Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023-2024 i Kruger Magazine

BUSH TELEGRAPH The Elephant Walk Retreat is situated on the banks of the Crocodile River, just a stone’s throw from the Crocodile Bridge Gate, the most southern entrance of the Kruger National Park. The Elephant Walk land is a family heritage dating back to the early 1970s. The unrivalled views across the Kruger and the Crocodile River are magnificent. Living up to its name, guests of Elephant Walk will see huge herds of elephant from the lodge as they follow the ancient elephant paths along the Crocodile River course. Accommodation options vary from simple chalets to more luxurious self-catering log cabins. The lodge is the perfect base for families, friends or couples searching for a quiet spot from which to explore the Park. Its unique position right at the Crocodile…

The jacanas (sometimes also referred to as lily trotters) are a distinctive group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. Worldwide, there are eight species of jacana from six genera. Two are endemic to Africa, while the other six are to be found in Madagascar, Asia and Central and South America. The two African species have both been recorded in the Kruger National Park (KNP). These are the African jacana (Actophilornis africanus), which I will refer to here as ‘the jacana’, and the lesser jacana (Microparra capensis) referred to here as ‘the lesser’. « Dr Ian Whyte is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SANParks in 2007. He was previously engaged in full-time wildlife research in the Kruger National Park from 1970-2007. At the time of retirement, he was…

RANGER DIARIES ‒ MAHLOMETELA Section Rangers in the Kruger National Park (KNP) are qualified in all aspects of wildlife management with special emphasis on conserving the biodiversity on his/her area of responsibility. This may entail combatting poaching activities, conducting veld condition assessments, managing the fires on the property, game capture of special species for relocation or removing alien and invader plants. These are just a few examples of daily wildlife-orientated tasks that make up the to do list on a section. After several months at Malelane, I soon realised that I would have to broaden my idea of being a ranger and include environmental management on my list of things I had to look out for. It soon became clear to me that the presence of man in a wildlife…

Phabeni Gate - newest gateway to the South (S25,024710 E31,241345) In Issue 25 of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we featured the history of Phalaborwa Gate. In this issue we look at the history of Phabeni Gate, and other places of interest in the vicinity. Origin of the name Phabeni and other local names Phabeni is the name of a creek that runs parallel to the western boundary of the Park, just east of Phabeni Gate and is a tributary of the Sabie River. Phabeni is of Sesotho origin meaning ‘a shelter or a cave’. Doispane is the name of a place along the Mtshawu Creek where renowned ranger Harry Wolhuter used to overnight when travelling on horseback between his post at Mtimba (outside the current Park boundary near Numbi Gate) and Skukuza. Doispane…

Is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of nearly two million hectares (20 000km²) in the province of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the north-east of South Africa. IIt extends 360km from north to south and 65km from east to west. It became South Africa’s first National Park in 1926. In 1993, fences between Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) and the Kruger National Park were removed to encourage wildlife migration and the Greater Kruger National Park was born.…

A GREAT HONEYMOON In 1980, my wife, Jill, and I were fortunate enough to have received a great honeymoon gift from our folks. It was a two-week, fully paid travel trip that included a few days close to the Kruger National Park. We started our trip off travelling from Pretoria to Dullstroom and booked in at a small, very grand guesthouse. We visited all the curio shops and enjoyed our time as newlyweds. Seeing as we were already so close to the Kruger, we decided to do a day trip the next morning. Jill packed us a fully stocked picnic basket for the road and off we went. We entered the Numbi Gate and as we approached, what luck! We spotted a hyaena sitting in the middle of the road.…

CONSERVATION PROJECT Rhino dehorning operation, October 2023. Our radio crackles to life: “Located a crash of three.” The helicopter starts up and sets off in the direction of the fixed-wing plane, which, after having flown grids for the last hour, has located some rhino. As the helicopter takes off, so does the ground team. A convoy of four vehicles packed with equipment races off through the reserve, guided by the aerial team to get as close to the rhinos as possible. With all teams now standing by, the helicopter swoops down whilst the vet leans out and skilfully darts the rhinos with a tranquilliser. It’s then up to the helicopter pilot to encourage the rhinos to move as close as possible to a road or open area. When the sedative…

SPECIES ID ‒ TREES General description Together with the baobab, the umbrella thorn, Vachellia tortilis subsp. heteracantha (formerly Acacia tortilis), can perhaps be regarded as the most well-known tree of Africa, if not by name, then by its characteristic and exceptionally wide-spreading umbrella-shaped crown. The species name, tortilis, refers to the twisted seed pods, while the subspecies name, heteracantha, means ‘different thorns’, in reference to the hooked and straight thorns. Its Afrikaans name, haak-en-steek, aptly describes its formidable ‘hook-and-prick’ thorns. In Xitsonga it is known as nsasani, umSasane in Siswati and muunga-khanga in Tshivenda. In the Kruger National Park (KNP), it is a medium to large deciduous tree of up to 12m tall but elsewhere it can reach 20m. The lower the annual rainfall, the shorter the trees tend to…

PRIVATE LODGE – MAKALALI At first glance the Makalali Main Lodge, a five-star lodge with modern lines, seems to not quite fit in the bush. But once you are there, it all fits perfectly. Completed in November 2017 and accommodating 60 guests in 30 rooms, the grand but beautiful, simple buildings enhance the beauty of the surrounding natural wilderness – natural light, airy with open spaces for guests to enjoy the awesome view from anywhere in the main reception, lounge and dining areas. The aha Makalali Private Game Reserve is located west of the Kruger National Park and overlooks the majestic Drakensberg Mountain in the Limpopo Province. The reserve is bisected by the perennial Makhutswi River – a tributary of the Olifant’s River – and includes approximately 10km of the…

As 2023 swiftly approaches its conclusion, the inclination to momentarily slow down is only natural. At this juncture in our publication cycle, our eyes are already set on the future, with plans and travels outlined for the upcoming issues. Embracing the momentum, we look forward to bringing you more captivating stories in the issues to come. Approaching the final issue of the year brings a change of pace. While our schedule exists, it’s not etched in stone. We, too, embrace a moment to pause, recognising that some things can wait. Our wish to all contributors is to slow down, focus on essentials and take a well-deserved break. Reflect on your accomplishments, savour your surroundings and know that your association with our publication is genuinely appreciated. To our readers, you are…

SPECIES ID ‒ MAMMALS Mongooses are a diverse group of small terrestrial, carnivorous mammals belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Mungotinae comprises 11 species all native to Africa. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the English word ‘mongoose’ used to be spelled ‘mungoose’, the name being derived from Indian name muṅgūs for Herpestes species. The scientific names (Mungos mungo) are also derived from this origin. The plural form is ‘mongooses’; not ‘mongeese’. There are eight diverse species of mongoose to be found in the Kruger National Park (KNP) and of these, most are solitary. Only the dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) (see KRUGER MAGAZINE Issue 11 Autumn 2020) and the banded mongoose are gregarious. ‘Bandeds’ are fascinating animals that…

THEME SELF-DRIVE, CAMPS AND HIDES With the final Amateur Photo Competition of each year, we await the entries with anticipation, and as our entries have become so amazing, it means our amateur photographers just get better as time goes by. The old saying holds true: Practice makes perfect. Amidst the challenge of selecting our TOP 10 from a pool of incredible entries, we acknowledge and commend each entrant. Your 1 500+ submissions made it possible to curate the TOP 50. Well done to all the participants – your creativity fuels the essence of our competition! Thank you for making this competition truly exceptional. To our winners, well deserved. And our sponsors, thank you once again. So, while most of you might have some time on your hands over the holidays,…

Late 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, a…