In the African night, the beat of a drum means news...

October 2004

Read about events at Djuma Game Reserve

Vuyatela

Bush Lodge

for more information visit www.djuma.com

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This newsletter is archived in the Drumbeat section of our web site

In Stitches
Earlier in the month Inge Moolman and Aphra Kleyn ran a successful embroidery workshop in Dixie village. A group of ten women got together and over four days and much practice, mastered a variety of stitches. At the end of the workshop, everyone had produced a T-Shirt or fabric piece adorned with colourful images. Best of all was the enthusiasm and sense of achievement felt by all. We can't wait to have some more of this craft form to sell in our curio shops. A sincere thanks to Inge and Aphra for their hard work and dedication, as well as touching the lives of so many people.

With mid-day temperatures continuing to hover around the 30C mark and still no hint of rain to come, the bush is rapidly drying up and as a result game viewing is awesome! Yes, its that time of year again when all activity is centred around the comings and goings at the various water points dotted around the reserve. A remarkable sighting at one of these dams was that of a clan of 4 spotted hyenas killing an adult female waterbuck. It's not often that hyena are seen hunting but this early morning kill confirmed that they are indeed proficient hunters and not just the cowardly scavengers we mistakenly think them! Elephant breeding herds are sighted almost daily drinking and bathing and the young calves never fail to delight and amuse watching guests. The breeding herd of buffalo, which frequent our area and number well over 400 beasts, twice frequented the crib in front of the lodge making for great photo opportunities. On one occasion a sickly calf was seen lagging behind the herd and sure enough the next morning the rangers found a leopard feeding off its carcass! Whether the leopard was able to kill this animal or happened upon its carcass after it had already died we'll never know, but it does mean that rangers joking about 'leopards on buffalo kills' have a certain ring of truth to it now. The same leopard was sighted drinking from the crib the next night and it posed in the spotlight much to the delight of our dinner guests.
It's been quite the month for honeymooners and warm wishes are extended to Jon and Rachel, Tamara and Michael, Jeremy and Katy, Katherine and Daniel and Corinn and Magnus! We wish them all the best for their futures together and are delighted that they made us part of their special occasion. Jackie Fox returned for another visit with us and once again Graham and Pat teamed up to offer her the ultimate in safari experiences. Long-time friends of Charmian and Graham's, John and Jay Siebert spent a few nights with us sharing their African heritage with their friends from the UK. We also had a visit from the production company of the 'Mad Mike and Mark' series, which is broadcast, on Animal Planet. The film crew were able to get some awesome footage to include in their new series so keep your eyes peeled for scenes from Djuma.
In camp, Surprise, Pendrae and Nathalie celebrated their birthdays. We also extend a warm welcome to our new student, Mijke who comes from The Netherlands and will be spending the next two months with us experiencing the Djuma way of life.
Warm wishes 'til next month,
Liane and the Bush Lodge Team

With the bush drying out, the dam in front of the lodge is proving to be a veritable magnet to the game in the area. Some days are amazing, not only for the sheer numbers of animals, but also for the variety. Our guests have been seeing waterbuck, impala, zebra, kudu, wildebeest, nyala, giraffe, monkeys and baboons, almost daily from the deck. A small group of old dagga boys (buffalo) pop in every few days, as do the hippos - up to four on some occasions. The pearl-spotted owls are back in camp keeping us entertained in the evenings. For many years we have been observing a rare pale phased Wahlberg's eagle nesting in front of the lodge. This year she is back. Although she has "booked in" at a tree a bit further from Vuyatela, she still uses the area around the lodge on frequent hunting trips, with her piercing whistle announcing her presence.
We have also had good lion sightings from the deck. The Sandy patch females stalked and missed a kill one night, the action silhouetted by the floodlight. A week or so later the Styx pride stole a duiker off a new female leopard to the area. Not very neighbourly, but very exciting indeed.
Some of you may know about the noisy baboons that roost in the trees above the kayas at night, and we decided to try and "persuade" them to move beyond the camp. The latest plan was to get Jimmy to crouch over with a leopard skin over his back and walk up the main pathway at sunset, and again when it was dark. To start with it worked like a charm and the baboons moved out! Then these wise primates took a closer look, and they are enjoying the five star luxury of Vuyatela once again. However, all is not lost, as the leopard skin gets draped over an ironing board near the dining room during the day, thus keeping the cheeky monkeys at bay! We will keep you posted as to how we solve (if we can) the baboon saga.
We have had happy honeymooners all month long, proving that South Africa (and the bush) is an ideal way of starting an exciting life together. Specialist guides, Lex Hes, guided the Wesp and Bathurst party and Graham Cooke guided the Edison's. The Hollman's got reacquainted with the Cooke's after many years. It was also great to see the Saks family back from New Zealand after so many years. Their last visit to Djuma was about 10 years ago. Charlene Weidner from "Comfort Zone" was here for a few days finishing off Neliswa's hot rock therapy massage course.
Plenty of staff birthdays have been celebrated this month - blessings to Patrick, Girly, Pendrae, Nelly and Neliswa.

Another great full month at Galago has passed with the weather fluctuating between very hot and quite cold as a few cold fronts presented themselves. In this neck of the woods, we always blame the cold fronts on Cape Town, as that is where South Africa experiences the first of the cold weather. Naturally while one of the fronts passed Galago, we had a camp full of Cape Tonians! The Smuts party was very gracious in accepting the responsibility for the cold conditions! Lex Hes was in to guide the Kotze's and they were lucky enough to see the wild dog pack as they fleetingly appeared on the Galago/Manyeleti boundary. The Cherrington's, who were with us in May, returned this month and it was interesting to hear them mention the bush looking so dry. Quite rightly so! This year has been so topsy turvey, with May, which is usually well into the dry months, being so lush and green. At the moment, some trees are showing hope of a spring flush; the general look about the bush is of bare branches and dry grasses. Having said that, the birdlife has been fantastic, especially around the flowering Scotia tree on Galago's front lawn.
Galago also hosted the winners of the local schools' debating contest held annually, this time at Athol High School. Dixon was able to show the children and their teachers, four of the big five (excluding elephant) in their one night stay. Most of the kids had never been into a game reserve before and were thrilled to see so many animals and plants thriving in this eco system.
As you all know, Galago is very popular, and unless a booking is made way in advance, one can be disappointed when we have "no room at the inn". Luckily, we have an opening over the second weekend of October (8th - 10th), so give Charmian or Millie a call or drop them a mail and come see the seasons change for yourselves!
Stay well until next month, from all at Galago.

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Djuma Game Reserve
P. O. Box 338, Hluvukani, 1363, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Tel: (+ 27 13) 735 5118
Fax: (+ 27 13) 735 5070
 

 
Webmaster: Jurie Moolman