Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2019 i Kruger Magazine

One of the most special places in the Kruger National Park is undoubtedly Jock Safari Lodge. With their concession being private and traffic limited to a minimum, one can expect to see just about anything. Estiaan Houy is one of Jock’s rangers, and on one particular day his fellow ranger, Lazarus Mkhonto – at the time driving in the same direction as Estiaan, radioed about a leopard sighting. “Lazarus – knowing that Estiaan had his camera with him – convinced him to turn around.” At first, Estiaan, being on his way to take his guests to try and find male lions on the S112, wanted to ignore the message for the moment, but Lazarus – knowing that Estiaan had his camera with him – convinced him to turn around. Estiaan…

Have you ever driven in the Kruger and wondered; “How can I get out of this vehicle and off this road to discover the mysteries that lie beyond that hill? How can I experience the true wilderness of this magnificent park? What would it be like to share the animals’ space, sleep beneath the stars, drink from the rivers and rest in the shade of a magnificent baobab? How can I follow that elephant path to new discoveries?” Now the Magalies region of the SANParks Honorary Rangers in cooperation with the Kruger National Park has made it possible to follow in the footsteps of giants and walk the entire length of the Kruger. The Kruger Trail is a 650km unsupported backpack trail, which spans the length of the Kruger. You…

Biyamiti has an interesting history, being close to the old trade route where ox wagons once cut their way through the bushveld on their way to the coast, and the transport riders of old would battle disease and the elements. When Hungarian entrepreneur Alois Nellmapius was contracted to build a better route to Delagoa Bay towards the end of the nineteenth century, he forded the Crocodile River just south of Biyamiti. Trading stores sprang up along the route, one of which was Alf Roberts’ Tengamanzi Trading Post near the ford. The ford was used between 1874 and 1892, but fell into disuse after the opening of the railway line to Delagoa Bay. During the Anglo Boer War between 1899 and 1902, there was little military activity in the Park’s area,…

‹‹ Ralf Kalwa is an Ecological Consultant at Malelane, a position he has held since December 2001. He established Rhengu Environmental Services in the Malelane area and is trails leader for the Lebombo Eco Trail. Prior to holding this position, Ralf was Manager: IEM:  Kruger National Park from 2000-2001 and Senior Section Ranger for the Kruger National Park from 1994-2000. “Every ranger in Kruger gets a Shangaan name, given to him by his staff and fellow field rangers,” says Ralf. “Mine is Mahlometela … the man who sees everything.” However, as all rangers will tell you, wildlife management, especially within the context of a national park, is extremely unpredictable and as a ranger one must constantly adjust one’s intentions for the day and go with the flow. Also, going with…

Our 9th amateur photo competition for browsers and grazers was flooded with awesome entries! With choosing the TOP 50, we had to work through more than 2 000 photographs, so thank you, members, for submitting beautiful images, and thank you to our executive team and judging panel – it was an exciting first round with voting until the very last minute! Congratulations to the TOP 10 – all well-deserved! We can’t wait to announce our theme for the Summer 2019 competition, so keep your eyes peeled – and get ready. Thank you to our exceptional sponsors – the prizes you so graciously sponsor, are what make our competition so popular. BUSH TALK Many Kruger visitors cannot drive past a closely perched lilac-breasted roller without having to take a photograph, because…

“The common consensus is that the puff adder is a lazy, aggressive snake that will hide on a pathway waiting for an unsuspecting human to walk past.” Donald Strydom runs the Kinyonga Reptile Centre, formerly known as Swadini Reptile Park, which was founded in 1984. He has been involved in the filming of approximately 50 documentaries and has worked with Sir David Attenborough. Through the Kinyonga Reptile Centre, Donald has established the Help Endangered Reptile Project (HerP), which focuses on conservation through education and research. How dangerous is the puff adder? The common consensus is that the puff adder is a lazy, aggressive snake that will hide on a pathway waiting for an unsuspecting human to walk past. People often believed that this snake would strike out indiscriminately at anything…

Is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of nearly two million hectares (20 000km²) in the province of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the north-east of South Africa. It extends 360km from north to south and 65km from east to west. It became South Africa’s first National Park in 1926. In 1993, fences between Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) and the Kruger National Park were removed to encourage wildlife migration and the Greater Kruger National Park was born.…

The first World Ranger Day was observed in 2007 on the 15th anniversary of the founding of the International Rangers Federation (IRF). The Game Rangers’ Association of Africa (GRAA) is a member association of the IRF, and a longstanding and well-established defined community of practice. The GRAA provides support, networks and representation for game rangers across Africa. World Ranger Day commemorates rangers who lost their lives or were injured in the line of duty and celebrates the work rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures. In South Africa, game rangers stand up to poachers almost daily as they battle to end the decimation of wildlife species, ranging from the poaching of rhino and abalone to the illegal removal of plants such as cycads and proteas. KRUGER MAGAZINE…

“Ezulwini was instrumental in getting all the relevant landowners to drop the fences between them to enable an increase in the grazing area and to diversify the animal gene pool in aid of conservation.” Situated on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park (KNP) in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, Balule Nature Reserve is a 40 000ha protected area of the Greater Kruger. The perennial Olifants River flows for about 20km through the centre of the reserve. Balule Nature Reserve is managed as an eco-tourism destination and there are a number of privately-owned commercial lodges located within the reserve. Initially, the Balule area consisted of several separate fenced game farms, and in the early 1990s Ezulwini was instrumental in getting all the relevant landowners to drop the fences…

« Nick Zambatis the former Manager: Biodiversity Conservation in Conservation Management: Kruger National Park. He job in the Kruger was as a research technician based at Skukuza, which he started in 1987. “The  transfer from Pretoria to the Lowveld was ecstasy and the Kruger appointment was a dream come true,” he recalls. He holds an MSc degree on the determinants of grass composition and production in the Kruger National Park, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. GENERAL DESCRIPTION There is arguably no better indigenous shade tree in the Lowveld than the Natal mahogany, Trichilia emetica subsp. emetica (rooiessenhout in Afrikaans, nkuhlu in Tsonga and mutuhu in Venda). It is a large (20-25m) evergreen tree with a wide-spreading, round and dense crown. The density of the dark green leaves on those individuals…

This issue of KRUGER MAGAZINE is a celebration indeed! Not only are we celebrating the spring season in the Greater Kruger, the new animal babies to be seen everywhere, the return of migratory birds and the new leaves on trees that will soon change the South African lowveld into a wonderworld, but we’re also celebrating our second birthday. Our first issue in September 2017 can be compared to the anticipation a child would have on his or her birthday – not really knowing what to expect to find when opening up the gifts. Although we loved what we created as a team, we waited with bated breath for the response from readers, who, as a matter of interest, started subscribing to the publication even before there was a first issue…

Total South Africa celebrated its 60th partnership anniversary with SANParks in 2018. At Skukuza on 31 July 2019, Total South Africa, together with their longstanding partners, SANParks, celebrated World Ranger Day by commemorating and honouring rangers for the work they do to protect our natural resources and cultural heritage. KRUGER MAGAZINE was invited to attend the symbolic handover of generous donations from Total South Africa and Tourvest at the Helicopter Hangar of the SANParks Airwing division. The event was opened by Ken Maggs (Head Ranger), who welcomed all attending, and the purpose of the event was explained by the General Manager: Fundraising – Nthabiseng Moeletsi. Nicholus Funda (Chief Ranger) underlined the importance of the need for speed, and because of the size of the park, air support is crucial. He…

“Honey badgers’ attitude is legendary – they are the incarnation of the saying ‘attack is the best form of defence’.” ‹‹ Dr Ian John Whyte is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SANParks in 2007. He was previously engaged in full-time wildlife research in the Kruger National Park from 1970-2007. At the time of retirement, he was responsible for the coordination of all research projects pertaining to elephant, buffalo and other large herbivores and rare antelope. He is a member of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s African Elephant Specialist Group. He has co-authored two field guides to the birds of the KNP and is in the process of publishing a book about his life and work in KNP. Two other characteristics assist in the honey badger’s defence: ➊ They…

“Hornbill species have casques of various sizes. The casque is a horny structure on the top of the upper mandible, the function of which has been uncertain. The current view is that the primary function of the casques is for reinforcement that allows greater force to be applied at the tip. The casque is apparently also used in calling.” Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of birds widely distributed through tropical and sub-tropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. Worldwide 55 extant species are currently recognised, though further genetic research may indicate that reclassification of some might be necessary. There are 24 species to be found in Africa of which six occur in the Kruger National Park (KNP). They are generally not particularly colourful birds, being predominantly black and white, but some also…

Joep Stevens is a keen historian who was introduced to the Kruger National Park by his parents in 1966. This ignited his interest in and passion for the Park. ›› Part 9: Skukuza – the capital of the Kruger 2 In Issue 8 of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we featured Part 1 of Skukuza Camp. In Part 2 we look at the history from 1953 to 2019. PRIMARY DEVELOPMENT PHASE (1954 TO 1987) – greater consideration for aesthetics such as sense of place, location and design. In the early 1950s it was decided to establish a new restaurant overlooking the river (where the current Cattle Baron restaurant is) with a shop behind it (where the current cafeteria is) and this was completed by 1954. This was, at the time, reported to be…