Indholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2024 i Kruger Magazine

Seize the opportunity to participate by securing a full-page or half-page advertisement in KRUGER MAGAZINE. As a proud advertiser, you not only amplify your visibility but also stand a chance to be one of three destinations to be featured quarterly in our exclusive raffle, hosted on our popular Facebook channels. Join us in promoting eco-tourism and engage with a global audience passionate about wildlife conservation. Book your advertisement now to make a lasting impact and be part of this remarkable initiative! Email: sales@mlpmedia.co.za or pat@mipmedia.co.za For further details, visit our Facebook Group: https://tinyurl.com/mr25vduh In Issue 26 of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we ran a Safari Raffle for one of three magnificent two-night stays for four guests at Elephant Walk Retreat. It is with great pleasure we announce the following winners: Ticket no…

CAMPS OF KRUGER - BATELEUR BUSH CAMP If you are in the north of Kruger National Park (KNP) and do not take the Red Rocks Road, you surely miss out. The S52 - also known as Red Rocks Loop, just off the H1-6 - is one of the most travelled roads in the north. This route traces the Shingwedzi River into the mopani woodlands, but can also be reached through the main road to Mopane Rest Camp, which runs parallel to the southern bank of the Shingwedzi River. Over and above the awesome game that can be spotted on the S52, the scenery at the Red Rocks Site is breathtaking. You may also exit your vehicle here. Red Rocks is a unique historical and geological site in the KNP. The…

The conservation of all beings large and small contribute towards healthy ecosystems. To shed a positive light on an animal group that has long been feared, we share with you our snake education and conservation project that aims to promote harmonious living between people and snakes. Save The Snakes, an international nonprofit organisation, and Hoedspruit Reptile Centre, an educational zoo, have partnered up to create a snake conservation initiative - the Snake Education and Community Awareness Programme (SECAP). SECAP engages with learners, community members and healthcare workers in the greater Kruger-to-Canyon area to mitigate humansnake conflict by educating individuals about snakes with the goal of reducing the number of conflict occurrences and snakebites in our region. Snakebite was declared a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2017 as millions of people are…

RANGER DIARIES - MAHLOMETELA 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: Kruger National Park from 1994-2000. “Every ranger in the 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.” A ranger must be an allrounder and able to multi-task. This is best illustrated by excerpts from my diaries in early 1997. Monday 13 January to Monday 27 January: Manage the annual field ranger selection course with colleagues from all…

Phase 1 1891 to 1926 In Issue 26 of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we featured the history of Phabeni Gate and surroundings. In this issue we look at the first phase (from 1891 to 1926, being the proclamation as a national park) of the history of the Selati Railway Line, especially those sections that ran through the Park. Issue 28 will cover the second phase (from 1926 to 2024). Introduction Some readers will remember the early days when the train passed Skukuza and Crocodile Bridge with its typical whistle. Today fifty years since the last train ran through the Park, the key monument of the Selati Railway Line, and likely the most photographed vista in the Park, is the Sabie Bridge at Skukuza. The oldest remaining structure is the old train bridge at…

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.…

KRUGER LUCKY PACKET My first visit to the Kruger National Park was in 2002 at the age of 27. My then boyfriend, Morné, invited me to go on holiday with him, his older brother Henri and his fiancee, Frieda. Morne have been visiting the Kruger with his family since 1974. I was so excited - I always wanted to go, but never had the opportunity before. We entered the Kruger at the Phalaborwa Gate. We then followed a gravel road (H9) to the Nhlanganini Dam. And what do you know... there on the embankment a male lion was lying down. My first spotting was a LION! I ne excitement in the car was contagious and I had this adrenaline rush. I was hooked there and then. “There was this anticipation…

While there are some other bird species occurring in the Kruger National Park (KNP) that fall under the general name of ‘weavers’, this article deals with those whose general overall colouration is yellow. In Afrikaans these are commonly known as geelvinke. To the uninitiated, a yellow weaver might be just a yellow weaver as there is a superficial resemblance between them, but in the KNP there are in fact six different species, all of which are from the genus Ploceus in the weaver family, Ploceidae. Worldwide there are 68 species in the genus, all of which are native to the Indomalayan and Afrotropical regions. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek plokeus meaning ‘weaver’, and plekō meaning to ‘entwine’ or ‘braid’, both bearing reference to their characteristic nest…

SPECIES ID - TREES « Nick Zambatis was the former Manager: Biodiversity Conservation in Conservation Management: Kruger National Park. He retired in 2016. His first 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. Perhaps few visitors to the Kruger National Park (KNP) know that three indigenous palm tree species occur in the Park, while a fourth was introduced many years ago. These are the wild date palm, the northern lala palm, and the southern lala palm, and the…

Once you go through the railway bridge when going to the Kruger National Park’s Numbi Gate, there is a board with an arrow sign to the left advertising Nkambeni Safari Lodge, with a slogan that states: KRUGERS BEST KEPT SECRET... And yes, it surely is! For us - who travel the Park so frequently- Nkambeni is definitely a secret worth knowing. As you drive along the well-kept dirt road for about three kilometres, you’ll know you are inside the Park, even though you have not entered through Numbi Gate. There are signs of the elephant that roam the area, and silver-leaf cluster trees are everywhere - resembling the area going to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. As you arrive at Nkambeni’s entrance gate, game viewer and transfer vehicles are parked in rows.…

When we embark on our travels to capture photographs supporting our articles, we typically focus on a specific area to fulfil our needs. For the trees article in this issue, we explored a substantial portion of the northern area, stretching from Letaba to Shingwedzi. Given our special fondness for the north, the experience was immensely enjoyable. The reason we persist in our endeavours is clear - while it involves hard work, the joy derived from producing a publication like this far outweighs the challenges along the way. To the readers of KRUGER MAGAZINE, a heartfelt thank you for your continued interest in our publication,your active participation in our competitions, and the emails sharing your experiences. Your engagement has played a pivotal role in our success. It’s heartening to realise that…

If you are looking to enjoy your holiday or time off really relaxing without the hustle and bustle of fellow holiday makers, Bateleur Bush Camp is ideal for you. A quieter, undisturbed and spacious camp located on the banks of the Mashokwe Spruit, this bush camp is situated about 40km south west of Shingwedzi Rest Camp in the mopane and woodland savannah in the north of the Kruger National Park (KNP). Bateleur Bush Camp is the oldest and smallest of the five bush camps found in the KNP and is aptly named after the bateleur eagles often seen circling the sky. This camp is popular thanks to the two nearby waterholes that add to your game viewing experience when you wander out for the day. Should you prefer staying inside…

≪Dr Ian Whyte is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SAN Parks in 2007. He was previously engaged in fulltime 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 three field guides to the birds of the Kruger National Park and in 2020, released his book about his life and work in the KNP. The International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN) was founded in 1948 and is the world’s first global environmental organisation dedicated to preserving the natural world. Among many other aspects, its work…

THEME BIRDS, BEES’ BUGS & BUTTERFLIES A always, one of our favourite competitions is our annual BIRDS, BEES, BUGS & BUTTERFLIES, purely because we receive the most visually interesting entries. It is amazing how colourful the small things are, and those shots that capture two species interacting are just awesome. We had a bumper number of entries again, and for those persistently trying - stay on track, you never know when your entry will win a prize. Four entries had us on the edge of our seats, as the Most Popular entry could have gone in any direction - so for you all out there who voted - well done and thank you. To our entrants, well done - we once again had a tough job selecting the TOP 50.…

« Nick Zambatis was the former Manager: Biodiversity Conservation in Conservation Management: Kruger National Park. He retired in 2016. His first 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. In its most basic meaning, the term ‘vegetation’ refers to an assemblage of plant species, without reference to particular species, growth forms, spatial extent or characteristics of its environment. A less formal and perhaps more common way of referring to different types of vegetation is ‘veld types’. Even someone…