Klaserie Chronicle no 31

1 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Klaserie Kroniek/Chronicle

March 2015 no.31

Elusive and solitary The Game Ranger Legendary Kruger National Park ranger, ‘Oom’ Louis Olivier, elaborates

inside|

Relentlessly pursued ...3 | Spectacular migration ... 5 | Klaserie’s nocturnal primates ... 7 | Trees for life in K2C... 9 | Kruger and greater park lions set good example ...21 | Mashudu excels at Wits ...30

photo Iwan Nel

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2 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Corné’s

Inside

Keyboard

W

hile I always try to see the glass half full there are some days when it feels like the world is conspiring to make the glass not only seem half empty, but the liquid inside also looks like cold, bitter tea. However, seeing the smiles of the children at a Children’s Eco Training (CET) Holiday Workshop or the hard work being put in by the Eco Kidz at our adopted schools are bound to cheer me up, no matter how tough a day (or a week) has been.

It was Winston Churchill that said “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity while an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” This quote, and the feeling I get whenever I see another successful CET project made me think of the latest social media craze: the random acts of kindness (RAK) nomination.

The idea is for people to perform a selfless act to assist or cheer up an individual person or people, post their act of kindness on a social media network like Facebook and nominate a friend to do the same. This encourages spontaneous or planned random acts of kindness within communities and serves as a great reminder that there are always opportunities for us to practice kindness – no matter how big or small.

With this being said, and the feeling that 2015 is running away with us, I would like to nominate our readers to perform a random act of kindness. It is guaranteed to give you a spring in your step and place you on an upward spiral of positivity for the upcoming year. CET has already lined up various projects for the year and we are excited to continue making a positive impact in children’s lives and thankful for all the support we receive from our faithful donors.

This edition of the KC is once again jam packed with interesting articles thanks to our talented contributors.

I am confident that with a few random acts of kindness (and a few not so random) 2015 will be a year filled with positive vibes and spontaneous thoughtful acts of kindness, improving the lives of those who need it most.

As Seneca said: “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” Please tell us about your random acts on the CET Facebook page and remember to nominate a friend to do the same. Here’s to 2015!

Corné

The Klaserie Chronicle is published quarterly and distributed to KPNR owners, as well as CET 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!

Relentlessly pursued K2C environmental monitors recognised Die militêre brein in beheer van Klaserie sekuriteit Spectacular migration Life is a journey Klaserie’s nocturnal primates The marriage tree The sexy sausage tree Trees for life in K2C ABC of Klaserie terminology The elusive leopard Solitude The game ranger The magnificence of Klaserie Old timer remembers hotel (mis)adventures Sightings Kruger and greater park lions set good example LepiMAP: The Atlas of African Lepidotera A sighting from my veranda The greater Kruger National Park SABAP2 challenge The Ground Hornbill groups of Klaserie The rhino Jab: are we winning?

New kitchen at Seganyane thanks to DHL Gauteng and CET CET Holiday workshop: Energy cycles Mashudu excels at Wits CET bursary student inspires 4x4 in Klaserie MAD opportunities for Nhlalala and Katlego

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There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.

R. Buckminster Fuller

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, Peter Lawson, Nini Baxter, Judy Meeser, Ivan Gillatt, Kate and Cassie Carstens, BirdLife SA, Derek and Sarah Solomon, Gay Wabeke, Megan Loftie-Eaton, Marian Viljoen, Dick Berry, Louis Olivier, Pieter Steenkamp, Willem Pretorius, Phillip Oosthuizen, Wynand Uys, Orla McEvoy, Dean Redelinghuys, Fiona Clark, Mabili Mashele Photographs Esté Gerber, Lynette Strauss, Colin Rowles, Jacques de Villiers , Derek Solomon, Ivan Gillatt, Cassie Carstens, Gay Wabeke, Willem Wabeke, Iwan Nel, Ziggy Hugo, Nini Baxter, Dick Berry, Wynand Uys, Garth Batchelor, Warren Howson, Fiona Clark, William Cairns, Pieter Steenkamp, LepiMAP SA, Dean Redelinghuys, Martin Cassidy.

Your R300 can change a life Buy a uniform - consisting of a shirt, shorts or a dress, a jersey, shoes and socks.

Contact Corné @ 082 713 8778 or corne@ecochildren.co.za

3 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Relentlessly pursued Story by Colin Rowles, Photos supplied

“

We’ve got them.” The words crackled in my headset, the best words I’d heard in many months of the relentless pursuit of a particular rhino poaching gang that had shot and butchered a number of rhino for their horns.

The helicopter banked sharply and we headed to treetops, directed by the tracker team to their position on the ground. Once overhead, we circled the ground team until the captives were properly secured. Finding a small opening amongst the trees and shrubs, the pilot squeezed the screaming Bell Jet Ranger helicopter into a small gap.

As the dust and debris picked up by the rotor downdraft cleared, I moved towards the scene, pumped with adrenalin and an immense sense of achievement, gratitude and every other emotion one could expect. I took each of my team members by the hand and congratulated them on their good work. The insurgents were restrained, around them lay the lethal tools of their cruel trade – a silenced heavy calibre hunting rifle, a heavy bladed axe and three rhino horns, dripping blood.

The previous morning at 05h30 the radio had crackled at dawn as a field ranger team reported three sets of insurgent tracks entering the reserve from the south.

A brief strategy meeting was called, following which tracker teams commenced with the primitive art of following the tracks.

The insurgents, skilled Bushmen themselves, determined not to be found, were anti tracking, stepping on rocks and stones so as not to leave any traces of their passage. They moved northwards, spread out so as to complicate tracking.

The sun was high in the November sky as the tracker teams approached the centrally located properties, west of the Klaserie River, 8 kilometres from where they’d started at first light. The insurgents were not hunting, just walking carefully and cautiously, approaching the hunting grounds where they’d previously killed numerous rhinos.

It was mid-afternoon and the shadows were growing longer as the relentless sun slid down towards the west. The poaching gang had slowed and begun searching the valleys and drainage lines for rhino activity. Still the rangers pursued them, painstakingly searching the hard ground for signs, disturbances, displaced stones or shoe sole prints. They moved forward wiping the sweat from their eyes as they moved.

Soon it was dark and, tired and frustrated, the rangers regrouped. The insurgents were still out there, just ahead of them, searching for a rhino to kill. Darkness all around, a team remained in the dark night to listen, the others withdrew to rest their tired feet and refresh, to take up the task the following day. At 19h00 the still night silence was shattered by the blast of a heavy calibre gun shot from the valley ahead.

The next morning as the sun appeared on the

eastern horizon, I was at tree tops peering through the Perspex of the helicopter and into the grey green blur flashing past below.

We steered on instruction towards the ground team that had picked up the fresh spoor at first light. Soon we were overhead the men signalling the direction of the tracks with their white panels.

With this came the report of gunshots from a location south of the tracker position.

We flew ahead of the tracker team, circling back regularly, covering the area, searching, and applying pressure on any insurgents in the area, forcing them to take cover and allowing the tracker team to catch up.

The men were working hard, progressing southwards on the tracks in the direction of the reported shots.

They were focused, walking with determination, hesitating briefly to confirm their instincts and moving again.

Still we applied aerial pressure, sweeping the densely vegetated drainage lines, rocky outcrops at little more than a hover, blowing the thickets open with the down draft of the rotors and sending stones rolling across open ground. Circling back to pick up on the tracker progress and to confirm direction, and then back again.

Then I saw it. An adult rhino cow with horns hacked off, bright red blood running into the sand below her head. On the turn the pilot announced another carcass, this time a small calf, dead and brutally butchered for a horn the size of a match box.

We hovered overhead and soon the trackers were below us, enthusiasm boosted by the horrific scene that they faced. Again they were off, almost running in a still southerly direction.

Reports from the trackers advised that the insurgents were running from cover to cover in response to the helicopters movements. Items of clothing were being discarded to lighten their load. Now the trackers were jogging at a determined pace, closing in on their tiring quarry.

The relentless pursuit of the whirling, thundering, screaming machine overhead kept the poachers restrained as the trackers closed the gap.

On a steep banking turn I noticed that the trackers had slowed and spread out, searching the ground for tell tail signs. The insurgent gang were anti tracking, looking for a place to hide. We flew ahead low and slow searching from above. Then came the call we’d been working for so hard: “We’ve got them”.

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4 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

I

n November 2014, 160 environmental monitors (EM’s) participated in the annual Kruger to Canyons (K2C) EM Weekend at Blyde Adventure Camp. The 2014 Adventure Camp offered the EMs, who are deployed at 30 different K2C partner institutions, the opportunity to learn from one another and to enhance their bioregional understanding, whilst mastering specific subject matter.

Some of the highlights of the adventure were the opportunity to learn more about health awareness from Hlokomela, fun teambuilding games and getting up close to reptiles at Reptile World under the leadership of one of the K2C Heroes, Donald Strydom of Kinyonga Reptile Centre. To top it all was the announcing of all the K2C EM Heroes, whose excellent performances throughout the year were recognised.

Children’s Eco Training is especially proud that our very own Winky Mokgope was announced as one of the K2C EM Heroes thanks to her inspiring approach to environmental education.

Messages of support were received from Mr Pitso Mojapelo of the DEA and Ms Olga Jacobs of SANParks.

“I am so proud of the K2C EMs”, Marié-Tinka Uys, from SANParks Biodiversity Social Projects said. “They came a long way since the beginning of last year. We are looking forward to achieve a lot more next year.”

K2C Environmental monitors recognised

The Department of Environmental Affairs, through its Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Projects (EPIP) Pro gramme is funding the Environmental Monitor (EM) Programme with SANParks as the implementing agent in the (K ruger to Canyons) K2C Bioregion. The main aim of the programme is “to provide additional support to host institutions to attain their respective mandates supportive of (a) improved biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation, (b) contributing to improved livelihoods and (c) resilient economic development”.

Die militêre brein in beheer van Klaserie sekuriteit

Storie deur Willem Pretorius, foto verskaf

D

it is ’n groot eer om myself bekend te stel aan al die Klaserie grond-eienaars, bestuurders en lesers van die Klaserie Kroniek. Ek is Willem Pretorius en het groot geword op ons plaas in die Giyani distrik waar ons geboer het met tamaties, mielies en verskeie ander kultivars. Die plaaslewe was al van kleintyd vir my soos stroop gewees en ek kon net nie genoeg van die natuur en sy skoonheid kry nie. As ’n klein laaitie was ek op my gelukkigste met ’n .22 in die hand, kettie om die nek, in die bos agter iets aan. Ek het skoolgegaan

by Hoërskool Merensky en Hoërskool Wagpos waar ek gematrikuleer het in 1996.

Na skool het ek geen doekies omgedraai nie en is direk weermag toe waar ek my basiese opleiding gedoen het by Leërgimnasium op Heidelberg. My militêre loopbaan het 17 jaar gestrek waartydens ek ’n wye verskeidenheid vaardighede geleer het. Ek het bedank by die weermag as kaptein, ’n paar maande kort van my bevordering na majoor,

om te help met die stryd teen renoster-stropery.

Dit is vir my ’n groot voorreg dat Klaserie my genader het om die rol as hoof van sekuriteit en Anti Rhino Poaching te behartig en ek is gereed om enige uitdaging tot die beste van my vermoëns aan te pak. Ek glo my militêre kennis, kleinspan taktiek en ondervinding van interne en eksterne operasies, sowel as opleidingstegnieke die regte medisyne is teen die renoster-stropery plaag.

Op ’n ligter noot, ek is ’n baie stil en rustige persoon, maar baie reguit en se ’n ding soos hy is. Ek is beslis baie benaderbaar al lyk ek soms kwaai. Ek vat my werk baie ernstig op en hou daarvan om leiding te neem wanneer mense vraagtekens in hulle gesigte kry. Ek is prakties en luister na voorstelle om te verseker die doelwit word bereik. My stokperdjies sluit in jag, kamp en ek hou daarvan om tyd saam met my geliefdes te spandeer. Dan is ek ook ’n enkel-ouer met ’n pragtige dogter genaamd Janette.

Ek sien baie uit daarna om ’n wonderlike vriendskap te bou met almal in die Klaserie en ek is hier om u belange op die hart te dra.

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Garth Batchelor

Spectacular Migration

Story by Peter L awson, photos by Jacques de Villiers, Garth Batchelor

E

very summer we are blessed with an increase in bird numbers when a variety of migrant species visit us from the north. Many of these land up in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) and one we see in numbers in open areas is the good-looking little Amur Falcon, Falco amurensis.

Males are handsome little chaps. They have uniform dark grey plumage with a light chestnut lower belly, an orange eye-ring and red legs and feet. Females look entirely different and have streaked chests.

They arrive in numbers around mid-November and stay until March. Numbers vary, but on occasions the sky and bare trees will display hundreds of these spectacular little falcons.

Their diet consists of insects which are caught and eaten in flight and

they are particularly fond of emerging termites.

What is truly amazing is the journey they take from their breeding grounds in eastern Siberia, Manchuria and northern China. To reach us in the KPNR they have to cross the Himalaya Mountain range, fly through India and then over 3 000 kilometres of ocean before arriving at the east coast of Africa in Somalia. This is where they turn south to complete their immensely long journey. So when we see them in mid-summer we can admire them and marvel at their endurance.

No other migratory birds undertake similar journeys to reach us. Our little falcons are truly special.

There is more to this than we imagine as their journey is full of hazard and not all birds make it. Lately, numbers have declined considerably and one reason is the shocking discovery made a couple of years ago in remote parts of India where birds roost overnight

Jacques de Villiers

in tall trees. Commercial entrepreneurs have discovered they are a food source and have been trapping them by the thousand and selling them to the masses. Hopefully a stop has been put to this illegal trade since the horrific discovery but severe damage has been done.

We can marvel at nature in so many ways, but one I find truly amazing is the theory that on the long ocean crossing made by Amur Falcons a food source travels with them. Large, mustard coloured dragonflies known as Wandering Gliders, Pantala flavescens accompany the falcons from India in their thousands, flying erratically in front of advancing storms. These insects are a valuable food source and there are sufficient numbers to sustain the falcons on their amazing journey. You can see this lovely dragonfly throughout the KPNR in summer wherever there are temporary pools of water. They have a characteristic gliding flight and due to their migratory habits they are also often called Globe Skimmers. Nature is full of wonders!

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Life is a journey Story by Marian Viljoen, photo supplied

L

ife is indeed a journey which entails many roads to travel, T-junctions, U-turns, people, good and bad experiences, opportunities, memories and dream destinations etc. Some roads lead to spectacular places and others test your 4x4 and direction skills, but the best part is to return to the place you call home.

My journey started on a farm in the most beautiful part of the Eastern Free State – a place where I grew up with a passion for nature, animals and involvement in the lives of others, especially the well-being of our farm workers and their families. It has grown since then and travelled with me on my life’s journey across the country and eventually would lead me to my dream destination.

14 years ago, while in the process of emigrating to the United States of America, my life took a dramatic turn. I came to a big fat T-junction on the road I travelled at the time and realised that I could not uproot myself from South African soil. I could not untangle my heartstrings from my beloved country and the people I loved so much. After seven

Marian and her daughter, Lanè

months in the USA, my daughter, Lanè and I returned to South Africa.

This U-turn brought me to the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) for the first time, where I followed my passion for nature in attending a Field Guiding Course presented by the Tshwane University of Technology and Elands River Training Centre. After an unforgettable experience it took me on a journey along Lodge Management, Field Guiding and Financial and Administrative Management in the Waterberg, to the West Coast and all the way back to Hoedspruit.

My experience as financial manager and as part of the Hoedspruit Training Trust (Hlokomela) team for the past five years, has contributed to phenomenal personal growth and insight into the

lives of farm worker communities in the Kruger to Canyon area. I had the opportunity then to be part of a support system in terms of their health, education and social development.

Like with all journeys you will find a special place which connects with you in a holistic way – a dream destination, a place where you would like to be and call home. The road to Hoedspruit has brought me back to my dream destination, the African bush and ultimately the place which offers the best nature can offer, the KPNR. As administrative assistant since October last year, I am privileged to be part of a phenomenal team at KPNR headquarters.

I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Colin Rowles, Pieter Steenkamp and the Klaserie team for accommodating Lanè and myself and for the privilege to call it our home.

7 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Klaserie’s Nocturnal Primates Story by Derek Solomon

I

stand to be corrected, but as far as I know, of the two bushbabies found in our area, the thick-tailed and the lesser, the latter is by far the most common. It is also my favourite and over the past few months we have been lucky to have a small family living in a nest box outside our office window here at Raptor’s View Wildlife Estate, giving us hours of entertainment.

Bushbabies are also known as Galagos, and belong to the family Galagonidae. Recently there have been several studies on this family, with many new species being discovered. Right now there are between 17 and 20 different species recorded in Africa, depending on which taxonomist you follow. One of the major characteristics used in this new classification is the calls of each species, but this is another story.

Three species occur in southern Africa. In addition to the two in our area, Grant’s lesser bushbaby occurs in the coastal and evergreen forests in Mozambique and extreme south eastern Zimbabwe. I was lucky enough to see it once in a forest next to Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge next to the junction of the Save and Runde Rivers in Zimbabwe.

Apart from their nocturnal habits, what makes them special? The second claw or nail on each hind foot is a modified “toilet” claw which is used for grooming. Unlike monkeys and apes, their thumbs cannot touch each of their fingers separately, so they are

Bushbaby fingers only capable of whole hand grasping. This, however, is not a disadvantage as they can grasp with no problem as I am sure you have seen.

They are capable of catching insects on the wing by hand, often detecting them by sound before actually seeing them. They have forward projecting lower incisors and incisor-like canine teeth that work like a comb for grooming and feeding off gum as well as insects. In addition there is a brush-like structure on the underside of the tongue that fits between the incisors to help clean out any debris that may gather there.

The eyes and ears of the lesser bushbaby are massive.

Like other nocturnal species, they have a crystalline layer called the tapetum lucidum

at the back of the eye that reflects light back through the retina to increase vision at low lights.

This is what creates the red eye-shine at night.

Unlike diurnal primates, bushbabies have no colour vision, but once again this is no problem for them.

The large ears can move independently of one another; and they can be quickly flattened to avoid possible damage while leaping between branches.

What is also interesting is that up to 50 percent of their diet consists of gum that is digested by means of bacterial fermentation in the gut. This is an important source of food, particularly during the winter months when insects are not as prevalent.

Vocal communication is particularly important, but not very loud and to date I have not been very successful in recording some of their vocalisations despite the wide range of calls that are used to attract mates, repel rivals, and indicate alarm.

There are many other fascinating aspects related to this family, including their scent-marking behaviour and sexual differences (some of which are also used to distinguish species), but if I go on any longer I will take up the whole magazine.

Our bushbaby family lived happily in the nestbox outside the office window for many months.

Almost every day one member could be seen partially hanging outside the entrance keeping an eye on the outside world. One wonders when it got some sleep before moving out as soon as it became dark. Then, a few days ago there was a lot of activity with two of them jumping out during the middle of the morning and giving us a wonderful opportunity to photograph them before leaping away to wherever. We could not see a predator anywhere so have no idea why they decided to move in full daylight. Despite our feelings that there were some youngsters in the nestbox as well, no more appeared and to date we have never seen them again. Maybe one of our readers can shed some light on this one.

8 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

The Sexy Sausage

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.

Martin Luther

TREES

Tree

pillars of the bush

By Nini Baxter Sausage tree flower

The Marriage Tree Story and photos by Nini Baxter

T

he marula tree Sclerocarya birrea, is also known as the marriage tree. When you find a female marula tree (the one carrying the fruit), you can be sure that a male marula tree will be close by! Happily co-existing for a lifespan of several 100 years, the female and male marula must grow near each other to produce fruit.

In the region of Phalaborwa, a gateway to the Kruger, it is revered as an aphrodisiac that promotes fertility and it is believed that marriages held under these trees are divinely blessed. A traditional method to resolve arguments between husband and wife was to tie them both to a large marula tree and leave them there until they made friends!

The fruit of the tree is exceptionally high in vitamin C, containing two to four times that of oranges and delicious alcoholic beverages and beer are made from the fruit when it ripens in February at the height of summer. The nuts, tasty and cased in stony

Marula tree fruit

pips, are an important food source and traditionally marulas have been used to preserve meat for up to six months without refrigeration.

The marula is also an important medicinal plant. The fresh leaves are chewed for heartburn, a bark or root concoction is used to treat diarrhoea and most importantly, it is one of the active ingredients used in traditional medicinal mixtures to treat malaria.

What would marriage be if you didn’t spend at least one day alongside your partner, tied to a marula tree?

Reference – Veronica Roodt

T

he sausage tree Kigelia Africana is a very sexy tree.

The large sausage shaped fruit of the tree measure up to half a meter long and can weigh up to nine kilograms, while its erotic, crimson flower is velvety on the inside and brimming with nectar.

Nothing has been scientifically proven, but remarkable medicinal properties have been ascribed to the tree for its strong anti-microbial effects (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral). Traditional African healers grind it up and mix it with water to help young men improve their manhood. The fruit is also rubbed on male genitals or female breasts to make them larger and both the fruit and the bark of the tree are prescribed in powder form for the treatment of sores, ulcers and even syphilis!

The tree is beautiful to look at when it is in full bloom. It’s one of the first trees to flower in the Kruger in early spring from August to October, dripping with red flowers. Each flower of the tree produces a full teaspoon of nectar and is pollinated by bats. Its scent is strongest at night to attract the bats and it is an excellent source of energy for them. The flowers, hanging like a pendulum with free space around the flower, are perfect to complement the flight method of bats as they cannot take off from the ground like birds. The fruit appear from December to June and are enjoyed by rhino, hippo, giraffe, baboon and porcupines.

Reference – Veronica Roodt

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Trees for life in K2C Story by Mbali Mashele, photos by Kirsten Olivier, Lynette Strauss

K

ruger to Canyons Biosphere region (K2C) and Wildlands Conservation Trust in partnership with a network of different environmental education organisations namely Children’s Eco Training (CET), Nourish, Timbavati Foundation, Global White Lion Protection Trust and Wildlands Conservation Trust are running a Community Ecosystem Based Adaptation (CEBA) project in the Kruger to Canyons Region.

The K2C CEBA project is a community based initiative aimed at uplifting rural communities and schools by encouraging entrepreneurial opportunities through environmentally focused activities.

The environmental education organisations act as hosts to assist with the facilitation of tree planting and waste collection. The CEBA project also includes a Blyde River Restoration Programme that is implemented by K2C which aims to restore the natural systems of the Blyde River by the removal of alien plants on the riparian area. social , economic and health benefits

Community members (treepreneurs) are facilitated and supported by tree facilitators to grow and nurture indigenous and Moringa trees. Trees and waste collection provide a wide range of social, economic and health benefits and ecosystem services to communities.

While waste collecting benefits are clear, the health and social benefits of tree planting vary depending on the type of tree. For example, the Moringa tree provides a number of

traditional medicinal uses such as normalising blood sugar, improving digestion, strengthening of the immune system and increased mental clarity to name a few.

The project has already employed two supervisors (one for trees and waste and one for Blyde Restoration), 22 tree/waste facilitators, 16 Blyde Restoration alien plant removal workers, one truck driver and two loaders.

Currently a total of 376 treepreneurs and waste-preneurs have been registered. They will be planting trees and collecting waste and enjoying the socio-economic benefits thanks to the provision of livelihood support items through a bartering system.

Trees are bartered with Wildlands Conservation Trust for livelihood support items. These items range from Jojo tanks to building materials, groceries, bicycles, laptops and other items vital in the sustainability of rural communities.

The indigenous trees that are bartered with Wildlands will later be planted adjacent to the Blyde River where a restoration programme is currently running. The trees planted on the Blyde riparian area will improve biodiversity, stabilise the river bank by reducing soil erosion, introduce canopy cover and provide many more ecological benefits.

Tree/waste-preneurs in action

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ABC

Klaserie terminology

Story and photos by Judy Meeser

Aposematic colouration

This describes the colours adopted by certain insects to warn off predators. The colours can be in various combinations of red, black, orange, yellow and white to indicate to potential predators that the insect is toxic and/or unpalatable. A familiar example of this is the African Monarch butterfly.

The Monarch butterfly has brightly coloured larvae (caterpillars) that feed on milk weed plants which have toxins that accumulate in the body and persist into the adult (butterfly) stage.

Predators like birds quickly learn to associate aposematic colours with unpalatability. Other butterflies mimic the colours of the Monarch to deter predators. For this form of mimicry to be effective, the mimic must be rarer than the true poisonous insect or the birds would get wise.

Altricial young

This term refers to young animals and birds that are born blind, without feathers/hair and completely helpless requiring intensive parental care,

such as tree and hole nesting birds.

The opposite of altricial is precocial.

Ground nesting birds like lapwings (plovers) have precocial chicks.

The chicks have cryptically coloured feathers and are alert and mobile soon after hatching. The eggs of precocial species are incubated for a longer period so they hatch at a more advanced stage of development than altricial chicks.

Within the higher mammals, baby hares called leverets are born after an extended gestation period and are precocial young – in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) we have scrub hares and the occasional sighting of spring hares.

Young rabbits on the other hand are altricial – naked and completely helpless – we only have one species of rabbit in South Africa, the riverine

rabbit found in the Karoo.

Giraffe calves are born after a long 15 month gestation period and are fairly independent within weeks, sometimes left in another cow’s care in a crèche for most of the day.

Altruism

Altruistic behaviour is when one animal helps another at a cost to itself. It is a widely accepted theory that animals have no sense of self and no conscious decisions.

This makes altruistic behaviour hard to explain. Parental care is one thing and explains why wild dogs will regurgitate food for their pups and why occasionally lionesses allow their cubs to eat first, but altruism can be between unrelated animals.

An elephant with a severed trunk is

Giraffe calves are sometimes left in another cow’s care in a crèche for most of the day.

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parasites more time to feed and establish territories etc. Other brood parasites include Honeyguides, Whydahs and Indigobirds.

Biodiversity

A dwarf mongoose will race out into the open to rescue a baby from a swooping bird of prey.

fed water by other elephants. A dwarf mongoose will race out into the open to rescue a baby from a swooping bird of prey. Giraffe mothers take turns watching the young while others go off feeding. Vervet monkeys sound alarm calls to alert the troop of the presence of a predator, so-doing drawing attention to themselves.

Keep an eye out for seemingly selfless behaviour among animals.

Brood parasite

A group of birds fall into this category, the most well-known being Cuckoos. They lay their eggs in the nest of another bird, thus leaving the host parent to incubate the egg and raise the chick.

Brood parasites have developed devious behaviour to outsmart the host parents.

The cuckoo parents work as a team to distract the host couple, enticing the hosts to chase off the male cuckoo while the females sneaks into the nest and at lightning speed deposits her egg. The parasite eggs often mimic the colour, size and shape of the host and also hatch quicker than the host eggs.

The parasite chick grows faster so it is bigger and stronger than the host chick which may be killed by the foster chick. The obvious advantages of this method of breeding are the number of chicks that can be raised by eliciting the help of others. Also the lack of parental responsibilities allows the brood Male boomslang

This means the degree of variation of life. It quantifies the various life forms and their interaction with each other and the environment. A diverse system is a resilient system and climate change is a major threat to the planet’s biodiversity. With every species that goes extinct, no matter how obscure it may be to us individually, we lose some biodiversity. One major aim of all conservation efforts is to protect this biodiversity, even so we have seen changes in species composition and the dynamics within these protected areas.

Brood patch

This is a patch of bare skin that some birds develop during the breeding season in order to ensure direct contact between the eggs and the parent for the transfer of heat during incubation.

Either one or both parents develop brood patches, depending on who is responsible for the incubation. At the beginning of the breeding season hormones cause the skin on the belly to become thickened, causing the feathers to fall out. The brood patch is richly supplied with blood in a network of capillaries close to the skin. The feathers re-grow towards the end of the incubation period. Look out for a brood patch in the Saddlebilled Stork, it almost resembles a heart in position and shape.

The Saddlebilled Stork’s brood patch almost resembles a heart in position and shape.

Crepuscular

This means active in the twilight hours of dusk and dawn. One immediately thinks of a Bat Hawk, a very exciting bird to see at dusk, actively pursuing bats with swift falcon-like flight, catching prey with its feet and swallowing whole.

The flight feathers have soft edges for soundless flight and the large gape facilitates swallowing the prey whole.

Many insect eating birds such as Nightjars are crepuscular in habits.

Cainism

The term for a form of siblicide practiced by some large, long-living birds, especially eagles. The term comes from the biblical story where Cain kills his brother Abel. There is passive siblicide where the younger chick dies of starvation due to domination by the older chick (and so this is not necessarily Cainism), and active siblicide when the stronger older chick kills the younger chick.

Eagles’ eggs hatch at different times, so the first hatchling has size and strength advantages over the other sibling/s. The fact that eagles are apex predators at the top of the food chain, necessitates that very few strong individuals survive into a world where competition for food and territories is fierce. Cainism is practiced by some cranes, herons, hawks and pelicans.

Carrying capacity

The potential of an area to support game, both grazers and browsers, for an extended period without deterioration of the ecosystem as a whole. The stocking rate, closely linked to the carrying capacity is expressed in hectares / large animal unit / year. For example, one large animal unit such as a buffalo would be equal to five impala.

12 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Elusive Leopard Story and photos by Dick Berry

M

y recent trip to South Africa led me there with a single purpose: to find a way to improve the already aweinspiring experience of an African adventure for my business, Capture Africa Tours. I more than hit the jackpot when I stepped into the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR).

On the morning of Saturday 17 January, on the road into the Klaserie, my guide spotted what appeared to be leopard tracks traveling in the same direction that we were headed. We climbed out of our vehicle for a better view and to confirm that they were, in fact, leopard tracks. A movement in the distance caught my eye. About 45 meters away I saw a female leopard on the road. When

she saw us she quickly headed into the brush. Immediately we returned to our vehicle and proceeded to follow her parallel to the road. To our amazement, we realised she had a cub shadowing her every move.

In and out of the heavy brush they moved like ghosts, stopping only briefly to look in our direction. With my camera and 500mm lens ready, I focused through my viewfinder on their silent, graceful movement. We followed them for about an hour and I was able to capture some great images. I am in awe of the grace and power of the beautiful leopard.

Grateful for the privilege of seeing

this experience up close, I returned to my goal of sharing this intimate look at Africa in all its natural glory and splendour so that others may appreciate it, too. My images allow me to share my journeys with others in ways that words fall short. They also serve as a reminder to my future self that a journey to Africa, and to the Klaserie in particular, is a journey worth taking time and time again.

I strongly promote conservation efforts of wildlife and the natural habitat in which these animals live. I teach and practice patience and respect when watching and photographing wildlife. My focus is on allowing nature to unfold and not pressuring the circumstances to create the perfect shot. I believe you will fall in love with this reserve, as I did, and find many perfect moments before you and just around the next bend.

To that end, our guide, Shaun Taylor, recognised that the leopards wanted to cross the road and our pursuit might be preventing them from doing that. And so, we respected their land and their wishes and continued on our travels, moving deeper into the Klaserie and on to the next unfolding adventure.

13 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Kingdom: Animalia phylun: Chordata class: Mammalia

order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: Panthera pardus

Story by and photos by Dean Redelinghuys

T

hese African animals are the most common large cats in Africa, so it is ironic that it is also the

Solitude

cat that is the most difficult to spot when you are in the bush. It’s due to the fact that they are rather shy, secretive and mainly nocturnal.

Do not expect them to simply stroll across the road, they really are masters of concealment.

Most people will know that the vast majority of times you see a leopard it is only when it wants to show itself.

You can track as hard as you like, look in every single tree there is and in every riverbed you think is possibly a good leopard hangout.

You can even try some bush muti for some luck but you won’t find one until you hit that lucky break. Leopards are lucky to be largely free from persecution and in game reserves they have grown completely accustomed to vehicles.

But you know when you find that leopard, your game drive is made for the day.

Every ranger, tracker or warden will know you start building a bond with some animals in the area, especially cats after seeing them almost every week. On a few occasions I’ve been lucky enough to view a young male leopard that we’ve named Yexe, meaning alone male and summing up the solitary life of a leopard. Yexe doesn’t tolerate other male leopards in his territory and for such a young leopard he has the size, strength and confidence of an experienced leopard.

On one or two occasions we’ve seen him fighting with other males, always walking away the winner.

The first time I saw this amazing animal was in 2013 when I started as a student ranger at Gomo Gomo Game lodge. He was still a cub of about three months or less, walking with his sister and mother named Cleo (some will also know her

as the Nyosi female). She is a very relaxed female, not bothered about cars approaching her at all, but Yexe on the other hand doesn’t like cars. He looks just like his mother and walks like her but doesn’t like to be seen.

He either rolls his lips to show his teeth (that moment you feed the dung beetles behind you), or hides were he can’t be viewed. However, he’s become more relaxed with vehicles after a fantastic sighting of him in a tree with an impala kill.

When you start doing game drives and you see a leopard walking over the road far away, you rush toward it to get a decent sighting and keep your guests happy.

But after time you realise that you can drive as fast as you can, but they will disappear like ghosts. You can’t keep them on a leash. Yexe taught me that lesson.

You approach slowly and one out of 10 sightings he will probably come out and pose like a super model right in front of you. These animals are graceful and powerful and make my job as a game ranger worthwhile.

Yexe provides great sightings and hopefully he will keep showing himself in the future. If you’d like to identify him, you will see two stripes running vertically along his right eye, touching a horizontal stripe above his eye.

14 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

The Game Ranger On 31 July 2014, World Rangers’ Day, Louis Olivier, honorary member of the Game Rangers’ Association of Africa , delivered a speech at the Rhino Conservation Awards in honour of game rangers across the world . What follows are excerpts from this speech as the Klaserie Chronicle honours Louis and all the game rangers that are so essential in protecting our natural surroundings . We salute you.

By ‘Oom’ Louis Olivier, photos Lynette Strauss

“

This event, the third of its kind in which rangers and others are being honoured for protecting our environment and rhino in particular, is highly appreciated by those present here tonight. Please allow me to elaborate a little on who game rangers are and what they do.

The title Game Ranger was first assigned during the thirteenth century in England when officials were appointed to range through the countryside, providing law and order and acting against poaching. There are various descriptions known for game rangers but in my opinion, the first director of the United States National Park Services, summed rangers best up as follows: ‘They are a fine, earnest, intelligent and public spirited body of men, these rangers. Though small in number, their influence is large. Many and long are the duties heaped upon their shoulders. lf a trail is to be blazed it is ‘send the ranger’, if an animal is floundering in the snow a ranger is sent to put it out, if a bear is in the hotel, if a fire threatens a forest, if someone is to be saved, it is ‘send a ranger’. Everything a ranger knows, he will tell you, except about himself.’

The duties of a modern game ranger have become more specialised, multi-disciplined, complex and critical, considering the added role modern day technology plays. However, regardless of these and perhaps other duties, the main goal of any game ranger remains to protect park resources and ensure its area integrity. This objective of protecting and conserving a park can of course only be achieved with strong discipline and a complete dedicated and professional approach.

The latest predicament in the form of the escalating, well organised, hostile, armed poaching throughout Africa has become a

challenge which no ranger job description could ever foresee. It doesn’t do any ranger good to experience the slaughter of wildlife, and at the scale thereof, which is ongoing nowadays.

Allow me to share a few random statistics with you: Between 2002 and 2011, more than 9 000 elephants were poached in Africa.

In March 2013 alone, poachers killed nearly 90 elephants in south western Chad.

Since mid-April this year (2014), poachers have slaughtered almost 100 elephants in Garamba National Park, in the DRC. In South Africa this year (2014) so far about 600 rhinos have been poached, of which

400 in the KNP alone.

Of course all this tells a sorry story but can you imagine what the count would have been if there were no rangers?

According to a recent article in the National Geographic modern day game rangers endure similar ordeals as soldiers in combat. That is very true. However, the article does not mention that military units worldwide are being relieved from combat duty every now and then and replaced by fresh, retrained and newly equipped soldiers. Game rangers unfortunately don’t have that luxury.

Game rangers operate in the bush under harsh physical and sometimes severe climate conditions, often with inadequate equipment, logistics and support. They are often exposed to deeply disturbing scenes. A dead or wounded colleague is obviously the worst, while each poached carcass of an animal they are supposed to protect is a frustrating and dreadful reminder of failure. This ongoing armed poaching has become a bush war being fought by game rangers who were initially taught and trained to protect animals and not to shoot at fellow human beings, or to be shot at.

Let me elaborate a little on the Kruger National Park rhino poaching situation. At any given time nowadays, there are a number of different rhino poacher gangs operating somewhere in the Park. By far, the majority of these poachers originate from Mozambique.

These heavily armed gangs know very well that when entering the KNP, they

CET says thank you for ongoing support to ...

• All the advertisers and sponsors of the KC • DHL Gauteng Supply chain for sponsoring the refurbishment of the Seganyane kitchen • Radioactive for supporting the Kit-a-Kid initiative as part of their RAK nomination.

• All Kit-a-Kid donors • Boksburg Lake Rotaract for book donation towards the Mahlathi Library

• Land Rover Sandton and Land Rover Waterford

• Wildlands Conservation Trust and K2C Biosphere

for their financial donation to CET Projects

for activating the Trees for life project in Acornhoek

• Carl Jansen for project management of the Seganyane Kitchen project sponsored by DHL Gauteng

area and facilitating new partnerships • Timbavati Foundation for hosting

• Elephant’s Drift Safari Camp for hosting the Support-a-School Winners’ excursion.

Tree Facilitators’ training • Southern Cross Schools supporting Bursary students.

• Spectracorp for sponsoring the Supporta-School Winners’ excursion

Advert kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

15 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

are crossing an international border illegally and that this may result in very bad consequences should they come in contact with rangers. In order to escape back to their safe haven east of the international border, they do not hesitate to shoot once confronted.

Remember that unlike the military in combat situations, rangers pursue criminals, not enemy soldiers.

KNP rangers are under obligation to enforce national laws and work under specified rules. This means that they are only permitted to use their firearms in self defence.

Imagine a ranger-patrol tracking poachers in extreme weather conditions, sometimes stretching over an extended period of time.

If, eventually, they get a sighting of poachers over a distance they cannot just open fire at them straightaway.

They have to stalk them through thick bush which makes tracking difficult and is time-consuming. If they come in close range of the poachers at last, they must challenge them as the first legal step in the apprehending process.

Only then, when a poacher picks up his rifle may the rangers open fire in self defence. In a split second a game ranger has to make a decision whether to defend himself and his colleagues, knowing that if he does, there will be repercussions. When a ranger in South Africa shoots a poacher the ensuing police investigation puts immense pressure on him and his family – even if the case is eventually dismissed.

And because Africa holds but a few secrets, word of what happened would spread sooner or later, resulting in the ranger and his family sometimes being isolated by their community, threatened and even assaulted. During 2013, KNP rangers engaged in 65 fire fights, but they recorded another 108 sightings of armed poachers.

To be a ranger is not a choice but a calling. They are a special and rare breed of people who are indispensable pillars of our international nature conservation mandate. Many who want to become a game ranger in Africa apply for the position knowing that the job goes with dehydration, hunger, irritating insects, extreme weather conditions, irregular working hours, etc. never mind the poachers. And then the wild animals they so dearly protect can injure, maim or kill them too.

Rangers are definitely not paid what they are worth. Some rangers will however not complain about their pay, saying that half their salaries are paid by means of sunsets, referring of course to job satisfaction. Unfortunately, management knows that too.

There are no published studies known on how rangers in anti-poaching capacity are affected by repeated exposure to the current armed poaching in Africa. Far less has even been done about their families who carry the daily worries, strain and stress of whether their husband, father, spouse and/or bread winner will return safely and unharmed from work. The KNP requires that rangers who had contact with armed poachers, must see a psychologist as soon as possible afterwards. It seems rangers could become a risk to themselves, or others, when pushed to the limit. Post-traumatic stress can provoke a long list of negative symptoms such as bad recollections, over-cautiousness or evading people, to name but a few. A forthcoming danger could furthermore be that a ranger might shoot unnecessarily, or hesitate to shoot when needed, endangering himself or his colleagues.

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, and with everything considered, mentioned and said, it is not good at all to see blood on the soil of the earth merely because of the immense financial greed by some.� *Speech shortened for publishing purposes.

Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa section, field ranger checking his cybertracker before patrol.

Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa section, field rangers on patrol.

For more information on the Game Rangers Association of Africa please visit their website at www.gameranger.org

Above and below: Kruger National Park rangers demonstrating anti-poaching activities.

page kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

16 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

The Magnificence of the

Klaserie

Story and photos by Fiona Clark

W

Fiona and Mike Clark visit the Klaserie from the UK three times a year and usually stay at nThambo.

Mike used to be a ranger at

Gomo Gomo.

ell here we are back at nThambo. The bushveld looks very different to the barren, dusty place we left behind in October. It’s now lush and green after the recent rains.

We’ve been here for a day now and already had some wonderful sightings, including two of the most endangered carnivores.

Our first sighting was of a female cheetah walking slowly in the middle of the road. We stayed with her for a few minutes before she wandered off following impala and disappeared into the long grass.

After seeing lots of general game, we found a lonely bull rhino at sunset, quietly grazing in the distance. On our way back to camp, Luan, our ranger, spotted another cat in the spotlight – this time it was a male leopard crouching in the grass. As we stopped to get out our cameras, he decided he was camera shy and bolted off into the distance.

We followed him as he made his way through the bushes, but lost him as he made his escape.

The following morning was another wonderful drive. Just after leaving camp at 5am, we came across a pack of wild dogs.

They were obviously on the hunt – running along the road and through the bushes, making it very hard to follow them. Eventually we caught up with them, as they had just caught an impala. We spent a good 30 minutes with them as they devoured their breakfast, a matter of a couple of feet away from the

vehicle (so close I had to change the lens to my camera). Back on our way to camp we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by a breeding herd of elephants, milling around us. It even included a male bull in musth, who surprisingly was very chilled. Back in camp we ourselves sat chilling in the midday sun with a cold beer waiting to see what the following night’s drive would bring. All we needed were the lions and buffalo and we could tick the Magnificent 7 off the list.

And our luck was in. First we came across three old buffalo bulls, hiding deep within the bush. We tried to get closer to take some photos but they were a little grumpy and kept running off. Luckily we came across a large breeding herd of buffalo a little further down the road, positioned nicely for some decent photos. We also saw a crash of four rhino, giraffes, zebra and a spotted hyena. But the highlight was seeing the ‘local’ male lions – the Trilogy, having just killed a waterbuck. Two of the three males were lying with full bellies by the side of the road, one a little angry as we viewed him close by. The third male lion was more interested in a female from a local pride, than his breakfast. They were sat a little way off, trying to get some ‘alone time’, but having no luck with all of us trying to get a photo!

So that is the Magnificent 7 seen here at nThambo in only two days – including a wild dog kill – wow! Let’s see what the remaining five days will bring.

An Old Timer Remembers

Hotel (mis)adventures Story by Ivan Gillatt

O

ver the years, when we went on a long trip from Renishaw, or later Stanger, we used to overnight at various places. My first introduction to a trip out of Natal was to the Empire Exhibition in 1936 or thereabouts. We set off on our journey from Renishaw and made for Newcastle where we found what looked like a presentable hotel. We had just got to our room and were about to unpack when Dad (Freddie) came into the room and said: “We can’t stay here! There are mbungulus (bed bugs) climbing up the wall in the other room!” So back to the car we went and on to Volksrust.

The hotel there was simple and looked clean, so we booked in. A cold night lay ahead. When I got into bed I felt something in the bed and in a fright I jumped out. On inspecting the bed I found that the hot water bottle was one of the old type quart screw top beer bottles filled with hot water and not wrapped with anything. Wrapped with a towel it made a good hot water bottle so a good warm night was enjoyed.

We stayed at various places and one of the favoured ones was the old Phoenix hotel in Ermelo which was comfortable. But Ermelo can be very cold and one did not always have enough blankets. Breakfast was not served early in the 1950s, so Freddie would wake us up early to have breakfast at the next convenient town.

This time it was Machadodorp at the Eastern Hotel where we had overnighted previously. We went in and Freddie, as usual, organised for the Zulus to have their breakfast in the kitchen. We went into the dining room and sat down for breakfast. Somehow the table seemed to have very meagre fare. The usual porridge was not available. When we got back to the vans, Mchitwa one of our Zulus looking rather sheepish came to me. I greeted him and asked if there was a problem. He put his

hand into his pocket and fished out a bit of cereal, it was puffed wheat or Cerex. “Is this edible?” he asked.

I assured him that it was. Normally they would have been given a plate of porridge. On our way home we realised why, as the Hotel had closed down.

Our next adventure was in Nelspruit.

A rather larney looking hotel with fountains in the courtyard was our overnighting place. The Zulus were accustomed to sleeping in the vans and so look after them as the back canopies could not be locked up. Freddie booked in and arranged for the Zulus to have a meal in the kitchen. We went into dinner and afterwards went back to the vans while the Zulus went into the kitchen as arranged. Shortly afterwards they came running out with plates being thrown at them. They were followed by the manager shouting at them in Afrikaans.

He was obviously under the influence.

Freddie walked up to him to enquire what the trouble was and a few harsh words sent him back to the kitchen with his tail between his legs. We gave the Zulus some money and sent them round the corner to buy some food.

next generation Many years later in the 1960s and 70s it was the next generation who would be doing the travelling. The Phoenix hotel had turned into a shopping complex, Bambi was on the road and there was a Holiday Inn in Ermelo. Our favoured stop-over was at Bambi but being very popular was often full. The Holiday Inn was the next convenient stop.

The first time we booked into the Holiday Inn we were allocated a room on the first floor. Friends were on the ground floor and when they got to their room found someone had walked by the window and helped themselves to all the bedding. On the first floor there was a vending machine and the children were keen to see how it worked so we went along only to find that it was empty.

We reported this at the desk to find that they were not very surprised. Their remark was the tour bus just passed and must have cleaned it out. We went into dinner and I broke a rule from my youth when we did not have fish away from the coast. I foolishly had some pickled fish during dinner. I paid for it during the night as I was as sick as a dog and only started recovering when we were able to get to the car and to our emergency medical bag.

On that trip our back up team had already gone ahead to Northampton otherwise we would have abandoned the trip and gone back home. By mid-morning I was fit enough to go on and gradually improved and by the time we reached camp I was virtually back to normal.

On another occasion when we could not get into Bambi and stayed at the Holiday Inn we had a good room overlooking a courtyard with a swimming pool away from the road so there were no traffic noises.

As we were about to go to bed we were disturbed by loud music. I looked out of the window and saw that the courtyard was completely deserted but there was a pole with a loudspeaker on it which was blaring music. The room telephone was no help as there were instructions on how to phone Moscow but absolute silence from the desk at the entrance.

In desperation and in my dressing gown I went down to the reception only to find the place deserted. I went into the courtyard to the offending pole, reached up and gave the wires a tug. Mercifully silence and so to bed.

In the room there was a response card inviting comments. My answer to the question: “Why did you choose a Holiday Inn?” was because the accommodation of our choice was fully booked!

Photo by Simon Roberts

17 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

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sightings

African Cuckoo, Ziggy Hugo

Dwarf mongoose, photo Ziggy Hugo

Wild dog, photo by Ziggy Hugo

African Barred Owl, William Cairns Wild dog, photo by Ziggy Hugo

Elephant and hippo, photo by William Cairns

Pieter Steenkamp

page kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

19 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Elephants, photo Martin Cassidy

Leopard, Dick Berry Wild dog, photo Fiona Clark

Zebra, photo Taaibos Human

sightings Lion, photo Warren Howson

Natal spurfowl, photo Lynette Strauss

page kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor

20 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

A nationwide analysis of lion management across a suite of close to 50 reserves or

Protected Areas with wild lions, commenced earlier this year.

This project will focus on lion population dynamics and sociality, management interventions and tourism outcomes , among other aspects .

Leading to a greater understanding of lion social dynamics in such areas, this project seeks to enhance management options and endorse proactive , evidence-based management decisions .

21 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Kruger and greater park lions set a good example Story by Orla McEvoy, photos by Warren Howson

I

n small, enclosed reserves managers are often left with a dilemma. Lions play a vital role as a revenue driver and enhance local ecological integrity.

However, populations in small parks show higher population growth when compared with larger, open systems, such as the Kruger National Park (KNP) and the adjacent Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR).

This can lead to prey depletion, management and tourism costs.

These escalations are due to a loss of population limiting factors that occur in more open systems.

As charismatic, social cats, lions hold fascination among researchers and bush-goers alike. Studies indicate that the key reasons behind the formation of cohesive prides and even lifelong bonds are the defence of territories and/or cubs. Such social needs may be a population-limiting factor. These, however, are disrupted in smaller reserves or protected areas (PAs).

Researchers suggest that within smaller PAs, with few nomad males and often a single pride present, these social drivers are lost. Lionesses have less reason to live in groups to defend their cubs or territories, when there are no other strange males or strange prides present respectively. This causes these wild cats to have less cohesive prides.

Traditionally lions hunt in groups.

Research indicates that they can, however hunt as effectively alone as they can in a group. Therefore, with less cohesion in smaller areas, lions may hunt more independently than their counterparts in larger open systems. This could lead to more prey being taken per lion in smaller PAs, where each lion catches its own meals, separate from one another.

Inter-specific competition and prey size are other dynamics which may influence pride cohesion. Reduced

social stress among and between pride members in such smaller reserves, will have added effects on natural birth and death rates, furthering higher population growth.

At present, management options for curbing the effect of these growing feline numbers are costly and raise uncertainties, stressing the need for further research. Additionally, management interventions such as contraception may also inhibit pride cohesions and require careful management.

A nationwide analysis of lion management across a suite of close to 50 reserves or PAs with wild lions, commenced earlier this year. This project will focus on lion population dynamics and sociality, management interventions and tourism outcomes, among other aspects. Leading to a greater understanding of lion social dynamics in such areas, this project seeks to enhance management options and endorse proactive, evidence-based management decisions. The research will develop best practice guidelines, aiming to mimic the associated outcomes in larger open systems such as KNP, APNR and other similar areas.

Aligning with the aims of the Lion Management Forum of South Africa (LiMF), and the Eastern and Southern Africa Lion Conservation Strategy, this project directly contributes towards informing the first ever national action plan for lions in South Africa, to be prepared under the auspices of the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

PhD student Orla McEvoy, in association with Rhodes University’s Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group (WRMRG), is carrying out the project.

The project benefited

from development in association with adept lion researchers Dr Sam Ferreira (SANParks) and Dr Dan Parker (Rhodes University), extending work from Dr Susan Miller (University of Pretoria) and other key players of LiMF. With a shared mission to support ethical and harmonious wildlife management, this project has received support from SATIB Conservation Trust and LiMF. SATIB, under the guidance of chairman, Brian Courtney, supports a number of conservation management projects in the area and broader Southern Africa region. They are presently aiding in fundraising for the current project seeking operational research costs.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Orla at g15m9027@campus. ru.ac.za or Brian at elephant@satib.co.za.

22 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

LepiMAP

The Atlas of African Lepidoptera

Story by Megan Loftie-E aton

S

outh Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland have 657 species of butterfly and well over a 1000 species when we start looking at moths.

Butterflies and moths are popular and attractive insects and therefore have a large following amongst the general public.

These flying jewels are important sentinels for conservation as they are sensitive monitors for ecosystem health; if the butterflies are good, then everything else must be doing okay too. Furthermore, they play a role in the vital ecosystem service of pollination, for example the Table Mountain Beauty, Aeropetes tulbaghia is the only known pollinator of Disa uniflora, the Red Disa orchid.

In May 2013, the first butterfly atlas for the region, Conservation Assessment of Butterflies of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland: Red List and Atlas was published. This means that maps in this book were based on actual records, rather than subjective judgments in earlier field guides. The atlas was a stepping stone as we cannot conserve species properly if we don’t know where they occur. It made us realise how incomplete our knowledge of distribution really is. Also, because of the combined impact of climate change and landscapes being modified by agriculture, deforestation, afforestation, mining and urbanisation, butterfly distributions are changing continuously and there is an ongoing

need remain informed of distributions.

To meet this need we launched LepiMAP in October 2014. This programme is a partnership between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc) and the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) at the University of Cape Town. LepiMAP includes moths as well as butterflies, and focuses on the whole of Africa. To participate all you need do is point your camera at butterflies and moths and upload the Common Emporer, Bunaea alcinoe photos, plus the date and place into the LepiMAP database. You can upload your photos on the ADU’s Virtual Museum website at vmus.adu.org.za and easily find areas for which there is no data in LepiMAP, collect as many LepiMAP records for those places as possible and help fill the gaps.

LepiMAP is hosting an autumn LepiBASH from Saturday, 25 April to Sunday, 3 May – the second LepiBASH event for the year. LepiBASH is the new and exciting LepiMAP mini-project which aims to increase awareness of Red copper, Aloeides thyra thyra LepiMAP, and boost the number of participants and the rate at which data Waterberg copper, Erikssonia edgei pours into the LepiMAP database.

A fun experiment is to hang a sheet out at night with a bright light played on it for an hour or two and see how many different species of moths you can find and photograph to submit to LepiMAP. You might have a big collection of butterfly and moth photographs already which means it’ll be even easier for you to participate in LepiBASH by uploading these records into the Virtual Museum database.

Get your butterflying and mothing on. Happy LepiMAPping!

For more information please visit www.lepimap.adu.org.za

23 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

A sighting from my veranda Story and photos by Pieter Steenkamp

T

o live and work on the banks of the Klaserie River is indeed a privilege. My veranda is one of those places where I like to spend as much time as possible. Morning coffees, lunches and sundowners are often served with a beautiful view over the Klaserie River. There is always something to see. Bushbuck and nyala frequently sneak through the reeds making their way along the banks of the river.

Fish eagles soar overhead with their loud, distinct calls capturing all that listen. The cracking of bushes and breaking of branches warn you that either buffalo or elephant are on their way to drink and cool down in the river. With so much to see it is difficult to single out a sighting, but there is one that I would like to share.

It was a beautiful evening in spring and the sun had just slipped beneath the horizon. Frogs and crickets were bursting out in song while our conversation flowed as easily as the smooth red wine that filled our glasses.

I was interrupted mid-sentence by an eerie noise and an audible splash in the river. Straining our ears to establish the cause of the sounds delivered no results.

The evening had gone silent.

A scramble for the spotlight ensued with anticipation running rife. Scanning the river with the spotlight delivered an unexpected scene.

On the opposite bank, on the verge of the water, stood a leopard. His quarry, a bush buck, lay motionless in its grasp. It had succumbed to the highly effective hunting skills of this awesome predator. It was over in seconds.

The leopard wasted no time and made its way up the river bank, its meal in tow.

With ease it dragged the bushbuck into a Jackalberry tree, safe from other predators and opportunists.

Unfortunately the leopard was not afforded any time to feast as a herd of elephant was approaching, forcing it to abandon its meal.

Only the next morning did it return to the carcass in full view from the comfort of my veranda. A memorable sighting to enjoy over a morning cup of coffee.

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The Greater Kruger National Park SABAP2 challenge Story by Peter L awson, photos by Lynette Strauss

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Bateleur

Heron

ongratulations to all who have played a part in the Kruger National Park 2014 challenge. Both targets set by the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) were met, one in early November and the other in early December.

This was a tremendous achievement, not only by those registered with SANParks but also all the citizen scientists visiting the area who diligently atlased all pentads in which they were able to spend a minimum of two hours. The ‘Greater Kruger’ area includes all pentads east of 31 degrees and north of 26 degrees. There are a few pentads in the far north of Kruger National Park that fall west of this area and they too are included as they are within the Park boundary.

The 26 degree boundary does not include Swaziland, apart from pentads that overlap the border. The same applies to Mozambique to the east and Zimbabwe in the far north.

The 2015 challenge is now open to all atlasers as we start again from scratch. Every single pentad in the entire area is a target and we need to cover as many as possible at least once during the year to meet our new challenge of 400 pentads. Of course more lists are always welcome too and are most important for meaningful data to be collected. The second target of 1 500 lists to be submitted during the course of the year means that every list submitted, even if a pentad has been atlased on numerous occasions, is of utmost importance.

The ‘Turning Kruger Green’ challenge is open until the end of 2016 and so far good progress has been made.

All pentads within the project area need to be atlased a minimum of four times to turn green on the website map. Many of these are outside the Kruger National Park boundaries and are thus open to all citizen scientists.

To date the standing of pentads to be atlased in order to turn green is as follows: • Pentads with no cards = 13 (need to be atlased four times each) • Pentads with one card = 43 (need to be atlased three times each) • Pentads with 2 to 3 cards = 62 (some require one card, others require two) Of course this is a minimum requirement, and the more cards submitted the better for the success of the project. A pentad cannot be over-atlased.

Your assistance is needed and is most welcome, so we appeal to you to do what you can east of 31 degrees and north of 26 degrees. This project runs until the end of 2016 and to complete it we must produce about 300 lists for

120 pentads. Thus, please give priority to all pentads within the study area that have less than four card submissions. With hard work and diligence we can make it.

By accessing sabap2. adu.org.za and clicking on “Coverage maps/ All years” you can identify which pentads, particularly those outside the KNP, still need to be atlased.

There is yet another extremely important side to this project that relates to funding and donations, whether monetary or in kind. We have had fantastic assistance from many during our first year and are extremely grateful, but more is needed to enable us to continue. We would like to thank Les Underhill of the ADU, University of Cape Town for his guidance and encouragement and for setting the 2014 challenge, and most important, Sharon Thompson of SANParks Scientific Services who was instrumental in convincing the ADU that it would be beneficial to all for this SABAP2 project to be registered as a scientific project. Sharon has been a major guiding force since the start and has been strict in setting out rules and regulations for us to abide by. We welcome her positive direction in making this the most important Kruger National Park project to date.

Keep up the good work!

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The Groups of Klaserie: Part 1 Story by K ate Carstens, Photos Cassie Carstens In this series, we’re going to take you through the recent histories of the Ground Hornbill groups of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR). A while ago I wrote a short piece on Janovsky group and their young ones who were dispersing far and wide. The next few parts in this series will follow a similar theme as I tell you all we know about the groups and individuals that are found here. In this piece, I will begin with Copenhagen group.

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he first time the Ground Hornbill Project encountered this group was back in September 1999, though I am sure many land owners had encountered this group prior to our involvement. Sightings were infrequent with only five encounters in four years. As few as one and as many as three were seen together during the early years, with one sighting of six – perhaps as bands of floaters joined the group for short periods. An artificial nest log was provided in 2003, but it took three years before they started to use it. In the summer of 2006, on October 15th, they had laid their first egg. At this time we observed a group of three come and go from the nest tree providing for their growing chick. Their first attempt was successful and the chick fledged on February 18th, 2007.

Three more chicks were raised in this nest between 2008 and 2010, and we started to watch as this group started growing.

In 2011, while inspecting nests, I noticed the artificial nest on Hull had suffered a collapsed roof that was now blocking the entrance. It was unclear how long the roof had been like this, so early the next morning Barry helped me repair it. Five days later we got a message to say the birds had been seen flying in and out of the nest. We went to inspect to find a single newly laid egg inside! But which group did it belong to?

Not wanting to disturb the nest or the group during breeding time, we had to wait a good few weeks before we could confirm this was indeed Copenhagen group that had decided to use this nest. And they’ve been using it ever since, raising three chicks to fledging in this particular nest. Coupled with the success at Copenhagen nest, we have never known this group to fail a nesting attempt and we can only hope this trend continues.

We now see six to eight birds in this group. One is last season’s chick who is still with the group and begging for food. He will however, switch overnight to helper as soon as their current nestling fledges. Three other older offspring remain with the adult pair, acting as helpers, as well as two unknown individuals who may be older offspring or immigrants from other groups.

26 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

The rhino jab

Are we winning? in South Africa. Protecting the integrity of our reserves has strong parallels with counter insurgency (COIN) warfare but most of these efforts have been spectacularly unsuccessful. It is common doctrine that so long as the insurgency maintains popular support, it will retain all of its strategic advantages of mobility, invisibility, and legitimacy in its own eyes and the eyes of the people. So long as this is the situation, an insurgency essentially cannot be defeated by regular forces.

Add to this the long, convoluted and populated borders that antipoaching forces have to protect together with the vast area where rhinos still roam freely and the mission becomes gargantuan.

GRU: A pocket of resistance

Story and photos by Wynand Uys

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t is largely thanks to SA Flyer readers and the new headline sponsor, Gemfields, that the Jabiru J170 has been kept fuelled and ready for the fight against rhino poaching. The aircraft was deployed in September 2013 by Jabiru SA to serve the coalition of game reserves known as Game Reserves United (GRU) west of the Kruger National Park (KNP).

Rhino poaching nationally

The rate of rhino poaching in South Africa has risen at an alarming rate.

In 2012, 668 rhinos were killed by poachers, in 2013 this number went up

to 1 004 and in 2014 it grew again to a demoralising 1 215.

With so much being invested in combating this scourge, why are we losing increasingly more rhino every year? Why is the KNP, in particular taking such a beating?

The answers are politically and socio-economically complex and could easily fill up several theses.

Trade bans, combined with the virtual extinction of rhino elsewhere and subsequent depletion of rhino horn stocks in Southeast Asia have created the perfect storm for poaching

The reserves participating in GRU have grown to 330 000 hectares.

Their cooperation, intelligence sharing, mutual tactical support and shared air support have contributed to a sharp decrease in rhino losses in this, the single biggest grouping of private game reserves with free roaming rhino in possibly the world.

For 2014, we set a target of reducing rhino losses in the GRU reserves to 50% of the 2013 level.

Ambitious, under the circumstances, but it was achieved. In 2013 the GRU Reserves lost 28.1 rhino per 100 000 ha and in 2014 it was brought down to 13.9 rhino per 100 000 ha, a reduction of 50.4%. This against a national background of a 21% increase in poached rhino. In 2014 the GRU Anti-Poaching Units (APU’s) apprehended 41 poachers and seized

27 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

25 rifles, not counting additional arrests and weapons seizures in the district where GRU was indirectly involved.

During 2014, the demand for air support by the Rhino Jab grew constantly. Thanks to the generous support of SA Flyer readers and their businesses, extra flying time was allocated to all the GRU reserves, but by late 2014 the GRU Wing faced a rather desperate shortfall in cash to service its fuel and oil accounts.

In November 2014, Sean Gilbertson, executive director on the board of Gemfields in the UK read of our predicament in SA Flyer. He pledged if an upcoming ruby auction in Singapore went well, Gemfields would commit to contributing a material portion of the GRU Wing’s flying cost in 2015.

Gemfields is a world leading supplier of coloured gemstones with mining interests in Mozambique, Madagascar and Zambia.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, their emphasis is on responsibly sourced gemstones, ensuring that the countries of origin benefit fairly from the proceeds of the gemstones.

Their commitment to conservation and the environment is admirably

demonstrated by their willingness to support the GRU Wing – they even named the 40.23 carat African ruby the Rhino Ruby.

In recognition of the substantial donation towards GRU Wing from the proceeds of the Rhino Ruby, the Rhino Jab now sports the Gemfields logo on its doors. GRU and GRU Wing thank all the SA Flyer readers who so generously kept ZU-OPS in the air for the past 16 months and are still providing us with a sound financial base from which to launch our 2015 campaign.

A busy Christmas

While the exciting Gemfields partnership was being forged, the poachers did not relent and the day before Christmas I responded to flight requests from APU’s in different parts of the GRU area.

Towards afternoon I was flying with Joe Pearson in his section of the Balule, where an incursion was suspected. ZU OPS was in the air most of that hot and very bumpy day.

Jaco Scheepers took over the flying duties on Christmas Day and Gerry McDonald, now flying for Big Game Heli, was also called in with an R44.

A poacher was on the run and the APU’s were in hot pursuit. Thankfully no rhino was lost but in spite of it being Christmas day the guys wanted to make the arrest. Late afternoon Jaco called me from ZU OPS. Both the Rhino Jab and Gerry in the R44 were running low on fuel and they daren’t return to base for fear of losing the advantage of having the fugitive pinned down. I was to fly fuel in to their location and they would take turns to land there and refuel.

By the time I had fuel loaded and was ready to take off from Hoedspruit, Jaco called again: “Forget the fuel, bring brandy!” Mario Cesare, warden of Olifants River Game Reserve in the Balule and his tracker dog, Saba, had done the honours.

The tracker was apprehended and I arrived only to take a photograph in fading light.

Perhaps that is why GRU has a better than average record in combating rhino poaching. The wardens, rangers, pilots and APU’s take it personally when someone threatens the rhino they are committed to protect.

Sources: National Wildlife Crime Reaction Unit, January 2015 If you are interested in supporting the GRU Wing, please contact Wynand or the fund manager, WESSA at gruwing@ gamereservesunited.co.za and chris@wessa.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 Ref: GRUWING and NAME/COMPANY 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

28 | Klaserie Chronicle/Kroniek no. 31

Eco Kidz | Eco Kidz | Eco Kidz | sponsors | Eco Kidz New kitchen at Seganyane thanks to DHL Gauteng and CET

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eganyane Primary School can boast about a brand new kitchen thanks to the hard work and collaboration between Children’s Eco Training (CET) and DHL Supply Chain Gauteng.

This comes after a group of DHL volunteers travelled all the way from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit in order to give their time and expertise to assist the school in upgrading their kitchen facilities.

DHL combined forces with CET for the first time in 2012 when CET mediated their visit to assist in the upgrade of the school’s Eco Classroom. This collaboration has grown from strength to strength since then and in 2013 they upgraded the school’s library and media centre.

This centre now serves as a reference and homework centre for 150 children as well as a hub for adult numeracy and literacy skills. Last year, it was time to upgrade the facilities where the school prepares meals for each of their 400 learners every day.

Seganyane’s wish list is a carbon copy of many schools around the country.

Desks and chairs so children do not have to sit on the floor; floors, windows, doors and a roof to keep them dry; and a proper kitchen to feed their hungry children. Not so long ago, they owned no computers, no telephones, projectors, or even fax machines and

were eager for learning tools like books, posters, solar kits and magnifying glasses.

The success of the collaboration between CET and DHL does not hinge on a vast amount of funding, but rather the time and effort taken by people wanting to make a real difference and make a start. CET focuses on handson environmental education amongst the youth in the Hoedspruit and Acornhoek areas to teach children how to conserve and appreciate nature. The programme works on the premise of getting children to understand the basic principle of “what you put in is what you get out.”

“The real accomplishment of our programme is that it’s ordinary people doing ordinary things, but making an extraordinary impact,” says Craig Roberts, CEO for Middle East and Africa for DHL Supply Chain. “We encourage more people to partner with organisations like CET to put in their time.

Donate an old book, plaster a wall, lay a brick – do something, anything that can help even one child get a better education.”

Before

After

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Eco Kidz | holiday workshops | Eco Kidz Story and photos by Gay Wabeke

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Energy cycles

eaching children about an intangible project like energy cycles can be tough, but with a little bit of fun thrown into the mix anything is possible. This was once again proven at the Children’s Eco Training (CET) December holiday workshop where the focus was on energy – what it is, how it moves in the environment and how important it is to keep an environment alive.

Starting with the basics, children first learnt about the environment or non-living parts of nature before moving on to ecosystems – that community of living things that interact with each other. After this came an introduction to habitats and niches, before the learning became fun as the children played various games to find out more about the environment and how it works. From building their own ecosystems to testing their new knowledge about ecosystems in the “ecosystem splat” game, all the fun and games contributed to teaching the children about six new ecosystems – coral reefs, freshwater rivers, savannah, tropical rain forests, deserts and arctic tundra. It was fascinating learning and the highlight of this section was building a fully functioning living ecosystem using coke bottles that contained both the aquatic and terrestrial parts of an ecosystem.

With everyone understanding ecosystems, the workshop moved on to energy and it was much easier to understand what energy is, where animals get it from, how they use it and what happens to it when the animal dies. Everyone had great fun making posters using lots of colourful paint, glue, plants, impala dung and acacia thorns to illustrate this concept and before they knew it they had learnt about food chains and food webs and how energy moves from one organism to the next.

After loads of fun activities everyone understood why it is important to look after nature and what happens to the delicate balance if we don’t.

This was not where the fun ended though and as has become tradition, Santa Clause made an appearance at the end-of-year workshops to deliver Santa Shoeboxes and Kit-a-Kid vouchers to all the loyal Eco Kidz. 430 Santa Shoeboxes were handed out and 360 Kit-a-Kid vouchers to those children who are attending the school for the first time in 2015. It was a wonderful way to end an extremely successful year and CET can’t wait for the next holiday workshop during the Easter holidays!

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Mashudu excels at WITS

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ashudu is a shining example of hard work creating success and opportunity. This young lady was first accepted onto the MAD CHARITY™ (Make A Difference) Individual Education Programme, in conjunction with Children’s Eco Training (CET), in 2009 and has been exceeding expectations ever since.

After graduating as one of the top learners in her class at Southern Cross Schools in 2013, she was accepted to study Chemical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand and has continued to deliver top performances in this very challenging field of tertiary education. She passed her first year of study with an average of 83% - including subjects such as calculus, chemistry and physics.

Now in her second year, Mashudu is not planning on going any slower and has said she wants to continue performing this well, even though she didn’t realise the studies would be so hard. “I thought there would be more time to socialise, however

I found myself studying constantly.

Physics was extremely challenging and I spent many hours trying to solve a single problem. My favourite subject is chemistry. I am really pleased with my results as I didn’t expect to do so well in my first year. I am really delighted with my performance and hope to keep it up in my second year,” she said.

Corné Havenga, CEO of CET said: “Mashudu is exceptionally hard working and dedicated. She is determined to succeed and will put in many hours to achieve success. I have no doubt that she will continue to achieve in 2015. She is a humble young lady whose sheer talent and dedication will take her on a journey of success.”

For more information on MAD CHARITY™ please visit their website www.madcharity.org, follow them on Twitter @MADCharitySA or like them on Facebook MAD Charity.

MAD was founded in 2003 by Francois Pienaar. MAD focuses on leadership development through education with

an aim to identify academically talented scholars who do not have the financial resources and offer them support in the areas of education, leadership, mentorship and life-skills development.

The leaders of tomorrow need our leadership today.

CET bursary student inspires

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ersilo Ngobeni, Children’s Eco Training’s (CET) newest bursary student, has settled in quickly and comfortably at Southern Cross School after transferring from Matikinya Primary School, one of CET’s adopted

schools in the area. It was here that he was identified as a talented youngster, with heaps of potential but little opportunities. At the age of 15, Mersilo had already endured hardships that most adults would struggle to cope with, but he remained positive and motivated. This was when CET stepped in and secured support in order to cover Mersilo’s school fees at Southern Cross.

It has now been almost three months since he has been a student there and feedback has been nothing but positive.

Mersilo is focused during lessons and engages with teachers and fellow learners alike – asking questions and embracing the opportunities that have come his way. Although Afrikaans is a completely new language to him, he i staking on the challenge with determination. He is a very positive young man who is determined to do well. Mersilo has not only been an exemplary student in the classroom but has also proven himself a very good long distance runner.

Not only is he wellliked by his teachers,

but by his peers too. He has made friends easily and has settled in well to life at Southern Cross.

Mersilo has shown himself to be a kindhearted, committed individual that is dedicated to his education and bettering his life and CET is proud to be associated with such an inspirational young man. His positive attitude and friendly nature is inspiring to say the least and we look forward to following his progress as he chases his dream of changing other struggling people’s lives.

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4x4 in die Klaserie Storie en fotos deur Philip Oosthuizen

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ie saampak van donker wolke in die suide en die reuk van vars reën merk die begin van ‘n nuwe seisoen vir die Klaserie met ‘n verkoelende vreugde onder mense asook die natuurlewe op die reservaat.

Die reënseisoen bring nuwe lewe vir fauna en flora en voed die vlakke van die Klaserierivier, een van die belangrikste lewensbronne van die reservaat.

Dié reën bring elke jaar ‘n uitdaging aan almal in die Klaserie wat vernuf eis om te oorkom, die 4x4 faktor.

Groot reëns se afspoelwater veroorsaak dat sommige paaie onbegaanbaar word, selfs vir toegeruste 4x4 voertuie. Dit kan lei tot gebroke egos en ‘n desperate oproep om hulp na die Klaserie Hoofkwartiere.

As gevolg van nat paaie en hoër riviervlakke is dit raadsaam om van klein tweespoor-paaie en rivierlope af te bly. Bly eerder op die meer gekompakteerde hoofpaaie om vassit te vermy.

Indien so ‘n pad gery móét word is daar ‘n paar wenke wat ek kan voorstel nadat ek ‘n paar 4x4 tekortkominge geïdentifiseer het tydens my tyd op die reservaat.

Die eerste belangrikste ding

om te onthou is natuurlik om die voertuig in 4x4 te skakel. Glo dit of nie, ‘n mens kan dit soms vergeet.

En terwyl jy besig is, skakel sommer alle moontlike 4x4 ge-oriënteerde knoppies en liggies aan. Tweedens is een van die belangrikste dinge om te weet waar jy gaan ry. So, loop die hindernis en bekyk al die belangrike faktore, soos die korrekte lyn en moontlike gevare soos gate of skerp klippe wat jou voertuig mag beskadig.

Beplan ‘n roete voordat jy agter die stuur klim.

Momentum is jou vriend (nie spoed nie), veral wanneer daar ‘n stewige opdraande is om te oorkom, of dalk ‘n dik sandlaag.

Die momentum van ‘n gemiddelde twee-ton voertuig sal ‘n verskil kan maak tussen vasval of deurkom, dus is laebestek tweede rat (low range 2nd gear) gewoonlik die beste aanbeveling vir meeste situasies.

Indien daar passasiers in die voertuig is, laat hulle

afklim (as dit veilig is) en eerder die ondervinding en konsentrasie van die drywer vanaf ‘n veilige afstand op kamera vasvang. Vermy eerder waterkruisings, maar as dit onmoontlik is, moet die diepte bepaal word en daar seker gemaak word dat die voertuig se watervlak limiet nie oorskry sal word nie om skade te vermy. Die basiese reël geld dan weer, genaamd momentum, nie spoed nie. Die water by die kruising moenie sterk vloei nie, en die voertuig moet tydens die kruis van die rivier slegs die water stoot om ‘n boog voor die voertuig te vorm. Dit sal momentum in die watervloei veroorsaak en die voertuig sal makliker deur die rivier kan ry.

Soos met meeste 4x4 situasies het ek al geleer: doen dit eerder oor, as om dit te oordoen.

En indien jy vasval, of sien dat iemand gaan vasval, kry dit op kamera.

Hoewel die ondervindinge lekker kan wees, moet ons altyd die natuur eerste stel en fauna en flora wat moontlik mag beskadig word in ag neem en probeer vermy. Die natuurskoon in die Klaserie is ‘n voorreg wat ons kan geniet en ons moet dit tot die beste van ons vermoëns beskerm vir ons en ons nageslagte.

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MAD welcomes Nhlalala and Katlego

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hildren’s Eco Training (CET) is very happy to announce that another two local learners have been accepted to the MAD CHARITY™ (Make A Difference) Individual Education Programme.

Nhlalala Tivane and Katlego Mamiane are two outgoing and vibrant young ladies and their enthusiasm and friendly nature have already made them very special and valued members of the bursary group in the Hoedspruit area. They are both currently in grade 8 at Southern Cross Schools and extremely excited to form part of the MAD CHARITY™ Individual Education Programme.

Nhlalala is a keen netball player and loves athletics, while Katlego enjoys drama.

However, one thing that they definitely have in common is their positivity and CET wishes them all the best for the upcoming school year. We are sure they will work hard and make the most of this exceptional opportunity to create a bright future for themselves.

MAD CHARITY™ is now accepting new bursary applications for current grade 7 – 12 learners until 30 June 2015. For more information contact Delia at delia@ madcharity.org or visit the MAD CHARITY™ website at www.madcharity.co.za.

MAD was founded in 2003 by Francois Pienaar.

MAD focuses on leadership development through education with an aim to identify academically talented scholars who do not have the financial resources and offer them support in the areas of education, leadership, mentorship and life-skills development.

How can you help CET? Your contribution can change a life Children's Eco Training. Standard Bank, Cheque Account, Acc 013253611, Hatfield Branch, Code 01-15-45. Swift Code: SBZAZAJJ, PLEASE use your name as reference and send confirmation of payment to corne@ecochildren.co.za

Dates to remember • • • • •

March HWS: Training dates 30 March- 2 April Theme: Water for Life (Importance, properties, uses) June HWS: Training dates 29 June – 2 July Theme: Water for Life (Pollution, wildlife and mini SASS) October HWS: Training dates 5- 8 October Theme: Veld awareness (using your senses to appreciate nature) December HWS: Training dates 7 – 10 December Theme: Veld awareness (finding your way in the bush) Klaserie Private Nature Reserve AGM: 4 July 2015

Bank details: Children’s Eco Training, Account no: 013 253611, Cheque account, Standard Bank, Hatfield, Branch code: 01-15-45, Swift code: SBZAZAJJ Please mail your receipt of payment to corne@ecochildren.co.za

Page kindly sponsored by the Connan Family Trust