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October is often
considered to be the best month for game viewing and this year has proved no exception.
Predator sightings are way up and we eagerly await the rangers' return from drives
to hear what new activity has been sighted. On the leopard front, the female known
as "White Cloth" and her male cub '2-2', have been offering regular
sightings around the reserve. One of the most remarkable things our rangers have
seen for quite some time was '2-2' catching a genet cat in a tree. The chase went
on for some time with both genet and leopard leaping from tree to tree displaying
remarkable acrobatic abilities until eventually the leopard's agility enabled
him to knock the genet to the ground where he made a quick snack of the unfortunate
cat. Earlier in the month '2-2' was also seen hunting dwarf mongoose and whilst
the mongoose put up a brave fight it ultimately also became a snack for this hungry
leopard who seems to be growing into a proficient hunter. The resident lion prides
are still going through some disruptions with nomadic males moving in and out
of their territories at will. Whilst the sight of these magnificent black-mane
lions is breath taking they sometimes also bring a heavy price with them. The
Skutane pride were unable to avoid having the older of their two cubs killed by
an unknown male lion that wandered in from the south of the reserve. Piet had
the stomach-churning experience of witnessing it, which although seeming brutal
to us is an important part of lions' reproductive behaviour ensuring the injection
of new genes into prides. Their younger cub is still alive for now and we will
keep you informed of its development. With water becoming more difficult to obtain
we've had a noticeable increase in white rhino sightings, some of them quite far
west, which is unusual. Tales of a luckier genet cat - the one living in the main
building - that gave Kim quite a fright during dinner, when she suddenly noticed
a strange black "thing" dangling from the ceiling in the dining room.
Upon closer inspection she realised it was the tail of the genet sleeping in the
rafters above the dinner table. It didn't seem to mind the dinner activity and
snoozed on regardless, much to the delight of the guests!
The camp has been particularly busy this month and we have again hosted a number
of honeymooners to whom we extend our heartfelt congratulations. We welcomed the
McClauchlan family back; this time they brought their son and father along to
share the experience. One of our previous students, James Clark, came out from
the UK to visit with his girlfriend Vicky. It was wonderful for us all to see
him again and catch up on his news as he's just graduated University and we wish
him all the best as he enters 'the real world'. Also back for a visit after a
lengthy absence was Jay Hanson who worked as assistant manager for over 2 years
at Bush Lodge. His girlfriend, Hanna, was along for her first visit and judging
by the amazing wildlife sightings they enjoyed she has some beginners luck! Mijke
who was with us a student from the Netherlands has now returned home and we wish
her all the best for her future career as a lawyer - the survival skills she picked
up in the African jungle should serve her in good stead in the courtrooms of Europe!
We extend warm birthday wishes to Mark (who celebrated his 30th in high style)
as well as Nick (who probably wishes he was 30 again!)
Until next month,
Liane and the Bush Lodge team.
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October was very
unusual month weather-wise - calm, and warm to cold, very windy, and overcast.
We have gone from 38C days, down to 18C in twelve hours. We have had some rain
so the good news is the bush is shooting green wherever you look. At the moment
we have the Jacklberry trees in fruit so have regular visits from our friends
the monkeys. The deck at Vuyatela has to be swept at least twice a day as once
the little critters have been through their feeding frenzy, it looks as if we
have had a mini tornado through camp. The Marula trees are all starting to sprout
new leaves too.
Out in the bush we have had a stunning month of sightings. At present we have
a serious challenge amongst the Lion population as to the control of the territory
where Djuma is situated. We have had may encounters between the dominant males
and other males that want to claim this area as theirs. Lions have been spotted
all over the reserve on kills too. We had one of the kills on Zoë's road
not to far from camp. There was a hive of activity as Solly and his guests discovered
the kill as they were leaving for a bush walk. The circling Vultures caught Solly's
attention and he called Owen, his tracker, to bring the safari vehicle at once.
They spent a good time with the predators and came back with delightful stories
discussed over lunch. For a couple of weeks we had an old male buffalo hanging
around Buffelshoek dam. He was not looking well and has since died. The Lions
and Vultures made short work of him.
Around the lodge we have also had the usual abundant plains game, with herds of
Buffalo, Nyala, Zebra, Water Buck, Giraffe, Kudu and Impala to name a few. We
have also had some brilliant sightings around the lodge and dam of breeding herds
of Elephant. Many babies have been seen rolling and cavorting in the mud! We have
been able to convince the resident troop of Baboons that they should rather relocate
their roosting activities in the trees above the Khaya's to the trees around the
lodge and dam. Amos and Lots have been doing nightly patrols with bright spotlights
and shooing them along. They do still come through in the early morning just to
wake us all up. We had a little bit of excitement around the lodge one evening
with the vocalization of a Leopard up and down the drainage line in front of the
Khaya's. Mark grabbed a spot light and rushed down to Khaya One were the leopard
was last herd. In a matter of minutes Rexon and Solly were on hand with guest
to see the wonderful sight of this female as she casually strolled through camp
towards "The Rubbing Post".
Two young scholars from Cape Town joined us for a week of job shadowing. They
had some wild times with us including one evening whilst packing up from bush
drinks we had a male lion roar not to far from us. Pandemonium broke out but they
were assured with all the noise they were safe from any harm, needless to say
there was a lot of nervous giggling after that. Amy and Megan, it was grand to
have with us and we wish you both all the best in the future.
Jade, from Canada, has joined us for a six weeks. She is volunteering with us
and has already become part of the family. We also welcomed quite a few return
guests: Jacqui Fox was with us for four nights, Marie Heaton was up for two nights
and Sarah Pharo and John Nothage were up for three nights with most of the Pharo
staff. Fay, we wish you a happy birthday. James Clarke, an ex-student form the
UK, spent a couple of nights here with his girlfriend. Jay Hanson was also with
us for a night with his new girlfriend. William and Catharine Lane also ventured
back to get some R&R. It was great to see you all again. Charlene Wiedner
has been here for three days parting with some more pampering massage skills.
Neliswa has been very busy with the new therapy's she has learned. Helen, Jade,
Pippa and Pendrae have been the practice bodies. Thank you ladies.
There have been a couple of births in the Djuma family. Emica, Jack Scott's nanny,
gave birth to health baby boy named Thorn. We wish Emica and Rodney all the best
with the new addition to their family. Lilly Siwela, one of our housekeepers,
is about to deliver any day now. She is due in a couple of weeks and we all wish
her the best. Aubrey Ngobeni is still recovering from his wrist injury and is
having surgery early next month. We will keep you posted as to his recovery. Aubrey,
we are missing your sharp eye on the trackers seat.
We would also like to wish Million, Lots, Patricia and Mark a happy birthday.
Happy Halloween to all and we hope to see you soon.
The Vuyatela Family
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