*this month’s cover shot by Heinz Maier (Germany)
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this month’s editors of the Warthog Post. We both stayed in the Photography Project for the last 4 Weeks and enjoyed it very much. We have learned more than we expected. But our time here is not over yet. We are both looking forward to getting involved in the research project for two more weeks. We will go home with great impressions of the beautiful people, animals and thousands of pictures! Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we did! You can look forward to great articles made by our volunteers and wonderful pictures.
From carpentry to stroppy photographers (only joking Kendal!), from close encounters with wild dogs to sad news from our lion prides, our projects represented here are thriving! We even have a new and long awaited section from a department previously never represented within these pages – namely, our fantastic guides. We thought that, seeing as they are constantly giving us all this insight into the animals and their behaviour, we should be celebrating it and shouting from the rooftops!
This great shot of the much maligned hyaena demonstrates very well just how strong their jaws are. A bite pressure stronger than a lion’s!
As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see in these pages, if you want to subscribe, or you simply want to say hello, drop us a line at warthogpost@africanimpact.com And like the guys said previously,
I've recently taken up the hobby of carpentry. Like most of our volunteers here, I like to be active, to keep myself out of mischief. My own personal idea of the holiday from hell would be to sit on a beach all day - you smear yourself in oil, and wait for the wind to blow, the sand to swirl and you end up covered and looking like a giant misshapen doughnut. Even sitting by a pool, reading a book, I'm always struck with what certain staff members call 'F.O.M.O.' - fear of missing out. I hear the laughing and shouting from afar and wonder what's going on, then realise I have to start at the top of the page again, for the third time. So working with wood, keeping my hands busy and my brain (reasonably) free to wander, is ideal. We often find old pallets, discarded and unwanted, and I endeavour to construct something. The beauty of this is, of course, if it doesn't work, then I have constructed firewood. There have been some successful attempts though - a mirror for the lodge, a strange little wooden robot chap that people either love or it gives them the creeps, some actual useable furniture - and I find great joy in their creation, and the act of creating.
This brings me neatly to my own photography, as I find immeasurable pleasure in the construction and execution of an image. The planning and pre-visualisation, waiting for that right moment - the 'decisive moment' as one Henri Cartier Bresson would have said. There's the feeling of anticipation as you import the images into the computer, hoping that the camera did what you told it to, and then the image is there in all its glory on your screen. It's never quite exactly as imagined (how could it be?), but then you get to play, to adjust, to correct within the editing process. If you do this just right - not too much, not too little, then the subtle adjustments (or not so subtle in my case) allow the image to practically jump off the screen, to burst into life, and I find this one of the single most rewarding things about photography. This act of creation and manipulation of 1s and 0s in the digital age, the translation onto the printed page, the choosing of the frame and border, and finally hanging it on the wall, and being able to say "I made that" is a beautiful, wonderful feeling. It's that feeling that we try to instil in all our volunteers. In all of our carefully constructed activities here, there is always a big picture to think of - what are we creating? There is a very simple question that we, as staff, co-ordinators and managers must ask ourselves at every turn. Two simple words that can make or break a project. So. What. It may sound quite negative, but it's exactly the opposite. Let me give you an example: We've just started a new project within the photography programme called "AM180", which involves going around 8 different locations in one of our neighbouring lodges (the AM of the title) to take panoramic, 180 degree shots of the reserve.
So what? Well, in addition to teaching the photographers how to take consistent photographs and stitch them together, these photographs will be taken over the course of at least one full year, combining to give us a slideshow for each location. This also teaches the volunteers patience (essential in wildlife photography) and long distance thinking. So what? Once these images are compiled over the year, presented within the slideshow (no doubt to some very groovy music) it not only shows volunteers another use of photography (ie. stop-frame animation) but also shows us what the reserve looks like over the course of the year in a very succinct form. So what? The reserve can then use these slideshows to demonstrate the effects of weather and animal introduction within their own reserve on the plants, vegetation, possibly even the effect on river meandering.
So what? This allows the reserve management to better maintain their own ecosystem, (which in turn affects the surrounding reserves), helping them to keep the balance despite their own involvement. Don't forget that all these areas were once wild, and the greatest overall danger to wildlife and conservation must be considered as mankind. When we move into these areas, build and construct fences etc, our actions are often detrimental to our surroundings, and we must act before the fact to minimise or completely remove any adverse elements we introduce simply by being there.
So what? Hopefully others will follow our example, and instead of blundering in and taking over, will consider the ramifications of their actions, and learn to live with nature, rather than trying to control it. It's very easy to criticise how others are harming their surroundings, or having an adverse effect by inaction. It's much harder to actually do something constructive about it. And on that note, I'd like to leave you with a thought. We ask our volunteers, every project, to tell us their favourite quote, or something they have thought of which they try to live by, and it was one of our photographers, Jean Jaques Riguelle, who submitted this: "If somebody does something wrong, don't criticise - do better."
Photographers curse. We all joked about being cursed because every time we went on drives to capture the wildlife, they’d all disappear. That is how it felt for the first two and a half weeks of being here. Every time the researchers returned from a drive, they were ecstatic about seeing lions, elephants and even leopards. When we came back from our drives, we were lucky if we saw buffalo or rhino. Impala are fun to photograph at first, but we wanted bigger and better. Our spirits were crushed every time the researchers came back with a new amazing siting. We recently had our second night in Klaserie and although we believed we were cursed, all of us had our fingers crossed for good sightings. It was one of my fellow photography volunteers birthday, we were all hoping the animals would give him the gift of letting us photograph them. Now I don’t know if the animals sensed how much we wanted to see them or if it was just insane luck, but we had the most amazing two days in Klaserie.
Cursed no more. On our first drive we saw all of the big five! To put in perspective of how unlikely that is, our guide has been doing game drives for a couple years and has only seen the big five in one drive four times. First we saw the buffalo, sometimes I forget that they can be very dangerous because all they seem to do is eat grass when we go near them. In the distance we could see these massive animals moving through the bush. Within minutes we were in the middle of a herd of elephants. I’ve always liked elephants but seeing them this close and in their natural environment made my love for them grow. They always look like they are smiling and enjoying each other’s company. Next were the rhino, we saw five of them together eating just like every other animal. With these guys you can tell how timid they are when we are around. They are such amazing animals it’s so sad to think people kill them for their horns. As the sun began to set, we were going at a faster speed to see a mystery animal. A rotten smell filled the air as we pulled up to five lions sleeping and one feasting on their latest kill. There were two females and four cubs. The only time we saw these guys move was to swat away flies or to change sleeping positions.
On our way back to camp we saw two eyes light up in the spotlight. We were pleasantly surprise when it was a male leopard. At first he was a bit timid and hid behind a bush, after a few minutes he was out in the open sipping water. They are fascinating to watch. After the leopard we headed back to camp for burgers and hot chocolate. A couple of us even saw a shooting star. It was a day I will never forget. The photographers curse no longer existed.
The last month has been extremely exciting with a lot of new developments in our research of the lions of Klaserie. We now have 20 ID Kits for the lions that have been completed and are constantly being updated. We began the month with some rather interesting insights into the dynamics of the relationship between the Trilogy boys, the Breakaway females and KF5. To set the scene, the team came across the trilogy boys and Breakaway females gorging themselves on a kill with everyone respecting the hierarchy. However when KF5 joined the group she kicked off the Breakaway females and started to challenge one of the males and was attempting to push him off the kill. We watched her show dominance over them by biting one’s neck. This was such strange behavior since not many females will challenge an adult male! During this encounter the team also saw the old Ross Pride female and her 3 cubs, 2 subadult females and a subadult male, who is starting to mature very nicely with the first signs of his mane stating to show. The group looked longingly at the others feeding on the kill, but were especially wary in the presence of the Trilogy boys. They just sat by and watched helplessly and hungrily as the others fed! The condition of the lions is another point of worry. KM1’s wound on his right leg has not improved and looks as though it has turned into an abscess; his limp still persists. KM2 has also sustained an injury to his right leg however it does not look as though it has affected him too greatly. KF3 on the other hand is looking very healthy. KF5 while most of her wounds had almost entirely healed up was looking extremely skinny which gives us an idea why she might have been pushing her luck and challenging the boys.
This month we had our first sighting of the Breakaway females cubs. The cubs, both male, looked like they were in good condition. The sisters, primarily KF2, the mother, seemed to be doing a better job than they had done in the past. Sadly however in the midst of a fight between the Hercules Pride and the breakaway females the cubs were both killed. In happier Lion cub related news we had an amazing sighting of the Hercules Pride. The team came across them right as the mother had a strangle hold on a buffalo’s throat and was finishing the kill. The cubs also began to practice their hunting skills as they attempted to bite at the buffalo as it still kicked. This was a prime example of the lessons which are passed down from mother to cubs on how to properly take down a kill.
We had a unexpected sighting recently of the Dominant male from The old Ross Pride know as ‘The Good’, he was sighted back in Klaserie along with two subadult males. This is the first time that he has been seen in this location since the Trilogy Boys chased him off. It is still uncertain how this will affect the current hierarchy of the prides. Sadly though on the 2nd October KF5 was attempting to assert dominance towards the Trilogy boys again and was eating from their kill, leading to two of the boys attacking her. While the attack only lasted a few seconds the injuries that KF5 sustained where too great and she died shortly after.
The African wild dog, or painted wolf, are carnivorous predators easily identified by their mottled coat of yellow, black, white and brown. They work in cooperative packs of up to 20 adults and are cursorial hunters – a hunting method in which they use their endurance to tire their prey. Along with their stamina, wild dogs are strategic with their kills as they exchange positions within their chase to have optimal strength directly alongside the prey. With these combined skills they have a kill success rate of approximately 80%, making these predators one of the most efficient hunters in Africa. Wild dogs are also commonly known for their social interaction. They communicate often through touch, actions and vocalisations and can be seen interacting with all members of the pack. Their pack mentality also makes them one of very few wild animals that care for their weak/ill with an ability to gorge on a kill and then regurgitate the extra food on return to the den. Last week, our research volunteers were on a morning drive in Klaserie where they were fortunate enough for a radio call to come through that wild dog had been spotted in the area. This sparked a wild search by all the vehicles in the vicinity as we charged down roads and through the bush looking for these amazing creatures. A crackle of the radio and we find out that they had been found and were on a feeding on a kill mere meters from our camp. This prompted another mad dash through the bush to the sighting when another call came through.
A walking tour group wanted to see the kill so we happily agreed to meet them and allow them to use our vehicle to see the dogs before going in ourselves. Finally the vehicle came back into view and we barrelled into the car to go see the main event. ‘There it is!’ (cue excited hysteria in the vehicle). First sighting was of a male resting on the side of the road very close to the vehicle. ‘Oh my god – look!’ (cue hysteria overdrive). Second sighting was of two pups, one female and one male, on the impala kill, along with two female adults in the grass a few meters behind. With cameras clicking away and volunteers almost passing out due to how incredible the sight was – it may or may not have been me – we started to make our observations. The pups were skittish but playful and certainly curious as to what was happening around them. They were still very interested in the meal in front of them and even growled as one of the adult females approached the carcass for a feed. As the wild dogs became more interactive with one another we were able to distinguish who the alpha female and male were in the pack. The carcass was moved around by the alpha male which made the dogs turn to and from the vehicle giving us some incredible shots of all angles for our ID kits. Strangely enough, watching these dogs feed for an extended period of time (and seeing the pups adorably large bellies) triggered our stomachs to start growling. So, we moved 50 meters down the road to our camp and filled our own bellies. After breakfast we were radioed that the dogs were moving in the direction of the dam right near the kill so we pulled up there to have a perfect view of the alpha pair and the pups trot into view. The adults went straight for a drink, while the pups wandered on down and played chicken with the water by getting as close to the water’s edge as possible without actually touching it. After deeming the water unsafe, the pups followed the adults to the shade, where they laid down to rest. This is where our sighting of these incredible animals ended – hopefully we’ll get to see them again soon. What a sighting!
Hi! I’m Sarah, a 19 year old college student from Medellín, Colombia, and am now starting my fourth and penultimate week at African Impact’s Research and Conservation Project in Hoedspruit, South Africa! This past May, I finished my sophomore year at a “Great Books” college, where I spent most of my time arduously reading, writing, and discussing the major literary, philosophical and scientific works of western civilization. And even though I loved it, and still do, I have always had many other very different interests that keep nudging me at the back of my head (like wildlife biology), so I decided to take a year off from college to travel and try these interests out! After three months in the vibrant Barcelona, I have arrived at my second stop: South Africa. I had been looking forward to this trip for so long, and was expecting it to be absolutely incredible; I even jokingly stopped myself from these expectations in fear of being disappointed! But it took me less than a day to realize that that wouldn’t be necessary. This is my first time in South Africa and it has been full of amazements way beyond my already high expectations. Within the first few hours, I actually considered moving here, and couldn’t stop smiling! I spent my first few days in the beautiful Cape Town and later traveled here to Dumela Lodge, African Impact’s new Hoedspruit location. Among other unexpected activities I constantly stand in awe of here, I have to highlight our weekly camping at Klaserie Nature Reserve (especially the night drives!), helping out at Khamai Reptile Center, staring at giraffes, giraffes staring back, and having the opportunity to interact with the community by way of conservation education. On a not so happy note, I was also surprised to see so many fences, but that might be a topic for another time…
I came prepared to repeat my “Colombia is more than drug wars� speech over and over again, but instead found unexpectedly warm, smiley welcomes and Shakira on the radio. It has also been unexpected to find so many similarities between South Africa and Colombia that make me feel at home, for example the mountains, the food, the laid back and friendly culture, the diversity of its people, and, sadly, the problems that arise because of this. Just like in Colombia we have many difficulties of which the international audience is not sufficiently aware of, news of South Africa (be it social, economic, or conservation issues like Rhino poaching) are barely touched upon every now and then by the media and quickly forgotten by many of the listeners.
I am very grateful to be learning about South Africa (about its marvels as well as its problems) through such a heuristic experience, and I hope to use what I am learning for a better understanding of my own country. I haven’t been here for too long, and still have a lot of time left in South Africa, but I know I have already learned tons, and by methods completely new to me. A big thank you to everyone who has helped to make this such an awesome time! I look forward to keep on helping in whatever way I can and, through this, becoming a more appreciative, well-rounded, and globally aware person.
This was an amazing month because we started a mini eco village helping out Children’s Eco Training (CET) at Hlapa Oje creche in Bushbuckridge. We built 5 keyholes for the vegetable garden, and the reason we do this is because often the kids only have one meal a day, and that is at school. The vegetables are also sold to the community at large, so to be part of that was amazing. On October 15th and 16th the photography volunteers headed to Matikinya primary school on a very cloudy day. The tasks we had on our list were fixing the compost baskets, building the flower garden, and painting. Unfortunately we didn’t finish on the first day due to heavy rain and lightning which meant we returned to the lodge early. The following day we returned and built the flower garden which entailed mixing concrete, laying bricks, weaving compost baskets and moving soil. It was more fun as the kids got involved in the garden and the volunteers really enjoyed working alongside the kids. Getting close and interacting with them was amazing to see.
As it is our rainy season now, we want to make sure that our vegetables and eco villages are well taken care of. On the 27th we went to Matikinya primary school, on a very rainy wet day, where we filled the garden beds with soil, trimmed the compost baskets, and fixed the keyholes because some of the bricks were falling off.
28th October saw us heading to the same school again where we painted the flower garden wall, repainted tyres, removed litter in the garden and inside compost baskets, weeded, and put more compost and soil into the keyhole garden bed. On the 30th October we headed to Hoedspruit NG kerk alongside the photography volunteers where we helped CET sort out the Santa’s Shoeboxes. The organiser Corné briefed everyone on what to do, and then we offloaded the boxes to their sorting stations according to their codes. We then checked if all items were in place and to ensure there were no dangerous objects inside the boxes. This whole morning was amazing fun – who wouldn’t want to part of such a brilliant idea – playing Santa Claus and making sure the kids got their presents? .
Giraffes have been my highlight of the month. It’s amazing how well camouflaged animals can be, and especially giraffes. The way their patterns on the bodies blend in with the environment is as if they’re not even there, which is all due to the pigmentation of their skin. You get other animals of the bush that blend in as well, but never as elegantly or as relaxed as giraffes. They always look as if they don’t really need to worry about anything but are just there to watch over the other animals of the bush. There’s the belief that when giraffes are looking at the vehicle they are really looking to say thank you to the sangoma (local wise woman) for giving them the ability to be as tall as they are and to look over the rest of the animals. To me the giraffe should be the king of the bush as it is a gentle giant and watches over everyone. The amazing part about giraffes is that each of their senses is very good compared to most other animals. For example, elephants have very good smell and hearing but their eyesight is not the greatest, so when they try to look at something down on the ground they have to lift their head to a 45 degree angle. I’m reminded now of an amazing sighting of a tower (collective name) of 14 giraffes where they were just scattered everywhere which was fantastic to see. There are many other interesting facts I could talk about but that’s the whole point of the safaris/game drives: for you to experience the drive with the guides and hear all of the interesting facts and stories about animals. As one of my favourite animals I can spend half of the game drive just talking about the giraffes. The best thing about a game drive from my perspective is the guides actually speaking for the animals.
, who took this awesome shot the first time we went with the photography group to Klaserie. It’s always amazing to see the animals interact with each other, we’re just along for the ride!