The animals are enjoying the warm rays of the rising sun and are seen coming out into the open more often. This gives us even better sightings of the shyer species like the eland, oribi, duiker and genets.
We started our block-burns this
week. This year the Reserve Management aims to burn about 40% of the reserve.
This encourages new grass to grow stronger and faster and aids in riding of
ticks and bush encroachments. Fires occurring naturally in the savannah are
normally started by lightening (we prefer it a bit more controlled).
Controlled fires are a very important process in conservation. Old layers of grass and plant matter decompose very slowly, preventing the growth of new vegetation. The fire removes all the old, matter called ‘moribund’ and gives nutrients back to the ground in form of ash. This helps to strengthen the growth of high quality grasses and plants.
Controlled fires are a very important process in conservation. Old layers of grass and plant matter decompose very slowly, preventing the growth of new vegetation. The fire removes all the old, matter called ‘moribund’ and gives nutrients back to the ground in form of ash. This helps to strengthen the growth of high quality grasses and plants.
Our three sub-adult lions (now 2
years old) have finally gone off on their own and hardly ever meet up with
their mom and dad. On the rare occasions that they do meet, the young males
find themselves being challenged by their Father. The young female has turned
out to be an excellent huntress to her impatient brothers, who are often seen
messing up her hunts on a regular basis. It’s not surprising that she is going
off on her own more often, leaving the two brothers to look after themselves.
The four new lion cubs (born in
December 2011) are doing well and are growing up fast. Sightings have improved considerably
as mom is not hiding them away. The four are quite adventurous and love playing
and investigating around our game viewers.
The Elephant herd has migrated to
the south of the reserve. We have had great sightings of the youngsters playing
right here at Springbok Lodge. It is too cute to watch them pushing each other
around; bathing in the sand and mud while dad (BFE) tries to keep an eye on his
females as well as keep the 4 young bulls in place.
The buffalo herd has got a brand new addition - a new calf
born about 3 weeks ago! We have seen the buffalo herd together with the
Elephants. Some of the buffalo tried to ‘play’ with the “big grey” things, but
were put into place very quickly by the elephants.
We look forward to sharing our amazing ‘backyard’ with you
on your next visit.
The Springbok Lodge Rangers: Lee, Ruan, Stephanie and Nicole
