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

December 2003

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

Often while chatting to guests, the same topics come up every now and then. Most guests love hearing our tales as much as we enjoy relating them. For the majority of us, Djuma is far more than a job or occupation, but a lifestyle. One thing for sure is that Djuma Game Reserve is not a theme park, but a functioning game reserve within an eco-system in which man is part. Us humans have to be here in order to sustain the vast habitats needed for each and every one of the creatures and plants to carry out their function in the system. In a perfect world with fewer pressures on the earth's precious resources, there would be enough space for these systems to cope on their own. Enough justifying why we are here, the point is that we are living a rather interesting life, one of which seems mysterious to our guests and even to us in some cases.

Some questions vary around similar themes. What is the best thing you have seen here? What was your lowest moment? Have you ever been scared or felt life threatened? Are you ever lonely? What do you do in your off time? Naturally, other things are of interest, but lets get going so long….

There are so many awesome things we have seen, and each time one pauses to recollect the best, there are new experiences that compete for top honours. This would all depend on what is happening right now. For example, the following two scenes related to rainstorms, which now during our very dry season seem all the more special. After a phenomenal late afternoon cloud burst a few years back, the sun came out with rainbows radiating in front of the purple grey sky. We went on a little drive just to smell the moist earth and came across a spectacle I'll never forget. There were hundred of termites emerging from a termite mound and flying straight up into the air. This had brought about a feeding frenzy from a variety of birds, each feeding in their unique way. There were forktailed drongos, lilac breasted rollers, starlings, redfooted falcons, a yellowbilled kite and a booted eagle! Some caught their prey and ate on the wing, others landed to eat their quarry and then this varied from foot catching to bill catching! Some just perched at the mound opening and ate as the termites emerged. I've seen similar scenes a couple of other times, but nothing quite like that day. Many years ago we went out to experience a storm brewing from 1st Rock (near to where Torchwood Lodge stands today). The atmosphere was getting rather dramatic with the wind gusting and lightning and thunder approaching quicker than expected, so we decided to head for home at the old Gowrie Camp, now Vuyatela. As we crossed the dam wall, a bolt of lightning struck a lightning conductor sending this flash of light down the pole and then spreading it out along the ground. As fast as it happened it was gone!

Just before the break of the last dry spell in 1992, we sat at Gowrie camp looking out at the "wasteland" before us. Not a blade of grass or a leaf on a tree, just wind swept reddish sand. There was a small metal crib that pumped water from a borehole day in and day out. The animals came from all directions to get their chance to quench their thirst. On several occasions we noticed how the baboons would spend as much time as possible at the water and prefer not to let any other species come and drink. The queues would start backing up, until the elephants would arrive! As soon as they had their fill, the other animals would file past and get their chance too.

Tiny incidences can also be unforgettable. At Bush Lodge the other day, out the corner of my eye I saw a red flash at Chalet 4. It was a redheaded weaver building a nest at the precarious end of a fever tree bough. The sights of a leopard spot orchid in bloom or even a waterhole covered in water lilies of the softest blue shade are sights to be treasured. As mysterious as nature can be at revealing this bounty to us, She is also blatant at showing us the less attractive shows. One must consider that what is ugly to one, is beautiful to another, but for practicality sakes, lets remain subjective for a moment! On the eve of spring as the first rainstorms beckon, the first clues are often in the form of a rather ungainly little frog, called breviceps. They spend dry periods under the sand, and at the prospect of rain emerge to the surface and go about finding food and a place to meet others of their kind. They have a very bloated appearance and instead of hopping, they kind of waddle along the way. We had just noticed a little breviceps on the road near Rhino Pan, when approaching from the opposite directing was a soliphuge, or red roman spider. Not true spiders at all, but a frightening apparition of a pinkish orange beast that moves at the speed of light. Most noted are its mandibles - four of them, which can slice in all directions - up, down and side to side! These two creatures inevitably met up, and the soliphuge attacked and made dinner of the poor slow pot bellied frog.

It is impossible to go further without telling a snake tale or two. The long hot summer months bring on almost daily encounters with snakes. To the fortunate untrained eye, less often sighted and thus a happier and more relaxed bush visit occurs. One awesome sighting was when we unearthed a nest of black mamba eggs on the exact day they were hatching! A new filter was being installed at Bush Lodge's first pool, which entailed some earth removal at the land filled bank. There were a handful of oblong whitish eggs, of which one was moving a bit. We popped them in a bucket while we consulted a reptile book and identified them as the first snakelet emerged. A good couple of centimeters long and pitch black in appearance, we knew their presence would not be welcomed as part of the Lodge. We took them out to the bush and released them together when the last one hatched. Another interesting encounter was of a green river snake that had caught a chameleon outside the bar at Bush Lodge. We were alerted to the scene by the screaming chameleon that was holding onto a guarrie branch by its back leg. The snake continued consuming it and almost took the branch in as well, until it was released at the last moment.

To answer the last two questions: For the last few years the upswing in the South African tourism industry has resulted in few slower times during the year. We used to be very quiet in our winter months, but that is barely true any longer. The staff shifts are very rigorous, with six weeks on and ten days off. On the occasional "night off", first choice would be to sleep! However, getting together with our neighbours can be great fun, not only recreational but worthwhile catching up on game sightings and the greater picture of the world out there. We share friendly competitiveness, but we follow the rule of work hard, play hard.

What about loneliness? No never, we are always too busy! This may be the single most asked question I have heard, and the one that puzzles me the most. Those brief quiet times that one does get every now and then are in themselves also full. You may hear a bird call, smell a scent or spot an ant lion waiting to trap its miniscule meal. To wait for rain clouds to gather on the southern horizon or follow the game to the waterhole all add to the whole experience. To be bored or lonely in the bush is to miss the essence of why we choose to live and work in a remote location, more specifically at Djuma. There are so many more experiences to share, which will unravel as time goes on.

Philippa Moolman

The above is part of Djuma's deep commitment to its neighbouring communities; Djuma has been instrumental in the building of two schools and completely renovating a further four schools, as well electrifying all these schools. We are presently part of a very exciting project that will see the first computer centre installed in one of the local villages; more about this next year!

We fundamentally believe that conservation is best served when local communities enjoy the benefits of it. One of the most delightful is the annual game-drives for local school children. This year Hananani Primary School - 65 pupils and 5 teachers - enjoyed evening and morning game drives, 10 at a time. It is a joyous sight to behold children enraptured by an experience we could provide.

Jurie Moolman

As the festive season draws closer we can hardly believe that a new year is here already. We also celebrate our fourth year of operating as a lodge. Four years ago Vuyatela opened its doors and has grown from strength to strength. There have been some sad good byes and we have introduced many new faces to our lodge over the years. In the spirit of welcoming we extend a warm welcome to Nick De Jonge and Helen Rohrs previously based at Bush Lodge. Nick takes his place in the safari department and Helen keeps the virtual game drives going. Great to have you with us guys. Neliswa has settled in and has been pampering our guests with her various therapies and skills. Pendrae, Liane and Mark are regularly seen heading for the odd relaxation during the day. Charmian, Mildred and Mark took some networking time and popped down to the North Coast of Kwa Zulu Natal. It was a great team building exercise and enjoyed by all. Liane wisked of to Mexico and the United Kingdom for a couple of weeks of fun in the sun and cold of the U.K.

On the bush front we have had some great sightings. Impala lambs have been seen all over the show. We had some lucky guests that witnessed the birth of one of the Impala's one morning. There have been sightings of baby Zebra, Elephant and Giraffe around the lodge. Unfortunately the baby Giraffe fell prey to the Sandy Patch Lionesses. We have been seeing a lot of kills lately with Chris and his guests arriving at a Buffalo kill as it was happening. Good photo's were taken all round. We had one of the local Leopards kill an Impala a short way form Kaya 5. There is never a dull moment around Vuyatela. The guests were suitably impressed by all the activity around the lodge. We have had Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and copious amounts of general game less than a stone's throw away. Chris's pan has been blessing for the animals during this very hot and dry time. We have had some relief in the form of rain but alas the dam is still empty! The Buffalo are seen daily, taking dips in Chris's pan. We have seen them in herds varying in numbers from as little as 10 to about 1000.

Warren had his life flash before his eyes one evening. He was walking towards the parking area at the lodge and happened on a huge bull Elephant trimming our herbaceous borders. Sadly it was not One Tusk but a new male. He managed to show the elephant to the gate after a lot of pan banging and shouting. The Elephant also gave the odd trumpet but left the lodge grounds without too much fuss. Our rangers were most apologetic, as they had not closed the gate behind them - clearly they were all born in a barn! The ladies have also managed to breath a sigh of relief after Campbell with the assistance of Warren relocated a Black Mamba that moved into the lodge. Judith Mashaba saw the reptile sunning itself on the windowsill in front of her workstation. Needless to say we all thought that a savage attack was happening as she bellowed at the top of her lungs. The words she used were unclear to all. The reptile not fazed by all the noise and fuss, put up no fight and was taken miles away from the lodge in the vicinity of Twin Dams. A hearty thanks to both of you from all at the lodge. As we sign off we would like to thank all for their wonderful support through this year.

"This festive season, may the African stars light the way to a year filled with love, peace and prosperity".

Mark and the Vuyatela team.

Summer is progressing with vigour, the daily temperatures often in the mid 30's and occasionally breaking the 40C mark! Little rain has fallen and although there are still signs of the spring flush to be seen, much of the area is dry and sandy again. There is an almost daily build-up of clouds and thunderstorms threaten in the distance, but we seem to be having little luck and mostly these storms blow over much to our frustration.
However, the wildlife viewing is amongst the best we have ever experienced and the huge grins and excited chatter post game drives is daily testament to the rangers' success. There is now little natural water left in the area and so the three pans we pump with fresh water (the trough at the lodge, 3-in-a-row-pan and Cheetah Plain Pan) are high traffic areas and the rangers are seldom disappointed after a little patient waiting. The Stix pride drink most evenings at the Crib in front of the lodge and they still have their cubs, although there are suspicions that one may have died leaving only 2 now, but we're still hoping for its safe return. One of the other lionesses we suspect to be pregnant, so perhaps we will soon have more cubs to report! A cheetah was sighted a few times with 5 young cubs, still furry with their 'manes' visible on their necks, making them look quite fierce. Elephants and buffaloes are sighted almost daily and even rhino's have become regular visitors to the pans nearby. One of the highlights in camp this past month was the gory discovery of a dead baby baboon lying on the ground and a half eaten adult baboon carcass dangling from a tree branch out back of the kitchen early one morning. Leopard tracks nearby told the tale of a kill during the night - during the pandemonium that ensued the baby was most likely dropped by one of the females and died as a result, whilst an adult became dinner! Unbeknown to us, a water pipe had been leaking on the dam wall for some time and a small pool had formed behind the wall in the lush riverine thicket. This had become the temporary home of a hippo, which was quietly wallowing there unobserved, sneaking in at night to graze the lawn much to our frustration each morning surveying the damage! The pipe has since been fixed and we trust he has relocated to eat someone else's lawn! Our leopards have also been having some issues amongst themselves. With the disappearance of 'Xivati', 3-Spot (our previous territorial male) and Pink Nose (the young challenger) have been having some tussles over his now vacant territory and Jimmy and his guests were privileged one night to actually witness one of these historic fights. 3-Spot didn't put up much of a challenge and quickly rolled over in a submissive pose. It seems that in the long run Pink Nose's youthful strength is going to win over 3-Spot's experience. The baby impala's are currently being born and daily we see new, wobbly, youngsters tottering around with their mothers. A den of baby jackals has also been discovered and if the rangers sit patiently outside, eventually they are rewarded by the appearance of an inquisitive pup or two.
In camp, Kim has returned from her trip home to England, where she and Chris had a fabulous visit. Liane is also back from her leave, so for a brief time everyone is in camp and looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Nick and Helen have transferred over to Vuyatela Lodge where they will now be based and we eagerly look forward to welcoming Piet Marimane back as a guide.
Return guests included Chris Bryan who was here last year for the solar eclipse and loved his safari so much he couldn't wait to return and Diane Herrero came back for her 5th visit before she returns to the States. Helen's mother came to visit her from Canada and Onno's brother enjoyed celebrating his wedding anniversary in the bush. Inge, a regular visitor from Cape Town, brought a group of friends along to celebrate her birthday in grand style in the African savannah and both the lodges played host to this auspicious occasion.
Season's Greetings to everyone and we wish you all a joyous festive season.
Warm wishes,

Liane and the Bush Lodge Team

The lodge and the surrounding plains have been teaming with guests and animals this month. Every spare minute and gap in the bookings, we utilized the camp with local school groups whom took the opportunity to go on safari. So many children living on the doorstep of the prestigious Sabi Sand Game Reserve have never seen wild animals, let alone the "Big Five". It is such a joy to have the opportunity of opening up young minds into seeing another facet of what is literally "out there". Thanks to Thembi and Ephraim for facilitating the game drives and camp during this period.

The highlight of the month would have to be the Mathison group that witnessed the birth of an impala lamb. They reported that it took about 40 minutes from when the hooves were first visible to when the youngster suckled initially. This is a once in a lifetime observation and their patience was rewarded.

The plain to the north and east of the camp have been jam packed with critters. We are pumping water fast and furiously for them, but due to sheer thirsty numbers they have to queue for their turn. Some new frequent visitors are a couple of rhino, which join the regulars as well as the never-ending stream of elephants. Thembi tells of an elephant that stretches over the lodge retaining wall and sips from the plunge pool!

We will be thinking of you over this festive season, and may you stay well and enjoy the spirit of family and sharing.

Until next month,
The Galago Team.

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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