a full and prosperous life here at Amakhosi.