What a way to end 2011!!

We had some great trips to the reserves in 2011, but it was the extreme run of luck we had toward the end of November and into December that had us scratching our heads and looking forward to 2012!

Over this time we had an 8 day streak where the cats and dogs were literally dancing about us despite the incredible heat and at other times pouring rain. It didn't seem to matter what area we were in, the predators just kept entertaining us. Many of you would've seen the mobile uploads on twitter and FB, I have loaded these and the videos on the FB group HERE.



(Just as a side note, you guys don't have to post such nasty comments when all I am trying to do is keep you informed of the cheetahs, lions and things we're seeing, hahahaha!)

However the best area by far was the the small section on the Umfolozi River, down by marker 17 on the map. Or as it is now known 'Magic Marker 17'. We had an amazing run of luck around this section, but none better than on 1 of the overnight trips, probably my best ever!

The 2 day event went like this, in my shortest version:
Code - photo on Face Book = P.F.B
- video on Face Book = V.F.B
- Magic Marker 17 = mm17

Entered the Nyalazi gate around 11:30 already scortching hot, as we just about to decend into the Umfolozi River valley, sighting of wild dog in the shade, but next to road (P.F.B). See buffalo, white rhino and usual common game. Do Sontuli loop and end at mm17, prob around 3pm, vehicle stopped. Inform us lions in the bush but on the move, we wait and drive up and down, nothing. Just as we leave and go over the rise, we see a family of warthog running towards where the lions were supposed to be. I suggest we do 1 last drive by. We round the bend just in time to see a lioness corner the family in some burrows just 30m from the road, eventually causing one to try run for it, but she pounces and snaps it up in her jaws. The noise tempts the rest of the lions out the bush, about 6 in total, some young, some old. (As luck would have it, blackberry freezes, don't get it on video, aaaargh!!)

They eventually move off to go feast and we continue, of course quite chuffed by now. 10min later black rhino, 40m in (P.F.B). I mention what a day it has been and that if we just see some elephant it would be a complete success. You guessed it, 15min later elephant bull on the side of the road. So now we are laughing and start heading for memorial gate, about a 3 hour drive. Go past the wild dog spot and they are now active as it is cooling considerably and threatening to rain. (P.F.B & V.F.B). We carry on and not much else happens and we certainly not complaining, until it starts to rain and we have a rhino road block. 2 young males who refuse to move and because of the gulleys on either side I am a bit reluctant to try push them off. Eventually I have to as we are in danger of being late. So I manage to nudge them off but not before 2 hyena decide to cross right in front of us for 1 last highlight for the day.

Next morning we enter and head straight for the Umfolozi section. We get there about 8am and ready to try our luck whilst it is still cool, but yet another road block. This time a young bull elephant in musth, he was grumpy and letting the some 30 cars wanting to pass know about it. Double cabs, 4 by 4's, kombi's you name it, weren't going to chance it. We get stuck for almost an hour until an old man and women in a Getz drive past us all, right up to the brute and park but a metre from him (P.F.B), but still he doesn't budge. Eventually he gives the car enough space to pass (V.P.B), but in the classic elly move, he is just setting the trap. He doesn't want the Getz it is small fry, but as the second vehicle shoots past, he turns and chases, trumpeting and basically just showing his power (V.F.B). Anyway it was quite fun and we finally get past and continue.

We make it to the bottom section, but by now it is blistering hot and we coasting, not expecting much. Then, and I have to claim it, while chatting away I spot 5 cheetah sleeping under a bush about 60m in. We watch them for a bit and are lucky enough to see them stand up occasionally and move about. We of course are so content by now and head for home, after cooking a good old bush brunch. Except the bush has another twist for us........

After getting past the elly and crossing the Umfolozi River at the low level bridge, the rain that fell inland reached the reserve and put the bridge under water and so we could not get out. So we decided to drive the loop one more time beacuse the river would take a few hours to subside. Just when we actually started regretting the decision because it was just so hot, we approached mm17!! I could hardly believe it when we rounded the bend and in the road stood a mother cheetah and her 3 cubs. They went onto give us a great display (P & V.F.B) and eventually with sad hearts we had to drive off and leave them there on the side of the road.

All in all it was absolutely fantastic what we saw in such a short time. I could not believe that I only had a crummy Black Berry camera to film with, I could've had some amazing pictures and video with a better camera. But makes you think, would we have seen all that if I had.............

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Winter in the bush

It has been a long while since I have visited Kruger in the winter months. I had almost forgotten why it is still considered the best time of the year to visit the bush.

Besides the magnificent game viewing, it is just more comfortable in many respects. The mornings can be quite chilly, especially on the back of an open game viewing vehicle, but otherwise very pleasant.

I was also very fortunate to have my longest continuous stay since before I can remember. 16 days in total I was out in the bush and I loved every second of it. I worked for some of it, showing some new Italian friends of ours all there is to see. Spent some time with family and got to enjoy a 3 night wilderness trail, the highlight for me.

There is something special about walking out in the wilderness, at grass root level, so to speak that just can't be explained. There is so much that is missed when you are in a vehicle. Tracks and signs that tell a story of a different world, but yet right on our door step. Suppose that is just it, you can stand there and look around and think to yourself, this could be a century earlier and you wouldn't even know. Untouched wilderness, using animal paths to make your way through the veld. It is an experience I highly recommend to any one!

Hopefully in the near future I can get the chunk of footage I have, edited and up for you to see, it just can't be explained in words, so watch this space.

Keep well, cheers.

Leopard (panthera pardus)

This young lady sat in this tree right next to the road in Kruger. Giving us an excellent view and photo opportunity.

• Leopards hold territories and will defend them against others. However only against members of the opposite sex. A males territory can overlap with 3 - 4 female territories.
• Occupation of a territory is shown using urine and faeces, clawing trees and vocally.
• They eat almost any animal, fish, reptiles, amphibians and eat more other carnivores than other predators. They are especially prone to eating jackals.
  
• Its hunting methods are classically feline, stalking to within 10m of its prey. They will stalk prey that is slowly moving away over a couple of 100m, or wait in ambush if prey is moving toward it.
• Leopard cubs are bought solid food within 6 weeks of birth and at 4 months will leave the den to hunt with the mother. A month later they make their first kill, but still remain with their mother for another 18 months.
  

The Lion (panthera leo)

We saw this Pride of lions on the crocodile river road eating off a hippo carcass, along with these two little guys.....










So I thought a good place to start with our 5 facts, would be with the king of all animals the Lion:

• Lions live in family groups known as prides, they are the only ones of the cat family to form close-knit social groups. A pride consisits of 2 groups, a bunch of closely related females (sisters & cousins) and their cubs. Then a group of 2-6 males, who can be brothers but sometimes non-related who joined up when forced out of their own pride. The males are exchanged every few years, but the females are a stable core.
• A lions roar can travel 8kms and is used to tell other lions that the area is occupied or to contact straying members of the pride. The males come and go as they please and rely on this form of communication to link up with the pride, especially when a kill is made.
• A lion can reach a speed of 60km/h, which is a fair bit slower than most of their prey. They need to stalk to with in 20m to increase their odds of success, and is why they are the only cats to use co-operative hunting regularly. Like humans, some individuals are quicker and stronger than others and a co-ordinated hunt increases their chances.
  
• At a kill the males eat first and then the females and lastly the cubs. Starvation is the leading cause of death amongst cubs because of this. A lion will eat 15% of its body weight in one sitting and they will eat until near immobility before resting up somewhere to digest their meal.
• The gestation period is 3 months, the female leaves the pride to give birth and will keep her cubs hidden and away from the pride for up to 2 months. She moves the den countless times during this period, to avoid predator detection. All the females in the pride will suckle any cub, this collaborative behaviour is due to the genetic closeness of them all, meaning they are all helping to put the genes forward. A cub starts eating meat at 3 and is fully weened at 6 months.

Thanks for reading and if you want to write some of your own facts about lions on the discussion boards, please feel free to do so.

Later......

SA Venomous Snakes

I am often asked when out on tour with my foreign friends about snakes or more accurately poisonous snakes. So immediately my first response has to be; snakes are termed venomous not poisonous. The reason being they inject the poison, which then classifies it as a venom not a poison. So an easy way to remember is, venom is injected and a poison is ingested.

So venomous snakes of South Africa they ask, and I tell them 'they are there, just not so easy to see'. Lately however, I have had the fortunate experience of confirming this statement. In fact, 3 in just 2 hikes, and in small reserves but a stone's throw from the urban environs. First we crossed paths with a mozambique spitting cobra, which reared up to display its hood before turning tail and disappearing in a split second.

Then on another hike whilst walking a trail that follows a small cliff face, known for its population of rock dassie, a movement caught my eye. I turned to see a 2.5- 3m black mamba slithering through the branches next to us, so close I could touch it. Adrenaline kicked in and we froze, and watched it poking its head into the crevices as it moved along in the same direction we were moving. We watched for what felt like forever until it came down towards the path about 10m in front of us and then decided to high tail it out of there in the opposite direction, taking the long way home. For those that don't know, the black mamba is the most venomous snake we have and depending on the amount of venom it discharges, can kill you in 20min. It is also the fastest, as we got to witness first hand.

As if that wasn't enough when we got back to camp we were then treated to a sun-bathing vine snake (pictured above). They use camouflage as their means of hunting, making themselves look just like a branch. Although their venom is also very potent, their fangs are situated far back in the mouth, therefore unless bitten on a finger the snake would battle to penetrate human skin.

Interestingly enough, we not only encountered 3 venomous snakes, but also 3 that each carry different types of venom. The cobra has a concoction of cyto- and neuro- toxic venom, but mainly cytotoxic. Meaning the venom attacks your skin tissue, breaking it down. The mamba, and is the reason it works so quick, has a strong neurotoxic venom, that attacks the nervous system, which when reaching the heart causes paralysis and death. The vine snake has an unique venom, haemotoxic, causing the blood to thin and its victim to bleed from all orifices. Until very recently, like 3 months recent, the only way to survive a bite was to have a full blood transfusion, but an anti-venom has finally been found.

So to conclude, 'are there snakes in SA?', do a little exploring and find out for yourself, I can certainly vouch for it.

Thanks for reading, cheers till next time.

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We Rock!!

Well, as expected the World Cup spectacle came and went in a blink of an eye.

We did have time to 'stop and smell the roses', so to speak and boy were they sweet! South Africa showed the world that we mean business and KZN that we are an unrivalled tourist destination. For us the opportunity to market Durban and the East Coast to the rest of the world was great and we put on our 'Sunday best'.

The comments that we got from our guests were incredible and we are all the more confident in the product this part of the world has to offer because of it. "What a beautiful city", "amazing beaches" and of course "incredible weather" were just a few!

Thank you to all for spending this time with us and we hope to have you, friends and family back again soon.

www.endless-summer-tours.co.za

Keep well
Proudly South African!!

Who has had enough of the 'Jeep Jockeys'?

Well I just returned from another very pleasant trip to the Kruger. The weather was great, sightings fantastic and the joy of the bush soothing.

What is really troubling though is the number of open game-viewing vehicles that are tearing up the south of the park these days. Racing from one road to the next on their quest to find 'The BIG 5!' Over the two days it became quite a talking point for us as we went about photographing the abundance of birds, studying the trees and viewing animals from the tiny tortoise to the common impala.

It felt a bit like the child's tale of 'The Hare and The Tortoise', we were plodding along doing our thing, whilst they were constantly flying past us! We'd catch up when they stopped for the mandatory half a minute to view the 'common game', and then speed off in a cloud of dust. The thing is, if they took just a second to look around they'd realise their clients are sitting there with the longest faces, enjoying themselves only because they have waited so long to travel to Africa.

The prize goes to that so called 'guide' who on our final afternoon we had the pleasure of speaking to. As he approached I waved him down, and then politely asked how his morning had been. His response was fairly direct, "fine, but the kitty cats don't want to come out and play." I then told him that 500m back there was rhino and elephant, and a kilometer after that a huge herd of buffalo, as well as some other nice game. His child like response was, "That's cool, but I want kitty cats!"

I do need to thank the 'Jeep Jockeys' for one thing though, with all your antics you guys made my job very easy, and I ended up looking like a king! As from the photos you can see we had some great sightings of cats. Funny thing was that at all of our 4 cat sightings, we only witnessed one Jeep. Wonder if that jockey ever did find his Kitty Cats????

Well, looks like the tortoise triumphed again!!

Visit Face Book to see more photos of our Kitty Cats........

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=191395&id=159541836718&saved#!/pages/Endless-Summer-Tours/159541836718