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News from Zululand Ragged Tooth Sharks
Every year, around the third week in December till around April the following year, pregnant ragged tooth sharks hang around Sodwana Bay's quarter mile reef while their young grow inside them. During gestation the sharks do not feed but survive off a huge food reserve built up around their liver. The Sodwana dive businesses, together with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, have put together a set of rules and regulations that ensure this amazing sight is not disturbed and chased away. These include a special qualification necessary for anyone leading a group of divers on quarter mile reef during "raggie season" and a limitation on the amount of boats and divers there daily.
To be able to view this sight is not difficult as the bottom is 14m deep. The sharks are extremely placid and you are sometimes able to see a coating of algae on their teeth just to prove that they are not feeding. The length of time that these sharks stay is very weather dependent and any fairly prolonged incidence of rough seas causes them to move in search of calmer water.
Bush Cuisine
Simple Tuna Mousse (serves 8)
2 eggs, hard boiled
½ onion, finely chopped
250ml mayo
250ml whipped cream
150ml cold water (for soaking gel)
Tabasco sauce (for flavouring)
Tomato puree (for colour)
1 envelope gelatine (+- 2 teaspoons powder gel)
Method
Combine tuna, egg and onion. Soak gel in cold water and melt over a pot of hot water. Add gel to the tuna mix, add mayo and cream. Add Tabasco and tomato puree and blend in a blender until smooth. Spoon into moulds and place in the fridge for 2 hours. Great for a cool starter to any meal
Our Zulu Culture
Here we portray a glimpse into the history and customs of this wonderful colourful nation. Beadwork
Part 3 of 4
Bead Messages
During the 11th century it was believed that beads made of stone such as verdite, agate, soapstone, quartz crystal and other semi-precious stones had great magical powers for protection and healing.
Before the coming of trade most of the African people used hard seeds of various plants and trees. These included the hard grey bean-like seeds which are still used as teething beads for babies, and the Mkhokha, the bright red bean-like seeds with a small black spot on one side. These were worn as luck bringers by kings not only in Africa, but also by the native people of South America.
There were also ostrich-eggshell beads, which were made in large quantities by the Khoisan women - these beads were an important item of trade between the Khoisan and African people. Sea shells of all kinds were used as ornaments and as a material for making beads by all tribes in the land. To the Khoi Khoi Khoisan and African people, beads were not just decorative items of attire, far from it - they were believed to possess powers to strengthen bones and muscles in the human body, to promote good health and to prolong life.
The Zulu people call beadwork "umtlalu" which means "that which makes me stay/that which gives me life". So, the Zulus adorned themselves with beads in order to please the "Gods of life" so that the Goddess would grant longevity.
Tips from our Tracker
Wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus
A large, bearded antelope of the acacia savanna and short-grass plains. Deep chested, short necked, high shoulders and thin legs. Short glossy coat with vertical stripes on longer hair, a beard and lax or upstanding mane. Spends a good third of the day grazing, another third resting and the rest of the time socialising and moving around. Wildebeests live in semiexclusive female herds, averaging 8 cows, calves and yearlings (approx 25) and usually about three resident males. Nonbreeding males live in bachelor herds. Females become sexually mature at 3 years, gestation 8 months. Calves are solely dependent on their mothers and are usually born during a three-week peak early in the rains. New-born calves can stand and run in as little as three minutes, and within 2 days can keep pace with a running herd. The wildebeest is the preferred prey of lions, but their chief predator is the spotted hyena.
Velvet Bushwillow – Combretum molle (by Valdy)
The leaves are eaten by a wide variety of antelope and the caterpillars of 25 different species of butterfly. The fresh or moistened dry leaves are used to dress wounds and as an antidote for snakebite. The roots are used to induce abortions and to treat constipation. This plant is still used in traditional medicine today.
Funny Bones
A woman brought a very limp parrot into a veterinary hospital. As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, Polly has passed away." The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something." The vet rolled his eyes, shrugged, turned and left the room returning a few moments later with a beautiful black Labrador. As the bird's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the dead parrot from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet led the dog out but returned a few moments later with a cat. The cat jumped up and also sniffed delicately at the ex-bird. The cat sat back, shook its head, meowed and ran out of the room. The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but like I said, your parrot is most definitely, 100% certifiably dead." He then turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill which he handed to the woman. The parrot's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "R1500!" she cried. "R1500 just to tell me my bird is dead?!" The vet shrugged. "If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would only have been R200 , but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan... what did you expect?"!"
Brain Teaser
Thank you to everyone who responded to our October brainteaser. Congratulations to Vicky Hughes who sent in the correct answer to the riddle. You have won yourself and a partner one free night at our award winning lodge, dinner, bed and breakfast.
Last Month's brain teaser was Answer to the riddle: (Remember, passing only required 4 correct answers out of 10.)
1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years
2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador
3) From which animal do we get catgut? Sheep and Horses
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November
5) What is a camel's hairbrush made of? Squirrel fur
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs
7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert
8) What colour is a purple finch? Crimson
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand
10) What is the colour of the black box in a commercial aeroplane? Orange, of course!.
........You too could be the lucky person to win yourself and a partner a free night including dinner, bed and breakfast at the lodge, so hurry and email us the answer to the riddle below to be entered in our lucky draw (competition closes 15th October 2006):
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Q: A farmer wants to transport a chicken, grain and a fox across the river. He can only carry one at a time. How can he transport them without the fox eating the chicken or the chicken eating the grain?
News from the lodge
The chef has been conjuring up the most amazing innovative meals, instead of soup on a hot evening how about mussels with garlic cream sauce and balsamic vinegar, and flaming crepes on an open fire after a braai. Even the traditional venison bobotie is served in phyllo pastry parcels. Delicious......!!!! The Twins Mathew and Thomas are getting so beautiful according to Granny Kathleen. They will soon be able to start enjoying the birds and wildlife outside their nursery window.
News from Valdy
Although we are still in a drought the river has come down a few times – each time it has flowed for about 24 hours. This leads to much jubilation and the next day the tracks in the mud tell an interesting story. Recently on a morning walk we found the tracks of African wild cat, genet, jackal and a mongoose. The lack of small prey (e.g. rodents) has limited the numbers of these animals on the reserve. The reason the rodent population is so low is because the drought has limited their population growth. The small predators mentioned above are also hard to find because they tend to be elusive and nocturnal by nature.
This summer we have had some rain so there has been enough food for the herbivores and their condition has improved since September. The rainy season is coming to an end however, and in the dry season we could be in for a tough time.
We are working towards dropping fences with our neighbours which will open up approximately 20,000 hectares of land. Ecologically this is a good move and we will be able to add buffalo, elephant and possibly lion to our existing animals, as well as increasing the numbers of the existing species. |
