Amakhosi Safari Lodge

Game capture, the art of capturing game, simple…….no (unless you are one of those people that can solve a rubics cube with a piece of string, a half eaten apple and a squirrel)

So the last few days here have seen us embark on this challenge.

Now we were looking for a few of our buffalo that decided to take an extended holiday on the neighbouring farm, which conveniently also had buffalo. This left us trying to find a needle in a pile of needles. So after negotiations with the respective animals failed  (they were asking for a 6 percent wage increase), we called in the experts.

So what did we get, well we got two vets (because everyone loves a second opinion), a chopper pilot, two Zimbabweans (not illegal immigrants) and one bloke to run the whole operation with his team of experienced game capturers.

Now to catch a buffalo can be a challenge because you are taking animals with a very short temper and then harassing them (it’s much like trying to get that one angry drunk bloke out of the bar by throwing a beer on him, you generally rule out the fairy tale happy ending).

So how these guys went about this was to erect a big funnel in the bush using canvas sheets strung up between trees and various poles in an effort to channel the buffalo through the funnel and back to our side of the fence. Once this was done, the pilot then tried to herd them in with a chopper, great in theory, not so much in practise (just imagine you are in charge of a group of ladies and it’s your job to get them through a shopping mall when there is a sale on in every shoe shop).

To add to this  “simple” job, the wind wasn’t in our favour on the first day, so the buffalos smelt us and then refused to cooperate, even when we planted trees in an effort to hide the canvas walls. The chap in charge even tried using his vehicle to push the few we did manage to get through the funnel, which worked well, if you consider fixing a porcelain vase with a hammer a good idea, as one bull buffalo didn’t take kindly to this particular customs officer and felt he needed to change the shape of the vehicle a bit.

So round one didn’t go to well, but thankfully round two went to us. The next day the wind was perfect and thanks to some skilled flying, the chopper pilot managed to get a nice sized group of buffalo into the funnel. But then the wheels sort of fell off, almost literally as one bull buffalo put a horn into the wheel of the vehicle we were using and gave us a flat tire (though it was only flat at the bottom to be honest). After this and a few “polite” and “kind” words of encouragement the buffalo thankfully cooperated nicely and passed through the funnel and back onto our side of the fence, ending an interesting two days.

So what this ranger has learnt from this, is next time this needs to be done, I’m going in to find myself some string, eat half an apple, talk with a squirrel and try solve a rubics cube….it seems easier.

by Ranger Nick

Dull days are few and far between when working in the bush. From having lions fighting with each other not 4 meters from my house, to a sudden need for the leopards here to show themselves to ferrying guests across the river in a small boat to do game drives because the river had risen to the point where we couldn’t cross with vehicles.

But in general, the game has been very good, as the sightings reflect. The herd of elephant here are seen now on a fairly regular basis and always provide good entertainment. Whether it’s the young ones playing with each other, or watching the adults doing some creative gardening, it’s always good value.

The lions too have been doing their bit. The three brothers are seen fairly regularly and one of the lionesses has given birth. Only two cubs have been seen, but hopefully there are a few more.

And the leopards have been making the odd appearance here and there. The one sighting was of a female who was very shy, but the other sightings belong to a male who his showing more confidence around vehicles, and even draped himself on a rock overlooking the main deck one afternoon (funnily just after guests asked if we see leopards here).

Otherwise the bush is still trying to hold onto summer, but the greenery is slowly fading and the mornings have a sneaky chill to them. Winter isn’t far off here in the valley of kings.

By

Ranger Nick

Whew! it was a busy festive period but before we knew it it was over  again. Anyone

working in a lodge or hotel will know how busy this period can be and in the case of a lodge in the bush far away from big shops there are the ever present risks of equipment and or vehicles breaking with the challenge of finding parts and fixing it promptly! These challenges make their appearance regularly and without warning but it’s no different in nature and if there is anything we can learn from the natural world it is that we need to be resource full and change strategy quickly when needed in order to not only survive but also to take advantage of opportunities. Having spend some time out in the bush  over Christmas with the Pesl Family (Very special and loyal guests of Amakhosi) I noticed once again how quick creatures adapt and take advantage of situations.

As mentioned before this rainy season has been the wettest in decades and it has still not let up, as a result of this the grass is exceptionally abundant providing food not only for all the large ungulates but also to the numerous seed eating birds. Red billed queleas take these times of plenty to breed up in mass and driving through the open grassy areas of the reserve you see these little red billed birds flying in their tens of thousands! Grain farmers dread these super flocks as they can destroy your whole harvest in a matter of days! In turn these little birds provide a huge protein source for monitors, snakes, small cats, jackals, mongooses and raptors. One morning I noticed 7 Whalberg’s eagles raiding 3 large acacia trees that are covered in quelea nests, normally these territorial raptors won’t tolerate competitors but there was so much food and wasting time fighting over it would just be a waste of time that could be sp

end taking advantage of the abundant food.

Leaving the lodge entrance gate one afternoon we noticed a spotted bush snake in a little marshy area that formed due to the now very saturated soil, the marsh was filled with grass frogs, puddle frogs and beautiful bubbling cassinas. Spotted bush snakes have strongly keeled ventral scales that make them superb climbers(they are often seen scaling vertical brick walls) and they are most often found hunting chameleons, geckos and small birds in trees and are perfectly a

dapted to their arboreal (tree living life) but with the abundance of frogs this little guy was doing the French thing and pilling them in. I don’t normally like disturbing snakes by catching them as does so many of the “snake wrestlers” but his perfect camouflage prevented it being seen properly so I grabbed it by the tail (they are harmless to humans) and pulled it out of the grass to show everyone how beautiful and well adapted they are. Normally a few gentle shakes of the hand will calm them down and they can be handled without getting bitten and after showing it to everyone and about to put it back he decided to strike and latch on to my eyebrow! He drew a bit of blood but I had to keep my pose(and dignity!) in front of everyone and gently released him, I realized just how sharp those little teeth are and no little frog wi

ll get away once they secure a grip. I have never seen as many young spotted bush snakes around as I have this season, obviously the e

asy and abundant food is to thank for that.

Alwyn Wentzel

Operations Manager

As another year draws to a close and we find ourselves making plans to spend time with loved ones and family, it seems the ungulates are following the trend of festivity and even welcoming the New Year with new life-up! The impala have dropped their young –general game sighting have been amazing and with all the glorious rain, there is plenty of food around and the little beasties are loving life.

Christmas came early for 2 of our elephant cows and our herd has now added 2 new loxondonta members to the pachyderm community. As expected, the little bundles of joy have not disappointed in providing us with loads of entertainment and memorable pics. Migratory raptors are aplenty; our resident village weavers are business as usual, despite unwelcome raids by the boisterous whalbergs. Pintailed whydahs have gone full circle and completed their dazzling ecliptic plumage, making for an awesome sight.

A recent sighting, which proves this is truly a magical time of year, involved not 1, not 2, but 3 Leopard cubs. Mother was nowhere in sight and we managed to get plus or minus 10 minute of relaxed, inquisitive behavior from the young felines before they characteristically disappeared into thick sickle bush. We later herd Kudu alarms and figured mom was hunting somewhere in the thicket. The bush is just incredible at the moment, so slap on a hat, slop on some sunscreen and get amongst it!

Kevin Williams

Amakhosi guide