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Bush News and Happenings
News From Zululand
Good day to all our Leopards Tale Readers
May is a month of change here at LEOPARD MOUNTAIN. With winter just around the corner, we find ourselves in the midst of some shorter and colder days. Never the less the bush is still as beautiful as ever with a haven of lush warm colours all around. With these beautiful changes also come some change in my life and so the time has come for me to bid farewell to LEOPARD MOUNTAIN and start a new journey. Like the seasons, as we say goodbye to one season we welcome another, with this it gives me great pleasure that I introduce and welcome Melissa van Rooyen, who will be taking over from me. Hilke Klingenberg.
Limited Winter Warmer Special Offer !
R 1 125 per person sharing per night
Stay at Leopard Mountain Game Lodge during the winter months of June and July and let us warm you up with this very special offer!! Cuddle up next to our Bonfire in the boma while reminiscing the days wildlife encounters & tasting some true South African Cuisine.
Go on, spoil yourself.......
News from the rangers: by Johann Lotreit
The beautiful hues of autumn signify another shift in the wonderful bush that is LEOPARD MOUNTAIN and ZRR. Soon, deciduous trees will lay bare and green will slowly wither to yellow and brown. The sound of rutting Impala rams fills the nights and by day you can watch them in vicious battle over territory and females. There is much else to report on for the month and we continue to be surprised by all kinds of new discoveries. The variety and abundance of species is really special and you can really encounter some unique creatures in a short stay at LEOPARD MOUNTAIN.
RHINO
The thriving population of white rhino’s is always evident. It is really a special experience to come across large “crashes” of these majestic animals, some consisting of 3-7 individuals. More often encountered are mothers with calves of various ages and solitary bulls.
Even when not seeing them their presence is always betrayed by their obvious middens and large tracks.
As always, black rhino’s are very elusive but it was a good few weeks in terms of black rhino sightings. A mother and juvenile calf as well as a bull and cow pairing gave the vehicles very good encounters before retreating in customary fashion. Two other black rhino were also seen together but could not be positively identified. Many rhino’s are attracted to the LEOPARD MOUNTAIN hide as we go into drier times and temporary waterholes dry up. The hide then offers a constant supply of drinking water for any and all creatures. Here you can watch these special animals at very close proximity and completely in their element as they are totally unaware of your presence.
CHEETAH
Since the last introduction of four more cheetahs there have been many great hours spent with these underappreciated and endangered felids. The last month again saw a lot of activity, this time particularly in the Leopard Mountain area.
The two males that we had regular encounters with further north spent a lot of time in the LEOPARD MOUNTAIN vicinity and made many kills there during the month, including one Impala ewe that was caught at our hide.
The activity was really bustling as we found many kills and came across at least some signs of cheetah activity on almost every drive. Apart from the two males, there is also a female cheetah that calls the LEOPARD MOUNTAIN area home so you always have a fair chance of coming across some of these beauties.
Great news... one of our female Cheetah has been spotted with 2 healthy cubs which have been estimated at 6-8 weeks old they were seen recently in the centre of the reserve, it is still too soon to tell if the cubs are male or female yet but we will keep you updated , this is a huge step forward this endangered specie.
LEOPARD
After a fairly dry spell, the last few months have been full of leopard sightings across the reserve.
Even though they are elusive, the right place at the right time can always surprise you with an unexpected find. A very large male was seen patrolling the thicket of the Manyoni river well after sunset. This is a male known to be in the area, but this time he did not scamper away as we have become accustomed to seeing. A mother was seen with two previously unseen cubs of approx.7 months in the southern section of the ZRR. There are numerous Leopards also using LEOPARD MOUNTAIN on a regular basis. Although still fairly shy the mothers with cubs are notoriously more relaxed around vehicles. Fresh tracks are especially found in the Msunduze riverbed where the dense forest, large cliffs and abundance of prey items ensure these big cats of a safe haven.
ELEPHANT
As has been the case for the last few months, the elephants seem to be enjoying the southern section more and more. This will become even more evident as winter approaches and water and nutritious food becomes more difficult to procure. In these times the large beasts stay closer to the Msunduze surrounding LEOPARD MOUNTAIN as there is fresh water and much more quality feeding. Our hide is also a great place to view these giants as the waterhole there becomes a very important part of their water supply. At this stage there are already two solitary bulls utilizing the hide and, less frequently, also a breeding herd.
BIRDING
The birding scene is constantly shifting and you are just never sure what you will encounter on your next outing. The variety and abundance is at once noticeable and there are a lot of local specials also well represented in the reserve. The thicket of dry riverbeds always holds pink-throated twinspot, terrestrial brownbul, bearded scrub-robin, eastern nicator and orange-breasted bush-shrike.
Looking a little more in the canopy can give you good glimpses of gorgeous bush-shrike, African green-pigeon, lesser honeyguide and black cuckooshrike and many more. The denser bushveld areas also host many great birds such as common scimitarbill and green wood-hoopoe, somber greenbul, yellow-breasted Apalis, African dusky flycatcher and other flycatchers such as pale and ashy flycatchers. Other special sightings were of yellow-throated longclaw, bushveld- and striped pipits, sabota and flappet larks and numerous robin-chats, mostly white-throated- and red-capped robin-chats. The big birds also find a safe haven in the reserve and there are many nesting tawny-, martial- and African crowned eagle. Brown snake-eagle is also seen regularly as are African goshawk, lizard buzzard, gabar goshawk and the cliffs on the Msunduze also have nesting Lanner falcons.
Bush Cuisine
LEOPARD MOUNTAIN’S Winter Lamb Curry
Ingredients:
1kg Leg of Lamb, cubed
2 tsp Turmeric
2 Tbsp Garam Masala
4 tsp Coriander Seeds
4 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Chili Powder
4 Onions, diced
3 Tins chopped Tomatoes
Plain Yogurt or Crème Fraiche
Directions:
- Toast the Coriander and Cumin seeds in a dry pan
- Crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar and mix with the Garam Masala, Turmeric and Chili powder
- Rub the spice mixture onto the cubed Lamb
- In a large pot heat 3 Tbsp oil and fry the Lamb cubes until browned on all sides
- Remove the Lamb cubes with a slotted spoon and set aside, add the onion to the same pot and fry until soft
- Return the Lamb to the pot along with the chopped Tomatoes and enough water to just cover the Lamb
- Bring the curry to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender
- Season with salt and pepper
- Serve with a spoon of plain yogurt and a couple sprigs of fresh coriander
And finally…enjoy!!!!
Have You Ever Wondered?
How antelope know when a predator is sneaking up?
Antelope are alert and wary animals for a very good reason – they are the preferred prey of many great hunters, including lions, cheetahs and hyenas. Antelope have large ears that flick to and fro and pick up tiny sound that might mean a threat.
Their eyes are positioned in the sides of their faces, which allow them to see all around without having to turn their heads. Their long necks also allow them to see over tall grass, and they have a sharp sense of smell.
In addition to all these skills and physical attributes, they are extremely good at reading and observing the behavior of other animals surrounding them. Oxpeckers, a common bird, known to ride on the backs of antelope picking out parasites, also sound the alarm if they see a predator. Egrets, on the other hand, follow the herd, picking up insects that land on dung. They warn of danger by adopting a special pose.
BIRD
Why is the common fiscal called the butcher bird?
The Genus Lanius, to which the common fiscal and three other local shrike species belong, literally means butcher ( hence the colloquial name ), and represent the ‘true shrikes’ that are essentially like miniature eagles in habit. The name ‘butcher’ bird, and Genus, were probably derived from the habit of these birds mauling with the hooked bill and then impaling small animals on thorns, spikes or barbed wire fence, the whole scenario resemble carcasses hanging in a butchery.
TREE
Num-Num (Carissa edulis)
General description
The simple-spined num-num is a sweetly scented plant that can grow into a small tree of about 4m, but it usually grow as a small, spiny shrub or scrambler in the shade of water of other plants. It is an evergreen plant which exudes a white, non-toxic, milky latex. The most diagnostic feature of this plant is its rigid, green thorns of up to 7cm long which often grow in pairs. The difference between this species and the closely related Carissa bispinosa (which does not occur in KZN) is that the spines of c. bispinosa are once or twice divided. Another difference is that the corolla lobes of the latter overlap to the left and those of C.edulis to the right.
Nutritional
All the browsers relish the leaves and monkey, baboons and birds literally fight over the fruit. The berries can be fermented to produce a very pleasant, pinkish wine and if fermented longer, a vinegar can be made for kitchen purpose. Early colonist macerated the root into rum and gin to produce a bitter.
Medicinal
The root is used almost all over Africa as a chest and cough remedy. The ground-up root is also commonly used as an aphrodisiac and to treat veneral disease, mostly gonorrhea. The leaves is chewed to relieve toothache.
Superstitions
In Swaziland the closest related Carissa bispinosa plays a very important role during the great annual ceremonies in which the black bull is slaughtered. The bull has to be overcome by the warrior with their bare hands. To make the bull fierce so that is easily fall prey to the warriors, the paramount chief strikes it on the back with a switch of this plant at the beginning of the ceremony. It is believed that the aphrodisiacal properties of the plant will give the bull some strength.
Funny Bones
Two snakes were out taking a stroll when the son snake turns to the mother snake and asks: "Mommy! Are we poisonous?"
"Why, yes we are", says the second.
Again the baby snake asks, "Are you sure we're poisonous?"
"Yes, we are very poisonous."
The baby snake becomes very upset. Again, he asks, "Are we really really poisonous?"
"Yes we are really really poisonous. In fact we're the most poisonous snakes in the world. Why do you ask?"
"I just bit my lip!!!"
.........You could be the lucky person to win yourself and a partner a free night including dinner, bed & breakfast and game drives at the lodge. You may email us your answer to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
(competition closes 30th May 2010 terms & conditions apply):
THIS MONTH'S COMPETITION
Solve this Riddle:
Feed me and I live
Give me a drink and I die
What am I?
Thank you to everyone who responded to our last competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition forApril is Kevin Cunningham. Congratulations - you have won yourself and a partner a free night at the lodge including dinner, bed & breakfast as well as game drives!
Last Month’s competition was:
At Night we come
without being fetched
By day we are lost
without being stolen
Answer
Stars
Best Guests comments of the month:
• Thanks so much to you guys for the amazing weekend and your hospitality at your beautiful place. We had an amazing time and came back feeling refreshed & renewed. I have to say, the food was delicious, especially the Venison the first night. Definitely see you soon.
~ Jared & Nytasha Motzouris ~
• What a magnificent location! This is a once in a life time opportunity. The staff is truly wonderful and to think we had the entire lodge to ourselves. All the best in the future.
~Lin & Jane Walton ~
Thought for the month:
‘Be the Change you want to see in the world’
Mahatma Ghandi
Keep Warm and Cosy
…till we chat again next month...
Editor
Hilke Klingenberg
Melissa van Rooyen
All pictures courtesy of Ivor van Rooyen. |
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