WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of May, Two Thousand and Seventeen

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1 WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of May, Two Thousand and Seventeen Photo by Emily Schneiderman Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 15 C (59 F) For the period: 0 mm Sunrise: 06h28 Average maximum: 28 C (82 F) For the year to date: 315 mm Sunset: 17h11 Minimum recorded: 12 C (54 F) Maximum recorded: 33 C (91 F) Winter is almost here now and the grass is starting to change colour to golden-brown hues. It is slowly being flattened and eaten by the various large herbivores in the area. Some of the leaves on the trees, particularly the marulas and false marulas, have changed and are bright yellow. Very soon now the leaves are going to start dropping from the deciduous trees and shrubs and the visibility is going to get much better. The temperatures have started dropping and the early mornings have become quite chilly. Quite a few mornings have been misty. It is always amazing to see large animals walking through the grasslands shrouded in mist. Most of the migrant birds have left and the numbers of insects and reptiles are significantly less. Although most of the red-billed queleas have finished breeding we have still been seeing large flocks in the concession. It is most spectacular in the late afternoons when flocks trail across the reddening sunset like twists of smoke in the sky, as they head back to the last remaining active colonies in

2 the granophyres. We have also been fortunate enough to see large flocks of marabou storks in the concession. These unusual-looking birds (one of the so-called Ugly 5 ) are also sometimes referred to as the undertakers of the bushveld. They are like the stork version of vultures, with naked necks and heads, and are often seen at carcasses and at rubbish heaps throughout Africa. We think that the large flocks of marabous in the concession are due to the large numbers of armoured ground crickets that have been present. May is also the time of the height of the impala rut. This month there has been a great amount of activity in impala society. It is the time of the year that the impala rams set up territories, defend them against other males and try to herd the females into their areas. This month we have found quite a few impala male carcasses in the concession. These were mainly as a result of deaths occurring from overzealous fighting. In many of the cases it was obvious that the impalas died from injuries sustained from opponent s horns. Impalas generally have a synchronised birthing season, after a gestation period of six and a half months, and we can expect to see the new babies being born in mid-december. The water levels in the rivers are now starting to drop and the streams are not continuous anymore. There are still deep pools, interspersed with dry patches. Due to the good rains that we had during this last summer season it is possible that some of these deep pools will last through the dry winter, providing the necessary water for animals to drink. The rains we received this last wet season also allowed for luxurious grass growth and, even though the grass is starting to change colour now, it is thick and lush and will hopefully provide decent grazing for the animals during the winter months ahead. This last month we have had quite a lot of general game in the area. We are expecting to have great game viewing in the next few months. Our wildlife review for the month of May is as follows: Photo by Brian Rode Buffalos We have had some super buffalo viewing this last month. There have been a few large herds moving around the concession. One of these herds, numbering over 150 individuals, spent quite a bit of time in the area near Green Apple Hill and in the region of the Sticky-Thorn Thickets. Later in the month a large herd of over 400 individuals entered into the concession in the far north. We have also had quite a few sightings of dagha boys (older male buffalos that have left the herds). The word dagha is a South African colloquial

3 term used to describe cement and dagha boys therefore refers to builders who mix the cement. Since older male buffalos often wallow in mudpools they are sometimes seen all covered in mud and when it dries it looks like they are covered in cement, hence the name. Photo by Brian Rode Elephants Elephant numbers have been strong in the concession this last month and we have had some fantastic viewing. We have seen elephants on almost every drive. There have also been quite a few large herds moving through the area. We saw herds in excess of fifty individuals on at least six occasions during May. It is wonderful to see such large herds in the wild. Generally, wherever there are large herds there is a lot of interaction between the individuals. It is fun to watch the babies and young calves frolicking and chasing each other around. Sometimes they seem to throw tantrums for no apparent reason and a loud squeal from a calf almost inevitably results in the adult females rushing across to check whether everything is okay. Female elephants are great mothers. The large herds also attract many bulls into the concession, who join the herds temporarily in order to check whether there are any receptive cows around. Some of the bulls that have been seen in the concession this month have been in a state of musth and we have had to be careful when in close proximity to them as they are unpredictable when in that condition. Photo by Brian Rode Spotted hyenas Photo by Brian Rode

4 Although we have not found any active hyena dens we have still managed to see these characters of the bushveld on at least fifteen occasions this month. We saw them feeding on impalas a few times. Since these were all adult male impalas we assume that they died in fights with other male impalas, although it is quite possible that some of these antelope were killed by the hyenas. Although spotted hyenas are often seen as scavengers they are also very good hunters, taking prey even up to the size of adult zebras (they are definitely one of Africa s super-predators). On one occasion a clan of hyenas came across a dead male lion and fed upon it (see the article written further on in the report). Lions We have had some great sightings of lions this last month. By far the most exciting, and yet thought-provoking and sad at the same time occurred on the morning of the 10 th. (This sighting is described in greater depth further on.) The four Shishangaan Males have been seen a few times this last month. This coalition is very powerful and has a large territory that they control. Towards the beginning of the month they were spending a lot of time outside of the concession in the area of the Shishangaan Staff Village and near the S100. After the fight with the Rogue Males on the 10 th the four males were obviously very sore and did not travel far. The Shishangaan Pride seems to be at the point of splitting up now. This was expected as the young subadult males are of the age that they now need to leave home and get jobs. On a few occasions, we saw the pride (with the white sub-adult male) and there were between 14 and 19 individuals. In the last week of May we found four of the sub-adults with an adult lioness just north of camp. The next day the four subadult males were seen further north and the lioness was found in a very bad state near where they were seen before. It seems as if she had had a confrontation with another lion (possibly even with the sub-adult males) and had some serious puncture wounds on her body. We did not see her after this again. Photos by Brian Rode

5 The two Rogue Males were seen at the beginning of the month just north of camp. They had come into the area and were headed straight towards the Shish Males territory. They looked like they were ready for a fight. On the 10 th they met up with the Shish Males. The Mountain Pride consists of three lionesses and one cub (unfortunately the other cubs did not survive). They are often seen accompanied by the Grumpy Shish Male. We have had approximately ten sightings of the Mountain Pride this month. Towards the middle of the month they were seen in the hills near Ntoma Road. They were busy hunting and were successful, catching an impala. Towards the end of the month we saw them again in the hills in the central area. The Xhirombe Pride was only seen on two occasions this month. On both occasions it was just one female and the young male. He is looking quite handsome now and his mane is full. Cheetahs Cheetahs have been conspicuous by their absence this month. We have not had a single reported sighting of these magnificent, beautiful cats on the concession in May. It feels like we have been cheated (couldn t resist the pun). The Lebombo area and the Basalt Plains, on the eastern side of the Kruger National Park, have good habitats for cheetahs and this area is known to support some of the highest densities of these rare cats in the whole park. Cheetahs, however, are not usually territorial (they do have a home-range though) and therefore may walk large distances and cover huge areas. The grass is still long in the concession, and the hard substrate has made for difficult tracking conditions, and it is therefore possible that one or two may have visited the area without our knowledge. This month there has been a lot of vocalisation from the lions and we generally find that when the lions are more obvious and active the cheetahs avoid the area. Cheetahs are the weakest of the super-predators in the area and, unfortunately, in a confrontation the spotted cats are the ones who will lose. Therefore, if the lions roar a lot the cheetahs will probably avoid the area. Leopards Photo by Brian Rode

6 This month we had a minimum of eighteen recorded sightings of these beautiful cats. The Xinkelengane Female, easily recognisable by the scar on her lip and her relaxed behaviour around vehicles, was seen on a few occasions near Schotia Pan in the hills in the northern part of our concession. She looked as though she was lactating. Perhaps she has cubs in that area? At least three different shy males were seen this last month. One of them was found with an impala carcass in a tree in the hills in the east. On the 17 th, in the morning, an unidentified pair of leopards were seen mating near the far western border of the concession. The as yet unnamed leopardess (we will have to get around to naming her as she seems to have set up her territory right in the middle of the concession near Dumbana Pools) and her youngster were seen on at least three occasions this month. Other interesting sightings: In Brian s words: We were driving in the central area of the concession when I noticed a small vulture flying overhead. I immediately recognized that this bird was different to the other vultures in the area. For one thing, it had a very distinctive wedge-shaped tail. The first thought that came to mind was that we were seeing a juvenile Egyptian vulture. According to Roberts Bird Book the status of this bird is "uncertain, resident population in s. Africa; EXTINCT or almost extinct!" What are the chances? As we watched the bird flying above us two juvenile hooded vultures flew into the area and there was a bit of an aerial skirmish between the hooded and the Egyptian. The hooded vultures had a completely different look to the Egyptian. The tail shape was quite different and the wings of the Egyptian were also much narrower than those of the hooded. The bird was also noticeably smaller than the hooded. When I got back to my room and downloaded the photos I could also see the white specks on the shoulders and the sides of the belly that could indicate that it is just starting to get its adult white feathers. What a bonus!

7 The Last Battle Article by Brian Rode, photographs by Sean Bissett What an unbelievable morning! The temperature was cool and the mist was thick. We had found the fresh footprints of two male lions in the road, heading in a northerly direction. We drove past a herd of elephants (it is always great to see elephants in the mist. Massive dark shadows in the grey). We carried on following the male lion tracks. From the way the back footprint lay far in front of the front paw print (the back paw was overstepping the front) we could tell that the two lions were running fast. After a while of following the tracks we eventually got a glimpse of the two maned brothers up ahead. They were two large adult lions. We know these lions as the Rogue Males and they are quite shy of the vehicles. These two male lions have recently been pushing into the concession, chasing the younger males in the area. The two Rogue Males were still headed north and they had already gone quite deep into the Shish Males territory (the dominant male coalition in our concession). They were roaring loudly. As soon as the lions saw us they moved away from the road into the thick bush to the west. We lost sight of them and so we carried on driving a little further up the road, hoping that they would come back a bit closer so that we could get better views of them. It was a little bit disappointing that after tracking them for such a long distance that we only managed to get a brief view as they disappeared into the vegetation. We were on one of the public roads and were therefore not able to follow them into the bush. We soon saw another vehicle approaching from up ahead. It was some other tourists and I waved them to stop. As they slowed down I told the driver to keep a careful lookout in the area and told him that we had just seen two lions moving away from the road. This tourist then told us that a little further up the road he had seen four other lions that had been lying in the middle of the road, but they had also disappeared into the thick vegetation and the gentleman had lost visual of them. We decided to carry on driving to where he had seen the lions and when we got there we could see the imprints in the sand where the cats had been lying. The tracks of these lions had headed in a south-westerly direction. They were obviously going straight towards where the other lions had disappeared. We turned the car around and started to head south again, hoping that we would be able to get another view of the lions. We stopped again and that is when we heard the lions calling. The lions were roaring loudly from within the bushes quite close to where we were. Chantelle had also just arrived in the area and she carried on driving a little further down the road. She then spoke on the radio and announced that she could see the original two male lions running in the road ahead of her. They were racing fast, back towards the south (back the way that they had originally come from). Chantelle then called in on the radio saying that there were now six male lions running down the road in front of her.

8 The four Shish males had come out of the bush behind the Rogue males and were now chasing after them. The Grumpy Shish Male was struggling to keep up with the other three as they chased the two intruders. He was limping, due to his gammy back leg, but still continued to follow on behind them, roaring as he tried to catch up. All six lions were now roaring loudly. It was an incredible sound! I quickly caught up to Chantelle as she was following the lions that were running fast down the road towards the south. It was amazing to see the six large males running down the road into the thick mist. It was marvellous and the sound of their roaring was incredible! The Rogue Males were running for their lives and the Shish Males were right behind them. The lions then turned off the road and headed into the Singita Concession. The Shish Males seemed as though they were catching up to the Rogue Males as all the lions ran across the open grasslands towards the south. The Shish Males continued to chase the Rogues across the open grasslands. The Rogues were now crossing the Gumba drainage and the Shish Males were close on their tail. As soon as the two Rogue Males had crossed the drainage the Shish Males seemed to decide that they had pushed the intruders out of their territory and they turned around and started walking north again. The two Rogue Males saw the Shish Males retreating and this boosted their confidence. It was now that they made their biggest mistake! They started chasing after the Shish Males, straight back into Shish territory. The four Shish Males were headed north again across the open grassland and the two Rogue Males started giving chase. We followed the lions as they ran past a large breeding herd of elephants. The elephants trumpeted and gave a few mock charges towards the lions. We decided that it would not be too wise to get close to the elephants, as they could decide to take out their wrath on the vehicles instead. We took quite a wide detour around the herd of elephants and when we caught up to the lions again we could see that the Shish Males were reconsidering their options again. They turned around and started to chase the two males once more. How dare the intruders chase them around in their own territory! All six lions were running south across the grasslands again. They headed past the elephant herd again and the elephants once again trumpeted and stared at the lions as they passed. We caught up to the lions near the Gumba Drainage again and the Shish Males were catching up to the intruders. The two Rogues made their way through the dip and over the ridge south of Dumbana Pool, with the Shish Males right behind them. Sean was driving right behind the lions as they headed off the road into the bush again. I was close behind when Sean called on the radio, saying that the Shish Males had just caught up to one of the Rogues.

9 The One-eyed Shish Male was already fighting with the Rogue and the other three Shish males were just arriving at the scene. Chaos ensued! It was a blur of movement as the four Shish Males climbed into the Rogue Male, hitting and biting at him. The sound of the growling and fighting was intense! The Rogue Male was trapped and surrounded, and was taking quite a beating. Four against one. The odds were not good for the intruder. The four Shish males attacked relentlessly, biting the intruder and hitting him hard with their paws and claws. We could see the blood on the mouth of the Shish males as they bit the Rogue. He tried to defend himself, but he stood no chance. One of the Shish Males got a good grip on the inner thigh of the Rogue. The intruder tried to fight back, but was taking serious injuries from the four males who were surrounding him and launching attacks at him. He was in big trouble now. One of the Shish Males hit him hard on the spine and it appeared that his back legs collapsed under him. It was possible that they had now broken his spine. Another of the Shish Males bit into his inner thighs again and went for his groin. It was obvious that they were going to kill him! As they climbed into him again we noticed a male elephant approaching. He was obviously not happy with all the commotion going on and charged towards the lions. Two of the Shish males made a quick retreat away from the elephant but the other two continued attacking the unfortunate Rogue. The elephant trumpeted at the lions and mock-charged again, stopping short of the lions and staring down at them. Eventually after a bit more skirmishing the four Shish Males moved off, following after where the other Rogue Male had headed. I decided to leave the area then. The injured male was in a really bad way. Just before I left the area I watched as the Rogue male tried to lift himself up and collapsed again. His back legs were just not supporting him. My last view of him was as he was trying to drag himself towards the shade of a large leadwood tree. There were lots of thoughts going through my mind and obviously through the minds of the guests that had witnessed the fight. The Shish Males were unable to find the other Rogue and then returned to finish off the first. I heard later from the guides that they had attacked him again. It was a very vicious attack. Eventually the four Shish Males went and lay in the shade and the Rogue dragged himself to the base of the leadwood tree. I did not go to the area in the afternoon, but the next morning I passed by the region. The Rogue Male was dead and his body was still lying under the tree. We came across the four Shish males a few kilometres to the north. They were resting on the northern bank of the N wanetsi River. The One-Eyed Male (the male that had originally caught up to the Rogue and started attacking him) was looking very sore. His front right

10 paw was seriously swollen and he was having difficulty putting any weight on it. One of the other males had some fresh scars and scratches on his face. The morning after that, Sean and Jacques headed back to the area and found a clan of hyenas feeding on the carcass of the lion. There were numerous vultures perched in the trees waiting for their turn. That morning we found tracks of the other Rogue Male heading straight towards the Mozambique border. We wondered what was going to happen to him now that he had lost his coalition partner. We also wondered whether he would grieve the loss of his brother and friend. Other interesting sightings this month include a few sightings of porcupines, large and small-spotted genets, African wild cat, African civets and even a sighting of a white-tailed mongoose. One morning Jani reported seeing at least ten large crocodiles feeding on a waterbuck at Dumbana Pools. The crocodiles were being harassed by a small pod of hippos that resides there. Another day Margaux went to the Sweni Hide to watch some birds with her guests. While they were there they witnessed crocodiles leaping up out of the water, trying to catch queleas that were flying over. What an amazing sighting! Owls Article and photos by Brian Rode unless otherwise stated Throughout history people have regarded owls with fascination and awe. There are many superstitions that revolve around owls. In some cultures owls are seen as the wise old bird that knows everything, whereas in other cultures owls are associated with death and witchcraft. As owls are generally nocturnal birds they are often considered to be very mysterious. Owls are widespread throughout the world and are found on all the continents with the exception of Antarctica. There are approximately 200 species of owls in the world and in southern Africa there are 12 species. In the Lebombo Concession we have seen the following species: barn owl (Tyto alba), African scops owl (Otus senegalensis), southern white-faced scops owl (Ptilopsis granti), pearl-spotted owl (Glaucidium perlatum), marsh owl (Asio capensis rarely seen in the concession), spotted eagle-owl (Bubo africanus) and Verreaux s eagle-owl (Bubo lacteus). Although we do not see Pel s fishing owls in the concession they do occur along some of the larger rivers in the Kruger Park.

11 Owls are very distinctive looking birds that are typified by having an upright stance, a large and broad head, large eyes that are situated in the front of the face and therefore allow for binocular vision, an acute sense of hearing, sharp talons on zygodactyl feet (two toes point forward and two toes face backward), and feathers adapted for silent flight. Owls are considered to be nocturnal birds of prey and feed predominantly on small mammals such as mice, small birds, insects and other invertebrates. One species of owl in southern Africa, the Pel s fishing owl (Scotopelia peli), feeds mainly upon fish. Verreaux s eagle-owl Owls fall under the order Strigiformes and are divided into two main families viz. the Strigidae family and the Tytonidae family. As they are generally considered nocturnal birds and are therefore mainly active at night they have specific physical modifications that assist them to be able to locate prey and hunt effectively in low light conditions. Most owls have large forwardfacing eyes which allow them to have great depth perception. Instead of spherical eyeballs, owls have "eye tubes" that go far back into their skulls. Although they are not able to move their eyes they have adapted to be able to turn their heads almost 270 degrees. This is achieved by having specific bone adaptations (owls have 14 neck vertebrae, compared to 7 in humans) and a supporting vascular network that allows the owls to turn their heads that far without cutting off blood-supply to the brain. Marsh Owl Some owl species have asymmetrically set ear openings (i.e. one ear is higher than the other). In South Africa this is particularly evident in the barn owl. This asymmetrical positioning of the ears on the sides of the head allow for absolute pin-pointing of prey species, even in almost completely dark conditions. Owls use these unique, sensitive ears to locate prey by listening for prey movements in the undergrowth below. When a noise is heard, the owl is able to tell its direction because of the minute time difference in which the sound is perceived in the left and right ear. Most owls have flat faces, with a conspicuous circle of feathers known as the facial disc. The feathers making up this disc can be adjusted to sharply focus sounds from varying distances onto the owls' asymmetrically placed ear cavities. Another adaptation that allow owls to hunt at night is the innate ability to fly almost silently, which allows them to surprise their prey. This ability to fly almost silently is as a result of a velvety or fluffy surface to the feathers and the fact that many of the flight feathers have a comb-like edge. This reduces the sound made by the feathers as they slice through the air and it also allows the owl to fly at slower speeds than most other birds of prey.

12 Southern white-faced scops-owl Owls catch their prey with powerful feet and sharp talons. Prey is detected either by sight, hearing, or a combination of the two, and is caught by a quick stoop and drop. Owls contribute substantially towards controlling rodents and other potentially problematic animals, and are therefore an ally to landowners, in particular grain farmers. Studies have shown that a single Barn Owl family can eat up to mice or rats per year. Owls often swallow their prey whole. After digesting their food, owls regurgitate hard pellets of compressed bones, fur, teeth, feathers and other materials they couldn't digest. These pellets look like furry balls or sausages and if one dissects the pellet one will often find bones and insect elytra inside. Many owls have ear-tufts on top of their head. These ear-tufts are formed from feathers that can be raised or dropped flat against the head, and although they are known as ear-tufts they have nothing to do with the ears, but rather aid the owl by camouflaging them better and allowing them to look more like broken branches. They are also used to visually communicate with others and to express emotions. Barn owl (Photo by Sean Bissett) Southern white-faced scops-owl Owls have the unusual ability among birds to be able to bring food items up to their beaks with their feet. Other birds in southern Africa that can also do this include parrots and kestrels.

13 Most owls nest in holes in trees or on rock ledges, although barn owls also sometimes make use of human habitations and buildings such as barns (hence the name). Most owl eggs are white in colour and are unusually round in shape. The white coloration of the eggs assist the adults to see them in the dark. Some of the major threats facing owls include poisoning (particularly secondary poisoning, where poison is put down to eradicate rodents. Unfortunately, as apex predators, owls feed on quite a few rodents and if the rodent is not immediately killed by the poison and the owl catches and feeds upon it the poison can build up in the owl s body to the point where the owl is inadvertently killed), collisions with vehicles and with fences, habitat destruction and deliberate killing by humans. In Africa there is a traditional belief that owls are bad luck and are still considered agents for witches or sorcerers. Many people still follow this belief and will kill, chase or maim owls out of misguided fear. Owls are also prized as ingredients in traditional medicine because of their perceived wisdom, hunting skills and remarkable eyesight. Spotted eagle-owl Photo by Jonathan McCormick All owls are listed in Appendix II of the international CITES treaty (the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), and are therefore protected. Some other interesting things about owls: The smallest owl in southern Africa is the African scops owl with a full-length in the region of 16 cm and an average weight of 65g. The largest owl in southern Africa is the Verreaux s eagleowl (giant eagle-owl / milky owl) with an average full-length (from tip of beak to end of tail) of 65 cm and a weight of up to 2.3kg. Verreaux s eagle owl The smallest owl in the world is the elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi), weighing as little as 31 g and having a full-length of only 13.5 cm. The largest owl in the world, by length, is the great grey owl (Strix nebulosa),

14 which measures about 70 cm on average. It is not the heaviest however, the heaviest (and largest winged) owls in the world are two similarly sized eagle owls - the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) and Blakiston's fish owl (Bubo blakistoni). These two species can both attain a wingspan of 2 m and a weight of 4.5 kg in the largest females. The Verreaux s eagle-owl (South Africa s largest owl) has been known to take prey species up to the size of monkeys and even small antelope. The pearl-spotted owlet often hunts and feeds upon small birds. As a result, small birds (when they discover one of these owls in the area) tend to gather together and harass the owl until it leaves (known as mobbing). Often the small birds will fly and attack the owlet when it is facing away from them. In order to protect itself from the mobbing birds, and avoid being pecked from behind, the Pearl-spotted owlet has adapted to have false-eyes on the back of its head to confuse the birds into thinking that it is still watching them even though its head is facing away. African scops-owl Pearl-spotted Owl (facing forwards) Pearl-spotted Owl (facing away) Not all owls hoot, and owls can make a wide range of other sounds, such as screeches, whistles, barks, growls, rattles and hisses. Barn owls, in particular have a very eerie, blood-curdling, screeching call that sounds like a human being tortured. A group of owls is called a parliament and a baby owl is known as an owlet. In ancient Greece, the Little Owl was the companion of Athena, the Greek goddess o f wisdom, which is one reason why owls symbolize learning and knowledge. But Athena was also a warrior goddess and the owl was considered the protector of armies going into war. If Greek soldiers saw an owl fly by during battle, they took it as a sign of coming victory.

15 May moments in time Photos by Brian Rode

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17 Articles by Brian Rode Photos by Brian Rode, Sean Bissett, Emily Schneiderman and Johnathan McCormick Singita Kruger National Park South Africa Thirty-first of May, Two thousand and seventeen