Klaserie Chronicle 05-2006

Klaserie Chronicle Klaserie Kroniek 05- 2006

Groot was die belangstelling

toe ’n TV- te neem vir uitsaai op die SATV 2 Woensdagoggend-proproduksiespan vroeg in Desembermaand by die opleidings- gram, NX - Nature Excursions. Hier is hulle doenig by ‘n program aangesluit het om die verloop van die program op grond-erosie projek wat in die KPNR geloods word.

Committee of three takes up eco-training reins The EXCO of the KPNR has designated a sub-committee of three to pick up the reins of the Children’s Eco Training Programme, give it a firm, regulated base and take it forward. At the same time it is of great significance that substantial exDeon Huysamer ternal funding for the programme has been obtained from the Mary Slack and Daughters Foundation.

The three serving on the subcommittee are Jennifer Howson, Deon Huysamer Jennifer Howson

and Dave Tindall. Each was approached for an appraisal of the committee’s reason for being.

Jennifer has this to say: “Deon, Sandy and Zani have developed a unique children’s eco-training programme, which suits the pristine, diverse and under-commercialized nature of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. This programme has already created a sense of excitement and anticipation amongst the school children in the Hoedspruit/Acornhoek community; and a growing confidence and purpose amongst the ‘teachers’ in the K.P.N.R. “I see the role of the sub-committee as helping build and expand on this solid founContinued on page 3 ...

Dave Tindall

“So when I start to climb, I am so concentrated that there is nothing else existing. In this concentration, everything seems quite logical. The danger is gone. But the concentration is absolute.”

Reinhold Messner, the world’s greatest mountaineer.

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Readers’ Forum - Briewebus

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Die redakteur van die Klaserie Kroniek doen ’n beroep op alle lesers vir paslike items wat op hierdie bladsy gepubliseer kan word. Dankie, Redakteur

Incheni Cheetah takes a stroll ...

Bridget Puck of Bateleur Camp writes: Upon returning from a trip out of the KPNR, we were driving on the gravel road which leads to Incheni Gate - we had just passed Inkasi Entrance Gate - when we spotted something in the road up ahead.

Approaching with caution we realized that the “something” was a Cheetah. The animal looked at us, then left and right at the fences on either side. It then started walking away from us, ignoring the grader on the side of the road it leaped over the cattle grid - see photograph on the left.

Its walk had turned into a run and then slowed looking left and right as if to check for a way through the fences but to no avail. Walking and then running it made its way towards Incheni Gate. It could not turn around as we were approaching at minimal speed and therefore blocked its escape route behind us. The Cheetah could only move in one direction, towards Incheni Gate, at a walk and then a run and then a walk again.

The Cheetah continued in the direction of and neared the Gate. At the same time the guard, having heard an approaching vehicle, emerged from the guardhouse to receive the fright of his life as the Cheetah whisked passed him and through the Gate.

‘One of the very good Viva eco-training, VIVA ... social projects at long live Ma-Sandy, long live! grassroots level’ Lunghi of KPNR HQ writes: I feel blessed to touch and feel a snake. This is the greatest experience in my whole life.

Mike von der Heyde writes: I just wanted to confirm that I did receive the edition of the Klaserie Chronicle you kindly sent me with the dates of the next children’s eco training session.

Unfortunately I will be overseas at the end of this month and so far I might well be tied up with meetings in Johannesburg in the first week of December. Perhaps I can make a point to personally witness some of the training next year.

Anyway, I think you have done tremendous work in starting and driving this project. It really is one of the very good social projects at grassroot levels which makes one remain posititive about this country amongst the many negative reports seen daily in politics and the media.

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I pray that this programme can go further because I have still got a two-yearold boy whom I would like to see attend the course.

It is difficult amongst we Africans to leave a snake alone when we see one so I would like to appeal to all my colleagues around the Reserve not to kill snakes so that our children and grandchildren can see them.

Thanks a lot.

••• Photo on right: Lunghi, Patrick and the python

“There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen to write.” William Makepeace Thackeray.

Die pad vorentoe vir eco-opleiding Continued from page 1... dation as we need to focus on education and training as a safeguard to the future of nature conservation and the private nature reserves in South Africa.

“Certainly, the thrill of a ‘bush experience’ and active participation in this programme outweighs other forms of visual communication and could create a passion for nature and a desire to protect the environment.

“The Sabi Sands and Timbavati Nature Reserves are household names in the Tourist Industry with their five-star lodges and overseas guests. However, as a sub-committee we should strive to ensure that the K.P.N.R. is distinguished from the other reserves by our total commitment to educational empowerment in nature conservation and excellence in conservation management,” concludes Jennifer.

Deon Huysamer is entoesiasties oor die rigting waarin die program vorder. “Die subkomitee is daar om te kyk na die toekoms van die hele program. Sandy het aangedui dat sy nie so direk verantwoordelik wil wees vir die opleiding nie en dit is daarom dat ons die subkomitee gestig het om te kyk na die pad vorentoe.

“Dit het gou duidelik geword dat ons op een of ander stadium die program sal moet ‘institusionaliseer’ as ons die lang termyn welstand wil verseker.

“Klaserie is about conservation. If one reads through the latest management plans that the Kruger Park (and all parks in the SANParks structure, for that matter) has produced, and remember we are part of the greater Kruger National Park, one sees throughout that the work you do for the community, community involvement and community training stand out as being of great importance.

“One cannot get away from it. If you are involved in a reserve, though it is mainly about conservation and one forms part of a greater community. There are people working for the KPNR and for the members and they are mostly from the surrounding areas I think there is a responsibility on everyone to assist and uplift wherever we can,” says Deon.

Dave Tindall completes the triumvirate at the helm of eco-training.

“I have had a long innings with Rotary (since 1977) which is really a community service based organization. I have seen a lot of projects come and go over the years. Some of them have just disappeared. Others linger on. Now being in this (the eco-train-

Game-drive vehicle to have seating for 45 Bateleur Camp in the KPNR has donated a second-hand ten-ton former furniture truck to the training programme.

It is a 1981 model Mercedes Benz MB 1013 which is destined to be turned into a 45-seater game-drive vehicle.

The vehicle has already been totally overhauled and resprayed by the donors and presently has a flatbed back.

Mark Wilkes will be the wizard at work putting in the seating and ensuring the vehicle - still to be christened with suitable name - complies with all safety standards.

Sponsors at R800 a seat are now being sought to cover expenses - see display top of Page 4.

Names of sponsors will be suitably recognized on the sides of the vehicle. Telephone Sandy to sponsor your seat. See Page 4 for words of thanks to one of those who made it happen, Ignis de Swardt.

ing programme) I find it to be one of the most vibrant of the community projects that I have ever been involved in. It fits the Rotary mould of ‘service above self’. What one likes about this project is that it is very hands on. It is something that produces tangible results.

“We have a youngster, Jeffery, whose father works for us.

Jeffery attended the course and you want to see the change in this youngster. He has grown in confidence. He can now associate himself with a learning programme. It is incredible.

“This is so typical of a working outreach programme which is very important. One cannot sit cloistered in your own little shell.

The opportunities have now been created and we must now grasp them and try and educate the masses and regain that which was lost in the difficult years of our history. The kids are absolutely enthusiastic learners It needed a champion like Sandy to actually launch the programme. Now that this has taken place we look forward to working with Zani and taking it to the next level,” opines Dave.

Sandy says ‘totweersiens’ Just to say “thank-you” - to members of the KPNR, volunteers, KPNR staff, Southern Cross Schools staff, KPNR “teachers”, all 360 children and my husband, Mark, for all the assistance and encouragement I have experienced over the past four years, could fill this entire publication. I am, however, going to keep this brief in the trust that these few words will speak volumes.

Sandy at work

From the inception of the AIDS programme to the AGM fund-raiser and then finally the Children’s Eco Training that, in turn, lead to the birth of the Klaserie Chronicle there have been good times and tough times.

The good times were better for having so many real enthusiasts to share them with – we worked long and hard, got to really know each other, shared ideas, told stories and laughed a lot – thank-you!

To Patrick Seeton, editor of the Chronicle, without whom this publication would not exist, thank-you, not only from me but from everyone who enjoys receiving and reading it.

Also in the field of media and communications, we sincerely appreciate the interest shown in our activities by EMV Productions (contracted to SATV 2). It is so important to have this exposure to the broader audience. Thankyou, Enos and Mathews.

Although it is sad for me to be exiting the Children’s Eco Training programme (and with it the management of the Chronicle) it is the right time to do so. The programme has financial stability, the media exposure to look forward to and a solid foundation to work from. Best of all, I am handing over to Zani in whom I have total confidence. Backing her is the newly formed EXCO sub-committee, Deon, Dave and Jennifer – a formidable team – “Go guys, make it the best!” With deep and sincere thanks to everyone. Sandy.

Zani’s back.

“There are songs that come free from the blue-eyed grass, from the dust of a thousand country roads. This is one of them.” So begins Robert James Waller’s book, The Bridges of Madison County.

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Op soek na borge vir 45 sitplekke teen R800 ’n sitplek.

If you are Indien u bereid prepared to be is om deel te part of this wees van hierdie exciting project opwindende telephone projek skakel nou met Zani by Sandy now on 082 462 8252 vir 015 793 3521 besonderhede. for details.

Wanted: sponsors for 45 seats @ R800 a seat on the game-drive vehicle.

Bateleur Camp & Ignis our gratitude

And the prize winners for 2006 are ...

One-hundred-and-ten of some 340 students received certificates for attending eco-training courses during 2006.

Also handed over were special prizes for the year’s winning students in the six- and seven-year age groupings. Bicycles, donated by Sportsman’s Warehouse, Nelspruit, were presented to ... in the six-year age group, Michelle Mathebula, whose parents are employed by Katzenellenbogen and, in the sevenyear age group, Nhlamulo Mhogwani whose parents are employed by Ntoma.

Then in the older groupings from eight years to 16 years there was once again a fantastic weekend in the Kruger National Park.

This group was accompanied by teachers and assistant teachers.

This year’s winners were - in order of name, age, and parents’ employer: Carol Nziyani (8), Camp George; Amukelani Mgiba (9), Camp George; Olga Khosa (10), Braithwaite; Cardney Ndlovu (11), KPNR HQ; Ronny Mathonsi (12), Wood (Du Preez); Candy Manzine (13), Nzumba Camps; Nkulueko Mathebula (14), Hartman; Neo Chiloane (15), KPNR HQ; Arnold Moropane (16), Dover.

There were two outstanding “runners-up”, namely, California Makhubela (10) of Nzumba Camps and 13-year-old Keith Ndlovu of KPNR HQ. Each of these children received a sports bag in which to pack their clothing for the weekend. These were provided at

It is not easy to illustrate the sheer extent of the donation received from Bateleur Camp, in the form of the MB 1013 ten-tonner - see Page 3.

cost by Game.

Besides the appreciation due to Bateleur Camp mention must be made of the person instrumental in actually sourcing the truck and getting it to the stage where it can be adapted into a formidable 45-seat game-drive vehicle.

He is Ignis de Swardt of a dealership in North-West Province.

For four to five months of the year Ignis went to great effort to seek the right truck and it was one that turned out to be a retired furniture van. As Sandy puts it, “these vehicles are in high demand and are extremely difficult to get hold of.”

“It was a total gem finding this vehicle and we would all like to say thank-you to him for working so hard at it and finally finding us one,” says Sandy with feeling.

• Once again there were people and organizations who made all this possible.

The Kruger National Park came up trumps with free accommodation, waiving of entrance fees and an unforgettable night drive.

Three Budget cars (at discounted rates) and a Camp George vehicle were used and this was supplemented by fuel costs being covered by Mr Ricky Hartog, Mr John Braithwaite, Mr Alan Crookes and Mr Deon Huysamer

Winners were selected on a points system based on behaviour, participation, obedience to teachers, games won, quiz marks and homework.

Highlights of the latest training sessions There were several highlights in the four-day late November (teacher-training) early December (children-training) sessions.

Douglas Schaefer, our Hornbill specialist spent the afternoon of November 21 with the teachers. His lecture focused on the theme of the children’s training which was “Man and his Reliance on a Pristine Environment”.

Then, Charles, one of the lead actors of the Pfukani

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Theatre Group spent time with both teachers and children during the training sessions. Children were divided into groups of ten to make costumes and act out a play depicting ways in which man is reliant on and benefits from wildlife. For those readers unaware of the Theatre Group it can be said that it is made up of local performers, some of whom have toured internationally.

Other activities included visiting erosion sites worked on by the children in 2005.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” George Orwell from his work, Animal Farm.

Report on September training

Photographs from the September 2006 Children’s EcoTraining. From above to base of page: students in the field to identify spoor and dung; students crowd around Ronald to learn more about the signs on the ground; students lie head-to-toe to demonstrate the length of the largest crocodile. A highlight of the September session was the daily visits of Patrick from the Khamai Reptile Park (see also Page 11). His lectures were given in Shangaan holding the attention of children for a full hour in addition to which he addressed the respective groups.

Once again it was an action-packed programme for the children attending the September (25, 26 27 and 28) ecotraining course.

Patrick of Khamai brought with him each day a variety of reptiles amongst them being, a cobra, a boomslang, a monitor lizard and a python. His vivid lectures were presented in Shangaan.

Game drives focused around water holes where spoor and dung were identified, measure, inspected and noted. On these drives special attention was given to the feeding habits of the animals sighted.

Back in the classroom knowledge gleaned on outdoor excursions was tested with outstanding results. Games played were hotly contested showing high levels of enthusiasm and interest.

Other activities went on to embrace the making of animal masks, then wearing the masks while acting out the movements and sounds of animals seen on drives.

Clay donated for modelling Clay donated by Silveray and Waltons (thank-you, thank-you, thank-you) to an estimated value of no less than R4 500 was made available for the children to model animals with.

Name tags were attached to the works of art. This was done to enable their “homework” to be compared to their classroom work. Of course it could also be ascertained whether Mum or Dad had not assisted with the “homework”.

Sandy reports the September training “went well and once again appreciation to the volunteers who helped with the catering”. “... Life ought to be more than a grim battle for survival. Life must include the joyful pursuit of a fullness towards which all awakened people are compelled to reach,” Govan Mbeki.

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KPNR HQ is new venue for training o

The focus subject of the June

Insects” and what better person to address above and below). He was joined by his w dealt with owls. The photo above also show Mnisi and Leeann Khoza (left) and Sinhle

Life is an interesting game for these teachers attending the June 2006 teacher-training classes prior to the June eco-training for children. The teachers are playing the Bird Card Game, a cool way to learn all about birds from identifying the species, describing it and its habits including nesting, the eggs laid and food sources.

Practising the Bird Game. The teacher (right in photo above) addresses a group of senior students. The trainer reads out a description of the bird which the students are required to recognize. The process is repeated by identifying the right card depicting the relevant bird’s nest, its eggs and finally, food source. Points are awarded accordingly.

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“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops” Henry Adams.

of teachers and children’s eco classes

2006 training courses was “Birds and s the subject than Bruce Lawson (in photos wife Dee. His morning classroom session ws the presence of assistant teachers, Elias e Mathebula (right).

A student points to the chart used to identify birds, seeds, fruit and insects of prey. Teacher Jimmy is on the left while Assistant Teacher Elias Mnisi helps from the right.

‘Outweighs all other forms of visual communication’ Member of the three-person sub-committee set up

by Exco, Jennifer Howson, is enthusiastic, in her acclaim for the eco-training programme.

Says Jennifer: “Certainly, the thrill of a ‘bush experience’ and active participation in this programme outweighs other forms of visual communication; and could create a passion for nature and a desire to protect the environment.

••• It is a steep learning curve for all involved in the children’s ecotraining courses. The student above is totally absorbed by the course manual she has been issued with. In the photo on the left we once again observe the Bird Card Game in progress.

“It takes a whole village to bring up a good child,” an African proverb.

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Go-away take-away It was a late afternoon in May and we were the only visitors at Klein Okevi Waterhole, just three kilometres outside Namutoni in Etosha. We had come to the end of an exciting three-day stay in the Park, having found just about everything we had wanted to see.

We chose Klein Okevi on that last day as it is close enough to easily return to camp by sunset. We switched off the vehicle's engine and just sat and watched. There was no action, just a jackal and a few other small animals nearby.

Our attention was drawn to a Grey Go-away-bird (remember, formerly the Grey Lourie) that landed on the branch of a tree overlooking the waterhole, about 75 metres from where we were parked. It fluttered wildly and at first we thought that it had become entangled in the twigs of the branch.

We were intrigued and slowly drove forward to see if we could discover the problem. It was extraordinary. A python - it was a sub-adult African python, Python sebae, though at first I had the temerity to say it was the far rarer Angolan Dwarf Python, Python anchietae - had been lying flat along the branch above where it is seen in the photograph (left). The Go- Awaybird had the misfortune to alight on the branch, and the python nabbed it in an instant.

I had only a moment to take this photograph before the snake, the bird tightly wrapped in its coils, hit the ground and moved out of sight from where we sat. The jackal trotted in within seconds, but backed off when it saw who was in control of the situation and very busy having supper!

Photograph and text by Patrick Seeton. Headline and an edited version of original story with acknowledgement to Africa Birds and Birding, an Africa Geographic magazine.

Gabar ‘the jackal’ versus the Spotted Thick-knee Editor’s note: This edition of the Klaserie Chronicle was initially designed with eight pages (2 X A3 pages printed both sides, folded and collated) in mind. Photographs and photographic material arrived so thick and fast it was decided to increase the size to 12 pages (by virtue of the process it is easier to increase the number of pages in groups of 4 - two sides of an A3 sized page folded). The following story is drawn from a column the editor has been writing for a regional newspaper in the Southern Cape. Since the Spotted Thick-knee is widely spread throughout the country this tale may well be of interest to members and friends of the KPNR.

This week, something entirely different. I am sure many of you have heard the night-call of the busy Spotted Thick-knee (formerly the Spotted Dikkop). You may even have had the honour of the presence of a pair of Spotted Thick-knees in your garden.

Let me ask you this. If you were a famished hawk (any kind of hawk, it’s your choice) would you settle on a juicy Spotted Thick-knee (like in photo, right) for a meal?

Tell you what, listen to this story first then make up your mind. There is a relatively unknown but strong fraternity of falconers in South Africa. I am not a falconer myself but had the privilege of a photograph of mine being published in the magazine of the South African Falconry Association, Mews Views (see photo on page 9). I did not earn any money for the image but I did receive a copy of the magazine as a gesture of appreciation.

Continued on page 9 ...

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The Spotted Thick-knee(Burhinus capensis) preparing itself to meet the household Staffie.[Photo Patrick Seeton]

“Knowledge is inherent in all things. The world is a library,” Chief Luther Standing Bear.

Gabar ‘jackal’ vs the Spotted Thick-knee Continued from Page 8 ...

by Judy Meeser In September Brett Greenaway - while leading a walking trail on Camp George for Transfrontier Wildlife Walking Safaris - was thrilled to sight three Yellowbilled Oxpeckers feeding on a buffalo cow within a herd.

These rare birds differ from the Redbilled Oxpeckers by the swollen yellow base to the bill and a pale rump as well as the lack of the yellow eye ring that the Redbilled Oxpeckers have.

Yellowbilled tend to be a bit larger and of course the feeding styles of the two species means that they favour different host and tick species.

Numbers of Yellowbilled Oxpeckers dwindled in the past until they were considered extinct as a breeding species in South Africa by 1920. The main cause for the decline in numbers was the widespread over-hunting of the preferred host species the buffalo and rhino. The rinderpest epidemic in 1880 decimated cattle numbers and the use of arsenic and organophosphate dips for cattle also played a key role.

Yellowbilled and Redbilled Oxpeckers are endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa but are certainly closely related to starlings as they share the same feather melanin granule structure. Oxpeckers also have the same scissoring movement of jaws and similar jaw musculature as the Asian starling Scissorostru dubium. Foot and tail morphology and feeding behaviour differ greatly from starlings.

Oxpeckers are gregarious and breed cooperatively. This means that within a group of five birds or more, only one pair actually breeds. The other members of the group help with collecting nesting material. They pluck hair from the host animals and collect dung to build their nests.

The nests are built in tree cavities three to six metres above the ground. The nest is a shallow cupped pad on the floor of the cavity made with grass and thickly lined Red with animal hair. Both > sexes and the helpers from the group build the nest.

Eggs are laid in October by the Yellowbilled and a month or so later by Redbilled. Both sexes incubate the eggs for 12 to 13 days.

The fledglings are brooded and fed by both sexes with the helpers assisting with feeding.

The mutualistic associa-

<Yellow

A falconer of note attached to the Natal Falconry Club, Angus Burns, wrote therein of an experience his Gabar Goshawk had with a Spotted Thick-knee. Angus speaks of the Gabar as being the Jack Russell of the hawk world, in a word, “fearless”. His reference to the Spotted Thick-knee as a Dikkop is retained.

Over to you Angus …

“I was driving though a patch of grassland looking for a Button Quail covey when I spotted a Fiscal Shrike. I let her [the Gabar] go and she veered off in another direction. I jumped out of the bakkie and ran after her only to find her bound to another Dikkop.

“As I ran over to assist, the Dikkop must have struggled somewhat and shrugged her off. She attempted to attack again and that’s when it happened – the ‘prey’ delivered the most perfect sidekick I have ever seen a bird perform and my poor Gabar went flying in the opposite direction. She hit the ground and lay still. I ran over to her, picked her up and was relieved to see she was still breathing.

“I then gave her ‘mouth-to-beak’ resuscitation and she came around from her first knockout unscathed but clearly dazed. The ‘hired assassin’ had successfully diminished the Gabar threat to Dikkops throughout the Newcastle area because my hawk never chased another one after that incident.” Amen to that, thank-you, Angus.

So, what is your answer to the question put to you in the first paragraph?

I bore Angus’ story in mind when I approached a pair of Spotted Thickknees in our Napier garden the other morning. The photograph (at the base of Page 8) was taken as the Spotted Thick-knee prepared to meet our household Staffie on level ground. We defused the situation by retreating gracefully before a hissing Karate Kid. I tell you what, even if I were a whopping great Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus), I would call in the troops as back-up to take on a Spotted Thick-knee. It certainly is not a ‘Dikkop’, literally a ‘thick-head’!

The gregarious Yellowbilled Oxpecker sighted in KPNR tion Oxpeckers enjoy with their large mammal hosts is developed to a unique degree amongst birds world wide. The birds travel with the herds, feed almost exclusively off their ectoparasites, rest and preen, court, copulate and often sleep on them at night.

While feeding the well known scissoring action of the Redbilled Oxpecker enables these birds to efficiently comb through the hair of the host. Up to 1666 ticks have been found in the stomach of a single bird.

They have a diverse range of host animals while the Yellowbilled have a thicker, less dexterous bill and are more selective when it comes to host species favouring buffalo, giraffe, impala and warthog.

Yellowbilled oxpeckers tend to peck the parasites off the hosts and their restricted host species made them more vulnerable to chemical in dips.

Re-introduction program The introduction of environmentally compatible chemicals such as pyretroid and amidine acaricides as a means of pest control has brought new hope for Oxpeckers.

Endangered Wildlife Trust has re-introduction program to expand the populations into areas where Oxpeckers used to occur.

There were sightings of Yellowbilled Oxpeckers in the north of the Kruger Park as early as 1979. These birds were believed to have come from Zimbabwe. Six years later the birds were confirmed to be breeding. Sightings further south in Kruger in mid 1980’s were thought to come from Mozambique and evidence now suggests Kruger has a healthy breeding population of Yellowbilled Oxpeckers.

Yellowbilled Oxpecker Buphagus africanus (771)

The more I examine the universe and study the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe in some sense must have known we were coming.” Freeman Dyson as quoted in Bill Bryson’s, A Short History of Nearly Everything.

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In the field

Out of the classroom and into the real thing ...On field trips into the KPNR the focus is concentrated in and around water holes where spoor and dung were identified while feeding habits were observed and noted. Clockwise from above on this page: The group of teachers discuss a rhino midden; Assistant Teacher Leeann Khoza (up the tree) and Sinhle Mathebula measure the height of the mud marks on the tree caused by an elephant rubbing itself against the tree trunk; teachers examining and identifying dung and the spoor at a waterhole and finally, below, again Leeann and Sinhle identifying and measuring spoor.

•••

“I must stop talking to others out of my intuition. I must talk more out of facts. Somehow,

10 somewhere, I must find the facts to match my intuition,” Carl Jung as quoted by Laurens van der Post in Jung and the Story of Our Time.

Khamai ondersteun opleidingsprogram ‘n Opleidingsessie om die aangewese opvoeders goed vir hul taak toe te rus het aan die begin van September plaasgevind. Dit het oor drie dae te wete 4 - 6 September gestrek. ’n Besoek aan die Khamai Reptielpark kan as die hoogtepunt van die opleidingsessie uitgesonder word. Danksy die entoesiasme en gulhartigheid van die eienaar van Khamai, Donald Strydom, is die groep opleiers en hulp-opleiers kosteloos op ’n volledige begeleide toer deur die park geneem.

Hierdie uitstappie het op Maandag 4 September plaasgevind. Die toergids, Patrick, het hom uitstekend van sy taak gekwyt. Hy het baie interessanthede en wetenswaardig-

hede met die groep gedeel. Die groep het op hul beurt dit ‘n onvergeetlike ervaring gevind; die voer van die waterlikkewane en die fotosessie met die Birmese luislang om hul nekke sal nog lank onthou word.

Reptiele en soogdiere het die kern van die opleiding gevorm. Baie tyd is bestee aan die uitkenning van spore en mis van die diere waarop die opleiding fokus.

Voedingsgewoontes van hierdie diere is ook bestudeer. Hierdie inligting sal deur die opleiers aan die (plaaslike) kinders, waarop die onderrig eintlik afgestem is, met behulp van ’n opvoedkundige speletjie oorgedra word om dit sodoende meer interessant en A scary sight but Patrick of Khamai has a way of dealing with the problem and he prettig vir die kinders te maak.

demonstrates this to the students.

Welcome to Colin Nhlonga of Ntoma Estates: Colin has joined the CET eco trainers and is seen here feeding a Rock Monitor in Khamai Reptile Park.

Photo left: A brave lass indeed. Assistant Teacher, Leeann Khoza holds a Burmese Python just for the fun of it!

Okay, so what ’ave we ’ere, male or female tortoise?

In the snake-pit watched by a wary bunch of onlookers Khamai’s hero, Patrick, holds and explains the facts and fallacies of a Boomslang.

“Let us put our minds together and see what kind of life we can make for our children,” Sitting Bull.

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TV exposure set to bring countrywide recognition

Stars one and all

Telling it like it is Heading for the small screen

Televison production crew here again in early January Great excitement reigned upon the visit of EMV Productions early in December to document the eco-training programme for screening on SATV 2. This is scheduled to be screened on the Wednesday morning programme NX Nature Excursions towards the end of January. But this is not all. The TV crew returns here from January 4th to the 8th and will busy themselves with the shooting of a further four programmes that will include visits to Moholoholo and the Khamai Reptile Park. These programmes will be screened later in the year. Their visit will include a walking trail.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss one of the greatest sources of happiness,â&#x20AC;?

Ray Lyman Wilbur.