WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA

For the month of May, Two Thousand and Eighteen Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 16˚C (61˚F) For the month: 30 mm Sunrise: 06:22 Average maximum: 29˚C (84˚F) Season Aug 2017 to date: 339.1 mm Sunset: 17.17 Minimum recorded: 13˚C (55˚F) Maximum recorded: 34˚C (93˚F)

The blue hues of winter linger in the morning before the sun reaches across and illuminates the trees then trickles through the sparse canopies warming up the grasslands. It can almost be described as time standing still. Shortly after departing the lodge, the Land Rover slowly idles and comes to stop. The sounds emitted across the valleys and seasonal streams keep us all fixated to the varying calls emanating through the bush and we sit and interpret the sounds and decide on our route for the morning. Game drives become an event of exploration, excitement, emotional connection and a never ending source of amazement. It becomes a favourite moment in the day, second to dessert after a decadent evening meal as most would argue, or is it the wine? The Singita experience encompasses it all, as our guests find a new home. This month was filled with many sightings that stand out as being one of a kind, it includes a pangolin, three

leopards and two cheetahs… not all at once of course! Here's a highlights package of what we viewed:

Leopards: The Schotia female and her two cubs were definitely the highlight for this month. They strolled along the roads during midday to carcasses that were stashed by the successful mother. Unfortunately, on most of the occasions the kills were not hoisted, and ended up being stolen by hyenas. A few new male leopards have been sighted north of the Sand River which has been exciting as this would mean the nomadic young males are venturing out of their natal areas and exploring new ground.

Lions: The Matimba male lions continue to forge further west and have graced the grasslands in Singita on a few occasions, with a bellowing roar making sure all of the lions in the area are well aware of their presence. They have been viewed with the Othawa pride and continue to court the females in the pride, however the males have been chasing the Othawa young male. The young male is well within the right age to be independent. With the prior lack of the dominant males moving through the area, the young male has been living the perfect lifestyle of being undetected by larger males. Elephants: Large herds of elephants were reported, in some cases numbering well over one hundred individuals during the last few weeks. Elephants have continued to feed heavily on the branches of the silver cluster-leaf (Terminalia sericea) and buffalo thorn (Ziziphus mucronata) trees, and as we move deeper into the dry season, they will also utilise the young stems of the round-leafed teak or kiaat (Pterocarpus rotundifolia). The playful antics of baby elephants are always an absolute delight to behold. Wild dogs: We are holding thumbs as a pack of eight wild dogs has been moving along a drainage line that has been used as a prominent den-site during the last two winters… could this be a third year in a row? We will be sure to keep a close eye on this area. Recently a tracker was moving along the drainage line following wild dog tracks in the hope of finding the pack lying near a termite mound, however he did not get very far as he stumbled upon something far more difficult to see, a pangolin! The pangolin sighting definitely overshadowed the wild dogs for the afternoon. The colour shortly before an afternoon rain storm was mesmerising, fortunately it held out long enough for us to all enjoy the beautiful afternoon and capture some incredible golden moments.

Reigniting the passion Article by Warrick Davey It is easy to become complacent in life. You find a routine, something that works, an efficient way of getting tasks done and you get comfortable. You stop challenging yourself and the joy slowly diminishes from what you do. Those of you who have visited Singita Sabi Sand may find it difficult to believe that one could ever get complacent with life out here; being surrounded by nature, wild animals, beautiful sunrises and breath-taking sunsets; if you cannot find the deepest joy in this environment then where else could you find it? Yet we are all human, all capable of falling into a rut and taking things for granted. I have been very focused on seeking joy in everything around me, in my guiding and also in life in general. I love what I do and I love the environment I get to work and live in and so I have been very content. But one thing I am learning in life is that nothing stays constant, the nature of life is change and too much of the same thing makes Jack a very dull boy. I was fortunate enough to come across a very interesting gentleman who, a couple weeks ago, opened my eyes to seeing things differently and to challenge the way my tracker and I conducted our guided experience. Without realising it, I had fallen into a ‘rut’. With game viewing at Singita Sabi Sand arguably being some of the best in Africa, it is very easy to please people. We regularly see the ‘Big 5’ and the animal interactions we experience are nothing short of mind-boggling, together with having the most beautiful scenery as our backdrop. We are spoilt beyond measure. (For any guides and trackers reading this, before you confront me with rifles and machetes, I am not for one minute saying our job is easy. Anyone who works with people knows of the challenges we face. Multitasking while on game drive becomes second nature and I know it feels like sometimes we’re trying to juggle the world.) Yet, is pleasing people enough? More importantly, are we pleasing ourselves? This oracle challenged me and he got me questioning how I could challenge myself. I went on two weeks of leave just after spending time with him and put a lot of thought into what he had said. What I realised, even though I have been very happy with my life, is that by challenging myself I was reigniting my passion. I was so excited to get out on the reserve and see how I could do things differently, see my surroundings

differently and experience everything I have become accustomed to, differently. It was as though someone had turned on the light when I hadn’t even realised I was sitting in the dark. We are so lucky to be able to experience this slice of paradise we call Singita. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I know that by challenging myself and rekindling my passion for what I do out here, I will be a lot happier and that will make for happier guests. So, whether you’re visiting for three days or are here six weeks at a time, find your passion. Do something differently and let it set your soul on fire. There is no better place. This is my challenge to you.

Unusual happenings in the bush Article by Joffers McCormick The game viewing has been nothing short of spectacular as we head further into the winter/dry season. We have been lucky enough to see large herds of elephants and herds of a few hundred buffalo roaming the property and mainly being drawn to the Sand River. As the water sources start to dry up, the animals are starting to become concentrated around the larger water sources. This also provides a number of predators with great hunting opportunities as they can sit and wait patiently, lying in the thickets waiting for that perfect ambush opportunity. Due to this, we were provided with a once in a life-time sighting. It was a warm winter’s day when one of the guide and tracker teams located a male leopard with an impala kill hoisted high up in a large jackalberry tree. We made our way to the kill site in the afternoon to find the Nyelethi male leopard taking a break in the cool sandy riverbed as the day progressively cooled off. As we left the sighting we located a younger male leopard that was curiously smelling the air, trying to locate the whereabouts of the kill. We ended up following the young male for quite some time into the late afternoon. As the young male took a break on a termite mound, my tracker Johnson spotted another leopard lurking in the tall grasses. It was the mother of the young male. As she noticed her previous offspring, she decided to keep a distance and tried to slink off into the surrounding thick brush. To our surprise, the young male took off running into the bush in the opposite direction. We continued to follow

the female and watched her catch and consume a young scrub hair in the tall grass. She was scent marking when she then noticed a herd of impala approaching her. She then went into hunting mode and concealed herself in the tall grass waiting to strike. The impala had not noticed her at this point and we were sure that this was the time for her to strike. As she was getting ready to pounce, two hyenas appeared on the scene, chasing the impala away. The leopard then moved off to take a break on a termite mound. We decided to follow the hyenas and see what they got up to. It came as no surprise when they picked up on the scent of the impala carcass and headed straight for it. They then chased away the male leopard and attempted to get to the kill. One of the hyenas started to get braver and tried to climb the tree, we all saw this and said there was absolutely no chance he would make it up to the kill. To our surprise he eventually got a good grip and made it. This was one of the most incredible sightings that I have witnessed in the bush, we had a good laugh at the thought that the hyena stole a kill in a tree. It was incredible to see a hyena in a tree feeding on the leopard’s prized kill. The hyena got a bit too excited and ended up dropping the kill out of the tree only to have it stolen by another hyena that was patiently waiting below. By this time the large male leopard had had enough and came running up to the tree before ascending the tree to get what remained of the kill. He accepted defeat and took a comfortable position on a thick branch and then fell asleep after a very eventful afternoon. This was truly one of the most spectacular sightings that I have had during my guiding career and shows just how unpredictable the bush can be. It is one of the greatest privileges to call this a lifestyle and not a job. I continue to have never worked a day in my life. Editor’s note: It probably needs to be mentioned that the trunk of the jackalberry tree was not vertical, but was sloping at about 45 degrees. Nonetheless, it was a great achievement for the hyena to climb this tree trunk as far as he did, in order to reach the carcass, which was at least 5 metres (more than 16 feet) above the ground. In more than 25 years of guiding, this was the first time that I had seen a hyena climb a tree. One of my guiding colleagues also witnessed this happen once, when a hyena managed to climb into a sausage tree, where a leopard had hoisted its kill.

A new home Article by Chene Wales-Baillie It’s not every day that we get to see a cheetah in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, let alone a new cheetah to the area, along with her two cubs. The moment I heard the report that these magnificent animals were found on the banks of the Sand River a few miles east of the lodge, I was only too excited to show my guests! It was a picture-perfect setting, a mother cheetah with her two youngsters in the most beautiful afternoon light along the Sand River, surrounded by enormous ancient trees and the sounds of the many birds who occupied them. However, as beautiful as this setting was, it was a bit out of the ordinary... When you think of a cheetah, you imagine this streamlined predator to be running at top speeds of around 100 km (62 miles per hour) across the wide open grasslands of the Serengeti, yet here they were in this riverine environment, seemingly completely at home. With just over 1 000 cheetahs left in South Africa, the Kruger

National Park and Greater Kruger area is home to at least 412 of these remarkable creatures, however the Kruger landscape is much more densely wooded than that of the Serengeti plains. Although not typically where we would imagine cheetah to be found, studies in the Lowveld area have shown that cheetah are still very successful in wooded areas and prefer open plains with adjoining woodland areas which give them enough cover to stalk prey and suitably chase across the open grassland. Further study has shown that female cheetahs tend to frequent thicker bush and riverine areas as a successful place to hunt and therefore raise their cubs more effectively. This helps us to understand why we may have found these cheetahs in such a stereotypically different habitat! As we sat watching them lie in the sand, studying their surroundings, we realised how absolutely privileged we were to be in the presence of these spectacular, endangered, wild animals.

Fortunately for us, Singita encompasses a large pristine wilderness area with such a diverse range of habitat which could easily suit that of this stunning female cheetah and her youngsters. I certainly hope that they stick around and make themselves at home in our wonderful place of miracles. It would be only too wonderful to share them with many more of our lovely guests in the future!

The best shade in winter Article by Ross Couper Recently I had a very fortunate experience watching a female leopard move her cubs for the first time towards a stashed away impala carcass, which was a fair distance away from her den-site. As soon as the cubs are approximately three months old they are often introduced to feeding on carcasses. This is a risky prospect as the cubs would be exposed to the scavenging species such as hyena that could easily kill the young leopards. The heat of the mid-morning seems to be the best opportunity to move the cubs as many other predators and scavengers rest at this time - minimising the risk for the cubs. As the two cubs started lagging behind the female leopard, she decided to stop to allow the cubs to catch their breath and cool down under a sparsely shaded tree.

After a few moments of rest, the female leopard continued on her path, which found her heading in the direction towards the small terminal building alongside the runway at Singita Sabi Sand. The terminal building allows for guests at the lodge to sit in comfort while waiting for their flights and the coolness of the concrete flooring under the thatched roof made for a perfect haven for the female leopard and two cubs who found some solace in the shade. This allowed for some entertaining activity from the cubs in an area where guests would normally catch their flight or arrive on a flight from this very special location in the middle of the bush. With flights arriving, guests were collected from the respective planes and advised of the leopards resting in the terminal building, which brought about with many excited shrieks, along with a few gasps of non-belief.

Later that afternoon, the three leopards were found a short distance from the airstrip with their prized carcass. Unfortunately, the following day, the carcass was devoured by hyenas but the female leopard had already moved the cubs safely away from the area. With her strong attributes as a mother, we look forward to many more sightings of the Schotia female and her very special litter.

May moments in time The shades of colour are evident at this time of the year, as some of the yellow and orange leaves drop to the ground.

The perfect camouflage for a kudu cow.

Photographs on location by Ross Couper and Chene Wales-Ballie

Singita Ebony and Boulders Lodge Sabi Sand

South Africa Thirty first of May 2018