WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA PAMUSHANA, ZIMBABWE For the …€¦ · Physical Restraint of African Wildlife, which is an annual training programme that takes place on the reserve in February,

WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA PAMUSHANA, ZIMBABWE

For the month of February, Two Thousand and Twenty Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 22,9˚C (73,2˚F) For the month: 81 mm Sunrise: 05:51 Minimum recorded: 19,1˚C (66,3˚F) For the year to date: 333,3 mm Sunset: 18:19 Average maximum: 33,7˚C (92,6˚F) Maximum recorded: 41,0˚C (105˚F) We’ve been enjoying some heavy rain, the Malilangwe Reserve is looking magnificent and our guests have had some dramatic sightings. Some guests have had the opportunity to watch the practical side of the Malilangwe Course in Chemical and Physical Restraint of African Wildlife, which is an annual training programme that takes place on the reserve in February, and is organised by the Wildlife Capture Africa Trust in conjunction with the Malilangwe Trust and other partners. It is a world-renowned course that during its 41-year history has trained hundreds of wildlife veterinarians, researchers and conservation professionals from across Africa and internationally, in the science and art of chemical and physical restraint of wild animals.

Singita Pamushana guests, being in the right place at the right time, were invited to watch some of the procedures and observed seeing an elephant bull, lion and white rhino being darted and worked on respectively, as well as a capture exercise using a boma setup and helicopter. It was such a privilege for our guests to experience conservationists at work in the field. Here’s a snapshot of February’s sightings: Lions:

• The majority of sightings have been of the River Pride and the Southern Pride.

• It’s great to see the return of one of the old males back to the River Pride. An article on their pride dynamics follows in this journal.

Leopards:

• We’ve enjoyed sightings of a female leopard, possibly the Baobab Female, resting in the shade on a rock, in Ultimate Drive, and slinking about the Croc Creek area.

Wild dogs:

• Packs of wild dogs have been seen a few times this month, the highlight for guests was finding 11 wild dogs in the process of killing an impala and feeding from it. After they’d finished two spotted hyenas arrived and dragged the remains away, as the wild dogs went for a drink at nearby Hwata Pan.

Cheetahs:

• We’ve enjoyed seeing the two males relaxing and sleeping here and there, but luck was on our side when guests got to see them hunt – they stalked, chased at break-neck speed, and killed an impala.

Hyenas:

• The hyenas have been seen doing what hyenas do best, which includes chasing each other around trying to grab a coveted piece of old carcass skin from one another.

Rhinos:

• The rhinos are taking advantage of all the muddy wallows that have formed after the rain, and are enjoying the soothing mudbaths.

• In one morning 10 different white rhinos were seen at different intervals on game drive.

• Guests on a walk with their guide tracked black rhinos and found four of them! It was a cow and calf, and two bulls that were following them. When the cow became aware of human presence she slowly came over to inspect the scent from where the group were safely standing behind a fallen tree.

Elephants:

• There have been plenty of sightings of large breeding herds, up to 50 elephants, going about their serious daily business while the little ones play around taking it all far less seriously.

• Some magnificent bulls have been seen feeding right next to the game viewers; all in good condition and mood thanks to the lush vegetation.

Buffalo:

• The buffalos, like the rhinos, have been revelling in the mud wallows and caking themselves in the glorious salve.

Plains game:

• Plains game has been prolific, and particularly rewarding has been the scenes of herds of sable, Lichtenstein hartebeest and baby wildebeest.

Unusual sightings

• Beautiful spectacles of moths and butterflies take flight at this time.

• One evening a young four-foot crocodile was seen walking along the road looking for a new pan.

• A hair-raising sight was of a slender mongoose trying to attack a black mamba up a tree!

Boat cruises & fishing

• Some guests find the safari boat cruises so picturesque, rewarding and peaceful that they request them over game drives at every opportunity.

• Quite a few fish have been landed – and a lot more have got away! Walks:

• Despite the lush vegetation we have still taken every opportunity to get out on foot with willing guests – it’s just a matter of choosing the right area. One such occasion was when after a short game drive we came across a fresh black rhino track. We abandoned the vehicle and continued to track the black rhino by foot where we later located the animal enjoying a mud wallow. While spending time with the black rhino we heard a strange noise to the east and decided to investigate. We found a large breeding herd of elephants with lots of babies all arriving at another pan to drink and bathe. After spending time enjoying these scenes we walked back to the vehicle and a few minutes later saw a small breeding herd of buffalo.

Rock art:

• Short walks to rock art sites are very popular, and a humbling way to immerse yourself in Nature and contemplate where we came from as a species.

Kambako Living Museum of Bushcraft

• The leader of this bushcraft museum, Julius Matshuve, takes such delight in showcasing the vanishing cultures of the hunter gatherer lifestyle of the Shangaan people. Our guests always arrive back from this outing having loved every minute of the action!

Some Bush Stories follow, as well as a February Gallery of images.

Brand ambassador By Jenny Hishin I’m a self-appointed brand ambassador for black rhinos. They are invariably described as aggressive and extremely dangerous animals, and make no mistake, because it’ll be your last, they can be. But there’s another side to them that few people ever see. I few years ago I had the extreme privilege of bottle-feeding a baby black rhino that had been rescued from a near-death situation where the mother’s previous calf was bullying and injuring it. I’ll never forget how he rested his head in my lap after his milk and wanted to nap. But a fly kept bothering him. One fly. A tiny fly that kept landing near his eyes, mouth or nose. He would throw his head up, flick his ears and squeal in annoyance. This little guy really seemed to have a flair for the dramatic arts but it went to show just how sensitive they are. He needed constant company and would cry plaintively if left alone or felt insecure for some reason. When encountering black rhinos in the wild I always strive to create a very calm scene. I’ll immediately turn the engine off and insist on a ‘make-no-sound’ situation. Often the rhino, after recovering from the fright of a vehicle suddenly appearing in its territory, will slowly and cautiously tip-toe closer. Sometimes it’ll add some bluster and do little mock charges at the vehicle to see if it gets a reaction. On the occasion photographed below I was alone and had my camera in quiet mode, and spoke in very low gentle tones to the rhino, and you can see how he is listening closely but has a fairly relaxed demeanour. If you feel threatened in any way all you need do is raise your voice, clap and make a noise and it’ll take off in fright. But it’s imperative to read their body language correctly as a full-blown charge will be costly. They really are such sensitive reactive animals.

The leopards of Singita Pamushana By Brad Fouché Here’s an overview of some of the “leopards” you’re likely to encounter on your safaris with us: The Leopard Orchid The epiphytic leopard orchid (Ansellia africana), a species endemic to Africa, grows in striking clusters on trees in southern Africa. They flower in the dry winter months producing an abundance of yellow or greenish yellow blooms, which can be lightly or heavily marked with brown spots – reminiscent of a leopard’s coat. The roots anchor the plant to the tree and are specially adapted to absorb water and nutrients rather rapidly. The defining characteristic feature of A. africana is the thin spine-like roots pointing skywards. These roots form dense accumulations around the pseudobulbs, which in turn trap aging or old leaves and decomposing organic matter upon which the plant feeds. Epiphytic means an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and acquires its moisture and nutriment from the air. Epiphytes vary from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical structure support and may not affect the host plant negatively. Epiphytic or epiphyte comes from the Greek word epi- (meaning 'upon') and phyton (meaning 'plant'). Epiphytic plants are sometimes called "air plants" because they do not root in soil. Ansellia africana is the most common species we find here at Malilangwe and although it is not host species specific, we commonly find it in large well established mopanis and white syringa trees. The leopard orchid is used as an aphrodisiac here in Zimbabwe. In South Africa the Zulu people use stem infusions or smoke from the roots to stop bad dreams. In Zambia, in the Mpika district, an infusion of the leaves and stems is used to treat madness. Elsewhere in the sub region it is used to ward off lightning from one’s homestead. In the medical world, new advances have led to the discovery of active metabolites in orchids which could possibly have the following properties: anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-convulsive, diuretic, neuroprotective, relaxation, anti-aging, wound healing, hypoglycaemic, anti-tumour, anti-cancer, anti-microbial and antiviral activities. Recent studies have shown that A. africana has potent anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and can be used as an important source of various biomolecules for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The Leopard Tortoise One of the many things we look forward to with the onset of the rainy season, is the emergence of leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis). "Stigmochelys" is a combination of Greek words: stigma meaning "mark" or "point" and chelone meaning "tortoise". The specific name pardalis is from the Latin word pardus meaning "leopard" and refers to the leopard-like spots on the tortoise's shell. They also happen to be one of the members of the “small five”, namely: ant lion, buffalo weaver, rhino beetle, elephant shrew and leopard tortoise! We are lucky in southern Africa to have the biggest diversity in the world of tortoise species. Twelve species occur within the region of which three are endemic to the Cape. The leopard tortoise is the fourth biggest land tortoise in the world, and the largest tortoise in southern Africa. Africa is home to the world’s largest and smallest tortoises. Unlike some species, leopard tortoises can float and even swim which makes them one of the hardiest species. Although being mostly herbivores, they will at times eat snails, certain insects, old bones, certain animal faeces and left-over eggshells. This is because they need to provide calcium and phosphates for healthy shell growth. I witnessed a leopard tortoise eating a millipede on one occasion. They have a cloacal bursa, anal pouch or sac, used for storing most of the water they drink or get from their food. This is to have water available at dry times of year, to moisten the soil for egg laying and as a defensive mechanism against predators. It’s for this reason that tortoises should be seen and not touched or picked up. When you pick them up, their natural defensive mechanism kicks in and they defecate and urinate. This depletes the reserve water in the cloacal sac and can cause the animal to dehydrate if they do not have access to available water. What’s very interesting is that tortoises in desert conditions have adapted to collecting water in other ways. On overcast or misty mornings when water residue collects on a tortoise’s shell, it will elevate its back legs and move the shell left to right to get the water droplets to collect and run towards its head and direct the flow to the mouth. Breeding season is roughly between December and May. The courtship may seem a little harsh when viewed, the male bashes into the female, almost like bashing her into submission. Males can be very vocal when they

mate and a good friend of mine, on a bush walk, mistook a mating pair of tortoises for the low communication calls of a lion. He was rather embarrassed when approaching only to find some tortoises doing the nasty! The male’s plastron, underside of the shell, is concave which allows the male to fit efficiently on top of the female for mating without falling off. Although the shape of the plastron can be used effectively to sex tortoises, it’s not always the case and the best method is to look at the tail. Males tails are very much longer than the female’s tail. Females may lay as many as five clutches in a breeding season with about a month between clutches. Once the female has selected a site to lay, she digs a hole with her back legs after she has urinated and released the water from her cloacal sac to soften the soil. The nest is around 20-25 cm deep and around 15 cm wide. The eggs are around the size/shape of a Ping-Pong ball. She will lay from 5 to as many as 18 eggs, stopping at around 5 eggs to position them and cover them with a layer of soil before proceeding again. This helps to protect the next eggs being laid from cracking. Also, to prevent the eggs from cracking, each egg is coated with a semi-transparent slime which acts as a cushion for the eggs as they hit the bottom of the nest. Incubation period can be anything from 178 to 485 days. This is dependent on conditions and temperature. If the nest is created in a cool place, most of the hatchlings will be males and if in a warmer place then most hatchlings will be female. The hatchlings develop with an egg tooth on their beak and little spur type protrusions on their legs to help with getting out of the egg. It takes around 5 to 12 day after the hatchling has breached the shell for it to absorb the yolk sac before it will start its journey to breaching the surface and moving on. They have many predators but the big ones here are mostly Nile water monitors, ground hornbills and mongooses. Most leopard tortoise activity is in the summer months and most are seen moving around after the rains. In the winter months they seem to semi hibernate and take up residences in holes, warthog burrows and abandoned termite mounds or between root systems close to the surface under heavy covered bushes. We also see, the Speke’s hinged tortoise and the Bell’s hinged tortoise, on the property. These three make up the total species of tortoise for Zimbabwe. Amongst the local tribes throughout Zimbabwe it is believed that when the rains arrive, elephants turn into tortoises. The reason for this is, once the rains arrive, there is an abundance of surface water, so elephants do not have to frequent permanent sources of water, which means that elephants are seen less. At the same time, the movement of tortoises starts, and many are seen after the rain, so that is how the belief started. The Shona name for tortoise is Kamba. There are a few tribes still today that consider tortoise meat to be a delicacy. Leopards – with a focus on the recent sightings we’ve enjoyed of a leopard in baobab trees A leopard in a baobab tree is an extraordinary spectacle, reason being is that you are viewing two very iconic species. Baobabs are the quintessential sentinels of the bush that support an abundance of life on many levels. It’s a “tree” (largest succulent in the world) steeped in mystical and superstitious belief and when gazing upon them it’s hard not feel they are as old as the dinosaurs. Now throw a leopard into the mix and you have yourself a double whammy! The elusive rosetted cat that lets you see its beauty, yes that’s right, it let you see it, as mostly they see us more than we see them due to a multitude of camouflage and stealth hiding abilities that they depend on for survival. Lying around on a huge baobab branch, or other trees in general, is one of these survival instincts -directly and indirectly. I will stick to baobabs for the course of this story. Please bear in mind that my explanation is based on the cat’s instinct or past lessons learnt on the cat’s side and not the cat’s thought process as such.

There are many reasons a leopard would want to climb and take refuge or rest up on a limb of a baobab. Firstly, due to the enormity of the baobab and its limbs, it’s a more comfortable tree to lie on as the cats weight is more evenly distributed over a larger surface rather than having to drape its weight, hanging over thinner branches, like on a normal tree limb. The exterior of baobabs is smooth and soft and lacks hard gnarly bark. The baobab itself is mostly fibre as well, so for leopards their retractable claws pierce the baobab more easily and with better grip than hard wooded trees. This is just to start! Baobab’s being tall, give the leopard an advantage to see in many directions for a long way. Leopards are often perched high enough not to worry about wind direction, so their scent is blowing well above the height of their prey species or other predators, so they remain undetected. If the prey species is not directly feeding below the baobab, the leopard is able to see which is the best route to stalk their prey from the elevated advantage. Leopards have been recorded using trees to leap onto prey, using a baobab for this would be a huge benefit, as the cat can creep down in stealth silence as the bark is soft and smooth, as I mentioned previously. Hunting from a height is very effective because cats know that most of their prey species don’t really lookup that much, also the anatomical structure of their preys’ eye placement in the skull lends itself to the leopard’s advantage as death from above is out of the prey species’ visual periphery. Baobabs, with the way they grow, can have hidden little crevices. These crevices during the rainy season can hold water. A leopard may have learnt of certain trees where to locate water when they are far from permanent water sites. Baobabs are also known to be hollow inside the main trunk and due to growth or damage over the many years it has survived, it’s very possible that an entrance can be high up amongst the limbs. This makes for a prime location for female leopards to give birth and keep the cubs safe from other predators such as lions, hyenas and other leopards prior to becoming mobile with mom. Leopards spend about 30% of their time in trees. In areas where hyena populations are low it’s not uncommon for leopards not to bother with hoisting their prey into trees but rather just dragging the carcass out of the sun under cover of a bush to keep it hidden from vultures. It’s also not uncommon for them to cover their prey with natural debris and soil to mask the scent. Lastly with the baobab being so big, it’s very easy for a leopard to go undetected, so be sure to look carefully next time you pass a baobab, there just might be a leopard in it!

Hyena hunt newborn giraffe calf By Jenny Hishin This was a very tense and stressful scene for me! I’d noticed some hyenas mooching around in that ‘nothing to see here’ fashion, which with hyenas invariably means there certainly is something to see – be it a leopard up a tree protecting its kill or pre-hunt tactics in play. Nearby a family of giraffes were walking across the plains, with their brand new baby in tow. The little calf still had its drying umbilical cord attached. Some of the hyenas started trailing the family. When the giraffes stopped to rest the clan members flopped down in a wide circle and pretended to nap. They had that ‘a hunt couldn’t be further from our minds’ demeanour about them, but this was a very calculated, orchestrated and passive-aggressive state. As much as I feared for the calf’s life I had to admire the hyenas – their intelligence and malevolence is quite marvellous.

The hyenas antics went on for a couple of hours. Every now and again one of them would dash in close to the giraffes and frolic and frisk about in an attempt to spook the giraffes and get them to flee in panic, which is when the hyenas would have tried to separate the calf from the adults and attack. But, I’m relieved to say, the giraffes held their nerves. If things got a bit too tense the towering father would close ranks on his family and the hyenas would back off. The mother did an excellent job of shadowing her little one and keeping it close to her side. Eventually the hyenas slunk off to go and find some water or somethng better to do with their time. I was delighted to see the calf and its family on subsequent mornings, all healthy and happy. Hyenas will attack and kill giraffe calves but it seems to be when a calf is injured during the birthing process or is born with a disease or defect. In this way hyenas do an excellent job of ensuring survival of only the fittest, amongst other benefits for the environment. The little calf in this story was strong, healthy and had a great family to look after it too.

The River Pride By Tengwe Siabwanda We had a great sighting of the River Pride recently, they were resting and sleeping in the dappled morning light after a night’s successful hunt. The pride consisted of two adult males, two sub-adult males and five lionesses. The River Pride has an interesting history. It used to be the biggest pride on the property, numbering 14 lions. It split into two prides two years ago, one pride of nine (the pride we saw and photographed here) and a pride of five which now have their territory on the Hippo Valley side of the Chiredzi River. The pride of nine have split again, one unit has six lions - three males and three females. The other unit has three - one male and two lionesses, and they have moved north and were seen at Lojaan Dam a few days ago. It’ll be interesting to see if they regroup or if this split results in new established prides in the next few years, in which case we will need to come up with some new pride reference names. The River Pride specialises in killing dagga boys (old buffalo bulls) and wildebeest. Two weeks ago they killed a dagga boy close to the lodge, and after only two days the skull and the rib cage bones were left. After feeding lions will move away from the kill site and look for a shady spot where they will spend their time grooming, scratching and cleaning themselves by licking the blood from their paws and faces. They will also spend most of the time digesting their large meal. The River Pride has not had cubs for a while now but we are sure once the dynamic is more settled they’ll produce some new additions. These three photos show the pride members enjoying the morning after a good night’s feed.

Plenty of fish in the lake By Jenny Hishin One of the activities we offer at Singita Pamushana is fishing. The dam is a prolific breeding ground for redbreast, Mozambique and black tilapia as well as tigerfish and catfish. While our policy is “catch-and-release” if our ecologists find that the lake is overstocked then anglers can keep some of their catch and the lodge chefs are only too happy to prepare and serve it to guests. There’s such pleasure that comes from spending an afternoon on the water, doing some bird watching, enjoying a cool drink and having a line in the water. There is such camaraderie when the fish start biting and some are landed! And there’s just as much pleasure in eating what you’ve caught knowing that it has come from a natural and sustainable source. The fishing is good when the water is warm, and the rule is that good fishing months all have an “r” in them – so February hasn’t disappointed. Big smiles land on our faces as we land a few bream and a tigerfish.

All a twitter By Jenny Hishin The birding is terrific at the moment because all the visitors and migrants are here feasting on the array of invertebrates. On route back to the lodge one afternoon guests enjoyed viewing a martial eagle, Wahlberg’s eagle, African fish eagle and a crowned eagle. A fairly rare sighting of an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as it perches above the lake. A grey heron (Ardea cinerea) also keeps an eye out for passing fish, as night falls. Keeping the rodent population in check was this spotted eagle-owl (Bubo africanus).

February Gallery

A bull elephant in an oasis of green dusts himself with orange powder. A bull white rhino in his nest doesn’t feel the need to rise and shine just yet.

Trees are the most incredibly beautiful living sculptures. Top left: A rhino grazes beneath a marula (Sclerocarya birrea) tree.

Top right: A vervet monkey nurses her baby from the bough of a fever tree (Vachellia xanthophloea). Below: A mountain acacia (Brachystegia tamarindoides) casts a pool of shadow for relief from the midday sun.

Eland at sunset with a host of oxpeckers. Is it a smile? Is it a growl? Actually it was the start of a luxurious yawn!

All photographs by Jenny Hishin, unless otherwise indicated.