Wildlife Research in South Africa

Elephants in the Hlambanyathi dam....

2011-12-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

We all thought with the 46 degree days in Venetia we will be able to handle any hot weather but the humidity of Kwa-Zulu Natal has proved us wrong, even the elephants (Loxodonta africana) find the humidity a bit to much, and for 3 days in a row we found them at exactly 9:40am in the Hlambanyathi dam swimming, bathing and playing.

Even Nkunze the big elephant bull on the reserve made a dash for the blue waters.....

Ester van der Merwe

GVI
Hlambanyathi Game Reserve

Our first night on Hlambanyathi...

2011-12-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Our welcome meeting by Mvula one of the resident male leopards (Panthera pardus) was an increadible experience....

Coming back from dinner all piled into the Siyaya, camps bus. Tired from packing and putting beds together the whole day, we all appreciated the sight of such a magnificent cat completely relaxed in our presence.

Hlambanyathi there is many more to come..........

Ester van der Merwe
GVI
Hlambanyathi Game Reserve

Our last days on Venetia............

2011-12-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

It was as if all the animals came to say their last good bye's. Black rhino (Diceros bicornis), White rhino (Ceratotheium simum), Brown hyaena (Hyaena brunnea), Leopard (Panthera pardus) and Bat eared fox (Otocyon megalotis). Incredible sightings and great sunsets will make us remember Venetia for the incredible reserve it is.

It is with great sadness that we have to say goodbye to our focus animals, but also great excitement for what lies ahead on Hlambanyathi.

A big thank you for our last group of volunteers on Venetia, for making our last expedition one to remember!

Ester van der Merwe

Base Manager

GVI

Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve

Wow in my wildest dreams I could never imagine....

2011-12-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

On our way back from an incredible last mountain phase in Leshiba Wilderness and a very long town trip we finally made it back to the reserve. A brown patch caught our eye and we saw two bat eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis) running away in the distance, we thought we got lucky enough to see these incredible majestic creatures, when four smaller brown patches in the grass moved....

One baby as big as my hand four little bat eared fox babies was running for the den. One got caught a bit away from the den and we were privileged enough to be able to spend a short time with the cutest baby in Venetia!

Ester van der Merwe

Base Manager

GVI
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve

A Volunteer's perspective - Rosie Wilkes

2011-12-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

It has been three weeks since we arrivedfrom Venetia camp to Karongwe; joined by five new volunteers and such a lot hashappened! We are a mixed group from across the globe (USA, UK, Australia, Switzerland,Spain, The Netherlands, Germany and France), and are getting along famously;especially after bonding over home-brewed beverages! So far we have seen somuch wildlife here in Karongwe and are enjoying it immensely. We have beentracking the resident lion pride and had awesome sightings of them stalkingprey, on a kill, chasing giraffe and getting amorous. There is nothing quitelike hearing a full grown male lion roar right next to your vehicle (or whileasleep in your bed for that matter). The other main focus animals are the malecheetah coalition, Jabu and Djuma, who we have been lucky enough to get veryclose to as we can walk into the bush near to them, guided by our reliable rifleslinging South African; Dawie (pronounced “Dar-Vee”)!

By far the most entertaining animals for mehave been the local clan of spotted hyena who are always up to no good. Onemorning, the lucky Marga (from the Netherlands) actually found one helpingitself to our leftovers in the kitchen around 5am, just after we’d left formorning drive! They have also been seen sloping around the camp at night and wehad a very close encounter during a sleep out under the stars in a nearby riverbed. It was a fantastic evening made further memorable by various hyenasvisiting us twice during the night. For most of us, the first we knew of theirvisit was loud shouts and swearing from those who were on watch duty!

I would say that we have been very luckywith our sightings of wildlife; having seen a few of that very elusive creaturethe leopard, brown hyena, the endangered ground hornbill, three badass honeybadgers, a wildcat with kitten and a porcupine. I’ll never forget how Dawie wasjust telling us how he’d never heard a giraffe before as it is such a rareoccurrence, and lo and behold one of the giraffe herd in front of us proceededto utter their strange cough-like vocalisation! Besides these rarities, themore common wildlife is just as entertaining. There is now an abundance of insectsafter the rains, with hilarious consequences during mealtimes by lantern light.You are guaranteed the odd scream as they land in your food or hair, and don’tget me started on the menace that is alcoholic moths! The herds of impala withtheir newborn lambs is also a treat to see when they are practicing theirjumping skills, and so far I have been subjected to threatening displays from acute baby elephant and a baby hippo. Somehow I don’t think that “Awwww” was thereaction they wanted!

As well as all the wildlife sightings, ourtime here would not be as enjoyable without the GVI staff that do their utmostto keep the rabble entertained. We have had some awesome outings, includingKhamai Reptile Park where I got to feed a chameleon from my mouth (and gotattacked by two bad tempered blue and gold macaws), to a local school atDiputhi where we got “attacked” by small and very excitable children, and alsoDaktari; the animal orphanage and education centre where we were also attacked(nibbled) by their hand reared squirrels! So much fun to be had!

Above all I think it’s safe to say that wehave all had lots of laughs here too. From Kaggie’s remarkable impressions ofthe Hadeda Ibis (you have to YouTube it!), to the not so remarkable impressionsof roaring lions, from myself and Laura from Leeds, there has been an abundanceof animal noises. Then there has been the universal love felt for our man fromthe Basque country, Pedro! I think by now we have all become a bit toocomfortable with each other as passing of wind is a common occurrence, much tothe hilarity of (not always) the younger members of the group! There is so muchto write about, but I shall hopefully be contributing again soon following tomy exciting trip to the mountains, where capturing small mammals and “frogging”is a regular occurrence…

Rosie Wilkes

Volunteer Nov – Dec 2011

Incredible day on Karongwe

2011-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

November the 29^th 2011 will go down asone of the most rewarding days of the year. Leopards (Panthera pardus), typically elusive and often skittish, turned upeverywhere. Over the duration of the day, 8 different individuals were seen, treatingthe reserve to a total of 11 sightings! Ex-GVI volunteers will remember ‘Tilo‘,one of our previous focus animals. Of these 8 leopards, 4 were from herbloodline – ‘Tilo’ and her 4 month old cub included. The two males spotted werenone other than her adolescent male and his huge older half brother, ‘Tsavo’. Theremaining leopards included a large female and her two yearling cubs on anImpala kill and an unidentified female late in the evening. GVI volunteers werelucky to have seen 4 leopards in 3 different sightings.

The one year old cub sat watching the volunteers with its sibling tucked away behind it

The amazing news about the newborn elephant (Loxodonta africana) created quite a stir– not just for us at GVI and the lodge guests, but with the breeding herd too.The herd were all keen to be near the newborn calf, all jostling for space andthe chance to protect it.

The little female cub crossing the road toward its unseen mother and their Impala kill

The daywas not complete, however, as Zero treated everyone to a territorial display,patrolling, scent marking and roaring his way along the Eastern fenceline. Meanwhile,the rest of the lion (Panthera leo) pridewas on the hunt, seen stalking Zebra at dusk. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) brothers, ‘Jabu’ and ‘Djuma’, clearly enjoy theonset of summer and the subsequent infant boom, as they killed an infant Impalaeach. A very rare sighting of a brown hyaena (Hyaena brunnae) topped off the evening.

Tsavo resting in a dry river bed

Welook forward to monitoring the development of Karongwe’s newest pachyderm andhave our fingers crossed for a repeat of the leopard luck.

AndreasFox

BaseManager

GVIKarongwe

New elephant calf on Karongwe

2011-11-30T05:25:00.001-08:00

Nobodyexpected it, but the news came over the radio that Karongwe’s elephant (Loxodonta africana) herd had just seenthe arrival of a new calf. The nature of small fenced reserves is such thatelephant populations therein need to be actively managed, so as to maintain ahealthy balance between the beneficial and detrimental effects that thesepachyderms have on an ecosystem. There is, of course, a huge ongoing debate onthe matter, with multiple suggested management practices, some morecontroversial than others. Karongwe has engaged in a long term contraceptionprogram of its 4 adult females. It comes as no surprise then that the mother ofthe new calf seems to be an adolescent experiencing her first exploits at motherhood.

The newborncalf was less than an hour or so old when it was first spotted by a game drivevehicle. In the interests of the herd and the calf’s welfare, the number ofvehicles in their proximity has been limited. GVI got to have a look in anattempt to identify the mother and the herd was naturally showing signs ofheightened excitement. There were a number of individuals surrounding themother and her calf, as if to protect it and also get a glimpse of their newestfamily member. Aggression between the bulls only added to the atmosphere.Keeping a safe distance, so as not to disturb the herd, we managed to get a fewpictures of the minute calf as it appeared from between the mass of legs...

Wehave since seen the herd once more and they have calmed down considerably. Wehope to be able to update the blog about the new calf’s progress and any of thefascinating behaviour witnessed by the volunteers.

The little calf sticking close to its young mother, both dwarfed by 'Mr. M', one of the resident bulls

AndreasFox

BaseManager

GVIKarongwe

Exciting Captures on Mariepskop

2011-11-21T00:30:00.001-08:00

When most people think of South Africa,they think lions, rhinos, elephants and other charismatic mega fauna. This past week during the Mariepskop mountainphase, however, the volunteers got to focus on the smaller creatures aswell. And what a successful week it was! Not only did we catch small mammals such as Brants climbingmice, Four-striped grass mice, and one Woodland mouse but we also had anextremely high success rate of amphibian captures. In only two afternoons of active frogging wecaught 9 individuals of 3 different species. We were all very happy to have caught the Clicking stream frog, Strongylopusgrayii, and the Common riverfrog, Amietiaangolensis, however themost exciting news was the capture of two Natal cascade frogs, Hadromophrynenatalensis. Endemic to a small part of South Africa italso has a small habitat range, only able to survive in clear, cold, swiftlyflowing, densely vegetated streams. Andthough not Red Listed as endangered yet, the Natal cascade frog numbers arerapidly dropping due to introduced trout as well as habitat destruction. All in all, it’s great news to knowMariepskop is harboring some rare and beautiful species.

Kaggie Orrick,
Mountain Phase Manager

Bentley gets a collar

2011-10-27T02:13:00.000-07:00

Bentley one of our female lions (Panthera leo) recently mated with the two new sub-adult male lions on the reserve. The reserve management have thought it to be a good idea to collar the female to keep an eye on her if she might have conceived and there are little cubs on the way.

A close eye is kept on her to see were she will be denning if she has conceived.

Ester van der Merwe

Base Manager
GVI Venetia

Pam is back in Action!!

2011-10-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

Since our female elephant (Loxodonta africana) "Pam", has been re-collared recently. We are able to collect more data on herd structure and identify indiviual elephants within the herd.

Regular sightings has helped to habituate the herd to our research vehicles, and we are looking forward to seeing the outcome of all the new data collected

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
GVI Venetia

Ketswiri Update

2011-10-25T02:21:00.000-07:00

After nearly a month of no sightings, Ketswiri, our youngerfemale Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus),was spotted in the North Western corner of the reserve. However, it seems one of her two remainingcubs did not make it through this period and is presumed to have been killed. At just over 6 months old, her only survivingcub remains by her side and looks to be in very good condition.

Ketswiri’s VHF collar’s battery died in June, 2011. She isdue to have it removed and replaced, but that can only happen when the cubreaches an age where it can be separated from its mother for a few days. Until then, any sightings come as a pleasantsurprise. We will continue to update theblog with any news of Ketswiri and her cub, as and when she is sighted.

Andreas Fox

Base Manager

GVI Karongwe

Lowveld Coordinated Research Forum - Rhino symposium

2011-10-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

On September 30th the staff of GVIKarongwe were able to attend the Lowveld Coordinated Research Forum (LOCORES)meeting, which coincided with the annual Sustainable Living Festival in thenearby town of Hoedspruit. The focus ofthe meeting was on the grave issue of the poaching of Rhino (Ceratotherium simium and Diceros bicornis) and a number ofleading authorities presented information on current resources and protectivemeasures. In 2011 alone, 311 rhino had already been poached in South Africa bythe end of September, and it is estimated that a staggering 419 will be gone bythe end of the year. The meeting was followed by a brainstorming session todiscuss how to approach this problem together as a region.

With White Rhinos being one of the focusspecies on Karongwe, we not only support but hope to work alongside as manyoutside organizations as possible to support this worthy cause. The future of the Rhino is in all of ourhands!

Britt Riddell

Base Intern

GVI Karongwe

Helping Conserve the Pepper Bark Tree!

2011-10-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

Conservation work at Leshiba Wilderness Mountain Phase was a blast. Volunteers helped to replant Pepper Bark Trees (Warburgia salutaris), the most protected tree in South Africa.

All the trees will be used by SANBI (South African National Botanical Institute) to be used for Medicinal purposes.

Ester van der Merwe

Base Manager
GVI Venetia

The illusive Tsotsi Spotted by GVI

2011-10-19T02:18:00.000-07:00

A female lion (Panthera leo) called Tsotsi has been roaming the reserve for the last couple of years. Old Eland (Tragelaphus oryx) kills and single female lion tracks used to be the only sign of her.

Recently with all the new mining activity on the reserve, mine workers have had more regular sightings of her. We went to investigate and were lucky enough to have a 30 min sighting of the illusive cat. We have a suspicion that she might be lactating and might be hiding cubs somewhere on the southern side of the reserve.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
GVI Venetia

Hoedspruit Sustainable Living Festival

2011-10-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

Our last fullday before new volunteers arrived also marked the beginning of the HoedspruitSustainable Living Festival. Companiesfrom all around the Hoedspruit area came together to address issues and covertopics such as individuals’ lifestyles, consumer choices for global warming,sufficient and healthy water, secure food supplies, and good health. As their website says, “Thefestival will create a central platform to enable and spread the awareness ofthe different methods and options available, as well as to develop interest in,the various methods of, Sustainable Living. From making use ofrenewable energy within the home, recycling, water-wise and toxin freegardening, to biodynamic and organic agriculture, carbon footprint reductionand the prevention and mitigation of climate change symptoms there is bound tobe something to capture your interest.” Includedin this festival was an all day forum hosted by LOCORES (Lowveld CoordinatedResearch) discussing rhino (Ceratotherium simum) poaching, what canbe done about it and how we can work together to fight this war againstpoachers.

GVI took a specialinterest in the Rhino Forum Workshop and the whole Karongwe Staff team,including Pete Bradford (Homo sapiens),attended the meeting. The day wasjam-packed with 10-minute presentations ranging from the current status ofrhino in our country, communication and community involvement, Anti-poachingsecurity and even DNA profiling and recording of rhino. Each presenter brought new insight and lightto the large issue at hand and offered a myriad of ideas to protect ourreserves. What steps everyone will takenext is still up in the air, but the discussion brought a lot of farm andlandowners together and helped begin the unification of Hoedspruit and thesurrounding area in order to protect our rhinos.

Things we took away?Protecting our beloved species is beyond individualaction. If we are to save rhinos fromdehorning and extinction we must start working together with both the localcommunities in the area as well as neighboring farms. The complexity of rhinoconservation requires everyone to make a concerted effort if we are to make adifference. A unified front, from allover the world, is now our only true chance of ending this war.

Oh right, and wealso learned Hoedspruit locals can make some mean boerie rolls.

If you wouldlike to learn more and help in conserving the rhino, please visit: www.stoprhinopoaching.com

Kaggie Orrick

Mountain PhaseManager

GVI Karongwe

Botswana the Circus Elephant!

2011-10-06T02:24:00.000-07:00

It is a rare occasion to see a elephant (Loxodonta africana) relaxed on Venetia and even more so to see one standing on it's hind legs.

Stunned by this amazing sighting, something one would normally only see in that coffee table book of Africa, and never dream of having the priveledge of seeing yourself.

What a elephant wont do for a branch on a Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) tree?

Ester van der Merwe

Base Manager

GVI Venetia

GVI donates clothes to Hlokomela

2011-10-02T02:08:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving at GVI Karongwe, the volunteers’suitcases are full of the items on the kit list… neutral coloured clothing,sturdy boots, mosquito nets etc. By the time the expedition ends, space in thesuitcases becomes limited… the designated space for boots now being over-takenby curios and gifts for those at home. This means clothes and other items areoften left behind. Bags upon bags of items have been collecting dust in ourspare room for years.

After a weekly trip to the

local town,Hoedspruit, we noticed a new charity shop, ‘Hlokomela’, had been opened.Hlokomela is an initiative that implements health and educational developmentin the local area and aims to improve general health and reduce thevulnerability of migrant and permanent farm workers to HIV and AIDS,tuberculosis and other chronic health conditions.

The staff team agreed that this was aninteresting and much needed charity in the local area and so the bags ofclothes and shoes were given to the shop in order help raise money for the Hlokomelaproject.

Beth Silvester,

Science Officer,

GVI Karongwe

Thank you Miriam Gooch!

2011-10-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

One of our recent volunteers form our September expedition, Miriam Gooch of the UK has donated a digital camera trap to Venetia Camp, we have had great success in capturing illusive animals around camp and on various spots on the reserve. Thank you Miriam!

We have had luck with Brown Hyena (Hyenna brunnea), Leopard (Panthera pardus), African Civit (Civettictis civetta), and Large Spotted Genet (Genetta genetta).

Ester van der Merwe

Base Manager

GVI Venetia

Emma Mitchell's Blog - a volunteer's perspective

2011-09-29T03:35:00.000-07:00

RISK ASSESSMENT!! Reading this may cause personal injury or death.

Sign here: ……………………….

Dorm rooms, bunk beds, extremely early mornings, it kind of like being in the army… An army who’s base is surrounded by the most spectacular, picturesque land on Earth, boasting the famous big5 & an endless array of everything magnificent that makes South Africa so beautiful and unique.

The conservation of this land and its breathtaking wildlife is made even more intensely imperative when you literally have front row viewing of everything it has to offer. Let me ask you this; is there any better way of viewing this natural phenomenon than on the back of a GVI truck? I think NOT!!!

From stuffing Zebra poo into a tiny jar with Laura to being meters away from the mighty king of the jungle; ‘Zero’ with Andreas. To almost trampling Jess at the reptile park during a cobra attack, to sitting on top of beacon rock with Dawie taking in the tranquility & peacefulness of the reserve. Each day was a new adventure. I think Beth summed it up best when she said “South Africa sucks you in & doesn’t let you go.” How right she is.

Not only are volunteers privileged to be part of such a vital project and unbeatable game viewing, they are equally as privileged to have spent 2weeks with the staff. One morning Beth (yes another Beth quote) described me as having, “just a spoonful of crazy”, but I think than description better fits the staff at Karongwe. Of course with any job there has to be some degree of professionalism & the staff got that balance perfect every time. All of whom are extremely helpful & approachable. I think Jess has been my main savior, supplying me with the essentials, earplugs, pillow case & blanket (I forgot mine) but most essential of all vegemite… so thank you Jess. Kaggie your enthusiasm for life is to a degree I have never before witnessed. I love it!! J Jean & Paul your cooking is superb.

I could go on forever about how fantastic the staff are and great this place is but I think ill wrap it up… so thank you all for your help, knowledge & patience. I had a marvelous time and shall return with more Aussies. Stay classy & as Kaggie says; “at GVI everyone’s a winner!”

Emma Mitchell - Volunteer September 2011

Savannah's lost litter

2011-09-19T02:37:00.000-07:00

Savannah, one of the two female cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on Karongwe, has recently lost her litter of cubs. Of the original litter of three that were born in mid-May, only two made it out of the den. The two survivors followed Savannah across the length and breadth of the reserve as she sought after prey and safety. At one point, a motorist on the adjacent gravel road reported that one of her cubs had managed to escape the reserve. However, it wasn’t long before GVI responded and helped chase the cub back in through an open gate to rejoin their visibly distressed mother and sibling.

On September 2^nd, Savannah was seen by GVI again, but with only one cub in tow. Cheetah cub mortality is naturally very high. The Africa Wildlife Foundation (www.awf.org) puts it 50% - 75% for cubs under 3 months old.

Savannah was spotted again on the 13^th of September, along the Northern fence line. Surrounded by lion tracks, the carcass of her last cub was found lying in the road where Savannah was pacing. The pride of lions had passed through the previous night and quickly dispatched of the 4 month old cheetah. Savannah, it seems was able to escape without injury. While Savannah was seen pacing and contact calling in the area for two more days, we are pleased to report that she moved away and killed a Bushbuck on the 16^th.

While it is sad for us to witness the demise of yet another cheetah litter, we must remember that this remains a very natural process and it will not be long before Savannah will be ready to mate again. In contrast, Ketswiri, our other female is proving to be very successful in her fifth attempt. Her two remaining cubs are thriving and are growing fast at nearly 6 months old. While there is the constant threat from lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), Spotted Hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) and the various other predators on Karongwe, the longer these cubs survive, the greater their chances of evading enemies.

Andreas Fox, Base Manager, Karongwe

Arbour Day 2011

2011-09-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

Over the past three years, Karongwe Private Game Reserve has done its bit to join in with the annual Arbour Day celebrations that coincide each September across the globe. A number of establishments across the reserve, ranging from lodges to EcoTraining and us at GVI receive a batch of indigenous saplings to plant in suitable habitat.

While each establishment is responsible for nurturing the trees until the onset of the summer rains, it falls upon us here at GVI to log their GPS coordinates and monitor their progress each year. In the lead up to this year’s tree planting session, we went around the reserve to check on those planted since Arbour Day 2009. Whilst many are thriving, a number of trees have unfortunately not made it. A number of species, whilst indigenous to the lowveld, still struggled in this habitat and dried out. Others were destroyed by elephants (Loxodonta africana) or in the case of one of GVI’s Weeping Boer Beans (Schotia brachypetala), destroyed by the then base dog, ‘Six’.

Having learned lessons with certain species, reserve management decided to focus on species that not only thrive in Karongwe, but those that are favoured by our elephants. Hence, in 2011, each establishment received a combination of Marula (Sclerocarya birrea), Knobthorn (Acacia nigrescens) and Black Monkey Thorn (Acacia burkei) trees.

We received our 5 trees on Arbour Day 2011, September 2^nd. The current volunteer group got down and dirty to give our trees the best possible start to their new life here at GVI base. Firstly, the gang set about digging the required metre-cubed holes in strategic locations around base. After adding some river sand to aid with drainage come the summer thunderstorms, the saplings were lowered in with their compost before the hole was refilled. To protect the trees from sapling-loving animals, such as Porcupine (Hystrix cristata), a generous ring of thorny branches was placed around the base of the tree.

We would like to thank the volunteers for their efforts and hope the trees can represent a living memory of their time here.

Andreas Fox, Base Manager, Karongwe

Mattress donation to Diphuti Primary School

2011-09-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

GVI have been working with Diphuti Primary School for nearly 6 years. Ourwork with the children (aged 9-10) includes wildlife education, teachingEnglish and helping to strengthen social bonds by one-to-one interaction withGVI volunteers.

After talking to a staff member from theSchool, it was realized that we can help Diphuti beyond our usual outreach tothem. We were informed that the children from Reception class have daily ‘naptime’ but during this time they sleep on the classroom floor.

It was decided that we would donate 9 sparemattresses to the School in order to provide the children with a morecomfortable sleep.

The principle of the School wrote in aletter of thanks,

‘Their junior phase learners will feel socomfortable resting on them. With their heart full of joy, they wouldappreciate it if you can tirelessly feel free to donate anything you have. Mayour friendship last forever.’

Beth Silvester,

Science Officer,

GVI Karongwe

In training for the Daktari Delivery Derby?

2011-08-16T04:29:00.000-07:00

Actually no- it's just a staff training day held this last Saturday at Karongwe, where we reviewed safe procedures for push-starting our vehicles, and changing flat tyres. Here Beth, Laura, Dawie and Kaggie give Kim a good shove-off! This took up most of the morning and I think we all learned a few new tricks. Next it was off to Beacon Rock for a picnic lunch and then some tree ID training and knowledge sharing up at Wait-a-Little, in preparation for the elephant feeding focus that starts this week. It was constructive, fun, and we all wish we had the opportunity to do this kind of thing more often. The fact that there is still one tree sp that is found growing all over Beacon Rock, that had us all stumped (pun fully intended), is beside the point!

Oh- and what is the Daktari Delivery Derby all about? Well it's only a Charity Challenge idea at the moment, the plan being to have two teams push two of our research vehicles from Karongwe Base to Daktari Bush School and Wildlife Orphanage (about 8 km), to deliver their loads of educational resources, collected by volunteers and staff before the event, and of course hopefully raise some funds for the CT in the process. It'll take place around the end of the first quarter of 2012, so watch this space.

Blade what a magnificent cat!

2011-08-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Blade our adult male lion (Panthera leo) was hunted on the 8th of May 2011. Reserve management made the decision to improve genetics and stop him from mating with his own offspring. Sad about such a magnificent cat, but exited about new genetics entering the reserve we look forward to see what differences is will make within the lion population on the reserve.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
GVI
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve

Karongwe's Thriving Cheetah Population

2011-07-21T03:10:00.000-07:00

Karongwe’s Cheetah (Acionyx, Jubatus) population has had a growth spurt recently, with the addition of five cubs, all less than five months old. Our two female cheetahs, Savannah and Ketswiri, are both busy bringing up their young cubs.

Ketswiri’s litter was born in early April and initially featured at least five cubs. This is her fifth and so far, longest surviving, litter. Despite the death of three cubs in June, presumed victims of the lion pride, her two remaining cubs are thriving.

Savannah, the much older and experienced of the female cheetah on Karongwe, has currently got three cubs. They are presumed to have been born in late May/early June. They have only been seen twice, but seem to be flourishing, having already moved considerable distances from their den.

Cheetahs naturally suffer a high mortality rate, often losing litters to any of the major predators found in their habitat. However, we hope to continue updating the status of these particular cubs, looking forward to the possibility of their successful upbringing.

Andreas Fox, Karongwe Base Manager

Lioness Darting

2011-07-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

'Maggie', one of Karongwe’s two pride lionesses, was successfully darted on July 5^th. She initially proved elusive, foiling two darting attempts on the 2^nd and 4^th of July. She was immobilised for the purpose of removing her ageing VHF Radio transmitting collar and replacing it with a VHF Radio transmitting implant.

'Maggie' was transferred to one of Karongwe’s quarantine 'bomas' (holding pens) where the vet could safely conduct the procedure and also serve as a space in which she could recover from the anaesthetic. It was not long before the rest of the pride, including her three, one year-old, cubs made their way to the boma and she was released.

GVI was involved throughout the entire process, with the current group of volunteers allowed to attend the surgical procedure in the boma. Truly once in a lifetime experience.

Her new implant allows us to continue our research on her and the rest of the pride, monitoring their movements, inter- and intra- specific interactions and the prey species they consume.

Andreas Fox, Base Manager, Karongwe

Brie has been upgraded to a driver!!!

2011-07-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

Brie Sloggett one of our interns from Australia, has been with us since October 2010, she did a 20 week expedition as well as her FGASA level 1 qualification.

Being short of staff we have trained Brie and she is now conducting game drives on Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve. Well done Brie.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve
GVI

2 week conservation holiday June!

2011-07-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you for a exiting 2 week conservation holiday. Awesome sightings, great ID photos and lots of fun is what the holiday was all about. Thank you to all the volunteers that donated money for our solar powered lights at camp and a special thank you to Anderson Wiegelman for donating two high lift jacks to camp.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve
GVI

Goodbye and Hello

2011-06-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

There has been an air of mixed emotions at GVI Karongwe over recent weeks, with some staff members leaving and new members of the team joining. Firstly, a very sad goodbye to two long-term staff members, Helen Bastin (Base Manager) and Alex Morton (Research Assistant)...

Helen - We will miss your fantastic organisation skills and keeping us all in line, your initiative and strive for us to be the best we possibly can, your passion for the bush and love for rhinos.

Alex – The resident comedian. We thank you for your relaxed attitude and hilarious sense of humour. Braais wont be the same without your guitar playing.

We also had to say goodbye to the following people as their time with us came to an end:

Britt Riddell (Base intern) - your commitment to running community day and your attention to detail with handling the data will be missed greatly.

Laura Bull (Mountain intern) – our resident bushbaby... we will miss your fantastic attitude and your self-nomination for helping out with some of the dirtiest jobs!

Marla Anderson (Bushwise intern) – we will miss your sunny attitude and smiling face... even when stuck in the mud! We wish you all the luck in your new African adventures.

Naturally, as some staff leave, others join the team so we welcome Laura Darke (Bushwise intern) and Dawie Lombard (Research Assistant) to GVI Karongwe as well as our new 10 week interns, Kimberley Smith and Josie McSherry. Furthermore, congratulations go to Andreas Fox for being promoted to Base Manager. This new team along with the existing staff have big boots to fill!

Beth Silvester, Science Officer

Cheetah Energetics

2011-06-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Our male coalition of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) recently became part of a cheetah energetics study. Jabu was to be darted to remove his collar and replace it with an abdominal implant so two jobs were done at once and both Jabu and Djuma were both immobilised and fitted with a collar containing specialised technical equipment, including; VHF transmitters, GPS systems and accelerometers. The collars were also designed to drop off at a given time (clever stuff!) The cheetahs were also injected with doubly-labelled or heavy water. It is all very intellectual and scientific! In short, for two weeks after the darting, we followed the males on foot from sunrise to sunset. Every time they urinated or defecated we collected samples which get sent away to the scientists in charge of the study – the samples can then be put through a mass spectrometer which separates molecules of differing weights. It can then be assessed how quickly the heavy water, compared to normal water exits the body and therefore can be related to energetics. The accelerometers also allow the assessment of movement in three dimensions so aid in the understanding of their energy expenditure.

We thank Dr Mike Scantlebury of Queens University, Belfast for allowing the animals on Karongwe to become part of his study. Also, a huge thanks to our freelance guides who helped out with monitoring the cheetahs on foot. Thanks also to Karongwe landowners for allowing our volunteers to be at the operation! And of course, thank you so much to the volunteers of that expedition for the long hours in the bush and helping us collect the poop and pee... I mean faeces and urine.

Beth Silvester, Science Officer.

Lunar eclipse

2011-06-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

On wednesday 15th June, we were part of the lucky ones of the country, being able to witness a total lunar eclipse. it started here at 20:22. The moon turned completely in a shade of red occuring when the moon passes through the shadow of the Earth.

Anka Bedetti

May 2011 expedition members

2011-06-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the last 5 weeks ! they have been great !
Can't mention all the things we miss ! But sure thing is that the volleyball court is missing you guys a lot too ! Thanks for everything and the entertainement ! Special thanks to Harold for that. We will never forget your songs haha :)

Anka Bedetti

The Greater Flamingo

2011-06-06T04:15:00.000-07:00

It is always awesome to see birds on the reserve that we don't normally see. Recently a Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruben) has made its appearance on the reserve. what an incredible bird.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve
GVI

Fat boy visits Venetia

2011-05-30T03:53:00.000-07:00

With no adult male lion on the reserve we have been waiting to see what effect it will have on the lion population around the area. Mapungubwe National Park has a adult male lion (Panthera leo) called Fat boy, and he recently decided to make a appearance on the reserve, he was found with Pikanin a adult female lioness, that we think might still be in oestrus.

They were found together in the North of the reserve. No traces of him has been found lately but we are keeping an eye open.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve
GVI

Exciting Cheetah Study on Karongwe

2011-05-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

After a long wait our collaborated cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) energetics study will run again. Dr Michael Scantlebury from Queens University in Belfast will be using our two male cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) to complete his study on their levels of energy expenditure.

For us this means following the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) coalition on foot for the next two weeks for every daylight hour and collecting all samples they leave behind for us…….if you know what I mean! This is an opportunity I have been looking forward to since the day I joined GVI Karongwe almost two years ago. To follow the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) on foot for so many days provides a real chance to view their natural behavior and probably even witness them hunting from the ground.

It’s great for everybody on the ground that it’s finally come to fruition, for GVI to have contributed to another scientific paper and for Dr Michael Scantlebury to have got the final focus animals required to finish the study.

Alex Morton
Research Assistant
GVI Karongwe

New LIONS!!!!!

2011-05-24T03:32:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks of speculation and fresh unknown lion tracks on the reserve we got the answer we were waiting for, in the thickets behind Milo and Bentley our sub-adult female lions (Panthera leo), we saw two sub-adult male lions. Uncollared and unaware of our presence they wandered out into the open for a few seconds and then retreated to a safe distance.

Signs were obvious that Bentley was mating with the older one of the two males. We are keeping an eye on Bentley to see if the mating was successful.

Ester van der Merwe
Base Manager
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve
GVI

Skull paintings

2011-05-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

During our daily drives, we sometimes find skulls we pick up and bring back to camp. Last expedition members were inspired and painted these skulls in white to hang them on the outside wall of the dining tent.
A nice project initiated by Brie, making our already nice camp look even cooler :)

As you can see, it really looks really nice !

Anka Bedetti

Norwegian day !

2011-05-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

On the 17th of May, Norwegians celebrate their National Day !
Three of our volunteers (June, Ausil, Marcus) shared their country traditions with us. They organized lunch and decorated the table "Norwegian style". So, after eating hot dogs (traditional dish on their National day) we had to try and sing their national anthem.. in Norwegian. We were rewarded with an amazing big chocolate cake iced with their flag colors.

Thank you guys for that fun day !

Anka Bedetti

Milo eating a kudu

2011-05-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

After tracking for long hours, we got rewarded by finding Milo, one of the sub-adult female lions (panthera leo) on a Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) kill.

A truly amazing sighting !

Anka bedetti

Moments that make 5 a.m. bearable

2011-05-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Though working on a game reserve in South Africa vastly contrasts the pace and life style of a city job back home, there is one thing that stays the same no matter where you live in the world; early mornings. No matter what the day holds, waking up before 5 a.m. always makes you start your day in a bit of a daze. My morning on Sunday began exactly that way; stumbling to get dressed, yawning while making tea and sleep-walking to the bakkie. To top it all off, something no one wants to do while on drive by alone, one of my tyres was flat and the other was slowly, but continuously, releasing air. Grumbling, I changed the tyre and fixed the other but not without a spanner bruising my knee and tripping over a can full of diesel oil which promptly covered the generator floor. All in all, I thought my day was not off to a good start.
After driving along North/South Main up to Snake Eagle Junction in thick mist, I decided to try for Ketsweri, our collared female cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) who had not been seen for a few days. She had finally come out of her den site but besides a brief sighting from Beth (master telemetrist; see previous blog) we had no idea the number or health of the cubs. We were all positive she would keep her cubs deep within the bush for a long period of time, especially since they were all so skittish when Beth had seen them. I laughed at the fact that all my friends have asked for pictures. The idea seemed absolutely absurd, at least for the next month or two. As I got signal down Snake Eagle road I flopped back into the car, regretted not having my second cup of tea and frowned at the oil under my fingernails. After puttering along for 5 minutes I checked for her again and realised she was mobile and now behind me. Reversing quickly, I turned to face to see the exact thing I thought was impossible only a few minutes before. Ketsweri was walking along the road in front of me with 5 fluffy, little furballs in tow. Slowly, we made our way back to Snake Eagle Junction where I turned off the vehicle and sat in wonder. Ketsweri then stopped 20 m in front of the car while her cubs peeked out behind her legs and nearby bushes to examine the large, green foreign object. Needless to say, at this moment I was wide awake, extremely ecstatic and possibly gushing with excitment. Slowly, Ketsweri approached the vehicle. With this affirmation from their mom that the bakkie was safe, a few brave ones bounded up to the car to inspect it. Coming so close I could have opened up the door and touched one, I was able to see firsthand the whiteness of the cubs’ fur in attempt to resemble honey badgers (Mellivora capensis) to deter predators as well as the dew from the morning’s mist (and, lets be honest, their ridiculous cuteness). After a brief few minutes the mother and cubs chirped back and forth to each other and all headed down a different road and off into the bush. With my heart racing and my eyes brimming with tears I knew every vehicle issue, every bruise and every 5 am wake up was and will always be absolutely worth it.

--Kaggie Orrick

Python beast!

2011-05-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

Driving on Venetia you never know what you are going to encounter driving on deserted roads that only gvi know exist! Out in the sun, layed a huge African Python (Python natalensis), baking in the sun. It is not often we see these amazing creatures, as poaching and selling them for medicinal purposes are a great problem in africa.

Ester van der Merwe
Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve
Base Manager
GVI