Mega Munchies, Classic Carnivores and Hefty Hussles: August at Umzolozolo
The windy month of August usually threatens to blow us away, but it hasn’t been all that gusty this year. Our mornings have often been misty, but mostly clear and still and beautiful. Towards the middle of the day and into the afternoons, the winds have picked up and left us feeling a tad tumultuous. I will say that the sightings this month have been phenomenal and really have blown us away!
Let’s kick things off with the mega munchies! The elephant herd has taken a particular liking to our Jade plants up at the main lodge. Considering that we are waiting for the first Spring rains to transform the vegetation on the reserve, these herbivorous giants are sniffing out any treats that may be on offer.
As a field guide at Umzolozolo, one of our hosting duties is to escort guests to their chalets after dinner. With elephants in camp, this can be an eventful task. Our other senses are heightened when darkness falls with smell and hearing gathering the best intel to navigate guests to the safety of their chalets. One evening, having ensured the safety of our guests, I found myself trapped up at the lodge with the elephants blocking both routes to my room. For the next 90 minutes I sat at the window and became accepted into their space as they explored the vegetarian options around the offices. They knew that I was there, it was an unforgettable experience!
It could be said that with the thinning of the bush towards the end of winter, we become more likely to observe hunting activities. In August, we have witnessed more successful hunts than usual and even a few entertaining misses. Field Guide, Siya had the two cheetah brothers take down a warthog soon after he left the lodge for morning game drive. I had one of the southern lionesses ambush an eland behind my cruiser on the same morning! Siya and I also watched the two lionesses tracking a domestic cow calf alongside the fenceline to close out an afternoon safari, and I observed the cheetah coalition show interest in a newborn giraffe baby. Some classic carnivore moments and a couple of rare ones to share with our Umzolozolo guests!
Our youngest cheetah female has recently changed her hunting grounds. Her two cubs are five months old and they are learning survival and resilience lessons every day. It has been difficult to catch up with them as regularly as we used to (now that the drive to where they are is further), but it just makes the moments we get with them even more special. Field Guide Mark and I cashed in on some quality time with them this month and it was great to see how tall the cubs are getting.
With the elephant herd spending much of the month in the south, we have enjoyed their shenanigans and we have enjoyed tracking them. We were having a bush breakfast one morning down at Hoopoe Dam and the entire herd mobilized down the hill towards us. They move so quickly, especially when a helicopter is buzzing nearby. The matriarch led them past our breakfast spot and moved them further west into the denser thickets. One of the bull elephants, that we introduced from Tembe Elephant Park, is in musth at the moment. His elevated levels of testosterone have placed him in a more sassy state this month and he has been pushing his weight around and testing the boundaries.
Sightings of both square-lipped and hook-lipped rhinos have been more frequent and quite rewarding. Larger crashes of our grazing population are out and about, and we have a handful of youngsters exploring the reserve alongside their protective mothers.
I watched some interesting behaviour being exhibited by a hook-lipped cow while out on a sunrise safari. She crossed the road in front of my cruiser and proceeded to dustbathe in a bare patch of mudstone soil a few metres off the road. She used her front toenails to scuff the ground to loosen more soil and then rolled around in it. The loose clay soil would have provided her skin with protection from the sun and parasites. It was a unique and special sighting!
Up at the lodge, we have had some fun and games. Our maintenance team and Amos (our landscaper) have been busy mending and replanting things in the wake of the elephants’ visits. The weather in the evenings has been conducive to hosting dinners in the boma where guests can enjoy the crackling fire and a starry sky. Our guests have chosen to celebrate many big life events at Umzolozolo this month, from milestone birthdays to anniversaries and proposals. In between these festivities, we have gathered together to watch some massive sporting events featuring our national teams and our favourite league teams in action!
With winter behind us and spring months ahead, game drive times have changed. Morning temperatures are still fresh, but it is certainly heating up as the sun climbs higher in the sky. Thunderstorms are more likely to happen, so don’t forget to pack accordingly and while we are on the topic of packing…a friendly reminder to bring our own bottle along when you visit.
See you out there! Stay wild!
Head Guide Noleen Turner