Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2018 i Kruger Magazine

“In the Winter issue of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we celebrate our gentle giants. Winter in Greater Kruger often means exceptional sightings – definitely worth braving the cold mornings and evenings for (although a visitor from the UK recently said our winter temperatures are positively balmy compared to what he is used to!). Clear, dry winter days can be among the most precious in Greater Kruger, especially for photographers, who love the evocative quality of the light. If you’re lucky enough to get to the Greater Kruger for a midwinter break, take advantage of the low humidity and the fact that there are few mosquitoes to annoy you! Walking safaris are particularly appealing, thanks to the sparse vegetation. In the Winter issue of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we celebrate our gentle giants. Dr Ian…

2km road from Shingwedzi Camp – My favourite spot! Picture the following: a short tar road lined with gigantic, shady nyala, leadwood and jackalberry trees. Through these magnificent trees, you can see a dry riverbed with a few pools of water – the Shingwedzi River! The above description can be of only one place: the 2km tar road just outside the main gate of Shingwedzi Camp, in northern Kruger – my favourite spot in KNP. In the early morning, when you arrive in front of the camp gate, you will most probably be the only vehicle there...only you and your favourite piece of Kruger tar road ahead. And yes, it is indeed peace, peace on earth, on this short 2km. When the gate opens, we drive slowly, very…

“Letaba is a riverine camp, characterised by tall, shady trees, expansive lawns, and indigenous gardens.” Kruger National Park’s Letaba Camp is situated on a bend of the Letaba River, midway between the southern and northern boundaries of the Kruger National Park. Letaba is a riverine camp, characterised by tall, shady trees like the sycamore fig, Natal mahogany, sausage tree and apple leaf, expansive lawns, and indigenous gardens where resident bushbuck wander. The Lala palms are magnificent at Letaba, and just walking around in the camp gives enough photo opportunities to keep you busy all day. Visit in winter and you will find the gardens a riot of colour, with several species of aloe and impala lily in full bloom. The aloes attract a variety of birds, including the white-bellied and…

« Dr Ian John Whyte is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SANParks in 2007. He was previously engaged in full-time wildlife research in Kruger National Park from 1970-2007. At the time of retirement, he was responsible for the coordination of all research projects pertaining to elephant, buffalo and other large herbivores and rare antelope. He is a member of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s African Elephant Specialist Group. He has co-authored two field guides to the birds of the Kruger National Park and is in the process of publishing a book about his life and work in KNP. Elephants pose many dilemmas to managers of African wildlife areas, but it must be remembered that there is also much good that elephants effect in an ecosystem. Elephants facilitate natural…

« Dr Ian John Whyte is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SANParks in 2007. He was previously engaged in full-time wildlife research in Kruger National Park from 1970-2007. At the time of retirement, he was responsible for the coordination of all research projects pertaining to elephant, buffalo and other large herbivores and rare antelope. He is a member of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s African Elephant Specialist Group. He has co-authored two field guides to the birds of the Kruger National Park and is in the process of publishing a book about his life and work in KNP. “Bee-eaters are a highly specialised group of species that have evolved to capture their insect prey on the wing.” Bee-eaters are a highly specialised group of species that have evolved…

“Kambaku derives its name from one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ tuskers of Kruger.” Tony and Leanne Santana had a dream – a dream they would one day own a guest lodge. Their love of nature and Leanne’s passion for wildlife photography prompted them to search around the Greater Kruger. Setting out to find a suitable lodge for sale proved to be very difficult – they just could not find the right one, which drove them to look for land and build a lodge themselves! And so it was...they found a wonderful site in December 2013, in Malelane, on the banks of the Crocodile River. Every time they came to visit the site they were greeted by herds of elephants playing in the river, which was a sure sign that they…

» Part 4: From 1955 to 1980 « Joep Stevens is a keen historian who was introduced to the Kruger National Park by his parents in 1966. This ignited his interest in and passion for the Park. Development of the Kruger National Park This era in the history of the Kruger National Park is one that many of the current (albeit older) generation experienced firsthand and can relate to. The following took place: On 6 December 1956, Pretoriuskop swimming pool (with cloakrooms and a kiosk), sponsored by Rembrandt Tobacco Company, was officially inaugurated. On 3 June 1960, Olifants Camp was officially opened and was erected with funds derived from the concession granted to Total Oil Products in the Kruger National Park. It (then) consisted of a main complex with shop,…

1. Funding for the archaeological research work. This is for radiocarbon dating (C14) the site; expert analysis of the faunal remains (animal bones) to determine the species of animals present and used at the site at the time of its settlement; expert analysis of the stone tools and other material such as beads and pottery from the site. 2. Material and equipment: excavation tools such as trowels, brushes, packing material for the artefacts recovered, picks and shovels. 3. Sponsorships/funding to subsidise needy archaeology students (for their travel/accommodation/food costs). 4. Reimbursement for the voluntary staff members/ field assistants.…

“Large snakes such as these need to live in vast, open, undisturbed natural habitat that contains abundant food prey.” « Donald Strydom runs the Kinyonga Reptile Centre, formerly known as Swadini Reptile Park, which was founded in 1984. He has been involved in the filming of approximately 50 documentaries and has worked with Sir David Attenborough. Through the Kinyonga Reptile Centre, Donald has established the Help Endangered Reptile Project (HerP), which focuses on conservation through education and research. The Southern African python, previously known as the African rock python, (Python natalensis), found throughout the Kruger National Park, belongs to the family of snakes appropriately called Pythonidae. This is a family of mostly large, bulky nonvenomous snakes. There are currently 40 species to be found in the world, occurring in Africa,…

One of the great attractions at Letaba Camp is the Elephant Hall, which covers the evolution of elephants, their biology, behaviour and ecology. Best of all, it also contains the ivory of eight of Kruger's greatest tuskers. Tuskers are the Kruger National Park's largest elephant bulls, which wandered the park from the 1930s to the 1980s. The Chief Warden at the time, Dr U de V Pienaar, decided to showcase these elephants as a successful example of Kruger's conservation work. He named those bulls that had not already been identified and also coined the collective name ‘The Magnificent Seven’, based on the 1960 Hollywood film. These were Dzombo, João, Kambaku, Mafunyane, Nlulamithi, Shawu and Shingwedzi. The promotion was launched in 1980, with specially commissioned paintings by celebrated wildlife artist Paul…

« Ralf Kalwa is Ecological Consultant at Malelane, a position he has held since December 2001. He established Rhengu Environmental Services in the Malelane area and is trails leader for the Lebombo Eco Trail. Prior to holding this position, Kalwa was Manager: IEM: Kruger National Park from 2000-2001 and Senior Section Ranger: Kruger National Park from 1994-2000. “Every ranger in Kruger gets a Shangaan name, given to him by his staff and fellow field rangers,” says Ralf. “Mine is Mahlometela… the man who sees everything .” “The dynamics of working in one of the world’s greatest conservation areas dictate that your days’ activities are always in some form of flux.” Leopard in the camp It was after 7am on a chilly winter’s morning when my radio bleeped…

“The feeling of peace, pride, love and gratitude you feel when accepting a gift is what ‘tintswalo’ is, as described in the Shangaan language – a Shangaan blessing.” The feeling of peace, pride, love and gratitude you feel when accepting a gift is what ‘tintswalo’ is, as described in the Shangaan language – a Shangaan blessing. Manyeleti Game Reserve is home to the luxurious Tintswalo Safari Lodge, which is situated a short drive from the nearest local airport in Hoedspruit, or a scenic six-hour self-drive or shuttle ride from Johannesburg, for those who enjoy a road-trip. means “M anyeleti ‘place , o w f hic many h adjoins stars’ in the Shangaan Kruger , to Nationa the east l Park , with the the Sabi south Sands and Reserve Timbavati…

Remembering good times is awesome, but remembering that first time you did something amazing in your life is precious, and a good way to start any conversation. It is also a way of connecting with people, for enjoyable ‘first times’ are normally shared without reservation. It is the enjoyable things in our lives that create bonds of friendship and kinship among like-minded individuals. In issue 3 – Autumn 2018, we wrote about KNP opening its doors to the public in 1926, and how amazing it must have been to have been there in those days. We also asked readers to share their first-time visits to the Greater Kruger. We received quite a number of responses! We hope to receive lots more. This one in particular caught our attention… Please email…

“Letaba is situated almost in the middle of KNP and this offers you a lot of options when planning your self-drive game drives.” Letaba is situated almost in the middle of KNP and this offers you a lot of options when planning your self-drive game drives. One day you can go south and another north; or choose a day to keep it central and just drive around in the area, along the river road. Morning self-drive A good early-morning drive is to take the S46 along the Letaba River up to Olifants Camp, where you will find the beautiful lookout over the Olifants River. Drive back on the H8 and H1-5 tar road. Day self-drive If you are someone who likes driving all day, you are in the right place…

Elephants Alive’s team is led by Dr Michelle Henley, co-founder, CEO and principal researcher. Named as one of “the ten most inspiring women in South Africa” by Culture Trip in 2017, Michelle is one of conservation’s unsung heroes. When asked what Elephants Alive’s biggest challenge is, Michelle explains that the biggest challenge is “trying to provide advice on both how to best manage expanding populations in fenced reserves within South Africa, while simultaneously educating people on the alarming pan-African decline facing elephants”.…

« Nick Zambatis the former Manager: Biodiversity Conservation in Conservation Management: Kruger National Park. He retired in 2016. His first job in Kruger was as a research technician based at Skukuza, which he started in 1987. “The transfer from Pretoria to the Lowveld was ecstasy and the Kruger appointment was a dream come true,” he recalls. He holds an MSc degree on the determinants of grass composition and production in Kruger National Park, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. General description and identification T There are 15 ‘bushwillow’ species in the KNP, members of the Combretum genus. But although some vaguely resemble willows, they are not closely related to this group. Perhaps the best-known in the KNP is the leadwood, Combretum imberbe. It literally stands head and shoulders above all the…

on invariably what the depends intended use is. « Roger de la Harpe is a freelance photographer based in South Africa. He has long had a passion for conservation, natural history, wild places and indigenous cultures and has plied his trade in various regions of the African continent for 25 years. With his wife Pat, he has published 27 coffee-table books, the most recent of which, African Icons , celebrates Africa’s most iconic features and creatures. Two previous books, In Search of the African Wild Dog and In Search of the African Lion , have a strong conservation focus. Roger and Pat also own and manage Africa Imagery, an online database of over 45 000 images of the people, wildlife…

« Salomon Joubert (Dr SCJ Joubert) started his conservation career in 1964 as a postgraduate student in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, and was appointed to the Kruger National Park as Junior Ranger at the end of 1964, stationed at the remote Klipkoppies Section on the Mozambique border (due east of Letaba). In 1967, he was granted study leave to do a BSc (Hon) (Wildlife Management) degree at Pretoria University. In November 1967, he was transferred to the Research Section with responsibility for rare antelope, in particular roan. For his work on the social behaviour of roan, he was awarded an MSc and subsequently a DSc degree on the population ecology of roan. In 1976, he was promoted to Head of Research and was intimately involved in monitoring large mammal populations,…

One of the oldest regions of the SANParks Honorary Rangers, the Johannesburg Region was inaugurated in 1988. Its founding members included three of the very first Honorary Rangers appointed in 1964. Over the past 30 years, the region has gone from strength to strength and now has an impressive membership of close to 100 volunteers. One of the region’s earliest success stories was providing environmental training material to teachers from 37 Soweto schools in the early 1990s. Since then, the region has remained committed to educational initiatives. Educational talks are presented to schools and communities to create an awareness and appreciation of our natural heritage and its conservation. The Johannesburg region has a very active Public Education and Awareness Programme (humorously referred to as the ‘PEAP Show’). You will find…