From the editors desk Last Month’s Top Shot Winner Facebook Cover Shot Winner Volunteer Encounters Ranger’s Report
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Community Focus
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Photography Reflections Photography Focus
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Research Update Research Focus
A new year, and allegedly new beginnings. I say allegedly, because most of us seem to do very well in the first couple of weeks with our new year’s resolutions and then revert to type. This year, after a discussion with our head guide, Jason Kipling, we decided to set realistic objectives for the year and not to deprive ourselves of something, but to give us something back. Resolution #1: Do less things that we don’t like doing. This could mean anything from paperwork in the office, to having a general moan (although it’s sad to say, a lot of us do enjoy that sometimes, including me).
Resolution #2: Do more things that we enjoy. Going out into the bush, taking photos, teaching, reading, learning. And that’s it – clear, achievable objectives that won’t creep up on us and will (hopefully) bring us happiness through the year. Here’s hoping yours is as productive as we hope ours will be!
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So, how long have you been interested in guiding? 4 years – I had the opportunity to work in the bush back home in Zimbabwe and enjoyed every minute of it; wanting to return as often as I could What do you like about your job? Living in such a beautiful place away from the stress of city life; learning about something new every day.
What makes you smile here? The happy, enthusiastic nature of all the staff and volunteers and the peaceful location
I was born and raised in Colorado, USA but I’ve long been infected with the insatiable thirst for travel. I spent several years as a science teacher in the Marshall Islands and the past few seasons I worked as a forklift operator in Antarctica, each job leading me to the next new adventure. I am currently a graduate student in Northern California where I’m studying the impact of climate change on marine invertebrates.
The opportunity to volunteer arose when I discovered that I had a long winter break and an eager friend with the same love of travel. However, the call to Africa has much deeper roots, from my childhood obsession with elephants to my ongoing passion for wildlife conservation and research. Both of us have wanted to visit this continent all our lives, so once we found African Impact online, it was only a matter of choosing location and project. I can’t encourage anyone enough to volunteer with this wonderful organization. You’ll be greeted at Dumela Lodge by the resident fruit bats, whose adorable little faces will banish any pre-existing phobias. The research projects, data collection and impressive network of collaborators will inspire you and give meaning and purpose to your efforts. Machete work to remove invasive shrubs and brush will be a brutal reminder that you don’t actually have upper body strength, but it will be satisfying nonetheless. Perhaps you’re curious about the obscure bird call you heard last night? Or maybe you have an inquiry regarding the navigational abilities of dung beetles? Don’t worry; your questions will be answered and more! The extremely knowledgeable guides and enthusiastic staff will imbue you with fascinating facts about the wildlife and culture.
But nothing will prepare you for the enchanting experience of a game drive. A deceptively tranquil pond erupts as several hippos emerge from the depths. The sight of the long pointed horn of a rhino feels as special as seeing a unicorn. The mystery pervades as herds of twenty massive elephants surround you in one minute, and disappear into the brush the next. You’ll peer into the dark, straining to see the flash of a predator’s eye. The ground teems with unfamiliar insects, and exotic birds will charm you as they flit by. Everyone will hold their breath in the captivating presence of a leopard. Perhaps you’ll be treated to the thrilling sight of rare African wild dogs. The iconic view of zebras and giraffes mingling near a water hole will be so picture-perfect, you’ll briefly think you’re watching Nat Geo until the everchanging aromas and inimitable sounds of the savannah invade your senses and remind you where you are. This I will say - two weeks was not enough. It was a mere glimpse into the magic of the veld. I can already hear Africa calling me back.
Did you know the Ostrich eye is bigger than its brain? In the past, evolution must have decided that the animal was better suited to seeing and running away (at 60mph) than thinking!
The New Year has brought new starts for our Community Projects here at Greater Kruger! The central theme around our new look Community Projects are our new Combo volunteers! We now have a revamped combo project, a blend of Research, Conservation and Community activities. The central theme is that through our Research here at Greater Kruger we are working to conserve our surrounding wildlife and environment. In order for this to be sustainable and effective we must also work in the surrounding communities to ensure an appreciation for nature and its protection.
Use repetition Repetition of form will reinforce the idea of your subject. Photographing many animals of the same type is a great way to get stunning images. Don’t forget reflections as well, as this has the same effect. Top Tip: try inverting your photograph (turning it upside down) and show only the reflection to give your photos an abstract look.
At the end of 2016 we were busy laying the groundwork for the New Year and our new Combo Research and Community Projects. These refined community projects include three central elements. The first is the continuation of our popular Reading Club at Seganyane Primary School. The newly enrolled Grade 7 will be starting Reading Club with us and we will be starting with our baseline assessments to group the students on ability. This means we can match their ability with the level of books they should be reading and chart progress throughout the year. A new addition in 2017 to the programme is that on the starting day each student will receive a stationary pack with pens, pencils, notebooks and erasers and finally a dictionary which will be invaluable to increasing their vocabulary in English! The next central element to the community projects are our Conservation Education lessons which are now going to be delivered to Grade 8 at Maputha Ditshaba High School. Students from Seganyane and other surrounding primary schools have just started their first year at High School. In order to increase our reach we will be starting with Grade 8 as they begin High School with our Conservation Education lessons, topics are varied and span ecosystems and habitats to plants and trees to endangered species and ecosystems.
So, how long have you been interested in guiding? Ever since I set foot in Kruger National Park; I got into guiding because I love animals so much and I wanted to be able to teach people about them, how not to be afraid of them. What do you like about your job? Being able to see the volunteers’ faces and excitement if you show or teach them something new. What makes you smile here? Just waking up every morning and opening the windows to see all the birds singing and just being in the bushveld with so many people that have the same feeling. ď Š
The whole course is aimed at increasing numeracy, literacy and critical analysis through Conservation Education while also engendering a respect for the world we live in. Our combo volunteers will be using what they learn in Research and knowledge gained from our guides to help us add to our Conservation Education curriculum, making it relevant for students. Lastly, in order for us to assist those community members who have left school we are offering the opportunity to become involved in our new Farmers for the Future garden. Our new garden will start in 2017 with a lot of hard work to get the land prepared and ready for planting. Our community ambassadors will take ownership of a plot of land to maintain and harvest while also creating seedlings for other people to also start their own vegetable gardens at home. This will help those involved gain new skills, sustain themselves and their families with fresh vegetables and the potential to generate a small income through selling excess produce. Our Community and Research volunteers will be involved in a blend of research and community activities. Conservation to protect wildlife and the environment in which they live must involve both aspects of research and the people who live in the surrounding area. This combo project is aimed to show both sides through the important research we conduct and the role humans play in Conservation efforts.
We can show how the Hippo has an affectionate, not just aggresive side, we can show the industrious dung beetle working away (the flies here, incidentally, point like an arrow towards the subject – I trained them myself), or a lonely impala with a long way to go. We can also create confusion Happy New Year one and all! We had an amazing time in 2016, with over 1300 photos being supplied within the image to make the viewer to our partners EcoChildren look deeper, like a crocodile’s eye and Kinyonga Reptile Park, constructing a butterfly garden on our own reserve here at Dumela lodge, entertaining and educating the children in the local schools and adding seen through another croc’s mouth, getting audience to engage with nearlythe 500 professionally produced photographs to our online database at awww.africanimpactphotography.com. photo, get them thinking. All in all, an extremely productive year!
Bringing two elements together, Socan what’s for 2017? More of the same, bigger and better! A new year should technically mean a we make next a suggestion – here newAfrican start,Impact but with the way our volunteers worked lasted year, we’d just rather keep our momentum that works with snakes so you can see that going–and continue the even way we have been. with few variables, a photograph becomes morewe’re and more One thing also extremely proud of is launching our new Facebook page complicated.
facebook.com/africanimpactphotography – and this is where we are hoping not to only show off our photographers’ photographs, but to create discussions, critiques and share our love for This, for me, is partamazing of my photography as a whole.- the fascination with photography control we can have over what we want to communicate, by simple inclusion or omission. It’s also where we have a responsibility, in not only what we say, but how we say it. There is no way we can get that perfect image, that puts an idea in another’s head with no confusion whatsoever. Striving towards that perfection, however, is what keeps the photographer coming back.
Use ‘Sundowners’ what’s on offer.
Natural lighting is always going be ‘sundowner’ way better than The to term may anything man have started can in the heyday manufacture, use it! The of the Britishso Empire, but hours just after dawn and just now you’ll find it mentioned before sunset (the golden from Ibiza to Mumbai as a hours) give light with a type of gathering to enjoy beautiful, rosy quality (which at the end of the day, and is why most romantic shots to set herald the excitements are at sunset). of alighting shimmering summer ‘Bad’ can work in your night. Atmospheric favour. conditions can lead to moody shots, maximize any But insoAfrica, sundowners definition in overcast hold a special place,clouds not tosimply make sure it doesn’t look a term or a drink, painted out. but a ritual – one that is a Rim-lighting (a technique used throwback to the days in studio lighting setups using Out of Africa-style a of designated ‘hair light’ tented for safaris and and silhouetting gentlemen in models) can pith ahelmets toasting each have very dramatic effect. other with G&Ts. It’s get a rite Just because you can’t into of right passage, a marking the position doesn’tof mean you should try day for the the transition from to shot. Remember – let nature night. inspire you!
Photography can be a lonely enterprise – waiting hours for that one special shot, or getting up in the middle of the night just when the milky way is exactly where you want it to be. Your loved ones may not understand this dedication (madness?) but what we want to do is create a forum where people of like minds can come together online to share their aspirations and achievements through their photographs.
A fusion of the nose and upper lip, the trunk is an Elephant's most versatile tool, used for breathing, smelling, touching, grasping, and producing sound. It's probably the most amazing body part in the animal kingdom. The elephant's trunk contains over 40,000 muscles divided into as many as 150,000 individual units! Compare that to the human body, which contains a paltry 639 muscles!
So this is an official call to arms for all photographers out there. Anyone who wants to progress as we do, no matter the level of experience, can join us in this online discussion. Check out the articles from other sites like Africa Geographic, there are tips on there that we’ve found very useful ourselves, and some cool videos of what our volunteers actually get up to on project. If you want to know more, just let us know!
It was pretty easy to make the decision to return to the ‘Wildlife Photography and conservation’ project. This was my fourth time at different locations, however I felt the need to rekindle my passion for South Africa and photography. So on the 4th December I arrived at Dumela Lodge. I’m constantly asked what I like to photograph and my answer is always an easy one – African wildlife and landscapes, in particular birds. Why birds you may ask? I love capturing images of the big five and other wildlife, but birds intrigue and challenge me, with their differing colours, sizes and birdcalls. South Africa has incredible bird diversity. Did you know there are over 900 species in South Africa alone? One of my biggest challenges when taking images of birds is capturing them in all their glory in flight. This gets even trickier when the bird is small. Here are some of my top tips: • A telephoto lens at least 150mm-500mm. • Shoot in aperture priority mode. • If the bird is stationary, then put your aperture at its lowest number and a relatively low ISO (e.g. 400). A fast shutter speed isn’t required. 1/500 should be sufficient. If the bird is on a white background increase your exposure to +1 to bring out the colours in the bird. • When the bird is ready to fly, it raises its tail and ‘lightens itself’. • For birds in flight, put your aperture at its lowest number and raise your ISO (i.e. 800 or higher) to achieve a higher shutter speed in the region of 1/2000 second. • Follow the bird with your camera and keep shooting. • Start with larger birds - they are slightly easier to shoot and will boost your confidence and skills. • Don’t get frustrated if you don’t get the bird in flight the first time you try, it takes a lot of practice.
Named in the Guinness Book of Records as “The most Fearless Animal in the World”, it has earned the title by being witnessed fighting off Buffalo and even Lion when cornered. Named ‘Ratel’ in Afrikaans, the skin around its neck is incredibly thick, the eyes are small and the ears little more than ridges on the skin, all possible adaptations to avoid damage while fighting.
Bee stings, porcupine quills and animal bites rarely penetrate their skin, and they are immune to most snake bites. The aversion of most animals to hunting them has led to the theory that the counter-shaded coats of cheetah kittens evolved in imitation of the honey badgers colouration to ward off predators.
My favourite birds to capture are kingfishers and raptors (e.g. eagles and vultures). Kingfishers because of their beautiful, vibrant colours, their calls and the way they swoop to catch their food. Eagles because they are strong and powerful with their large wings and vultures due to their haunting appearance and scavenging. Vultures are extremely important in getting rid of disease, as their stomach acid is exceptionally corrosive, allowing them to safely digest putrid carcasses infected with botulinum toxin, hog cholera bacteria, and anthrax bacteria that would be lethal to other scavengers. During my month here with African Impact I have been able to take my bird photography to another level and believe my skills have developed greatly. I have been extremely fortunate to see so many different species where my knowledge of birds has increased immensely. This has also led to being able to capture some stunning images. My next step is to continue my passion for photography, particularly birds when I return home to London. However, on reflecting on my amazing experience with African Impact I will surely be returning. South Africa is infectious and it has a very special place in my heart. Thank you to all the African Impact staff and volunteers who have made my trip memorable.
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While scouring the internet trying to determine where my next vacation should be, I came across African Impact and their Wildlife Photography and Conservation Project. I can confidently say that African Impact is a well-structured volunteer organization. My trip was perfect from start till finish.
When was your 1st time in Africa? In 1999 in this area – Greater Kruger
Knowing how long the flight would be from Toronto, Canada and the jet lag from travelling west to east I decided to stay two nights in Johannesburg before continuing on to Nelspruit. I’m very glad I did because from day 1 until day 30 you are fully engaged.
What do you like most about South Africa? It’s the diversity – not only in the wildlife, but the whole country. You have mountains, forests, beaches, bushveld, the diversity in cultures and peoples, everything!
The first morning involved a thorough induction to African Impact and Dumela Lodge followed by the start of the photography course. The rest of week one involved in class photography presentations/concepts followed by practice as well as an introduction to ‘developing’ your photos in Lightroom. Lightroom was new to me because I had only been shooting in .jpg rather than RAW.
And what makes you smile when in South Africa? The skies – the sunrise and sunsets and the way the air becomes alive with noise once the sun goes down
The next three weeks involved putting what you learned into practice, editing photos and constructive critiques. There was ample opportunity for practicing all types of photography such as wildlife portraits, wildlife in motion, macro, landscapes, sunrise/sunset, astro, night and light painting.
We went on game drives, bush walks, short hikes and visited both Kinyonga Reptile Park and Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre for a wide diversity of photo opportunities. The highlight for me was the overnight camping in Klaserie. All the staff at African Impact are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The entire stay was pleasurable with smooth airport transfers, clean accommodations and tasty food. African Impact even takes care of you on the weekends by arranging reasonably priced trips that you can participate in if you wish or you can just chill at the lodge. My favourite trip was the weekend in Swaziland. At the end of week four I can say that my photography skills greatly improved. I was also fortunate to have a great co-volunteer Shilla Patel but after shooting with her for a month I am suffering from lens envy. I would recommend African Impact Wildlife Photography and Conservation Volunteer Project.
Scent marking by Lions plays an important role in territorial advertising. Male lions will back up against some convenient vegetation and eject squirts and spray of pungent smelling urine against the foliage. The strong tomcat odour has a lingering quality which can be detected even by humans.
Hello, I’m Olivia Garrity, and I have been working with African Impact for the previous couple of weeks. During these past two weeks, I have become quite passionate about leopards and aiding in the conservation efforts. Currently, I am developing the database for Klaserie leopards and identifying the different leopards within the property that staff and volunteers have seen. Later, this work will be used for future volunteers or staff to identify different leopards with more ease and enter any data into the database quickly and efficiently.
In order to achieve this database for Klaserie leopards I will be organizing the photos taken of all the different leopards into folders defined by their year and from there into the month. These photos will be renamed to say the date of a sighting with the leopard’s ID to further add to the ease with which we can analyze future and previous data. I will also update the ID files with more photos that emphasize certain characteristics of the individual leopards for quicker identification in the field. Hopefully, this effort will create a lasting impact for future volunteers and staff members. Leopards, Panthera Pardus, are among the best climbers within the big cat family as well as the sixth largest feline. They have a body length of 0.9 – 1.9 meters and an average weight of 37.19 to 90.71 kilograms allowing for a strongly built body with prominent muscles in the jaw. These attributes allow for an extremely agile climber who can carry up to three times their own weight. Leopards are opportunistic hunters that stalk up to their prey for the kill. Their diet ranges from insects, hares, birds, snakes to impala, antelope, and even jackals.
The Wild Dog (or ‘Painted Wolf’) is a highly social animal, living in packs with separate dominance hierarchies for males and females. Uniquely among social carnivores, it is the females rather than the males that scatter from the natal pack once sexually mature, and the young are allowed to feed first on carcasses. The species is a specialised diurnal hunter of antelopes, which it catches by chasing them to exhaustion.
The Lilac-Breasted Roller holds the honour of being the most photographed bird (in South Africa) in both 2015 and 2016. It’s also the bird of peace, rather than the more western dove.
Geographically, leopards have the broadest range of the big cats in the world because they inhabit the grasslands and deserts of Sub-Saharan Africa including West, Central, South and East Africa as well as South East Asia. On average, they can live up to 12-17 years in the wild, but approximately 21 if in captivity. Yet, poaching and human retaliation for preying on livestock have diminished the population of leopard dramatically. It is the hope of African Impact to aid in research and conservation for this species and education of the public to aid in protecting these animals. Currently, African Impact works with leopard research groups in Hoedspruit and the Leopard Identification Project of South Africa in order to accomplish the goal.
A new year has begun at Dumela Lodge, and we’ve been looking back on all we accomplished in 2016. In total, our research team spent almost 1,300 hours on research drives covering more than 11,000 km! We also spent 404 hours working on physical conservation activities. And, were we to multiply those hours by the number of volunteers who provided their time and effort to such activities, it would actually be 4628 hours on physical conservation and 14321 hours on research drives!!! Clearly, there has been a huge effort made towards our research project. But what do all of these numbers actually mean? What do those hours of physical mornings, excel afternoons and late night drives add up to? To give you a glimpse, here are some of our favourite 2016 highlights…
We removed 49 snares and 8 traps, preventing serious injury and even death of a variety of species. We formalized our “Dumela Ecology” plan to restore the Dumela Lodge ecosystem. We gridded the property so that all initiatives could occur methodically, removed litter, cleared encroaching bush, and of course…
The waterhole is finished!! This massive undertaking began in July 2015. It will contribute to amphibian conservation and provide a water source for the Dumela animals. It is holding waster, growing vegetation, and being used by impala, bushbuck, warthog, grey duiker and even, yes, frogs!
Do your homework!
The best way to get great results in any genre of photography is to learn about your subject. Knowing how the animal will behave is essential in predicting their behaviour and thus getting that perfect shot!
We had 9 visuals from “Ncila Wo Leha” and her two female cubs, including one visual alongside potential sire of the cubs, Makhulu Spoko! ID kits for the cubs were completed and territory data mapped. 63.5 hours were spent collecting scat to support a study to assess leopard hormone and stress levels in unprotected and protected areas. We documented a change in territory with the Klaserie lions. Social interactions, territorial behaviour, activity and more was collected as the Trilogy Boys coalition was ousted and the Mapoza male coalition moved in. We formed a data partnership with a Lion Management Forum researcher, so our lion data can be used to support conservation management plans for South Africa’s lions.
The Puff Adder is considered the most deadly snake in Africa. Not because of the strength of its venom (the Boomslang’s is much stronger), but because it stays still and people step on it!
We began identification of elephants in the field! With 126 elephants in the ID database, we have begun to track movements of herds and bulls. We supported conservation plans for smaller species, through supporting Kinyonga Reptile Centre’s goldenbrown baboon spider conservation project, and providing data to the African Raptors Databank, Southern Africa Birding Atlas Project 2 and Bat Conservation International.
Finally, I want to mention an achievement that is incredibly meaningful to me personally, and speaks to the power of what we represent here at African Impact. Ultimately, conservation is a “people” issue. Yes, we want to protect wildlife and entire ecosystems, but conservation can only work if humans are engaged in this work, passionate about it, changing their behaviour, and working towards it GLOBALLY.
Scorpions are known to glow a vibrant blue-green when exposed to certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light such as that produced by a black light, due to the presence of fluorescent chemicals in the cuticle. A hand-held UV lamp has long been a standard tool for nocturnal field surveys of these animals. This fluorescence may have an active role in scorpion light detection.
This year, over 330 hours of formal educational presentations were provided to research volunteers. 177 volunteers, from 18 countries, joined the research project to contribute to wildlife conservation and a cause larger than themselves. That’s 177 people across 6 contients working and learning together to make the planet a healthier place. To me, that speaks volumes. Think about each of those individuals returning to their home country, inspried and impassioned by the wild world and willing to stand up to protect it. 177 individuals continuing to spread what they’ve learned. A ripple effect beginning in one country, spreading to 18 countries, and so on and so on. As Yogi Bhajan said, “I’m not here to create disciples, I’m here to create teachers.” In 2016, we did just that. Through our conservation projects, we created teachers for safeguarding wilderness in a changing world. I cannot wait to see what each of those individuals does as conservationists, and what our incoming teams will continue to do in 2017. To me, THAT is impact. And not an impact that starts and ends with one species or region. That is an impact that crosses borders, just like environmental issues themselves.
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Camouflage is a natural way of hiding that allows prey and predator species to blend in with their environment or otherwise go unnoticed. Most animals have developed some sort of camouflage to help them find food and avoid becoming food. The type of camouflage varies from one species to the next and there are several factors that help determine the sort of camouflage a species develops such as behaviour and habitat preference. To understand these factors, let’s step back, and look at survival strategies. Known as the “Three F’s”, they are the strategies animals have come to rely on in order to evade predators/competition and to increase their survival rate. They include Freeze, Flee and Fight strategies. One of the best examples of the “Freeze” strategy is in your Tregalaphine family such as Kudu, Nyala, and Bushbuck but the master of this is the Kudu. Dubbed as the Grey Ghost of Africa, the Kudu’s camouflage lies in its vertical stripes along its torso. Referred to as Disruptive Camouflage, these stripes help to break the outline of the animal and in thick bush, can mimic the thicket or tree branches in its preferred habitat. The Kudu will generally freeze in place before it flees letting its cryptic colouration & environment do the work whereas the zebra will flee first from its attacker as its camouflage is more effective on the run.
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The Plains Zebra’s bold black & white stripes may seem out of place in the open savannah, yet in motion, are a compelling camouflage known as Motion Dazzle. The purpose of the zebra’s stripes was often disputed to be disruptive camouflage but after recent findings by Martin How and Johannes Zanker in 2014, we now know that the pattern of a stationary zebra, although an effective camouflage, is less so then that of a zebra in motion which causes 2 visual illusions where the perceived motion is inverted and the animal is believed to be moving in the wrong direction. This causes confusion with predators or biting insects, in that they are unable to gauge speed or direction of prey. At high speeds, the motion dazzle can also distort perception of target size, making the zebra a difficult quarry for lions to take down in that they are unable to perceive where stripes begin or end. Lastly, there’s no point in an animal blending in with the colours of its environment if its main predators are colour blind. The impala, albeit a very successful antelope, is often overlooked on safari, yet it too has developed a highly effective camouflage called Counter Shading. The impala’s coat is darkest on top to cream coloured on the bottom with the darkest parts being the most lit by the sun. This creates a “flattish” look, giving the appearance of a 2-dimensional object rather then 3-dimensional. For predators who see in shades of grey, the impala simply blends in with its background. Spotting an animal in thick bush let alone in drought conditions can seem a daunting and insurmountable task for the newly arrived safari goer. However, your guide’s eyes are one of the best assets on the vehicle. Having been trained to spot small movements or anomalies in colouration in the bush, and listen to its subtle calls, your guide will be able to point things out you may not have known were right in front of you. Over time, your eyes will adapt and you too, will learn the art of spotting, after all, it’s just a game of hide and seek.
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