Klaserie Chronicle December 2015

Klaserie

1 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Kroniek/Chronicle | December 2015 no.34

First sable in KPNR since 1990 Hercules Pride kills Ross breakaway cubs

inside| photo Arno Pietersen

Rabies outbreak in Hoedspruit ... 4 | Into the Zone ...6 | Too close for comfort ...12 | The longhorn or timber beetle ...21 | Flight of fancy ...24 | Children’s Eco Training evolves into Eco Children ...26 Page kindly sponsored by a friend

2 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Inside

Corné’s Keyboard

S

ometimes it is easy to get lost in the weeds and forget about how far you have come in a year. The year seems to spin to an end and instead of stopping to look back and celebrate our accomplishments, we tend to only focus on the following year’s activities and goals. So allow me a few minutes to relish in Eco Children’s achievements in 2015.

This year I couldn’t be more proud of my team’s accomplishments and the impact we’ve had on the local community. Not only did we recently rebrand our organisation from Children’s Eco Training to Eco Children, but we’ve also adopted an additional school to our Support-a-School programme. Additionally, we implemented numerous projects in our mission of sowing seeds of change in our community through whole school development. These projects include the establishment of two new Eco Villages, the presentation of a maths capacity building workshop for local teachers, the Trees for Life project and the renovation of several classrooms at our adopted schools.

By reflecting on the past year’s achievements it once again becomes clear that the little steps add up and wanting things to happen is not enough hard work and dedication make all the difference.

I would like to congratulate my team for going above and beyond and making our goals a reality. I am even more excited about 2016, knowing we will be building on the successes of 2015.

On that very optimistic note, I hope you enjoy the informative articles on our local wildlife in this amazing place we get to call home (don’t miss the exciting article on the elephant attack at Dover!).

I wish you and your loved ones a festive season filled with peace, joy and happiness!

Corné

PBO Certificates We have received many donations from unknown donors. Should you wish to receive a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) certificate to prove your donation to Eco Children, please send proof of payment to admin@ecochildren. co.za along with your full name and address in order for the certificate to be completed. To those who wish to remain anonymous, please accept our sincere thanks. We really appreciate your continued support.

Sable relocation .............. 3 Rabies outbreak in Hoedspruit .............. 4 The KPNR thanks Pieter Steenkamp for his service .............. 5 Into the zone .............. 6 Hercules pride kills Ross breakaway cubs .............. 7 Brothers in arms: Allies in the fight against rhino poaching .............. 8 A to Z of Klaserie terminology ............ 10 Too close for comfort ............ 12 FishMAP: Mapping the freshwater fishes of southern and eastern Africa ............ 13 The groups of Klaserie (part 4): Pitlochry group ............ 14 The wonderful world of bird nests: Complex nests ............ 15 Close encounters at the island lookout point ............ 16 Mini garden for mini learners ............ 17 Sightings ............ 18 Obituary – Ltl Acorn ............ 20 The longhorn or timber beetle ............ 21 Introducing Hennie Jacobs ............ 22 We are all vulnerable to extreme climatic events ............ 22 Africa’s vultures are sliding towards extinction ............ 23 Flight of fancy ............ 24 Eco Children holiday workshop ............ 25 Children’s Eco Training evolves into Eco Children ............ 26 Eco Children renovates 21st classroom ............ 28 Community celebrations strike a chord ............ 29 Santa Shoeboxes create a sea of smiles ............ 30 The secret life of Klaserie Camps ............ 32 Bursarys scholars shine brightly in African Dream ............ 33 Exciting opportunities for talented local learners ............ 33 Unknown legends of the Lowveld: Percy Wood Willis ............ 34 Julie’s gift ........... 36

Klaserie Chronicle /Kroniek Team Editor: Corné Havenga Sub-editor: Catharina Robbertze Advertising and articles: Laura Craig Layout and design: Lynette Strauss Contributors Corné Havenga, Colin Rowles, Hennie Jacobs, Brad Timms, Peter Lawson, Judy Meeser, Ziggi Hugo, Kate & Cassie Carstens, Derek Solomon, Jan Pienaar, Fred Berrangé, Ivan Gillatt, Hans Bornman, Julie Lovegrove, Chloe Cooper - Sun Destinations, Wynand Uys, Shaun Taylor – Moriti Safaris, Jeremy Shelton, Megan Loftie-Eton, Graeme White, Diane Tipping-Woods, BirdLife SA Photographs Lynette Strauss, Brad Timms, Colin Rowles, Jacques de Villiers, Navarre de Villiers , Derek Solomon, Jan Pienaar, John Gillatt, Kate Carstens, Cassie Carstens, Fred Ruest, Fred Berrangé, Ziggi Hugo,, Wynand Uys, Tim Feherty, Elizabeth White, Shaun Taylor, Jeremy Shelton, Megan Loftie-Eton, Ivana Maarschalk, Chloe Cooper, Kevin MacLaughlin, Greg Moran, Arno Pietersen, Cecilia Theron The Klaserie Chronicle is published quarterly and distributed to KPNR owners, as well as Eco Children donors, partners and Chronicle advertisers.

For any contributions or queries please email admin@ecochildren.co.za or contact Laura on 082 713 7550. We would love to hear from you!

kit-a-kid | kit-a-kid | kit-a-kid

Your R300 can change a life Contact Corné at 082 713 8778 or corne@ecochildren.co.za

Buy a uniform consisting of a shirt, shorts or a dress, a jersey, shoes and socks.

3 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Sable relocation Story and photos by Colin Rowles

Sable, a bold and majestic species once abundant in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) have sadly long since disappeared.

T

he last sable that existed in Klaserie were captured during the early 1990’s just prior to the 1992 drought.

This small herd of four animals, an adult bull, two cows and a calf were captured on Fife by the then KaNgwane Parks Corporation, and relocated to Mthetomusha Game Reserve.

The agreement at the time was that these animals should be relocated to ensure their survival, given the prediction of the 1992 drought. They would join existing sable at their new location and be repatriated to Klaserie if and when habitat conditions improved. Sadly this never happened as they succumbed to predation at their new destination.

I was part of that capture operation, and remember watching the truck leave the reserve at sunset along a long and dusty road, wondering if we’d ever see sable back here again.

There have been numerous attempts at reintroducing sable into some of the adjacent areas of the Lowveld, but sadly due to unfavourable habitat and predation, these have by and large not been successful.

A few weeks ago I received a call from a very excited and surprised landowner, reporting that he’d seen a sable bull near his camp the previous evening. He mentioned that it was carrying a telemetry collar.

I immediately realised that this bull had been introduced into the Balule Reserve a few months ago, and was the survivor of a small herd of three bulls that had crossed into Klaserie a few months prior. These three musketeers

had been observed on Dundee on a few occasions. This surviving bull had moved across the reserve and entered the Umbabat on the north-east where he was seen on a few occasions.

I had learnt in the interim that the Balule management were keen to recover the bull in order to introduce him to a cow herd that was being established within a protected enclosure.

The objective was that the cows and the bull be released together in the future, in the hope that they’d settle in the general area.

I advised the Balule management of the presence of the bull in Klaserie and agreed to his recovery. Being a free ranging single bull in an area devoid of sable was of no conservation value, and he’d simply fall victim to predators in time. His relocation and integration with the cows for future release makes good conservation sense. Hopefully, as I mentioned to the Balule management, when the herd is eventually released, he’ll bring the cows with him to Klaserie, having now already done a recce of the area.

He was successfully captured and returned to Balule a few days after he was sighted. We hope to see them here again in the future.

page kindly sponsored by a friend

4 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Rabies outbreak in Hoedspruit Article and photos by Fred Berrangé

In July of this year, the rabies virus appeared in Hoedspruit and spread quite rapidly through two wildlife estates. The first rabid animal was a jackal found on Raptor’s View Wildlife Estate near the centre of Hoedspruit. The virus spread rapidly into the neighbouring Zandspruit Bush and Aero Estate where it also caused fatalities.

O

ne of the biggest concerns was the pack of wild dogs which had established a lair on the estate and given birth to puppies. The residents of the two estates enjoyed many wonderful sightings of these dogs who managed to cross the boundary fences between the estates while out hunting.

Sadly they eventually succumbed to the disease and the whole pack was wiped out in a very short period of time.

The spread of the disease is of great concern to wildlife estates, game reserves and of course owners of domestic animals who have not seen to their animals’ inoculations. Although rabies is no longer as prevalent as in the past, it takes one infected animal to start up and spread the disease, causing widespread death.

Rabies is infectious to mammals, including humans, and three distinct stages are recognised.

• The prodromal stage is a one to three day period characterised by behavioural changes.

• The hyper-sensitive or reactive stage lasts three to four days.

This stage is often known as “furious rabies” for the tendency of the affected animal to be hyper-reactive to external stimuli and bite at anything.

• The paralytic stage is caused by damage to motor neurons. Lack of coordination is seen, owing to rear limb paralysis. Drooling and difficulty swallowing is caused by paralysis of facial and throat muscles. Death is usually caused by respiratory arrest.

Due to the severity of the outbreak and the fact that humans live in close proximity to wild animals on various game estates, game farms and reserves in the area and in Hoedspruit itself, the state vet, Dr Christian Steinmann decided to

treat the outbreak and prevention in an aggressive manner. In partnership with the Leopard Conservation Project they started capturing and inoculating the larger carnivores, that have a greater chance of spreading the disease, in order to get the outbreak under control as quickly as possible and prevent further unnecessary deaths amongst these animals.

Specially manufactured cages were purchased and set up on the two reserves.

Thus far a number of animals have been successfully captured, vaccinated and released. This will continue for at least one year until the number of reported rabies cases have been reduced.

How can you prevent rabies in animals?

There are several things you can do to protect your pet from rabies.

• Visit your veterinarian on a regular basis and keep rabies vaccinations up-to-date for all cats and dogs.

• Spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or vaccinated regularly.

• Call animal control to remove all stray animals from your neighborhood since these animals may be unvaccinated or ill.

Signs and symptoms of rabies The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to that of many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort.

There may be discomfort or a prickling or itching sensation at the site of bite, progressing within days to symptoms of

cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion and agitation. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, abnormal behaviour, delirium, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). The acute period of disease typically ends after two to 10 days.

Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal within days, and treatment is typically supportive. To date, less than 10 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies have been reported and only two did not have a history of pre- or post-exposure prophylaxis.

Have you been exposed to rabies?

Transmission of the rabies virus usually occurs when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal. The most common mode of rabies transmission is through a bite, though, on rare occasions, transmission has been documented via other routes such as contamination of mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth), aerosol transmission, and organ transplantations.

In addition to transmission from cornea and organ transplants, bite and non-

5 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

bite exposures inflicted by infected humans could theoretically transmit rabies, but no such cases have been documented. The rabies virus is transmitted through saliva or brain/nervous system tissue and you can only be infected by coming in contact with these specific bodily excretions and tissues. Casual contact, such as touching a person with rabies or contact with non-infectious fluid or tissue (urine, blood, and faeces) does not constitute an exposure and does not require post-exposure prophylaxis.

In addition, contact with someone who is receiving rabies vaccination does not constitute rabies exposure and does not require post-exposure prophylaxis.

It’s important to remember that rabies is a medical urgency but not an emergency. Decisions should not be delayed. One of the most effective ways to decrease the chance for infection is to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. See your doctor if you have been bitten by an animal before considering the need for rabies vaccination.

How is rabies diagnosed?

In animals, rabies is diagnosed using the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test, which looks for the presence of rabies virus antigens in brain tissue. In humans, several tests are required.

Rapid and accurate laboratory diagnosis of rabies in humans and animals is essential for timely administration of post-exposure prophylaxis.

Within a few hours, a diagnostic laboratory can determine whether or not an animal is rabid and inform the responsible medical personnel.

The laboratory results may save a patient from unnecessary physical and psychological trauma, and financial burdens. In addition, laboratory identification of positive rabies cases may aid in defining current epidemiologic patterns of disease and provide appropriate information for the development of rabies control programmes.

Rabies post-exposure vaccinations Rabies post-exposure vaccinations consists of a dose of human rabies immune globulin and four doses of rabies vaccine given on the day of the exposure, and then again on days 3, 7, and 14. The vaccine is given in a muscle, usually in the upper arm. This set of vaccinations is highly effective at preventing rabies if given as soon as possible following an exposure.

If a person has previously received postexposure vaccinations or received pre-exposure vaccinations, only two doses of vaccine on the day of exposure and then three days later are needed. Human rabies immune globulin is not required. Your doctor and local health department will be able to guide you through the process.

Klaserie thanks Pieter Steenkamp for his service

T

he management team of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) would like to pay tribute to Pieter Steenkamp, who leaves us in December after three and a half years of dedicated service as administration manager. Pieter is returning to his native Western Cape to take up a new role in Bredasdorp.

According to KPNR Executive Committee Chair, Mike Anderson, he knew when Pieter was appointed that a single, good-looking, charming mountain goat would soon be hankering after the bright lights and pretty girls. As there aren’t many bright lights in Bredasdorp, Anderson said the girls must be pretty!

“It has been a pleasure working with Pieter and he has made an enormous difference to the administration in the Reserve.

He has immersed himself in our community, and in his quiet way lives life to the full. We will miss him as he enriched our lives, and I am sure his sojourn with us did his,” he said.

Vice Chair, John Braithwaite also praised Pieter’s dedication: “Pieter joined us at a difficult time and with little introduction.

He applied himself to his tasks and responsibilities and very soon became not only knowledgeable but also reliable.”

According to Colin Rowles, warden of KPNR, Pieter was thrown into the deep end and had to sink or swim. “Pieter quickly adapted and became a very important and competent member of our team, not only on the administration side but his knowledge and experience in IT and computers has been of immense value.

He leaves a huge pair of shoes to fill and we wish him well.”

In addition to ably managing the KPNR’s administration and finance, Pieter also served as secretary on the Board of Eco Children (formerly Children’s Eco Training). Chairman, Deon Huysamer expressed his gratitude to Pieter for his contribution to the organisation: “Pieter is one of those quiet and unassuming individuals. It has been my privilege to work with him in various capacities and I want to thank him for the difference he has made to our community in the Klaserie and Hoedspruit.”

CEO Corné Havenga also paid tribute to Pieter’s contribution to Eco Children, saying his loyal support of the organisation’s mission cannot be underestimated. “Pieter and his sidekick, Donamis will be greatly missed, not only as a dependable colleague but also as a sincere and trustworthy friend. We wish him all the best in his future ventures and know that he will achieve great success wherever he goes!”

6 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Story and photos

by Colin Rowles

O

Into the zone

ur relationship with the South African Police Service Special Task Force (SAPS STF) has strengthened. During September 12 adrenalin filled members were deployed in a para drop into the vast and uninhabited northern regions of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR).

This formed part of an escape and evasion training exercise which took the members from the north of the reserve to the south, over two sweltering days and three nights, exposed to the elements as they slept on the tracks of their quarry.

From the cabin of “Romeo Delta Juliet”, a police squirrel helicopter, I

watched as the landscape blurred below as we gained altitude alongside the Pilatus Porter, PC 6 transport aircraft.

At 2,500 feet ATL static lines were clipped in place, the aircraft door slid open alongside us, and the men in drab green tumbled out under the command of the jump master.

The green parachutes blossomed like wild flowers after rain as the men hung suspended below their canopies.

Far below, a bright cloud of red smoke expelled from a hissing smoke grenade, demarcated the landing zone (LZ) and provided the prevailing wind direction.

From above, the canopies got smaller as the men dropped towards Mother Earth.

From the ground the men spiralled as they descended, getting larger as

they approached. One by one they dropped into the LZ with pin point accuracy, gathered their ‘chutes, assembled briefly and departed after their quarry, whose tracks they would follow relentlessly for the next few days.

The involvement of the SAPS STF in the reserve is mutually beneficial. The KPNR offers the Force a realistic training ground, whilst the Force provides a reaction team to assist with response action should the need arise. The STF also provide additional man power to patrol some of the more remote and vulnerable areas of the reserve, greatly improving our ground coverage capability.

We look forward to their next operation.

7 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Hercules Pride kills Ross breakaway cubs Story by Chloe Cooper, photos by Chloe Cooper, Greg Moran and Kevin MacLaughlin

N

ature can be terribly harsh, and as we’ve said from the beginning, we value each sighting with the lion cubs knowing that they face danger at every turn.

Sadly, the cubs met their fate recently when they had a run-in with the Hercules Pride. It was over quickly, which is a mercy in itself.

The Hercules Pride, consisting of two lionesses, who back in the day used to belong to the original Ross Pride, and their four cubs (sired by a Trilogy male) were seen feasting on a zebra kill. Guests at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp saw the pride at the kill site, keeping relatively hidden in the bush, true to their reputation.

They are usually shy cats and since their birth, the two Hercules females have kept their distance, either reacting aggressively or running away at the sight of a game viewer. Their territory falls on privately owned, unfenced land, on which Africa on Foot has exclusive traversing rights.

This time, the pride made a zebra kill within access of both lodges, and guests got to watch the four cubs and the two lionesses devour a hard-earned meal. Two males and two females, these cubs have defeated the odds that face every vulnerable member of the bush, and so far all four of them have survived. Sadly, their strength was the Ross Breakaway cubs’ weakness.

When the Hercules Pride was seen feeding on their kill, the Ross Breakaway lionesses and cubs were seen far away from the site. The next day, Greg, a guide at Africa on Foot, spotted one lioness with both cubs walking casually along the Africa on Foot access road. Eagerly piling his guests into the game viewer, Greg followed lioness and cubs for a while until they joined up with the second Ross Breakaway lioness and one of the Trilogy males. After a fantastic lion sighting, Greg turned around to respond to another cat sighting, this time a leopard!

What happened after they left the lions was reported as follows: The Ross Breakaways were joined by a second Trilogy male and the four adults plus two cubs approached the area where the Hercules Pride was relaxing after finishing up their zebra kill. All too quickly, the Hercules lions came in to attack. The lionesses targeted the Ross Breakaway females who fled, leaving their cubs in a vulnerable position and without protection.

The Hercules lionesses and a couple of the youngsters went straight for the cubs, killing them violently.

Turf wars are a significant part of lions’ lives, and the instinct to survive means that they fight each other frequently. Ranger-turnedphotographer, Kevin MacLaughlin, has been observing and filming these lions for two years, and said lion prides will often fight with other prides if they come into contact.

“It’s a territorial thing between the females, and they are also seen as competition. In the lion world it is about eliminating their competition to be more successful, and the easiest way to do that is to kill the cubs,” he said.

Everyone who got to spend time with the nine-week-old cubs will feel a little heartbroken now that they are dead, and we will certainly miss seeing them around. With the loss of the cubs, it is likely that the mother lioness will go into oestrus and there will be more cubs on the horizon, but with a mortality rate of 50% there is never a guarantee that those cubs will make it.

Africa on Foot recently won the prestigious title of Best Walking Safari 2016 in South Africa at the Safari Awards at London’s World Trade Market.

The Klaserie Chronicle would like to congratulate them on this achievement and wish them continued success in the future.

8 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

BROTHERS IN ARMS Allies in the fight against rhino poaching Article and photos by Wynand Uys

In September 2013 Len and Les Alford diverted a Jabiru J170 off their production line to provide air support to rhino protection operations. Their generous gesture was welcomed by Game Reserves United (GRU), the coalition of game reserves that forms the western buffer to Kruger National Park. With the arrival of ZU OPS, known as the Rhino Jab in Hoedspruit, the GRU-Wing was formed. The five volunteer pilots soon learnt that success depended on close cooperation with personnel on the ground.

Air-ground cooperation in tactical man-tracking

“

Close cooperation” means effective air-ground communication and standard procedures that are well understood by both parties. While this might sound obvious, aviators and rangers have diverged somewhat in their radio phraseologies and it is not uncommon that precious time is wasted due to misunderstandings. Case in point: When an air traffic controller says “stand by”, it means “please shut up, I’ll get back to you when you become my priority.” Field rangers and their ilk have the habit of saying “stand by?” when called. It is a truncation of “I am standing by”, meaning “go ahead”. You see how this can cause a SNAFU? Furthermore, in aviation we report coordinates in degrees and minutes (and sometimes seconds too, if we’re that certain). By convention, antipoaching units work strictly with decimal degrees, a far more sensible system and a little more economical to verbalise. For instance, reporting latitude to about 11m accuracy, “24 degrees, 30 minutes, 15 seconds south” becomes “minus 24 point 5025”. Tidy and concise, unless you punch the numbers into a GPS that’s expecting minutes and seconds. Then, of course, the parties also have to agree on true or magnetic bearings, units of distance measurement and radio frequencies. What’s more, an appreciation by both parties of each other’s capabilities, limitations and perceptions goes a long way towards creating the synergy that is sought in a coordinated operation.

On the ground When Colin Patrick and Andreas Liebenberg invited me to put my boots on the ground with them during a joint ground/air training exercise in tactical man-tracking, I jumped at the opportunity. Colin and Andreas established Counter Insurgency Tracker Training (CITT) and in their association with the Southern African Wildlife College they have become the major providers of training in tactical man-tracking to the Kruger National Park, as well as clients such as Timbavati and Klaserie Private Nature Reserves and Sabie Game Park in Mozambique.

On this day the role of armed poachers would be played by CITT operatives and they were not to shoot at us or vice versa. Jaco Scheepers flew the Rhino Jab and he dropped me off at a runway near the training camp in the Timbavati Nature Reserve. Once I’d been escorted to their bivouac, we had a brief discussion and the trainers outlined to me what was in stall for the trainees. The students who were already capable man-trackers would become trainers themselves, carrying the deeper skills taught here

back to their home reserves. The exercise began and in short order a team of four trainees started trailing the spoor in combat formation, the rest of us trotting behind. At the opportune moment, radio contact was established with Jaco in ZU OPS – part of the exercise was to call him into a position ahead of us to supress the poachers’ movement. Using GPS, compass and distance estimates the aircraft was positioned over what was thought to be the hot spot.

What struck me was how swiftly these guys could follow the spoor. Of course, one has to go faster than the suspects in order to force contact, and that’s pretty fast. As part of the exercise the acting poachers fired shots and left a dummy carcass. Using techniques they’d learnt, the trackers redirected the aircraft and Jaco spotted the dummy some 300m ahead of us, indicating its position by pre-arranged signalling with his wings. A quick investigation at the carcass indicated a new spoor direction and ZU OPS was redirected. With the aircraft now overhead, the “poachers” went to ground and with a fresh team trailing their spoor, contact was imminent. Sadly, I have to report that most of us were now “virtually” dead. The acting poachers were lying in deep shadow and we approached them over open ground. We’d have been easy pickings. Seems that in our excitement we were still trailing at catch-up speed whereas we should

9 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

The guys on the ground are continually picking up signs, processing clues and making decisions that needn’t all be communicated to the pilot. Hence, the situation develops where the pilot and spotter see nothing, hear nothing and Lessons learnt start feeling lonely. Not wanting to chatter too much on the radio, we tend to nip In spite of my unfortunate demise, I back and take a peek at what the manlearnt valuable lessons. In the cockpit trackers are doing. If they’re doing 360’s, one tends to forget how important the looking for direction and the dog is lying subtlest sounds, smells and visual cues in the shade, uninterested, you know the are to the trackers and that the proximity game is slipping away. However, if the of the aircraft could be an unwelcome distraction. From the ground, whenever guys are all alert, their weapons at the the aircraft came closer, I experienced the ready and the hound has to be restrained, you know that something will go down relatively quiet growl of the Jab engine soon. So really, it is curiosity that makes at low revs like an assault on my senses. us go peek at the trackers too often.

One watches and listens to the wildlife In conclusion, we re-affirmed that ahead and around you for clues of any disturbance. For instance, when oxpeckers rangers and man-trackers should be properly trained to direct an aircraft using fly up from their buffalo hosts, you stop and try to figure out what disturbed them, whatever means possible. Be it radio, compass, GPS, maps or ground features straining for the slightest sound or visual and hand signals. Colin and Andreas’ clue. Undue radio calls from the aircraft outfit is already doing so, as well as Bruce or an overhead turn numbs your senses.

McDonald through his involvement at Conversely, I could explain to the the SA Wildlife College and Jack Greeff trackers why we as pilots tend to fly back to the trackers every so often. After hours through Ntomeni Ranger Services. in the cockpit, with nothing but hope that Through these three outfits, several you’re suppressing movement in the right hundred men have been trained to work with air support in the Kruger Park and area and that the operation is on track, surrounding areas. The tracking teams the pilot feels starved of information. have adopted the CITT motto for close quarters work: “Move quietly and slowly, make use of the shadows and the terrain to optimise your tactical advantage”.

The Rhino Jab signalling the location of the rhino carcass to the trainees.

If you wish to support the Jabiru GRU-Wing, please contact our fund manager, WESSA at chris@wessa.co.za and gruwing@gamereservesunited.co.za • Bank: First National Bank • Branch: Howick • Branch Code: 22-07-25 • Account Number: 62 402 437 728 • Account Name: WESSA Game Reserves United PLEASE USE “GRUWING” and NAME/ COMPANY AS A REFERENCE All donations can be issued with a tax deductible Section 18A certificate Existing and historical sponsors and donors are listed at www.gamereservesunited.co.za

and their trainers now understand that by briefing the pilot and spotter more regularly, the nuisance of being buzzed can be avoided. From a pilot’s perspective, I was reminded how highly tuned your senses are when walking in potentially hostile bush. Lastly, we agreed to more frequent post-op debriefs and information exchanges between air and ground units.

For more information on CITT see: www.cit-training.co.za

Colin Patrick debriefing us after the exercise.

Atoz

10 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Klaserie terminology

Story by Judy Meeser, photos by Ziggi Hugo

JIZZ

KLEPTOPARASITIC SPIDERS

General impression of size and shape.

Yes, that spells “giss” but jizz just rings better. The term is used in birding when the colours and details are difficult to distinguish as when looking into the sun or at a silhouette, and a bird can be identified by its shape, size and posture.

For example, a Brown Snake Eagle has a particular stance while perched and similarly no one could mistake the thrilling flight display of a Bateleur Eagle. Jizz is also used to identify trees by using shape and size from a distance. The compact neat little sjambok pod, Cassia abreviata is unmistakable and the nyala tree standing high on a termite mound is iconic and easily recognised. The term jizz is said to come from the Second World War when enemy planes were painted in friendly colours and soldiers instead learnt to recognise planes by using the general impression of size and shape.

Tiny spiders that live within the webs of others and steal their abandoned prey.

The funnel-web spider will typically have some unwelcome house guests of the Mimetidae family, ready to grab their leftovers, while the tiny silver-coloured dew-drop spiders live in the webs of garden orb spiders. The garden orb spider is familiar to us all, it has a silvergrey saw toothed carapace banded with yellow, black and silver stripes and is found in an orb web between trees.

When prey is ensnared in the web, the garden orb female approaches it and quickly wraps it in silk so it cannot move, before she bites and kills the prey. If the host female spider is not hungry at the time she will carry the prey to the edge of the web and save it for later. This is the dew-drop spider’s opportunity and he moves in as a kleptoparasite.

JACOBSON’S ORGAN

Jacobson’s organ: This organ detects moisture borne odours.

Also called the vomeronasal organ, this organ situated between the mouth and the nasal cavity detects moistureborne odours such as pheromones. Snakes flick their tongues out to ”taste the air” and then analyse the chemicals while other animals like cats use the lip curling flehmen grimace to breathe in and pass chemicals over the Jacobson’s organ for analysis (refer to the June 2015 Klaserie Chronicle for an explanation of flehmen).

11 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

KEELED

LEUCISM

The peaked convex shape of a leaf, reptile scale or animal bone. The puff adder has keeled scales along the dorsal line which are rough to the touch, while the ventral (side) and stomach scales are smooth. Keeled scales are often less shiny than the others and can aid in camouflage.

The keeled scales help the puff adder to burrow into the humic layer in wooded areas. The rhombic egg eater is a harmless snake which, when threatened, inflates itself and circles its coils while holding its head still in the direction of the danger and rubbing its rough keeled scales to create a hiss which deters the attacker.

Birds too have an enlarged keeled breastbone to secure the strong muscles needed in flight – some flightless birds lack a keeled breastbone. In plants the keeled leaf or bract directs water flow.

The colouration found in the white lions of this area.

Unlike albinism, with leucism only the pelt of the animal lacks pigment so it appears white while the eyes and the skin are pigmented.

The pigment of the eyes ranges from the normal golden colour to blue grey eyes. Leucism is due to a recessive gene mutation.

Keeled: The puff adder has keeled scales along the dorsal line (above) which are rough to the touch, while the ventral [side] and stomach scales are smooth. (below).

LEACHED SOILS

KATABATIC Cold, dense air flows downhill over gradients thanks to gravity. The air flows down a slope into a valley to form cold pockets of air in lowlying areas that often surprise us on evening and night drives. The opposite are anabatic winds that flow uphill as the air warms in the sun.

LEK An assembly of male animals or birds that engage in competitive courtship displays to attract females. The word “lek’’comes from Swedish, meaning to play without rules. Some birds that engage in lekking are manakins, snipes and ruffs.

The ruff is a fascinating bird that has the longest migration of any land bird in the world, as far as 19,000km one way from the extreme eastern edge of Siberia to the tip of Africa. The ruff is a wading bird that migrates to Africa in large numbers during our summer. While in Africa they are largely nomadic. They collect at shallow lakes and pans and also feed on open grassland like golf courses.

They eat insects and larvae as well as molluscs, crustaceans and worms. At the beginning the cooler season the ruff will undertake their epic journey back to Siberia where the male birds will assemble on the lek to parade their plumage and perform elaborate courtship displays to dull female birds of the same species – the reeves.

The females visit the lek and choose their mate from the many on show. Occasionally males with early breeding plumage can be spotted in South Africa sporting gaudy variable head and neck plumage. Ruff birds do occur in our area but are most often overlooked because of their drab colours before they don their party clothes.

LEUCISM: The colouration found in white lions in the area is a characteristic of leucism.

LEK: competitive courtship displays to attract females.

Soils that have been leached of nutrients due to the percolation, by rain or irrigation, of water soluble nutrients through the soil horizon leaving the soil lacking in vital plant nutrients. Soils have horizontal layers called horizons. The top O horizon is the organic layer made up of rotting leaves and plant material. Together with the A horizon directly beneath it, these two layers make up the important top soils.

Below that, B is the second horizon and so on until the parent material rock which dictates the nature of the soil. Sandy soils are easily drained and lose nutrients easily while clay soils are impermeable and often water logged. Most soils are a blend of loams, clays and sandy material. The soils of any area dictate the plants, which in turn dictate the animals and birds we will see. It is a worthwhile exercise to learn to recognise soil types and understand why certain animals prefer different areas.

12 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Too close for comfort Story by Graeme White, photos by Elizabeth White

T

he day dawned much like any other Friday on Dover, except this one we aren’t likely to forget in a hurry! It was a lovely overcast day so we decided to have a game drive along the river road and make our way north towards the northern boundary of Pitlochry. We had encountered a noisy herd of ellies there only two days prior.

Going through the second creek we noticed two elephants in the road, about 30 metres ahead and moving slowly towards the river. The rest of the herd were already in the river bed.

Ronald, who was driving, stopped the Landy so that we could get some good pictures. There was absolutely no provocation on our part and we were quite happy to watch them amble off but all of a sudden the smaller of the two (luckily for us) started flapping her ears, shaking her head, and running towards us. Everyone’s nightmare!

Ronald started the engine and advanced a few metres as though to challenge her. This did nothing to halt her charge and we soon realised we were the target and she wasn’t going to veer to the left or right. Luckily, Ronald had the presence of mind to turn off the engine and engage the clutch, so when she rammed us straight on, she pushed the vehicle backwards a few metres without causing too much damage. Her tusks tore into the top of the bonnet, very close to me but only damaging the air con. Not satisfied, she withdrew her tusks and tore into the bonnet once again. There was deathly silence from all in the Land Rover. It all happened so quickly that there was no time for any heroics or hysteria or even a good pic!

She then walked back a few paces and possibly realised she was enjoying the activity so turned around to face us again. Ronald wasted no time.

We were in first gear and moving forward as quickly as we could. She charged again, this time together with her companion, trumpeting loudly.

Her one tusk pierced the protective barrier on the driver’s side, narrowly missing my daughter, Nancy and a friend, Charles Wiggill. Although we were moving forward, the impact of the ellie lifted both wheels off the ground but there was no stopping us! We didn’t bother continuing our game drive and simply headed straight for camp where we were very emotional, to say the least.

Assessing the damage after a close encounter with two elephants on Dover.

This encounter could have been so much worse and we are all very grateful that the only real damage happened to my poor Landy. I must complement our camp guard, Ronald for the exceptional way in which he handled the situation.

We all wondered what had provoked the charge but speaking to Colin afterwards it seems that the large elephant herds are simply under stress because of too little food, water resources drying up again, and lots of youngsters who are just too weak to keep up with the adults. Needless to say, we didn’t go on that road again for the rest of our visit. Over cautious maybe, but we have memories too.

13 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

FishMAP: Mapping the freshwater fishes of southern and eastern Africa Jeremy Shelton and Megan Loftie-Eaton

G

lobal concern over the loss of biological diversity during recent decades has prompted the development of biodiversity databases and biological atlas projects in order to get a hold on past and present species distributions, as well as how these distributions are changing. Without such information, it is difficult to gauge the status of our wildlife in the face of global change, and implement meaningful conservation efforts accordingly.

The distributions of terrestrial vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals, are generally better known than those of aquatic creatures like fish, because they are more visible and relatively easy to identify in the field. This imbalance led to a project undertaken by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) to compile an Atlas of Southern African Freshwater Fishes.

The project, a progressive and globally unparalleled initiative in terms of digital record coverage, was completed in 2006 and was a roaring success. The atlas contains over 35,000 geo-referenced specimen records in 19 museums spanning from 1885 to 2000. In total, distribution data are presented for 254 species of freshwater fish from 37 families.

While providing invaluable guidance for conservation efforts, the atlas and subsequent work, have revealed two important aspects of our state of knowledge of freshwater fish distributions in southern Africa. Firstly, for many species there is insufficient information on taxonomic distinction and differentiation, and secondly, there is not sufficient data coverage to compile meaningful distribution maps for many species.

Understandably developing countries, including those in southern and eastern Africa, have limited resources for conducting the extensive survey work

required to resolve such issues. However, such nations also tend to be critical areas from a biodiversity perspective because many of their ecosystems (including aquatic systems) are still relatively pristine and underdeveloped.

Citizen science - scientific research conducted by amateur or nonprofessional scientists - can make a substantial contribution to our understanding of species distributions, particularly where formal scientific capacity is limited, and is thus currently considered a “hot topic” in conservation biology circles. The Animal Demography Unit (ADU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) houses a “Virtual Museum” that works with citizen scientists to expand on existing distribution databases for various groups of animals ranging from mammals to butterflies. One of the objectives of these projects is to maintain up-to-date species distribution maps and thereby detect expansions or contractions in a species’ range.

FishMAP was launched in August 2015

and is the latest addition to the ADU’s Virtual Museum family. It provides a new platform for citizen scientists to contribute to our knowledge of freshwater fish distributions in southern and eastern Africa. FishMAP has been set up in partnership with SAIAB, the Department of Ichthyology & Fisheries Science (DIFS), the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and the Freshwater Research Centre (FRC) and will look to establish links with other key institutions further down the line. The aim of FishMAP is to update and expand the distribution records of freshwater fish in southern and eastern Africa through collaborations with professional scientists, conservation organisations, wildlife authorities and citizen scientists. The project looks to collate and incorporate existing fish distribution data sets, and to improve and update our coverage of African freshwater fish distributions with the help of citizen scientists, thereby monitoring changes of these distributions in the face of global change.

Members of the public are encouraged to submit digital photographs of freshwater fishes encountered anywhere in southern or eastern Africa to the database. The process of uploading a record is simple and quick. The first step is to register on the website at www.adu. org.za. Records can then be uploaded through the Virtual Museum’s FishMAP portal. The project is still in its infancy but records have been coming in thick and fast already, and distribution maps will be released on the website as the records are identified in upcoming months.

If you are interested in being involved or if you have any queries, please contact project coordinator, Jeremy Shelton at jembejem@gmail.com or ADU Director, Les Underhill at les. underhill@uct.ac.za. Alternatively, visit the FishMAP Facebook group by searching for FishMAP Africa on Facebook.

14 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Groups of Klaserie Part 4: Pitlochry group In this series, we’re taking you through the recent histories of the Ground Hornbill groups of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR.) This month, we’re discussing the Pitlochry group.

Story by Kate Carstens, photos by Cassie Carstens

P

itlochry is a group of four to five individuals who have a home-range which stretches from southern Dundee in the north of the KPNR to northern Copenhagen in the south. We have been monitoring this group since 2001.

In 2002 a nest box was installed for this group in a large leadwood overlooking the Klaserie River, approximately 3km northeast of HQ. If ever there was a nest with a beautiful view, this would be it! The group first began using the nest in 2004 and since then have used it successfully five times over a period of eight years. In recent years they haven’t been using their nest but the presence of a yearling with them does hint at the possibility of an unknown natural nest in the area.

The alpha male was caught and ringed in 2005 with white plastic rings and we still see him with the group. The youngsters have dispersed, so the group we see today comprises the alpha pair, assisted by two unknown sub-adults.

One of the juveniles dispersed to a group near Phalaborwa Gate, some 40kms from his natal nesting site. A second juvenile dispersed into a neighbouring ‘floater’ group we call Northampton. It has sometimes been spotted on middle airstrip and along the main road heading up to HQ. With the dry season, groups have been using the full extent of their home ranges in search of good foraging, and Pitlochry is no exception. I saw this group foraging under the powerlines in the west of Klaserie a few weeks ago. This is by far the furthest west we have seen them, and no doubt the short grass under the powerlines provide easier foraging for the group. Over the short time observing them, I could see them searching dung piles for invertebrates, chasing down grasshoppers, and snapping up praying mantises that would fly up after being disturbed. With their keen eyesight and agile reflexes, they were making foraging in these dry conditions seem easy.

It has been a while since I last heard this group calling in the early mornings close to HQ. I remember hearing them often in 2012 after the floods, when I was staying at the Nels’ while the project house was being repaired. Sitting on the verandah in the early cool light with a cup of coffee and hearing the group calling will always be a special memory.

Eco Children says thank you for ongoing support to ...

Advert kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

• All the advertisers and sponsors of the KC • All the regular contributors to the KC • All the regular donors and supporters • African Impact – continued support of Eco Children Projects • African Impact Photography Team • All the Kit-a-Kid donors • All the Santa Shoebox donors

• Australian Government (DFAT) – continued support • Australian Volunteers International - continued support • Camp George – sponsoring a new photocopier • MAD Leadership Foundation – Bursary students • Southern Cross Schools

– Bursary Students • Hannah Barnes facilitating Maths Capacity Building workshops • READ Educational Trust – facilitated Gr R workshop • Carl Jansen – assisting with project management of construction projects • Holiday Workshop trainers – facilitating lessons

15 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

The wonderful world of bird nests Part 3

Complex nests Story and photos by Derek Solomon This is the final in a series of three articles about bird nests. In previous issues we have discussed tree and ground nests. This time we are focussing on complex nests.

S

ome families of birds make incredibly complex nests and this is particularly true of the weavers and sunbirds. Whilst it is not the most attractive nest for human eyes, the nest of the Red-billed Buffalo Weaver is a large structure made of thorny twigs, some of them 50-60cm in length, that are interwoven into a domed nest with a side entrance leading to the nest chamber. The nest may have as many as eight chambers and may be defended by several male birds. The Wattled Starling is another species that constructs a ball-type stick nest in a thorn tree. Hundreds if not thousands occupy a large area of bushveld to create a massive colony.

Other species of sunbirds and weavers build a pendant nest which is an elongated sac, woven out of pliable materials such as grasses and plant fibres and suspended from a branch. The weavers are one group that can easily be observed from a short distance while nest building without causing any disturbance. The three ‘yellow’ weavers all build similar-looking nests; but that of the Southern Masked Weaver has virtually no visible entrance tunnel, that of the Village Weaver has a short tunnel and the Lesser Masked Weaver constructs a long entrance tunnel.

They all breed in either small or large colonies.

Generally, the first two species construct completely new nests each season whereas the Lesser Masked Weaver often simply uses last year’s structure and adds the new nest to the bottom, creating a double or sometimes a triple story nest, though the upper parts are not used for breeding. Once the nest is almost complete, the female comes along to inspect it and if happy will line the nest with soft material, mate with the chosen male and lay her eggs. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not the female that dismantles a nest that is not suitable but rather the male who does this and then has to start all over again.

A study in Kruger National Park showed that a male Village Weaver would use 600 to 800 pieces of material to build a nest and the female added another 200 pieces of soft material to line it. In the course of gathering material he would fly approximately 20km in total. As the average number of nests built was seven he would cover a distance of approximately 140km in one season.

Other species such as the Spectacled and Red-headed Weavers use thin fibres or twigs to construct the nest and are solitary nesters.

The Red-headed Weaver often makes a series of nests under the eaves of houses.

Red-billed Buffalo Weaver nest: The nest may have as many as eight chambers and may be defended by several males

Wattled Starling nest: The Wattled Starling is another species that constructs a ball-type stick nest in a thorn tree and in this case hundreds if not thousands occupy a large area of bushveld to create a massive colony.

White-bellied Sunbird nest (left): Other species such as sunbirds and weavers build a pendant nest which is an elongated sac woven out of pliable materials such as grasses and plant fibres and suspended from a branch.

Southern Masked Weaver (above), Village Weaver (right) and Lesser Masked Weaver nest (top right): The weavers are one group that can easily be observed from a short distance while nest building without causing any disturbance.

The three ‘yellow’ weavers all build similarlooking nests; but that of the Southern Masked Weaver has virtually no visible entrance tunnel, that of the Village Weaver has a short tunnel and the Lesser Masked Weaver constructs a long entrance tunnel.

Spectacled Weaver (right): Other species such as the Spectacled and Redheaded Weavers use thin fibres or twigs to construct the nest and are solitary nesters.

The Red-headed Weaver often makes a series of nests under the eaves of houses.

page kindly sponsored by a friend

16 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

......... an old Timer remembers

Close encounters at the island lookout point

D

own river from Northampton camp is a lookout we refer to as the island lookout where we had some exciting observations through the years.

Years ago the Klaserie river formed two branches to create this island and at that time the centre part had a heavy reed cover which was a favoured lion breeding area. Overlooking this area was a rocky promontory about two stories in height. It had some scrub at one end and a fig tree at the other with a ledge halfway up from the river where there was quite a heavy clump of reeds.

With a favourable breeze it was an ideal place to sit and see what goes by.

One afternoon a leopard was spotted upstream where there are some rocks with bush around them. It had come out onto the rock to get the last rays of afternoon sun and to survey what was going about. For a few afternoons we used to creep down to our observation rock and the leopard would oblige but we had to keep very quiet and still. I couldn’t resist trying to get closer to take a photo but that spoilt it and the leopard vanished never to return.

The island since the flood.

Another afternoon when we got into position on the ledge all seemed quiet.

Then, from the opposite bank, which is quite heavily wooded, the lions started growling and roaring. We couldn’t see them but it sounded as if two prides had reached their territory boundaries and were busy seeing each other off.

On another day we were looking downstream. A lioness appeared, walking towards us on the river bank but she turned off up a creek while she was still some distance from us. It was always exciting to be on the ground as long as they did not get too close.

Another day we were at our lookout as usual and I crept up to look over the edge.

Directly below me was a klipspringer and for only a moment we looked each other in the eye before it was gone into the shrubbery downstream. I could have touched it with a fishing rod! A treasured moment never to be forgotten.

Another year in July and what was on the ledge? You guessed it, another leopard. Again, a moment in time before the leopard ambled off into cover downstream. That must have

been one of my most exciting sightings ever and the sort of encounter one is unlikely to ever experience again.

Walking upstream on the opposite bank one day I looked across to our lookout to see a honey badger climbing up to the lookout ledge. He was obviously out foraging and ambled off into the bushes.

I am always happier to be some distance away when seeing a badger though - you never know what they might get up too.

Sitting quietly at our lookout one afternoon a group of four old buffalo bulls appeared on the far bank. They were making for the river for a drink and disappeared into the reeds for a while.

We could see where they were by the reed movement. After a while two of them appeared, crossed the water and walked off downstream, disappearing further down. Presently the other two appeared below us, looked around to see where their mates were but couldn’t see them. They then crossed the water, put their noses to the ground, picked up the scent from their mates like dogs and proceeded to follow where the others had gone downstream.

Perhaps one of the most unusual events we observed from the lookout was a small group of elephants walking upstream late one afternoon with the light fading.

The bull was more than attentive to one of the cows. He kept caressing her back with his trunk and when she came to a brief stop he quickly took his chance and mounted her. Again, seeing an elephant in the act is quite something.

Those were the days before the hippo and crocs had come up river that far so who knows what will be seen in time to come. One thing is sure, it will be unexpected.

17 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Mini garden for mini learners

H

lapa Oje crèche, near Eco Children’s adopted school, Hloaia Primary in Green Valley, now boasts its very own mini keyhole vegetable garden. The garden was established in October thanks to the generosity and hard work of Erich Alder and his group of volunteers from Switzerland, as well as a helpful international crew of African Impact volunteers.

They built and planted the garden in just three days. The garden will supplement the crèche’s feeding scheme as well as teach these young learners some basic principles of permaculture before they move onto primary school.

18 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

sightings

Zebras at water hole. Photo Fred Ruest

Elephant. Photo Ivana Maarschallk

White lion. Photo Ziggi Hugo

Kudu at water hole. Photo Fred Ruest

Lilac-breasted Roller. Photo Ivana Maarschallk Pieter Steenkamp page kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

19 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Hyena. Photo Julie Lovegrove

sightings

Lion family. Photo Tim Feherty

Golden orb spider. Photo John Gillatt

sightings

Kudu. Photo Ivana Maarschalk

page kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

20 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Obituary – Ltl Acorn Story by Jan Pienaar and photos by Ltl Acorn

It is with great sadness that we recently had to part ways with a beloved member of our family, our favourite camera trap, Ltl Acorn (Little Acorn). Ltl Acorn was the epitome of never say die – that is, until one fateful day.

O

n expedition in Botswana an elephant removed him from his hiding place, stood on him and cracked his LCD screen. Even though it was then non-functioning, it didn’t stop him from completing his duties on time and without complaint. His altercations with elephants were far from over though, as he met a similar fate when a herd removed him from his spot here in the Klaserie, but he had a lucky escape by hiding in the mud of the waterhole. He documented leopards walking through one of our camps, as well as a female leopard feeding on an impala on the stoep of one of our rooms. He proved beyond doubt that it was the Go-away-birds that ate our aloes, grysbok are not as uncommon as once thought and that we have numerous civets patrolling after dark.

His luck, however, ran out when on assignment at a giraffe carcass. A spotted hyena took a particular liking to him and the rest, as they say, is history. I must apologise for the graphic nature of the last photos ever to be taken of Ltl Acorn, but I think people need to know. Also included are the last photos taken by him, showing the dedication he was renowned for right ‘til the end.

He is survived by his parents, Jan and Liana, and siblings, 650D and 20D. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him and his work.

21 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

The longhorn or timber beetle Story and photos by Ziggi Hugo

D

o you often drive past trees in the bush lying down and tell yourself or your guests that an elephant flattened the tree? Or do you tell them the tree got old and termites ate the tree? Well, think again and walk closer to have another look.

Summer is here and lots of insects are around. One of the species in the Lowveld is longhorn beetles. These beetles belong to the order Coleoptera and family Cerambycidae. They can be colorful diurnal or pale nocturnal species and have an elongated cylindrical or flattened body with long antennae.

Two species that visit our trees, especially the marula and acacia trees, are the giant longhorn and the large brown longhorn. These longhorns are mostly seen at night when attracted to lights and spotlights at your lodge or house.

Trees damaged by elephant and rhino are more accessible due to bark that exposes softer wood but longhorns will lay their eggs in cracks or holes in the wood they drilled themselves. The larvae penetrates the wood regardless if the tree is alive or dead. These larvae then feed on the wood and literally eat long tunnels through the wood.

This eventually kills a living tree and can weaken a dead tree to such an extent that it topples over easily which makes it more accessible for other insects to move in.

22 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Introducing Hennie Jacobs Meet Hennie Jacobs, recently appointed at the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.

I

have to admit that I find writing about myself quite an arduous task, which I was not too keen to undertake. As the days went by I experienced some of the beauty and tranquillity of the area and got to know some of the people associated with the reserve. I realised it is quite essential to introduce myself to the members and other stakeholders. It is a privilege to be part of such a beautiful environment and the Klaserie family.

I was born on the farm Winkelshoek in the Waterberg area of Limpopo province during the days when pounds and shillings were still lawful currency in South Africa. The area has since made a transition from largely being known for cattle farming to being predominantly game orientated. I am happily married to Retha for 37 years and have three daughters and five grandchildren.

After matriculating at the age of 17 in Mokopane (formerly Potgietersrus), I started my career with Nedbank. I joined the local government 14 years later, starting of as an accountant at a small town called Dendron and finally being employed as the chief financial

officer of our neighbouring town, Phalaborwa, managing a budget of more than R300 million per year.

In 2007 I accepted the position as financial manager of Parque Nacional do Limpopo in Mozambique. I was contracted by the Peace Parks Foundation which is well known to many in the conservation community. My main function was to deal with the accounting of donor funding and develop financial controls and procedures. It was quite a humbling experience coming from the luxuries one is used to in South Africa. I learned to become familiar with equipment such as inverters, deep cycle batteries and solar panels and never thought the knowledge gained during those days would come in handy when I returned to South Africa.

This period in my life taught me to appreciate quality of life rather than the quantity it could bring. It is a virtue to appreciate what you have rather than to focus on material desires. Apart from learning to greet locals in Portuguese, few phrases proved as valuable as “fogo por favor”. This request to the camp guard resulted in the fire being started as well as the preparation of the cuisine. It mostly consisted of masingir “chicken” freshly

Hennie Jacobs caught at the local market. Any other meat, if not imported, was consumed at own risk.

My goal in my new position is to ensure that the good financial practises of the reserve are maintained and wherever possible further improved. I look forward to being of service to our clients, the members and those affiliated.

“We are all vulnerable to extreme climatic events”

By Dianne Tipping-Woods

T

he hailstorm on Sunday 15 November, that killed livestock and destroyed various percentages of crops (from 30-100%) in and around Hoedspruit shows us just how vulnerable we all are to extreme climatic events, particularly farmers and the poor,” said the Association for Water and Rural Development’s (AWARD) Dr. Sharon Pollard.

While hail, heavy rains and no rains are part of the characteristics of the Lowveld weather, local knowledge

places the usual “hailstorm belt” further to the west of Hoedspruit. “In these areas, farmers therefore generally are insured but local farms and homes and farms in former homelands are not insured,” she notes. This means that the effects of the storm are being borne by some of the most vulnerable stakeholders in the Olifants catchment.

She also cautions that the storm could be a precursor to worse as the effects of climate change begin to be felt. AWARD’s current climate change research models

show it will impact on the Lowveld in various ways and Pollard believes the recent hail storm “may signal that we’re already starting to feel the effects of climate change through untoward events. ”While South Africa has what is called a co-efficient of variation (cV) that is one of the highest in the world second to Australia, meaning that droughts and floods are normal, the effects of climate change threaten to cause widespread livelihood vulnerability, environmental degradation and intensifying

conflict over resources.

“The storm and the damage sustained by farmers and home owners clearly shows that we can’t keep ignoring warnings about climate change and the need to take action and plan,” she advises.

This includes developing risk reduction plans.

Note that the South African Weather Service has released a report on their seasonal climate watch, which states that despite the storm, drought conditions are likely to continue.

23 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Africa’s vultures are sliding towards extinction V

ultures, Africa’s largest and most recognisable birds of prey face a grim future, according to the latest assessment carried out by BirdLife International for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species - the world’s most comprehensive information source on the conservation status of plant and animal species.

Six of the continent’s 11 vulture species have had their global threat status upgraded to a higher level, meaning they face a very real danger of extinction.

The Hooded Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Whiteheaded Vulture and Rüppel’s Vulture have been upgraded from endangered to critically endangered, while the Cape Vulture and Lappet-faced Vulture have been upgraded from vulnerable to endangered.

The main causes of the drop in African vulture populations are thought to be indiscriminate poisonings, where the birds are drawn to poisoned baits, use of vulture body parts in traditional medicine, and deliberate targeting by poachers because the presence of vultures can alert authorities to illegally killed big game carcasses.

Dr Julius Arinaitwe, BirdLife International’s Africa Programme Director, said: “As well as robbing the African skies of one of their most iconic and spectacular groups of birds, the rapid decline of the continent’s vultures has profound consequences for its people, as vultures help stop the spread of diseases by cleaning up rotting carcasses. However, now we are becoming aware of the sheer scale of the declines involved, there is still just enough time for conservationists to work with lawmakers, faith-based organisations, government agencies and local people, to make sure there is a future for these magnificent scavengers.”

Worldwide, 40 more bird species are now classified as having a higher risk of extinction in the 2015 Red List. Conversely, 23 species have been downgraded to lower threat categories. In some cases, this reflects a better understanding and more accurate picture of how they are faring, but some species have undergone remarkable recoveries as a result of conservation action.

24 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Flight of fancy Story by Peter Lawson, photos by Jacques and Navarre de Villiers

T

he Red-crested Korhaan, Eupodotis fuficrista is a common bird in the KPNR but shy and not often seen as it takes to hiding when it feels threatened. Its preferred habitat is fairly dense woodland and it spends most of the time on the ground, giving itself away by a series of clicks, followed by piercing whistles ascending in scale. One would assume this call would make it easy to spot, but not so as it is ventriloquial and usually in hiding behind a tree or dense bush.

They are large birds so by rights they should be conspicuous, but the cryptic colouration and habit of standing absolutely still when danger is near makes this member of the bustard family a master of camouflage. Although the name implies it has a red crest, this is seldom seen and only occasionally becomes visible on males in the breeding season, which is during summer.

It is at this time that the males are great show-offs. They try to attract females with an incredible and spectacular display flight, flying up vertically to a height of 20 metres or more, well above the tree line. They then roll over on their backs, fold their wings and legs and plummet

almost to the ground like a fluffy rugby ball. This aerial display is dramatic as it is so unexpected, but spectacular to witness and can be seen fairly often during summer. If close enough, take note of the female on the ground that the male is trying to impress. She appears to be totally disinterested and one can imagine her muttering under her breath: “stupid show-off�.

When breeding takes place, the Redcrested Korhaan has a polygynous social system and the macho male plays no role in parental duties whatsoever. He rather spends much of his time calling and displaying from a fixed position, in order to attract another female.

25 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Eco children Holiday Workshop

A sense of nature

N

ot even the extreme heat during October could keep the Klaserie children from attending the latest holiday workshop that took place at the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) headquarters.

311 children attended the workshop that focussed on using your senses to appreciate nature as well as learning more about how animals use their senses in unique ways - sometimes completely different than humans.

The workshop helped the children to finetune their ability to use all five of their senses, thereby completely embracing their natural surroundings and truly experiencing nature. However, it didn’t stop here and the opportunity was also used to teach them about some of the unique senses of the wildlife kingdom.

For example, the children couldn’t believe that bats used a “special hearing” power called echolocation to navigate.

These concepts were reinforced by playing various games and making informative posters. Everyone loved running around, pretending to use their “echolocation superpower” to find their friends and chase them around the HQ buildings.

It was once again a successful holiday workshop and we’re already looking forward to the next one.

26 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Children’s Eco Training

evolves into Eco Children C

hildren’s Eco Training was recently ‘re-born’ as Eco Children, with the evolution of the nonprofit’s name designed to reflect the work it does in the area of whole school development.

An initiative of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR), Children’s Eco Training was initially set up in 2004 to conduct conservation workshops for the children of farm workers during the school holidays.

More recently, the organisation broadened its remit and moved into the area of whole school development, with the goal of broadening the reach of their conservation message and social impact into the community.

This broader focus is also in recognition of the fact that learners will be more receptive to conservation education once their basic needs have been met.

CEO, Corné Havenga said: “Given our current and future focus on whole school development, the ‘training’ aspect of our name wasn’t as relevant as it once was. We’ve changed the name of the organisation to Eco Children and updated our branding to reflect the vibrant communities in which we work.

27 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

We believe that these changes will help us inspire more people, companies and funding bodies to join our mission to educate and conserve our special environment.”

The organisation has adopted four local primary schools to date. The ‘whole school development’ approach involves establishing Eco Villages in the schools with vegetable gardens that supplement their feeding scheme and, most importantly, implementing a bespoke handson conservation-based curriculum. The next phase is improving essential infrastructure - transforming dilapidated schools by renovating classrooms, installing enviro loos, renovating kitchens and establishing libraries to name a few, all of which contribute to creating an environment that is conducive to learning. Following on this phase, the aim is to improve the quality of teaching through capacity building workshops for educators and finally, providing opportunities for talented learners through a bursary programme.

Under the new name and revitalised brand, Eco Children has ambitious plans to raise more funds and adopt additional schools. Havenga elaborated on the organisation’s future plans and said: “While we will continue to run holiday workshops and Adult Eco Training at Klaserie, and build on our relationships with our existing adopted schools, we also intend to adopt six more primary schools over the next three years and improve the education outcomes for many more hundreds of learners.”

To learn more about Eco Children and their work in conservation education and whole school development, visit www.ecochildren.co.za.

28 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

before

Eco Children renovates 21st classroom

C

lassroom renovations are underway at Mahlathi Primary, one of Eco Children’s four adopted schools, thanks to funding from the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR).

This brings the total number of classrooms renovated by Eco Children to 21.

Transforming the classrooms from neglected, monotone environments to colourful, stimulating places that are conducive to learning is a crucial part of whole school development and will undoubtedly contribute to better education outcomes at the school.

Many studies have shown that learners thrive in environments where they feel safe nurtured and respected. All learners, even those with learning difficulties and extraordinary personal challenges, can do well when they are physically comfortable, mentally motivated and emotionally supported at school.

Eco Children wishes to thank the KPNR for making these improvements possible. An update on the classroom renovations will be included in the next issue of the Klaserie Chronicle.

Work in progress

29 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Community celebrations

strike a chord Story by Brad Timms

J

ust four months after leaving Australia and starting my volunteer assignment with Eco Children, I was lucky enough to attend the farewell functions at our adopted primary schools – Hloaia, Mahlathi, Matikinya and Seganyane Primary Schools. These ceremonies are held at the end of each year to celebrate the transition of grade 7 learners from primary school to high school.

As a relative newcomer to South Africa, I was still in ‘hyper-sensitive observation mode’ and I was struck and delighted by the whole community’s enthusiasm in celebrating this milestone. I couldn’t help comparing and contrasting this to what I experienced in my own school years, and they couldn’t have been further apart! While my own school assemblies were fairly dry affairs that just had to be endured, mostly in silence, the farewell functions at every one of these schools were demonstrations of a rich culture. They were full of laughter, enthusiastic applause, and pure joy – all accompanied by the sound of pumping tribal house music, whistles being blown and the ubiquitous vuvuzelas.

What struck me most was that the self-consciousness that my peers and I had in our teenage years (and still have to a large extent) was completely absent.

Here, teachers danced up to the stage and with each other on the stage, circuit managers were dressed in traditional costume and blew vuvuzelas, and the learners themselves showed no fear of ridicule as they performed their poetry, rap, or dance act. Each and every one was encouraged and applauded and supported by the crowd.

I also felt a huge amount of pride as my Eco Children colleagues awarded Kit-a-Kid vouchers to grade 6 and 7 learners that had demonstrated dedication to the Eco Garden and in the Eco Classroom. As each learner’s name was called, mothers leapt to their feet and expressed their pride and joy through ululations or by blowing whistles or by – yes, you guessed it, blowing a vuvuzela. The Kit-a-Kid vouchers enable the learners to buy a complete school uniform, and in my 15+ years of working in the non-profit sector, I’ve never before seen such gratitude from beneficiaries.

It was an absolute privilege to participate in these vibrant and joyous ceremonies and I feel extremely fortunate to have done so. Cue the vuvuzela!

30 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Santa Shoeboxes create a sea of smiles Story by Brad Timms

T

he Santa Shoebox Project, an initiative of the Kidz2Kidz Trust, has been a catalyst for kindness since 2006. When it started, just 180 shoeboxes were distributed. This year it is expected that more than 100,000 boxes will be given to excited and grateful children across South Africa and Namibia.

The success of the project can largely be attributed to its personal nature.

Donors give gifts to children whose names, ages and genders are known and they shop with this in mind, buying toys and clothing that are relevant to their nominated child. While the kids get most excited about the sweets and sunglasses, the other inclusions such as educational items, toothpaste and toothbrush, soap and a face cloth are mandatory to ensure that there are also longer-term benefits to receiving a shoebox.

Eco Children has been helping promote the project and coordinating the collection and distribution of shoeboxes in the Hoedspruit area since 2011. Over 1,600 shoeboxes – the highest number to date – were pledged and distributed this year to our adopted schools, nearby crèches, and at holiday workshops held at Klaserie HQ. Every shoebox was received with both amazement and gratitude and we saw many of the recipients proudly wearing their new clothes in the days that followed.

Eco Children would like to thank all those who responded to our request to pledge shoeboxes and also to all the wonderful volunteers who helped with sorting at the drop off at the NG Kerk in Hoedspruit. The goodwill you have generated is priceless.

31 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

32 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

The Secret Life of Klaserie Camps

By Shaun Taylor, owner of Moriti Private Safaris

O

ne thing that is not a secret on the awesome Nyeleti Game Farm is the “secret” island located directly across from Nyeleti and Kitara Lodges. This island has some of the best sightings in Africa as far as I am concerned.

When I have guests with me and we spend time at Nyeleti, my favourite camp in the Klaserie, my tracker, Andries and I always end up having to give up on tracking our lion pride. Not because of fading light, but because they go straight over onto that blasted island!

Conversations about this island have hatched stories. “Is this the island they filmed Lost on?”

“Have celebs like Elvis and Tupac faked their deaths and are living on the island?” Regardless of the truth (I personally think all of them are true), the lion, elephant and leopard love it there!

Due to the fact that the island is in actual fact a forbidden island and we are not permitted to venture there, I hatched a plan. I ran a safari in July and decided to bring two camera traps with me to try and capture the animals moving across to their island paradise. Before you ask, Elvis did not leave the building. However, my beliefs on the game viewing were confirmed with some awesome sightings.

I set one camera up on a rock formation at a prominent water hole near the river and had a few great sightings.

However, that was promptly ruined when an elephant decided to rip the camera off the rock and the rest of my photos were of ants and a very inquisitive yellow mongoose. However, I set up the other camera on a well-used game path leading to the island and boy, did this yield some action! Our resident male leopard who has a rather loud call was spotted, as well as a phenomenal sighting of a caracal which made me scream like a little girl when I saw it.

On the second last day we had a buffalo carcass on the river just a few hundred metres up so I set up my traps on a few game paths in the area.

The images we got were great!

Plenty of hyena, vultures, lion and leopard to name but a few. It took 24 hours and the carcass was stripped. The first night the carcass was there our lion pride found it and one female called in all her family members to the area.

We had a “symphony of lion” (I’m thinking of trademarking that). There were tracks everywhere. It looked like a

male and female leopard had been feeding on the carcass as well as at least four female lionesses and one big male. I also saw grey duiker tracks close by. These animals have been known to feed off carcasses. Plenty of hyena tracks too and a few human tracks – mine and Steve Beal’s.

This part of the Klaserie is just amazing and the animal numbers and sightings up there are indicative of not only how well run the reserve is, but also how well respected these animals are by Lee, Don, Liana, Jan, the Klaserie Camps team and the relevant land owners. They are the most important part of my safaris and I can count myself very lucky that I get to call this area home for a week every month.

You can bet I’ll be carrying my camera traps with me on every safari from now on and will make sure I set them up at as many different places on the farm that I can.

Camera traps are great fun, not only for us as guides, but for guests too.

I can thoroughly recommend them.

33 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Bursary scholars shine brightly in African Dream

S

outhern Cross Schools drama students staged their original play ‘African Dream’ at the end of October, the culmination of months of hard work and rehearsals.

All six of Eco Children’s bursary scholars that currently attend Southern Cross performed in the play or worked behind the scenes and all of them shone in their respective roles.

(Left) Sam Mahlalela wowed the audience with his impressive singing and dancing skills.

Exciting opportunities for talented local youngsters Story by Brad Timms

Zandi Mathebula revelled in her role as the rebellious maid, Beauty.

Cassie Mnisi was convincing as a modern sangoma.

T

he pinnacle of Eco Children’s whole school development approach (see page 27) is our bursary programme, and we were thrilled to have four of our talented learners recently selected to join the Make a Difference (MAD) Leadership Foundation’s programme in 2016.

Two scholars currently studying at Southern Cross Schools (SCS), Mersin Ngobeni and Kwetsi Mathebula, will continue at the school as grade 10 and 12 pupils; while two younger learners, Tressy Mathebula and Holy Manyike, will be starting their high school education from next year at SCS. Holy, son of Eric Manyike who works at Klaserie HQ, regularly attends the holiday workshops and was identified there as a talented learner. He is our first holiday workshop attendee to be selected for the bursary programme - hopefully the first of many.

The selection process for the MAD Leadership Foundation bursaries is thorough and we were proud of the way all of our learners conducted themselves during the three rounds of interviews. In the final stage of the selection process, candidates were asked to give a presentation to a panel on any issue facing South Africa. Rhino poaching was a common theme amongst our candidates, demonstrating the effectiveness of the rhino protection campaign.

Eco Children now supports a total of nine bursary scholars. In addition to partnering with MAD Leadership Foundation for bursaries, Eco Children also supports a number of other talented youngsters through our donor-funded bursary programme. Eco Children acts as mentor to the learners and shares financial responsibility in partnership with SCS and the learners’ families.

To learn more about Eco Children’s bursary programme, visit www.ecochildren. co.za or email corne@ecochildren.co.za

34 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Unknown legends of the Lowveld

Percy Wood Willis (1876 – 1959)

PERCY WOOD WILLIS aka Pump Willis, made his way to the Lowveld from his birthplace in then Natal after working in the mines in Johannesburg and playing a part in the Jameson Raid and Anglo-Boer War. While living in the Lowveld, he went from hunter and storekeeper to honorary game ranger and photographer and was an avid supporter of Stevenson-Hamilton in his aim of establishing the Kruger National Park.

Story by Hans Bornman

W

illis was born in 1876 on the Natal Sugar Estate “Prospect Hall” on which Durban North now stands. In those days the estate, which bordered the Umgeni Lagoon, was surrounded by dense bush which harboured diverse sorts of game such as bushbuck, red, brown and blue duiker, bushpig and guinea fowl, pheasant and partridge. The lagoon itself was a fisherman’s paradise, teeming with grunter, cob, bream and rock cod. Young Percy revelled in this environment, which created in him an affinity for wildlife with which his destiny was later interwoven.

He received his education at Crow’s School in Durban and started work on the old Kleinfontein gold mine on the Witwatersrand Goldfields at the age of 16. He became particularly interested in mining, engineering and reduction work but his weekends were invariably spent birdshooting with fellow enthusiasts on the pans within a few hours walking distance of Benoni.

Jameson Raid On January 1st 1896, Percy and two friends who were employed in the reduction works of Porges Randfontein, decided – after hearing all the wild rumours concerning the advancing raiders – to walk to Krugerdorp and entrain for Johannesburg where they hoped to join a regiment. They reached Jameson’s men before entering Krugersdorp and within a few moments were part of the invading force.

Percy found himself in conversation with an officer about the best possible route to follow in the morning and he was later introduced to Jameson who asked him to act as guide for the following day. At dawn the column advanced towards Doornkop, at times

under heavy rifle fire from the Boers. Before they had gone far, two mounted men under a white flag rode up to them and handed Jameson a large envelope which he opened at once. This presumably contained an entreaty from the Reform Committee asking Jameson to return to the border, for Percy heard him say: “It is too damned late to ask me to go back. I am going through to Johannesburg.”

From that point they rode on until they were under Doornkop where heavy fire pinned them down despite the fact that the Boer sevenpounders were out-ranged by the British 12-pounder and numerous maxims. When Jameson found his force completely surrounded, he sent up two white flags to ascertain the Boer terms. These were greeted with the most intense fire of the day for fully five minutes, and both were shot down. After another white flag had been raised, several Boers came forward and the surrender was arranged. Percy and his two friends, being in mufti, were able to escape while the column was being escorted back to Krugersdorp.

So ended the most exciting episode of his life.

Anglo-Boer War At the beginning of 1899 Percy and his brother, who together had saved just over £500, decided to quit the mines for good and try their luck elephant hunting and prospecting in Portuguese East Africa. Soon after, the AngIo-Boer War broke out and after suffering and convalescing from a severe bout of malaria, the brothers crossed the border from Portuguese East Africa and joined “Steinaecker’s Horse” at Komatipoort.

Percy later described this unit as being in many respects very “irregular”, but found himself in the company of several men who were destined to play a part in developing the Lowveld later. One of his tasks was to operate the pump delivering water to the barracks and for this duty he was rewarded with the nickname “Pump” which stuck forever after.

At the conclusion of hostilities, the brothers went into storekeeping together at Bushbuckridge and Acornhoek. Their only diversion in this remote area was hunting, and 1908 and 1910 found them pursuing elephants in Portuguese East Africa in the country known as Hlengaland between the Limpopo and the Great Sabi River to the north.

In 1914, Pump and his brother joined the 2nd Imperial Light Horse and saw action in South West Africa.

In a night attack against German forces at Gibeon, Pump lost his right leg and won a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his bravery.

page kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

35 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Lowveld life On his return to Acornhoek, Percy and his brother further expanded their interests by taking over two trading stores from H. L. Hall and Sons, in partnership with Mr. Ernest Whittingstall. On the farming side they extended their interests to include cattle, citrus, cotton and tobacco.

Through the years the partnership expanded until they owned 18,000 morgen, including the farms Morea, Rolle, Acornhoek and Fleur-de-Lys, and had 16 trading stations.

Development in this area, remote as it then was in terms of communications, required great perseverance and courage.

During all this time “Pump” was also playing his part in a wider field. After a lifetime of hunting, during which he had bagged 28 lions, he became a valued Honorary Game Ranger, and his opinions on wildlife were greatly respected. He was able to use his pen in support of Stevenson-Hamilton against the many detractors of Fauna and Flora Preservation, whose attacks never ceased until the Sanctuary was finally declared a National Park in 1926. Pump had exchanged his gun for a camera long before that date, and he was privileged in being allowed to construct hides near much frequented waterholes within the park itself. He soon established an international reputation for his outstanding animal photography.

In 1948 Pump sold his assets to his partner, Whittingstall and celebrated his retirement by marrying Mrs. Ronnie Bester of “Bendarroch”, Karino. They made their home in Nelspruit where Pump lived contentedly until his death in 1959.

36 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 33

Julie’s gift E

co Children is grateful to Julie Lovegrove, a volunteer with African Impact, who sacrificed birthday presents and instead encouraged her family and friends to donate to Eco Children, using our fantastic new donation page. Within hours Julie had raised over R2,300 for our work with donations from around the globe.

Anyone wanting to follow Julie’s admirable lead and forego Christmas presents or make another sacrifice (dry December, anyone?), clock up some cycling miles, run a marathon or undertake any activity that is worthy of sponsorship, can set up an online fundraising page and easily contribute to Eco Children’s work in conservation education and whole school development.

Visit www.justgiving.com/ecochildren to set up your fundraising page or donate.

How can YOU help Eco children?

• follow us on Facebook • subscribe to the Klaserie Chronicle • donate • fundraise for us • sponsor a bursary

Visit www.ecochildren.co.za for more information.

Thank you for your support!

Page kindly sponsored by the Connan Family Trust