Faces Painted Red

Every 4-5 days we shoot a warthog or an impala to feed our cheetahs in the boma. We drag the carcass into the boma and watch the girls take over. They slap the ground and hiss at us until they feel comfortable enough to grab the carcass and drag it to a shady spot where they begin their feast!

 

Warthog shot for the cheetahs

Armand dragging an impala into the boma

Here are some photo's from this mornings feed - Askari, Thulile and Bukeka.

Cheetah boma gate

Bukeka making sure we don't steal their carcass

Thulile and Askari going for the same tasty bits

A warning hiss

Bukeka climbing into her breakfast

These lovely ladies have become incredibly brave - I can't wait to release them onto the reserve and watch them fend for themselves! :)

Shocked, Shattered & Scared

One of the main topics of conversation today - Rhino Poaching.....

Working on a Game Reserve this topic is a little closer to home and a part of our everyday life! A helicopter or plane flies over and everyone runs outside to identify the airspace intruder. A gunshot goes off and all rangers grab a firearm and hop into the closest vehicle to inspect the reserve and pray that we find our rhino's alive. Never mind that at all times we are putting our own lives in danger to save these magnificent animals!

• Last year 333 rhinos were poached. 323 White Rhino and 10 Black Rhino.
• This year, so far 73 rhinos have been poached!!!! 67 White Rhino and 6 Black Rhino.

This is sick and sad! Heartbreaking to say the least! We need to stand together and put an end to this miserable behaviour! 

For ANYONE that is interested visit - http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com/ for the latest stats and information or even to make a small donation... every bit counts!

 

Superhero's? We're working on it!

Some of you might be wondering what ever happened to our baby Waterbuck and Jackal?

Here are the full stories – unfortunately both sad ones….

Baby Jackal

This little munchkin was found on the reserve during a game drive, covered in mud from head to toe! He was brought in to the office where Armand gave him a thorough inspection and noticed his back leg was broken and he had internal bleeding. We took him back to Hunters (our staff house) and put him in the bath for a clean! 

Armand "bathing" the little Jackal

We then tried to make a cosy little corner for him to spend the night in the bathroom away from inquisitive Askari! (our teenager ridgeback)

Comfy on my bath mat!

The next day I took him to the Vet in Bela-Bela where he was put onto a drip and had some X-rays done. It was not looking good! He was still not eating and he could not hold himself up on his unbroken back leg. After 3 days of drips and monitoring the vet phoned to say that they would have to euthanize the little guy because he had severe nerve damage and he would never be able to use his back legs! 

On the road - the trip to the Vet

We tried our best but unfortunately this time to no avail! :(

Baby Waterbuck

One day at Hippo dam Armand heard crying, like a lamb bleating. He followed the noise and found a male baby Waterbuck lying on his tummy. He saw that the waterbuck could not walk properly so he picked it up – as he does with any animal he finds – put it on his lap and drove it back to Hunters. By the time I got there he was neatly placed in Askari’s hok. The poor little thing was covered in ticks and battling to walk.

Armand holding baby

We think that his front knees were double jointed because he managed to stand and take one or two steps but then his knees would wobble and give way and he would flop down.

Our neighbours have a tiny rehabilitation center so we decided we would take him there because we would not be able to look after a baby that was still suckling!

Look at his little horns starting to grow!

The 3 of us pile into Armand’s car – Armand driving, me in the passenger seat and baby on our laps…. Not a good idea…. After about 5 minutes of driving, baby decides he wants out! With that he leapt forward and into the windscreen of the car – smash – a huge crack in Armand’s windscreen and a dizzy waterbuck with wobbly knees – not a good combination! We decided it would be best if I drive and Armand holds the baby on the back of the bakkie! Eventually we get to where we going!

We fed him some milk, placed him in his new little hok, said our goodbyes.

Feeding time!

After about 2 weeks we got a call to say that he didn’t make it! :( We are still not too sure why but he would never have been able to be released with wobbly legs anyway so maybe it was better for him. Mother Nature has a strange way.

Hopefully we have better luck next time! Regardless, we will keep trying!!!

Heartsore

I am having one of those  'feel sorry for myself days' ! Looking at old pictures which brings up old memories.... my kitty's! 

 It really is not the same here without Puka and Mavuta! They have left a big hole in my heart! I know that I have to get used to this because it is part of the job but it doesn't make it any easier! 

They have now moved on to Nambiti in KZN near Ladysmith. This post is a dedication to the most lovable cats in the world! :)

The first time I saw the cheetahs feeding - Oct 2010

 

Mavuta licking me for the first time - Oct 2010

Wimpie and I with the cats - Oct 2010

Puka with a sandy nose

Puka Cat

Puka caught a baby impala

Mavuta Cat

Mavuta's Paw

Nunu nose!

Travelling Trio

Wow what a busy and exciting year 2011 has been so far!

February at Monate was romantic due to our Valentine’s month celebration with all our guests. There was even a little romance at Hippo dam – we will be looking out for a new little addition to our Hippo family soon! :) The crocs have also been spotted mating… I hope there is enough water to accommodate these creatures! We have had about 15mm of rain in the past 2 months… not good at all. We are frantically pumping our dams and praying for more rain! It seems to be raining everywhere but here!

My Bushveld Valentine's Day card from Armand :)

On the 16^th Feb I went home for 3 days. It was so nice to see everyone and my doggies! Then Mom and I flew to India to see Dad and travel. Wow… they are not lying when they say incredible India! It was everything from disgusting and dirty to beautiful and tropical!

A very quick summary of our trip:

We started off in Delhi – gross! (People using the streets as toilets/dustbins) Not to mention the traffic – lines on the road mean absolutely nothing to these people! Then off to Bandhavgarh Wildlife sanctuary to see wild tigers – WOW! We were all speechless at times, what incredible beings they are – magnificent in fact! The accommodation was great and food even better (hence me sporting an extra 2 kg’s) :( you always know it was a good holiday if you come back a little heavier! :) The train trip back to Delhi was …. Interesting to say the least. Crammed in like sardines but laughing and loving the experience anyway! After a night in Delhi we were off again to the South of India to Kerela – another WOW! An Indian version of Mozambique! Tropical, humid and hot and so, so pretty! (A hundred times cleaner than Delhi) We went on a house boat ride, flying fox and bird watching, enjoyed some local dancing and music (and food)! Back to Delhi AGAIN for one night and then a road trip to Jaipur and Agra were we did some real touristy sightseeing! The best being the Taj Mahal, Dad was not lying when he said it is the most beautiful building in the world!!!!  You can see why it took 22 years to build! Back to…. You guessed it DELHI…. And then the long trip home. Very sad waving goodbye to dad but he had the SA vs India cricket match to look forward to! (AND WE WON! :))

Team India

Magnificent Tiger

On the train

Kerela

The Taj Mahal

Camel bonding

  

Unfortunately while I was away our two very special cheetah sisters (my babies), Puka and Mavuta left Monate. I cried for about 2 days but of course that changes nothing! :( Luckily Armand was at Monate to oversee the relocation and keep me informed every step of the way! Puka and Mavuta were tracked and darted to be checked before the long drive to their new home in Natal. We are going to miss them very much! :(

Me and Mavuta

Armand and Puka Cat

Puka in her crate

Mavuta still asleep in her crate

Our newer cheetah sisters – Askari, Bukeka and Thulile are still in the cheetah boma but they are doing so well that they will be released onto the reserve within the next month or so. I am soooo excited for this! My first release!! Armand and I have been holding the impala carcass horns when we feed them – tug of war – the cats on one side and us on the other, what an adrenaline rush! They are incredibly strong and its amazing being so close to a wild predator! I LOVE MY JOB !!!

Askari, Bukeka and Thulile - my new babies!

Never a dull moment - We have had a couple of interesting guests at Monate including a huge python that Armand caught, a baby waterbuck, a jackal and many more.

Armand and Roux tackling a python

Armand with baby male waterbuck

Baby Jackal

Small spotted owlet

Rock Monitor

As well as a seriously scary visitor…….. 2,5m black mamba was found at our cave - Roux managed to shoot it. They are extremely venomous and aggressive! They actually attack you so we had to kill it.

Nani playing with the dead Black Mamba

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone for the Birthday wishes! :) 25 now – eeeeek, scary!!!

Armand baked me a Birthday cake! Yummy! :)

And that’s about it from my side for now! I hope you are all well! :) Missing everyone like crazy…. Missing my social life too – a drink and a party every now and then would be nice!

Until next time…

Crazy Cats

The last day of 2010!!! Can you believe it!! Time has gone by so quickly!!!

I have been quiet with my updates because we have been so hectically busy!! To add to that our internet is down at our house and the electricity cuts out at any sign of lightning so internet in the office is also scarce! I must say that even though the thunderstorms mean no electricity and hot water, they are still amazingly beautiful!!

So… what can I tell you….

Our 3 new cheetahs are doing well! I have finally named them after observing their behavior! The dominant sister, the darkest of the three is Askari. This is an Arabic and Swahili word meaning "soldier / fighter." She is the “leader of the pack” and enjoys hissing at us to protect her sisters.

Askari

The inquisitive sister, who is lighter in colour than the other two with a pretty, round face and tear drop markings on her face is Bukeka meaning 'beautiful' in Zulu.

Bukeka

The third sister is very calm and lurks in the shadows of her sisters. I have named her Thulile which mean "is quiet" in Zulu. She is not as dark as Askari and not as light as Bukeka and is therefore referred to as the “middle sister”.

Thulile

Every 4 days we have to feed them either a warthog or an impala. I have been practicing my shooting but have not tried it out on an animal yet…. Soon though, I feel like I am ready to do it! Armand has been shooting now that Wimpie is away. We shoot something, track it down(they normally do a little run after being shot – especially the warthogs – though little things) and then load it on the back of the bakkie and take it to the cheetah boma. We then drag it in and and wait about 2m away from the carcass. We need to be there so that the cheetahs have to come and get the carcass from us – a little bit of a challenge for them.

They use the same strategy each time. First Bukeka comes in. She is so inquisitive! She comes to check what we have and hisses and slaps her feet on the ground to try chase us away. She then goes back to her sisters. Chirping to them to communicate (cheetahs make a bird like chirping noise). Then all three come in together – power in numbers! They come in fast, hissing and slapping, they try to circle us. Bukeka grabs the carcass and pulls it away and then Thulile helps her carry it away. Askari stays behind and watches us. She is always quite, low in the grass and very aggressive. She creeps in close, about a meter away from our feet and gives 2 quick slaps on the ground at a time. She does a circle around herself and then faces us with another 2 slaps on the ground. She goes on like this a few times allowing her sisters to drag the carcass away. When she is satisfied that they are far enough, she leaves us but always keeps an eye on us.

Always exciting and such an adrenaline rush!! :)

 Wimpie and I removing old carcasses from the boma

One of our cheetahs on the reserve – Puka – was injured badly while hunting. She ran into a low lying branch at quite a speed and ripped her stomach open. I called the vet out. He darted her and gave her about 80 – 100 stitches!!! He did three layers of stitching, one on the lining of the abdomen, one through the muscles and another on the skin. I have been tracking her 3 times a day and giving her anti – biotics twice a day. We cut a piece of meat out of the leg of an impala that we shot to disguise the pills. So far its working! She is looking good and happy and she even hunted this morning!! Animals are strong! When I gave her, her pills last night she came up to me and rubbed me like a domestic cat would do! She has never done this before! It was almost as if to say  “thank you!” :) This is why I love what I do!!!!! :)

Puka's operation

Still sleepy

Waking up!

Anti Poaching

Two nights ago I was hosting at the lodge, after everyone had finished dinner at 9:30pm, I was busy locking up the office and I heard a gunshot! I went to Daniel one of our waiters and the first thing he said was “did you hear the gun shot??” So then I realized it was not just my imagination! I quickly dropped Daniel off at the staff quarters and went to our house to tell Wimpie. We grabbed the shot gun and spot light and made our way out to where I heard the shot. On our way we phoned ProTrack Anti-poaching head office to let them know. They said that they would leave Bela Bela straight away and meet us and help us do fence checks. We drove around the whole perimeter of the reserve but didn’t find any cuts in the fence or unfamiliar tracks. Eventually at 2am we called our search off, we were quite sure at this stage that no one had come onto the reserve. Quite a scary situation though… so real!

What was cool though was that during our drive around the reserve fence line we saw an Aardvark (my first time, awesome!), 3 Hippos including a baby, a baby impala and its mom, the giraffes and a small spotted genet amongst all the other usual antelope. It’s like a different world at night, everything seems so alive! Beautiful! :)

The next day we found all our Rhinos, none had been injured thank God! We are still not sure what the gunshot was all about, our neighbours are all fine too… strange!!!

2 of our 6 rhinos

Tonight our 3 new cheetahs are arriving! :) They will get here at about 7:30 tonight all the way from the Eastern Cape. We don’t know too much about these girls. They are sisters, about 14 months old so they are almost fully grown but still have the fluffy grey fur on their necks. We think they have been in a boma for a couple of months and have not had too much human contact. If this is the case we will try keep it that way and not have too much physical contact with them. This will be better for them in the long run and it will make the re-wilding more successful. So watch this space or Facebook for photos to come! :)

Otherwise all is well. Wimpie is leaving on the 19^th of Dec so time is precious – I need to learn as much as possible while he is still here. We are employing another ranger temporarily to fill the gap for Dec and then look for a permanent reserve manager/Head ranger to take Wimpies place. So hopefully after the interviews on Friday we will have found someone for the mean time.

Our owner is coming from the 21^st Dec for Christmas… should be interesting to meet him and see what he is all about! :)