WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA

For the month of August Two Thousand and Sixteen

Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 12.7˚C (54.8˚F) For the month: 0 mm Sunrise 06:00 Average maximum: 26˚C (78.8˚F) For the season to date: 0 mm Sunset 17:40 Minimum recorded: 9◦C (48.2˚F) Maximum recorded: 32˚C (89.6˚F) It is really hard to believe that we are already two thirds of the way through the year 2016! Winter seemed to be a very short one, and certainly a mild one, and now there are numerous signs of spring being upon us. There is an abundance of knobthorn blossom, whose slightly citrusy fragrance is quite noticeable and very welcome. The flowers of the knobthorn trees (Acacia nigrescens) are edible to various animals, such as monkeys, baboons, giraffe, kudu and a number of birds. The fruits of the jackalberry or African ebony trees (Diospyros mespiliformes) are now ripe and in abundant supply, also much to the delight of monkeys, turacos, green pigeons and various antelope that will pick them up from the ground, after the arboreal feeders have dropped pieces while feeding in the branches. Days are becoming noticeably hotter already, and the return of fireflies at night, along with the calls of numerous nightjars, frogs and toads, reminds us that we are

indeed entering a new and exciting season. Of the migratory birds that have already returned, the most obvious are probably the yellow-billed kites, Wahlberg’s eagles and red-chested swallows. We now await the rainfall! Perhaps in next month’s journal we will be able to report some good spring rain. Here's a highlights package of the month's sightings: Leopards: This has been another great month of leopard viewing, with most of the regulars being seen on several occasions, as well as some good sightings of less well-known leopards. A considerable number of the leopard sightings this month saw two or more leopards being seen together. Mating activity between the Nyelethi male and the Hlab’nkunzi female was witnessed separately by both the N’weti male (Hlab’nkunzi female’s adolescent son) and the Schotia female (Hlab’nkunzi female’s young adult daughter). Wild Dogs: August was an absolute bumper month for wild dog (or African / painted hunting dog), with one of the packs producing a second litter of pups. There are 8 adults in this pack, and now at least 14 pups, 7 of which are about three months younger than the others. This pack is operating from a den-site north of the Sand River, and it remains to be seen whether both litters of pups will be raised together. Very interesting and exciting times!

Lions: There has been some great lion viewing once again, with the Othawa pride, Mhangene pride and the four old Majingilane males making up the bulk of the viewing. With the four adult lionesses of the Mhangene pride having all produced cubs this year (some of which are still very young), the nine sub-adult members of the pride have continued to operate separately from their mothers. They have sometimes been seen all

together, and sometimes the young females are separate from the young males. All the lions seem to be doing very well in terms of nourishing themselves, and buffaloes have featured prominently in their diets.

Buffaloes: Large numbers of buffalo bulls in small groups have been seen daily in close proximity to the lodges, enjoying the grass cover that is still available to them. The bigger herds of buffalo need to cover a lot of ground these days, in order to meet their dietary requirements. Inevitably, the condition of some of the buffaloes has dropped somewhat due to the drought, but on the whole they have coped admirably. We have been seeing very large numbers of buffalo in total, and they are clearly having a significant impact on the vegetation. While many buffalo have succumbed to predation by lions, it does not seem that any have died as a direct result of drought. Elephants: Elephant viewing has continued to be really good, with most of the sightings being of breeding herds of elephants, rather than single bulls or small groups of bulls. One would expect the majority of elephant sightings to be along the Sand River, but actually there have been great sightings on all parts of the reserve. Elephants are very resourceful creatures, and will find suitable food almost anywhere.

How the extended drought is affecting our game viewing Article by Leon van Wyk A colleague of mine, Ian Mey, recently wrote a very good article, in which he alluded to the fact that the current drought should not be viewed in a negative light, but should rather be seen as part of the natural cycle of things. I agree with him wholeheartedly, but having said that, both Ian and I are hoping that the coming spring and summer will see the drought being broken with some substantial rain. Our game viewing here at Singita Sabi Sand has certainly not suffered at all as a result of these two dry years. In fact, in many ways, the viewing has been quite exceptional. The first example that springs to mind is the hippopotamus viewing. With several of the large waterholes north of the Sand River having now dried up completely, large numbers of hippo have had to base themselves elsewhere, and there are currently two main spots where there is sufficient water to support large groups ("rafts") of hippo. One such spot is Castleton Dam (on the Mobeni watercourse directly in front of Castleton Lodge), where one can usually find about 14 or 15 hippo. More impressive, however, is Pious Crossing on the Sand River, just upstream of Ebony Lodge, where on a regular basis we are seeing well

in excess of 40 hippo! There is usually a good deal of jostling, romping, rolling and porpoising among the hippo if they are in the water, which is hardly surprising, as there must be so much competition among

them. Interestingly, these 40-plus hippo often leave the water around mid-morning and make their way to the sand banks, where they bask in the sun for a good few hours, many of them lying down, but some apparently sleeping on their feet. Sometimes, if our timing is right and we are patient, we can be fortunate enough to witness the impressive spectacle of all these hippo returning to the water again in the mid-to-late afternoon. I can confidently say, without hesitation, that the hippo viewing that we have been experiencing near Pios Crossing over the last few months, by a long way surpasses any hippo viewing that I have previously had in 24 years of guiding! That said, however, it should be remembered that these hippo are not having an easy time of things. Apart from the fact that they are competing with each other for limited water, there is also far less grass available to them than in the past (hippopotami, of course, are bulk grazers), so they are having to travel quite far in their nightly grazing forays. They have, understandably, lost some condition, simply from not getting the quantity or quality of grass needed to keep them in their prime. There is inevitably a higher level of stress than normal within the hippo community, and many individuals have been forced out of the bigger rafts, finding relative peace in some of the smaller, borehole-fed waterholes across the reserve. When tracking, or taking guests for walks, guides and trackers obviously need to be very careful to avoid encountering hippo out of the water. While most other herbivores still seem to be doing remarkably well, buffaloes are also starting to show signs of struggling to cope with the drought. Sub-adults and young adults in their prime are generally looking good, but some of the very young individuals and the older ones (particularly old females with calves still suckling) are showing visible signs of a drop in condition. Essentially considered to be bulk grazers, the relative scarcity of attractive grazing has led to many buffalo resorting to supplement their diet with browse material. A drop in condition of buffaloes makes them more vulnerable to attack by lions, and the statistics reveal an unusually high number of buffalo kills. While grazers (and to a lesser extent browsers) are finding conditions tough, predators are making the most of the fact that some of their potential victims are not quite as strong or fit as they would normally be, and thus it is a period in their lives when the carnivores are mostly doing very well. Whether or not it is related to the drought and the good hunting conditions, an unusual situation has been witnessed among a pack of painted hunting dogs (I prefer this name to "wild dogs"), where two females in the pack have pups. More typically, just a single female, the alpha female, produces pups, or if a second female does give birth, her pups are usually killed by the alpha female, so that all the pack's energy and efforts can be concentrated on raising the pups of the alpha female (which theoretically should have the best genes.) So far, however, it seems that the alpha female, whose pups at the time of writing must be about 4 months old, is absolutely fine with the fact that there is a second female with pups, probably almost a month old now. Could it be that both litters will be raised? Time will tell! Remarkably, the Sand River continues to flow. Just a trickle at this stage, but considering the fact that we have gone through two consecutive drought years, this is quite surprising. We certainly hope for some good early rains this spring (September or October), which would have a most dramatic effect on the grazing, and would probably also ensure that the Sand River does indeed continue its flow for another season.

The local animals Article by Andries Mohala From a distance any animal looks cute, they pose for a picture, they are elegant and they are all the beautiful things in the world that we can think of, until they are up close and personal and maybe show some true colours of who they really are - “Animals”. What does the word “Animal” mean? The name sometimes implies the absence of the higher faculties peculiar to man. If this is the case, then why would we treat the animals around the lodge perimeters any different to the animals in the field? Let me say that animals near the lodges enjoy advantages, which would include getting easy food (by stealing!) and knowing that they are safe. This is may be why they like to hang around humans and the structures that man built. Touching them does not seem to be part of the deal, but discouraging them and respecting who they are and not necessarily fearing them but giving them the space they deserve. Animals are animals; we have to respect the leopard as a leopard and treat it as such, whether the animal is walking through the lodge or out in the field it is still the same . This also applies to other animals around the lodge, such as buffalo, monkeys or nyala. We came into their territories and home ranges, not the other way around. The fact that a monkey jumps on to the table for a muffin does not make him cute, it makes him bold and maybe a bit more corrupted into scoring a quick easy meal, which is behaviour we need to discourage, since they should not even know about muffins and all of our fancy foods. Let’s not forget they are instinctive creatures that wouldn’t hesitate to defend themselves in the one way they know how to, let’s not feed them because they know how to feed themselves, let’s not try to “humanize” them - they are animals!

Let’s appreciate them for what they are. Believing in responsibility and ethics should not only be taught, but also practiced! The Birth Article by Mark Broodryk As a guide, one is often asked what the most memorable sighting is to have witnessed in the bush. It is always very difficult to isolate just one sighting as there are just so many amazing scenes we witness on an almost daily basis in our very unique and privileged positions as guides. For me though, it is probably witnessing animals giving birth as this is always such a private and intimate time in an animal’s life. For the animals to allow us into their space on such an occasion is nothing short of a miracle. On this particular morning, we were treated to one such scenario; we literally watched a hyena give birth! What makes it pretty unique is that hyena’s usually give birth within the confines of the den (in most cases, a hole excavated into a termite mound) and thus not necessarily something one would witness even if you were to be in the right place and time! In nature, there are very few complications when animals give birth due to the fact that it is only the strongest genes that get to reproduce and it happens only when nature is ready for it to happen. The female hyena was moving around within the entrance to the mound, seemingly “unsettled .” Little did we know what we were about to witness.

After a bit of tossing and turning, she stood up and out popped a brand new hyena cub! It wasn’t the most amicable way for one to arrive into this world however, as it was spinning in circles from the umbilical cord before the cord finally snapped and the cub was set free. The cub landed in the entrance to the mound and rolled into the dark chamber from where it would spend the first few weeks of its new life. There was lots of excitement, not only from the human witnesses but also from the rest of the clan. The other clan members couldn’t help themselves and all gathered around the entrance to get their first look at their latest family member.

12 cubs in the Mhangene pride! Article by Joshua Bell Excitement among the guiding team has been running at fever pitch for the last couple of months at Singita Sabi Sand! It all began with a sighting of a single l ioness from the Mhangene pride in an extremely inaccessible part of the Sand River. While that might not sound entirely out of the ordinary to those reading this, the guide and tracker who found the lioness that day also noticed that the animal had suckle marks around her teats. This could only mean one thing; she was a mother! Lion cubs have all the odds stacked against them from birth; hyenas, leopards, cold spells and even other male lions who have not fathered the youngsters can all spell an untimely end to their short lives and it is estimated that 80% of lion cubs die within the first two months from birth. Even one new addition each year is a very special event and a cause for celebration! With much jubilation (and a diligent effort from the tracking team), a sighting of the lioness with two young cubs occurred a couple of weeks later, the animals lying out in the open on one very cold winter morning. Little did we know that this was to be the last sighting we had of any of them for quite a while and naturally we feared the worst. We didn’t see the animals for several weeks bar the odd set of tracks from the lioness around that same hidden spot in the river. Then eventually we saw two sets of adult lion tracks and conspiracy ensued! We thought perhaps the adult females of the Mhangene pride were separating from their sub-adult current offspring and enjoying some time by the river as hunting opportunities were plentiful there during the dry season. Another sighting confirmed that there were actually all four adult lionesses togethe r by the river, in the same spot as before. And we noticed ALL of them had suckle marks! The two older cubs presented themselves again, we observed with relief, but it was many weeks before we saw any sign of others. We thought perhaps the others may have died and the lionesses were sharing suckling duties for the two oldest cubs, a common trait among lions in the same pride.

A few fateful weeks and much searching later (just in case, of course) led us to an area known as ‘Ranger’s Rock’ on the northern bank of the Sand River, almost completely inaccessible for a Land Rover and the perfect place for four potential lion mothers to raise their newborns during the first weeks of their lives. I will never forget listening to the sighting being called in on the radio that day: “Stations, we have located 4 lionesses of the Mhangene pride and 12 cubs of varying ages playing on the ridge below Ranger’s Rock”. A colleague quickly called back, “Last station, please confirm you have located… (pause)... twelve cubs?” And there you have it! That was the precise moment that guests, guides, trackers, lodge staff and senior management alike had their hopes and emotions resting with the survival of the 12 perfect new additions to the Mhangene pride. No-one can predict the future of course, but at least we can rest assured that they have 4 very experienced and protective mothers who have chosen the perfect den-site to give them every possible chance to take on and survive in the extraordinary concession that we are fortunate to spend time in every day. Flying harlequins Article by Iska Meyer-Wendecker An iconic bird that often soars above the South African savanna is a striking eagle called the bateleur. Its prominent plumage easily catches one’s eye when it circles above. While the male’s underwings are divided into half black and half white coverts, the female’s are mainly white just with the tips of the covert feathers showing black colouration. Another unusual feature of this bird is its short tail feathers, which cause it to rock from side to side and give it a somewhat unstable flight path. It is believed, however, that the shorter tail in fact benefits the bateleur in that it gains maneuverability and therefore provides an easier chase: the birds can be observed hunting from high up in the air, pinpointing their prey and attacking with a fierce downward swoop from several hundred metres! For that reason, most textbooks explain that the meaning of the bird’s name is ‘tightrope walker’ consequently derived from its unusual flight pattern, which mirrors the image of a tightrope walker trying to maintain balance.

However, the meaning of the French word ‘bateleur’ comes rather closer to the English word ‘harlequin’, the Renaissance joker from half a century ago. So why exactly does the eagle carry this particular name? As the birds spend most of their day soaring up in the air while catching thermals and searching for potential prey it is often a lucky sight when one spots one of these beautiful individuals perched up in a tree. In a sighting like this, one can carefully examine their facial features, which show striking colours of reds and black, the traditional colours of the harlequin's red-and-black mask. Additionally, one of the original harlequin actors of the 16th century – the Italian Tristano Martinelli – was famous for his physical agility and regularly entertained his audience with performed acrobatics on stage. Perhaps a better explanation for the eagle’s name can therefore be drawn from exactly that: their coloured faces and acrobatic flight path having reminded the French ornithologist and explorer François Levaillant, of the characteristics of the harlequins from past times… Bird List Species: 209 August 2016 (199 in July). Specials: Greater painted snipe (nesting in front of Boulders room 1)

White-backed night heron. Return of Whalberg’s eagle and red-breasted swallows.

Photographs on location (unless otherwise stated) by Ross Couper, Leon Van Wyk, Michelle Campbell, Josh Bell and Mark Broodryk

Singita Ebony and Boulders Lodge Sabi Sand

South Africa Thirty First of August 2016