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News from Zululand
We are very proud and pleased to announce that the Zululand Rhino Reserve will be the first official study site for a Leopard Project which has been initiated and funded by the Honory Officers Organization of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. As we are all aware, leopards are extremely shy and elusive animals, mostly active during the night. The project has been initiated to get an accurate idea on how many leopards are in the Northern Zululand area.
The project will be done by means of trap camera’s, telling them apart by their spot patterns, and a whole lot of walking… The duration of the survey will take place over a period of 3 months, starting around December as preparation is very important and time consuming. We are very excited about the project and look forward to keeping you up to date.
Bush Cuisine
Cheese Scones with a twist
500ml (2 Cups) Flour
30ml (6tsp) Baking Powder
3ml (½ tsp) Salt
30g Butter or margarine
60ml (¼ cup) water
125ml (½ cup) Full Cream Fresh Milk
½ Cup grated cheese
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Milk to glaze
Method
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cut butter through until crumb like.
Combine water and milk. Add milk mixture to the bowl and quickly mix to soft dough with a knife.
Knead lightly. Roll or pat dough out on a lightly floured surface to 2.5cm thickness. Cut into 12 even sized pieces. Place on an oven tray. For a soft scone, place scones close together. For a crisper scone, set them apart. Brush tops lightly with milk. Bake at 220 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
For the twist
Melt ½ cup of margarine. Add about 2 tablespoons of marmite and stir. Pour over your freshly baked scones as soon as they get out of the oven.
Keep it Green
“Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only after the last fish has been caught, will you find that money can not be eaten”
Cree Indian Prophecy
Wherever we go these days, everyone seems to be talking about rising food & fuel prices. Unfortunately this is a reality and all of us are affected, turning coins and juggling decisions on what to work into our budgets.
Is it possible, if we think about it, that we could cut our food costs by planting at least some of our food sources in our own back- or front yards (those of us that are lucky enough to have a patch of earth surrounding us)
Even just some of our foods, of course fruit & veggies are great to have in your back yard, but something else we can consider is (a good option for first time gardeners) pod plants – beans, peas, alfalfa, broad beans, lentils, chickpeas and Soya beans.
These plants are a very important part of our diet, providing heaps of body building protein. Bursting with Vitamin A, B3 & C, it is also a great source of calcium, iron & phosphorus. Legumes are terrific soil improvers, replacing nutrients into the soil that has been extracted from bigger plants. And at the same time loosening the soil for larger food plants you may want to grow later on.
Tips for planting your legumes:
Legumes grow in most soil types, but aren’t too enthusiastic about too much acid in the soil.
You should plant your seeds at a depth of 3 times the size of the seed. If it is planted too shallow they could dry out, and if planted too deep they may not have enough energy to come out.
When planting your legumes, place a twig next to each seed to support your plants as they grow, this also helps to pick your peas when they are ready to be harvested.
Another great idea is to use old toilet rolls… Place a piece of cut toilet roll around your seeds when you plant them, this avoids attacks from nocturnal cutworms on the roots. (At the same time giving you an opportunity to recycle your old toilet rolls)
Soak your seeds in lukewarm water overnight, this will speed up the germination process.
(Article written with the help of Biophile Magazine, Issue 22)
News from our Tracker
At this time of year the afternoon game drive includes a bit of night drive as the sun is still setting quite early. This puts us in a privileged position. Some of the sighting has included the smaller nocturnal creatures like porcupine, bush pig, bush babies & scrub hares.
It was very exciting to get a glimpse of our brand new elephant calf, the first one to be conceived on the Zululand Rhino Reserve. The breeding herd of elephant was brought in approximately 2½ years ago. Some of the females have given birth to calves…but their gestation period is 22 months, meaning that, (if you do the math) they had already been pregnant when they came to our reserve. We are very proud of our new calf and look forward to seeing him/her (we are still unsure at this stage) grow up.
Other pleasant sightings include 3 giraffe at one of the waterholes, drinking simultaneously. On another occasion more than sixty birds of prey were counted on an impala carcass, including Bateleur, Gymnogene, White-backed Vultures and Lappet-faced vultures.
Paradise Wydah (Vidua paradisaea)
This interesting little bird, no bigger than a sparrow, is usually not very striking………Until breeding season! The males transform into remarkable beauties, boasting bright red, white & pitch black coloration. 23cm’s of striking tail feathers and a bouncing flight display concludes their presentation, each one impressing the females the best they can. Females, non breeding males and juveniles are merely a grey brown colour, with an off white head striped black. They are often seen on the side of the road, near corn- and open fields, taking a liftoff and sometimes finding it quite hard to get airborne…
Black Backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas).
Only the size of a medium dog, these mammals are mostly active at dawn & dusk. Carrion is detected by smell and carcasses can be found by them at least 1km downwind. They may also be intrigued by the sound of larger carnivores, and they may follow those larger carnivores in anticipation of a kill. Wild Melons are consumed for their water content, and in The Namib they lick settled fog.
Each jackal has an individually recognizable call. Their pups are born in underground dens, being fed by both parents carrying food in their stomach and regurgitating when back at the den, as the pups mature, the food is carried in the parent’s mouth. They are ready for mating at the age of 3 years, living a monogamous lifestyle, meaning that they have the same partner for their whole lives. Only when their partner dies do they find a new mate.
Funny Bones
“What time does the library open?” the man on the phone asked.
“Nine A.M.” came the reply. “And what’s the idea of calling me at
home in the middle of the night to ask a question like that?”
“Not until nine A.M.?” The man asked in a disappointed voice.
“No, not till nine A.M.!” the librarian said. “Why do you want to get in before nine A.M.?”
“Who said I wanted to get in?” the man sighed sadly. “I want to get out.”
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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
Thank you to everyone who responded to our May competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition for June is Rose Kemp! 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 a lion-hearted bug, just as small as a seed
My trap is a cone, on ants I feed
I walk in reverse and attack with some speed
Dissolving their insides for my own greed
When I grow up I get wings and can fly
Only wanting to reproduce before I die
What am I?
An Antlion,
Family: Myrmeleontidae
.........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 August 2008 terms & conditions apply):
This week’s competition:
I’m cute and cuddly with big set eyes.
I have sticky feet and I’m very shy
I sleep during the day and play at night
My call - an odd cry.
You can’t catch me because I’m way up high
I’m just a little sweetie pie
What am I?
News from the Lodge
This month we sadly say good bye to our dearest Sheila (Bug). She has been with the lodge for over 5 years, and has been an absolute gem to all of us. Sheila was the second person to be employed by Leopard Mountain other than family members and has been a huge part of structuring the lodge to what it is today. You are an amazing person and we will miss you dearly. We wish you all the best for your future.
We would like to welcome Nadine to our team, we hope that she will enjoy her time here and look forward to working with her
We have a new gallery up on our website - have a look at it here!
Best guest comments of the month:
Thank you for making Hubby’s 50th Birthday so special! The lodge is wonderful, the people like family. Thanks to all.
Thanks for the wow time! Really a stunning place, stunning views, stunning food & stunning people. We enjoyed every minute of being here, and must come back.
A wonderful place with super views and lovely people. We had a great honeymoon.
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