WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of January, Two Thousand and Eighteen Photo by Brian Rode Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 20°C 68 (°F) For the period: 13mm Sunrise: 05H28 Average maximum: 33°C 91 (°F) For the year to date: 13 mm Sunset: 18H42 Minimum recorded: 16°C 61 (°F) Maximum recorded: 40°C 104 (°F) January has been an amazing month here at Singita Kruger Park! We were initially a little bit concerned that the fires that burnt in the area to the west of the concession in November and early December would cause green grass to sprout up there after the rains and draw a lot of the grazers out of the area. Fortunately for us there has not been a lot of precipitation this last month, and the green grass that did start growing got burnt away by the fierce sun. Inside the concession, though, we did have a small amount of rain in the central-southern part of the area at the beginning of the month and this allowed the grass to grow well. The shaded valleys stopped this grass from desiccating too quickly and the few pools that still have water in the N’wanetsi River and the water in Gudzani Dam have attracted a lot of game into the area. We have really had a bumper month of game-viewing – and all relatively close to camp. A drive along the N’wanetsi River late in the morning and in the heat of the afternoon has produced a lot of animals. Every few metres there are more impalas and more zebras and more wildebeest and more giraffes and more waterbuck… you get what I mean! It has been phenomenal! This has also meant that we have not had a shortage of predator sightings in the area. The birdlife has also been great, with all the migrants back in the area. We have even had a few sightings of the extremely rare Egyptian vulture again. There have been quite a few bee-eaters in the area, including the beautiful carmines and even sightings of blue-cheeked bee-eaters. European rollers have been everywhere! The pastel blue coloration of their feathers is very pretty. We have even had a few sightings of the elusive white-backed night herons and dwarf bitterns. Although we have not had enough rain to fill the pans or cause the river to flow there are still a few pools and this has provided water for the animals. Unfortunately, this water is starting to stagnate now and is slowly disappearing and we are therefore looking forward to hopefully receiving some rain in February. Photo by Brian Rode Our wildlife review for the month of January is as follows: Buffaloes: During the first two weeks of the month we had a sighting of buffaloes and that was of a small herd (ten individuals) in the far north-eastern corner of the concession. Mid-month we came across a small herd of seventeen individuals in the centre of the concession near Double-Crossing. They were headed south towards Pony Pan, which still has a little bit of water. They were seen in the area around the pan the whole of the next day and were seen moving north the day after. Unfortunately for the bovids the Mountain Pride found them and on the morning of the eighteenth we found the big cats feeding on one of them near Double-Crossing. The herd then split up. A few days later we saw three bulls heading north in the concession and the next day we found two big bulls, a cow and a new-born calf near Gudzani Dam. The calf was tiny. We guessed that it had been born during the night. From the twentieth of the month we have had fairly regular sightings of small groups of Dagha Boys (big old male buffalos) and a few cows, who have been coming down to drink at the pools in the N’wanetsi River. It will not be long before the lions find out about their routine. Hopefully for them the rains come soon and the pans fill up with water so that they do not need to keep returning to the river. Photo by Brian Rode Elephants: Photo by Brian Rode Phenomenal! What more can I say! The elephant viewing has been ridiculous this last month! The trackers and guides who have been working at Singita Kruger Park for many years have said that they have never seen so many elephants. Every single game drive has produced sightings of more than fifty or sixty of these incredible giants, with more than one hundred seen on a multitude of occasions, often in one sighting. The elephants are highly concentrated in the southern sections of the concession, where water is most abundant. They often swim in the N’wanetsi River, and have been visible from the lodge rooms almost every day. It is impossible to cite all of the incredible moments we have experienced over that past month, as there have simply been too many. Whether it be at The Weir, down at Dumbana Pools or on the roads near the water, we have seen elephants big and small playing, drinking, sparring, swimming, running, sleeping and anything else you can think of. A favourite moment for many has been when the herds have left the water, and are stained black by it, they often move to the red soils to the west of N’wanetsi Road and in great fiery plumes, cover themselves with dust. It is amazing to bear witness to their transformation into dark moving mountains, covered in shades of ochre red. Of course, the largest land mammal of all has to eat a lot, and their impact is starting to become visible on the vegetation where we are so consistently seeing these concentrations. However, when the summer rains truly hit us, we are certain the elephants will move to the grasslands of the north, and the everlasting bush in the south will recover, as it always has. It is difficult to be the star of a spectacle we’ve witnessed on our concession over the last month, but there is one elephant that has upstaged all others. On a few occasions we have had the privilege to be in the presence of a true giant: A ‘tusker’ of unknown age and origin has been seen walking in the midst of these big herds, dwarfing all around him. His tusks are massive, but the actual size of the bull is awe inspiring. He is sometimes seen sleeping, propping himself up on his tusks against the banks of the N’wanetsi River, the picture of tranquillity. We often think, if only he could talk, as we can only imagine the wisdom he could share. Photo by Brian Rode Spotted Hyenas: Thirteen sightings have been recorded throughout the month. These sightings have been chance encounters along the roads, where the hyenas have been moving in the early morning or after dark. The clan members in the north are still frequenting the Xinkelengane den-site, but we do not believe that there are small cubs there, meaning that the returns of the adults to the dens are not regular. Thought we are not actually seeing the hyenas too regularly, they are definitely around. We find their tracks often, and there has also been evidence of both leopard and cheetah kills being stolen by hyenas under cover of darkness. Lions: Photo by Brian Rode Once again, the N’wanetsi Concession lived up to its reputation of being fantastic for lions. There were sixty-one sightings of lions in total this month. What has been notable is that there has been a great variety of lions seen. We have had sightings of the Shish Pride, Mountain Pride, Shish Males, Southern Males, Northern Pride and the Xhirombe Pride. The cub in the mountain pride is still doing well, and we are convinced that she will make it to full adulthood at this point. Of course, we can take nothing for granted out here. They have been seen in the far southern reaches of their territory towards the end of the month. One interesting morning they were found walking into an area where the Shish Pride had been seen only hours before. The Mountain Pride females could smell the other lions, and looked ready for battle, scent marking and salivating. However, the Shish Pride were long gone and nothing came of it, as the pride settled for the day. We do believe that at least one lioness in this pride is pregnant, and we are counting down the months in the hope of the arrival of new cubs. Although the Shish Pride has not been seen too frequently on the concession, their appearances have been spectacular. On one occasion, Brian and Solomon were lucky enough to be there when the pride brought down a wildebeest. This lead to a classic Shish Pride feeding frenzy, the thunder of which would be heard from a fair distance away. All safari guests out on drive that day were able to get a view of this, before the interaction over the kill ceased. Photo by Brian Rode On another occasion, Blaine was with the Pride just after sunset, as they attempted to stalk a giraffe near Gudzane Dam. Whilst hunting the giraffe they flushed an unfortunate warthog, who lead the leading lions in a long chase. The hapless warthog then turned back towards the rest of the pride and was caught.