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News from Zululand
It has been crawling with activity within the reserve the last month. The cheetah’s are tracked daily and were spotted just 200 meters from the lodge and have been seen on a number of occasions. An aerial game count was done on the 16th of September which produced some awesome information, with 3 helicopters covering the whole of the Zululand rhino reserve, the team was airborne for 7 hours, counting and sexing all of the animal life they could find on the Zululand Rhino Reserve.
The annual vulture census was also done this month, with great results and awesome sightings of the well known white backed vulture, the very rare lappet faced vulture, and of course a visit from some pied crows as well as white necked ravens.
News from the Lodge
The elephants have been finding Leopard Mountain irresistible the last couple of weeks, with tracks all over the property. We had a very special sighting of one of the males, and then next minute, to the right, the breeding herd, casually crossing the road. The three young calves were seen in their true nature, following the older elephants obediently. As one of the calves is still very young (only about 6 weeks) the Matriarch is usually extremely protective, so it was indeed a very special sighting.
With the expansion of our driving routes, we are now able to cover a large area of the Zululand Rhino Reserve, and we were pleased to observe a white rhino with her baby calf, as well as one of the elephant bulls just behind the rhino duo. Seeing newborns is always such a pleasure, as they will also one day be grown up and have more little ones, thus creating a larger population as the circles of life continue.
On the way to the game count departing point, Rudolph and Ryan were fortunate, very fortunate, to see 2 honey badgers. They feed on pretty much anything they can find, a much loved meal being honey and larvae in beehives, thus the name honey badger. They are extremely aggressive creatures (reminds me a bit of the Tasmanian devil) and have been recorded to attack large mammals such as buffalo, elephant and even man when threatened.
During this week, together with the breeding herd of Elephants, we were also very excited to find the two male cheetahs just down the road. This is the second time they have been spotted on Leopard Mountain, and they are in tip top shape, and very relaxed with their surroundings.
And to top it all of, evident signs were found at the hide, yes our hide that is frequently visited by guests, of a leopard kill. The unmistakable drag marks were followed by the carcass of a baby wildebeest.
Heinrich and I were very confused by a creature we saw strolling amongst the now very dry brown grass. The distinctive tail and size of this creature was mind boggling, and when we discovered what we had seen, I must admit, I was shocked at the size of this animal. A white tailed mongoose is what caused all the excitement. I am used to mongooses being fairly close to the ground and not big at all. Although they are a fairly common species, it is still a wonderful and rare sighting; they are nocturnal and mainly solitary.
“We all have the write to learn”
On behalf of the Manyoni Community And Senzokuhle School, I would like to give a gigantic THANK YOU!! to Write Round S.A. Leopard Mountain took on a particularly interesting undertaking this month, together with Justin Brogan from Write Round S.A. we took a daytrip to the local community school where the students were supplied with a variety of stationary to assist in creating a better education for our youth.
Bush Cuisine
Mmmmilktart
Ingredients:
1 litre Milk
150 g Butter
150g Sugar
80g Maizena(corn flour)
2 Eggs
Vanilla Essence
Method
Heat milk on the stove. Separately Mix eggs, sugar, maizena and vanilla essence. Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking while the mixture is added. Return the mixture to the stove and whisk until thick, pour onto biscuit base and refrigerate until firm.
Biscuit Base
1 Packet Marie Biscuits (200g)
75g Margarine
Method
Crush Marie Biscuits until crumb like. Add margarine. Mix well. Press into a greased
25cm/10 inch diameter x 5cm/2 inch deep round baking tray.
Have you ever wondered….?
Why do elephants trumpet?
The trumpet is only one of a ample list of audible vocal signal given by elephants. It appears to express a heightened state of stress or excitement. It is usually used in the negative portrayed feelings of fear or anger, but it can also be positive when elephants express excitement in social interactions, approaching water after a long walk, or during playtime.
The trunk is essential for the making of most of the audible sounds we hear. Most are caused through the exhalation of air through the trunk, not the actual voicebox. Trumpeting occurs when air is forced so violently through the trunk that the nasal mucosa and septum itself start to vibrate, the sound being augmented by the nostrils in the trunk. The same type of noise as blowing your nose hard, but it is not as intense or as loud because human nostrils are not as elongated.
African Crowned Eagle
Stephanoaetus Coronatus
This stunning raptor, the second largest and most powerful eagle of the region, is not an easy bird to locate, but is frequently seen soaring above Leopard Mountain.
The crowned eagle prefers evergreen and riverine forests where it hunts for a wide variety of prey, mostly small and medium sized mammals and primates such as bush buck, and also showing a distinct preference for vervet monkeys. Although not as big as the Verreaux’s Eagle, it is certainly our most powerful avian predator, capable of taking prey weighing in excess of 48kg!
In common with some other large raptors and herons, the crowned eagle also practises active siblicide, which appears to be necessary for the success of the species. This practice also known as cainism and is the practice of a chick killing its younger and weaker sibling in order to eliminate competition. This is notable also in the spotted hyena.
Crowned Eagle pairs have life long monogamous relationships, something quite unique to larger raptors and sea birds. If not disturbed they may also use the same nesting site for many years, sometimes even up to 15 years.
Steenbok
Raphicerus campestris
Steenbok is an Afrikaans word, translated to “stone buck” which is a reference to the brick or stone colour of its coat. Steenbok are solitary and territorial except for mating pairs and female with young. They are mostly diurnal and are most active in the cool of the early morning, late afternoon and evening.
Steenbok mark their territory boundaries by defecating and urinating in middens but elsewhere they have the unusual habit of burying their urine and dung. They do this by preparing a small depression with the front hooves, leave a deposit and then cover up with the front hooves again.
Actual fights over territories are rare, intruders readily move off once they realise that an area is occupied. Intruders may be allowed into a territory as long as they behave submissively towards the resident.
Funny Bones
A blonde, wanting to earn some extra money, decided to hire herself out as a "handy-woman" and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood.
She went to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do. "Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my porch," he said. How much will you charge me?" The blonde quickly responded, "How about R50?"
The man agreed and told her that the paint and everything she would need was in the garage.
The man's wife, hearing the conversation, said to her husband, "Does she realize that our porch goes all the way around the house?" He responded, "That's a bit cynical, isn't it? The wife replied, "You're right. I guess I'm starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes we've been getting by e-mail lately."
A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money. "You're finished already?" the husband asked. "Yes," the blonde replied, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it two coats." Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the R50.00 and handed it to her.
"And by the way," the blonde added, "it's not a Porsche, it's a Lexus."
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Feel free to drop us an email with your favorite jokes to add into future newsletters. You can send them to
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Brain Teaser
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. Simply answer the riddle below to be entered in our lucky draw and email us the answer to
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(competition closes 20th October 2009 terms & conditions apply):
This month’s competition:
I sit on the wall,
I climb and crawl.
When scared I run and hide,
Losing my tail, rather than my pride.
With big eyes and gripping feet,
It’s mostly insects that I eat.
You’ll find me close to a light,
Hunting there for buzzing things in flight.
What am I?
Thank you to everyone who responded to our last competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition for July is Clarisa Roux. 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:
I’m black and I’m white,
You rarely see me in flight.
A ground dwelling creature,
Spots are my feature.
Insect and seed,
my common feed.
With featherless head,
I’m Conspicuous it’s said.
What am I?
Guinea Fowl, Family: Numididae
Stand another chance to win yourself and a partner a night at the lodge…Send no more than 2 of your favourite Leopard Mountain holiday photos to
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to see if yours is the best.
This competition is running until the 20th of October 2009
Click here to have a look at our online gallery of Leopard Mountain Lodge!
Best guest comments of the month:
Thank you to everyone at LML for making our honeymoon the most amazing honeymoon we couldn’t have dreamt of! From the service, to food, to views, to the personal touches that made us feel so special. We’re already looking forward to coming back again! Thanks for everything.
Almost crying when I thinking we have to leave now! The days here were so special and one of the best memories ever on a holiday. Thanks so much for everyone here at Leopard Mountain for making this a lifetime experience! We wish you all the best for your future and we hope we will have the chance of coming back here soon!!
Thank you to the wonderful staff and hospitality that you showed on our marvellous weekend. Absolutely beautiful scenery, game drives, food – the whole package was awesome, we will definitely be back.
Thought for the month:
“It is not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” - Henry D. Thoreau |
