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July has proven to be gloriously mild, with even us questioning whether
it is in fact winter. Almost every day heralds blue skies and warm sunshine
and there has been little sign of the bitterly cold winds that usually
blow during the winter period. We even had a little rainfall. Not much,
but the 10mm that did fall was much needed and helped settle the dust
for a day or two. There is little sign of it now however and the bushveld
is very dry and green patches are few and far between to break up the
brown hues that dominate.
As usual though, the dry season brings with it spectacular game viewing
and this month has been no exception. By far the most exciting news
to report is the sighting of (wait for it) ... black rhino... tracks
and dung! For those of you who are wondering 'what's so special about
that?' it has been NINE long years since we have had any signs of black
rhino at all and we are thrilled to finally have some proof of their
existence again. We will certainly keep you posted as to whether we
actually get a visual of these highly endangered animals. Another rare
sighting was had of two African Wild Dogs that were located on the Eastern
side of Djuma close to the Kruger National Park boundary. You might
recall the disappointing news last month of the deaths of the two young
lion cubs. This month has seen their mother back in oestrus and mating
with the male responsible. As this is how lions maintain genetic diversity
we hope to see her birthing in a few months time and hopefully having
better success in rearing them this time around. We've had numerous
cheetah sightings this month and an exciting discovery was that of a
new female in the area with 5 very young cubs. In our resident cheetah
family, the two teenage males are starting to spend less and less time
with their mother and we were able to witness them making one of their
first kills on their own. They managed to catch an unwary common duiker
after a brief, swift chase. A few days later we again witnessed the
same two males catch another common duiker. There was little time to
celebrate that kill, however, before the female leopard ('Safari female')
appeared out of the brush and proceeded to chase them off and then hoist
the carcass up into a nearby tree where she then proceeded to feast
at her leisure. At the lodge we've had numerous sightings of elephants
at the crib and the bushbuck and genet still put in their nightly appearances.
On separate occasions, the dominant male leopard, 'Newington' was sighted
drinking at the crib as was the much younger male leopard 'Chila' with
the broken tail.
In the lodge, George and his team were hard at work completing the revamp
to Room No 8 and we are thrilled with the results (if we might say so
ourselves). The outside shower now boasts a small garden as well as
a loveseat (as befits a honeymoon suite) where one can sit and enjoy
the stars or sunshine.
We welcome Lindsey to Djuma Bush Lodge as our new volunteer. Lindsey
is from Madison in the USA and will be with us until mid-September helping
out around the camp and brushing up on her wildlife knowledge. Kim and
Chris travelled down to Cape Town for their leave to spend some time
with Chris's family and Liane headed down to the Natal Coast to enjoy
some sea and sunshine. Sean was back filling in for the guides whilst
they were away and we enjoyed catching up on his news. Another ex-staff
member who popped in (but just for a holiday) was Cliff who used to
work as our Food & Beverage Manager many years ago and now resides
in the UK. We extend a number of congratulations this month. Firstly
to Katie & Johnnie from the UK as well as Sandrine & Philippe
from France who celebrated their honeymoons with us. Then to, Charmian
Cooke who celebrated her birthday this month. And last, but definitely
not least, to Abel and Monica on the birth of their son, Eugene. Warm
wishes to all.
Until next month,
Liane and the Bush Lodge Team
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We have had more sightings of White Rhino at Gowrie dam in the last
month than we have had in years. The four big guys are relaxed and seem
to enjoy this area. The Vuyatela guides and guests have also seen two
Black Rhino in the north, which is a rare occurrence. The female and
calf were spotted to all the rangers' delight. They were slightly skittish
of the attention they were getting but settled down after a while.
The Lions have been spending a huge amount of time around the lodge
too. One of the male Lions killed a Nyala between the lodge and staff
village. Thanks to the quick response, all were alerted to the kill
so no staff walked into the Lion. I must admit the chosen location for
this kill was literally in the path we use daily to get to the lodge
and back again. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a tad
bit of excitement.
Two of the Skutane Lionesses have been seen regularly around the lodge
and the open areas close to the lodge. The vocalization has been amazing
during the evenings and early mornings.
We had the pleasure of seeing an un-named Leopard, during dinner the
other evening. Warren was out there in a flash to get all the guests
to see it close up but only a hand full went along. The divine dinner
at the lodge clearly had the rest of our delightful guest attention.
They did see the Leopard in the spotlight in front of the lodge however.
He is slightly nervous around vehicles but is slowly getting used to
them. He has been also been seen regularly between Vuyatela and Tambotie
dam.
The Hyena den is still very active with the pups growing at a speed
of knots. They are as cute and inquisitive as ever and are having daily
lessons from the elder members of the clang.
Jimmy and Shirley Hurlimann popped in for a quick visit again they are
out on holiday form the UK for a few weeks. We will see them again in
August. Cliff Penny ands some friends also returned in for some Djuma
magic. Noala Doyle also returned for a relaxed seven-day stay with us.
Her previous Djuma Safari was at Galago. Warren's parents also dropped
in for a weekend, as well as Marietjie's parents and sister. It was
the first time that their families have met and all seems just peachy.
Let's hope that wedding bells will be chiming soon between the two!
Paul Knifton and old friend also popped by for some relaxation at the
lodge and we hope to see him soon again, hopefully for a little longer
next time.
Chris and Melanie Buchanan were also back with us, with Ben, for some
rest, after coming out to witness Hannah, their daughter's marriage
to Mark's brother Greg.
Bruce and Sharon Griffith were with us again with Ashley and Hyden,
they brought along Grandma and Grandpa too to share in the magic of
Vuyatela. It was great to have you with us again. We first met Bruce
and Sharon during the floods in 2000 and are happy to see the family
return every year to see us again.
We would like to wish the Savadier family all the best at this time
especially Sandi who was injured in a car accident days before they
were to come to the lodge for some relaxation. We look forward to having
you with us as soon as you are well enough to travel again Sandi.
Charmian and Graham Cooke jetted off to Europe for a couple of weeks
to relax and take in the sites. Char's mom, Sally Supra, was celebrating
a very special birthday in Ireland so the whole family was reunited.
Mark and Liane were also away for some much deserved leave. Liane opted
for a beach break while Mark had to be on hand in Pretoria for Greg
and Hannah's wedding. The whole event was amazing and we wish them all
the best in their future. We also wish Charmian, Lucy and Nellys all
the best for their birthdays they celebrated this month.
We would also like to welcome Mandla Ndlovu as our student for six weeks.
Mandla is studying tourism and will be doing some practical learning
whilst with us.
Until next month, regards from the Vuyatela Team.
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