It is hard to believe that it is the end of February, and that I have only a few weeks left on the current expedition. The expedition finishes on March 20, but I have recently found out that I will be staying for an internship back at Venetia Reserve which will carry me through until mid-June. I will be assisting with the writing of some scientific papers for publishing, as well as the everyday operations. Currently I am working at Karongwe Reserve, which is very close to Tzaneen (located on the map below).
Karongwe Wildlife Reserve
Karongwe is the polar opposite to Venetia. Karongwe is only 8,000 hectares and is set up and paid for by tourists staying in three luxury safari lodges. This means a lot more traffic on the roads, and less time to actually studying the animals. Morning drives are spent only locating predator positions on the reserve, noting any specifics, and then continuing on. Unlike Venetia, we do not get any time to sit with the animals for extended periods. We are also to try to stay unnoticed to the safari drives, in an attempt not to spoil the guest’s experience. In a way we are the unseen hand that monitors the reserve and keeps tabs on all the predators.
It is a little rich of me to actually complain though. In many ways, Karongwe is better for sightings than in Venetia. The predator monitoring program here is well established and we monitor lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. We also get to walk in on the cheetahs, and we can approach until we are only a few meters away. The other day the cheetahs were on a kill, and because the shrub was particularly thick we couldn’t get a very good visual. So instead of watching the kill, we spent twenty minutes taking data while listening to the cheetahs tear apart a warthog. Nothing quite matches the sounds of a cheetah ripping and tearing the flesh and hide, or its teeth gnashing against the bone intermixed with growls between mum and cubs.
Karongwe is the polar opposite to Venetia. Karongwe is only 8,000 hectares and is set up and paid for by tourists staying in three luxury safari lodges. This means a lot more traffic on the roads, and less time to actually studying the animals. Morning drives are spent only locating predator positions on the reserve, noting any specifics, and then continuing on. Unlike Venetia, we do not get any time to sit with the animals for extended periods. We are also to try to stay unnoticed to the safari drives, in an attempt not to spoil the guest’s experience. In a way we are the unseen hand that monitors the reserve and keeps tabs on all the predators.
It is a little rich of me to actually complain though. In many ways, Karongwe is better for sightings than in Venetia. The predator monitoring program here is well established and we monitor lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. We also get to walk in on the cheetahs, and we can approach until we are only a few meters away. The other day the cheetahs were on a kill, and because the shrub was particularly thick we couldn’t get a very good visual. So instead of watching the kill, we spent twenty minutes taking data while listening to the cheetahs tear apart a warthog. Nothing quite matches the sounds of a cheetah ripping and tearing the flesh and hide, or its teeth gnashing against the bone intermixed with growls between mum and cubs.
Last week I had my first leopard sighting. Leopards, even collared ones, are very hard to spot, and it is rare to get a visual. One of the staff members has been here for 7 months and only seen the leopards twice, so I consider myself very lucky. Leopards are now my favorite animal, they are undeniably cool. Their movements are sleek and their posture is always low, almost in a permanent stalk. Seconds after moving into the bush, they simply disappear. It is astounding to watch such a large animal seemingly vanish in front of ones eyes. It is also a little scary how close one can be to such a dangerous cat and not know. My hope is to see a leopard with a kill in a tree, though I know the chances are low.
Blyde River Canyon Biodiversity Work
This past week I spent in the mountains high above the Blyde River Canyon. I spent five days working on a biodiversity study in starkly beautiful yet troubled region. The Blyde River Canyon is the world’s third largest canyon and the largest “green” canyon. The upperveld sits 2000 meters above sea level, and is top of the escarpment pictured in the blog header. Due to geographic isolation, this area has experienced high rates of speciation and has many animals endemic only to the canyon. Unfortunately, a misguided attempt at a forest industry by the Republic of South Africa (RSA) has brought in pine, which is invasive and beginning to take over the rainforest system. In order to bring attention to the area, GVI’s biodiversity study catalogues any new animals it comes across. There have already been four new species of rodents discovered since the study was started a few years ago.
Each day we set and check small mammal traps. The current study is looking at differentiation in biodiversity over altitude. We also spend time on the mountain top looking for reptiles such as lizards and skinks. We stay in a small cottage in the middle of the canyon, with no electricity, only lanterns and a wood fire. The fresh air was a welcome break from the hot, humid conditions lower down, I slept like a baby.
Each day we set and check small mammal traps. The current study is looking at differentiation in biodiversity over altitude. We also spend time on the mountain top looking for reptiles such as lizards and skinks. We stay in a small cottage in the middle of the canyon, with no electricity, only lanterns and a wood fire. The fresh air was a welcome break from the hot, humid conditions lower down, I slept like a baby.
Days Off
We have time once a week to explore our surroundings on our own time. Karongwe is a little closer to interesting sites than Venetia was. I spent two nights in Kruger Park, which was capped by watching two female lions stalk baby hippos emerging from the water for evening graze. The lions smartly broke off the hunt though. On another day we went to a reptile rehabilitation centre where I got to hold a baboon spider (very rare and hairy), pick up a puff adder with a snake stick and feed lizards.
This past week we went Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre where we visited with the leopards, lions and cheetahs recovering from being caught in snare traps set by farmers. My favorite was when we were looking in on the leopard in his boma, and a baby rhino, only 18 weeks old and already 150 kg, came up behind me and gave me a little love tap (more like took out my knees). The staff tell us that we may think their cute now, but we wouldn’t want to be near when they get fed in the morning, as they have a habit of charging the staff. At the end of the tour we got feed some vultures. We put on the big leather bird sleeve and held out a piece of meat and proceeded to be mauled by 3 or 4 large vultures; pretty fun.
This past week we went Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre where we visited with the leopards, lions and cheetahs recovering from being caught in snare traps set by farmers. My favorite was when we were looking in on the leopard in his boma, and a baby rhino, only 18 weeks old and already 150 kg, came up behind me and gave me a little love tap (more like took out my knees). The staff tell us that we may think their cute now, but we wouldn’t want to be near when they get fed in the morning, as they have a habit of charging the staff. At the end of the tour we got feed some vultures. We put on the big leather bird sleeve and held out a piece of meat and proceeded to be mauled by 3 or 4 large vultures; pretty fun.
Question Corner
It has been awesome to receive all the email. I hope you understand that I can’t get back to all. Please keep sending the updates; it is so nice to hear about home. I have decided to add a question corner to get back to some of the questions that were asked.
What are the nights like there? Can you see a gazillion stars or does it not get dark enough?
The nights are pretty cool, though I wouldn’t actually say I see anymore stars than I would at camping at home. Orion is upside down, which leads to many arguments over his sword.
Are the people you are working with nice? Are you adjusting to the living conditions?
The people that I am working with are awesome. It is easy to get along with people who share the same passions, and it is nice to be nerdy about biology and not be self conscious about it. The project has been set up very well, and outside of the climate and group living, I have had to adjust to very little.
I think I may have been sent packing by an elephant stopping a few feet from the car... What's preventing them from full-out charging the truck? Are they just naturally non-violent animals, or..?
Depends on the ele’s mood whether or not they full out charge. For males, if they are in musth, they will full out charge the vehicle, and flip it if they feel necessary. It is actually the number one tourist risk in Kruger Park, as people underestimate the ele’s when in their car. One can tell if a male is in musth as their hind legs will be wet due their uncontrollable urge to pee (around 400 litres a day) and their general bad attitude. For females, they usually won’t charge unless you’ve done something really stupid and ended up in the middle of a breeding herd and between her and her young. For the encounters at Venetia they were almost always male ele’s, and they were mostly just “playing” with us.
It has been awesome to receive all the email. I hope you understand that I can’t get back to all. Please keep sending the updates; it is so nice to hear about home. I have decided to add a question corner to get back to some of the questions that were asked.
What are the nights like there? Can you see a gazillion stars or does it not get dark enough?
The nights are pretty cool, though I wouldn’t actually say I see anymore stars than I would at camping at home. Orion is upside down, which leads to many arguments over his sword.
Are the people you are working with nice? Are you adjusting to the living conditions?
The people that I am working with are awesome. It is easy to get along with people who share the same passions, and it is nice to be nerdy about biology and not be self conscious about it. The project has been set up very well, and outside of the climate and group living, I have had to adjust to very little.
I think I may have been sent packing by an elephant stopping a few feet from the car... What's preventing them from full-out charging the truck? Are they just naturally non-violent animals, or..?
Depends on the ele’s mood whether or not they full out charge. For males, if they are in musth, they will full out charge the vehicle, and flip it if they feel necessary. It is actually the number one tourist risk in Kruger Park, as people underestimate the ele’s when in their car. One can tell if a male is in musth as their hind legs will be wet due their uncontrollable urge to pee (around 400 litres a day) and their general bad attitude. For females, they usually won’t charge unless you’ve done something really stupid and ended up in the middle of a breeding herd and between her and her young. For the encounters at Venetia they were almost always male ele’s, and they were mostly just “playing” with us.
I was watching a documentary one time and is it true that the male lion sleeps all day and the females do all the work like care for the cubs and hunt? I remember that because I thought how great of life that would be. lol.
It is true, and yes, a very good life indeed. However, the males role should not be underestimated, as without a male, prides quickly fall apart. Males also help defend the territory from rogue lions, including other females, which benefits the breeding success of the pride females.
It is true, and yes, a very good life indeed. However, the males role should not be underestimated, as without a male, prides quickly fall apart. Males also help defend the territory from rogue lions, including other females, which benefits the breeding success of the pride females.
