Camp was a buzz of activity in September as the long weekend and school holidays came around. Sightings were absolutely fantastic, including some real rarities!
We had a busy month finishing malaria spraying, hosting a successful Conservation Work Party where Members joined us in the field, undergoing multiple staff training sessions, assisting with the annual aerial game count, and the collaring of a wild dog in the area.
Temperatures showed both extremes throughout the month, while our Fire Danger Index climbed steadily to the “Very Dangerous” level, which decreased after light rain.
As usual, please be cautious when making fires, especially when making wood fires in windy conditions.
Lowest Temp: 7.4°C (Avg: 13.8°C)
Highest Temp: 41.1°C (Avg: 36.7°C)
Rainfall for the month: 6.55mm
(Avg: 9.7mm)
Projects of the month:
Our main focus areas for September were:
- Completing malaria spraying
- Conservation Work Party
- Wildlife Poisoning Response training/workshop
- Alexander Forbes training for all staff
- First Aid Level 3 training for staff
- Aerial game census for the Umbabat PNR
- Road maintenance on Argyle, Sibon and Buffelsbed
- Snared wild dog intervention attempt
- Successful wild dog collaring
- Continued upgrades to the garden area at Reception
- Continued brush packing at the airstrip
- Verge trimming and boundary marking on the reserve
- Snake call-outs
- Repairs to two motorised gates
- Continued removal of invasive and alien plant species in camp
- Fitted all fire-fighting carts/trailers with new tyres
Our Month Expanded:
Malaria Spraying Completed
Following on from August and before the busy period of the long weekend and school holidays rolled around, we completed the seasonal malaria spraying in and around camp as well as on the reserve. This included all communal areas, accommodations, office spaces and sites, as usual. We also paid particular interest and care when spraying in and around each bungalow.
The Spring treatment is the most important spraying season for us, as it coincides with the most integral part of the breeding season of mosquitoes. It is important to note that these sprays will not completely eradicate mosquitoes but will keep populations down for a period of time, which is especially important around human dwellings.
Thank you to the dedicated spraying team from the Conservation Team for completing this task so efficiently - we appreciate you!
Wildlife Poisoning Response Training
There was sudden degradation noted at First Crossing, shortly after previous repairs, that warranted some larger-scale repairs and reinforcement towards the end of August. Over the course of 2 days, the crossing was manually cleared, reinforced and compacted by the conservation team, and is now open again. We will continue to monitor its condition.
We’d like to thank everyone for their patience during the repair work while the crossing was closed. We’d also like to remind everyone to please use 4x4 and diff lock when using the river crossings, especially when they are dry, to help us preserve them. Thank you!
Towards the end of September, we hosted a training session provided by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) on wildlife poisoning response and prevention. Although not yet recorded in the UPNR, poisoning incidents have been increasing steadily on a global scale, but also in the surrounding areas within the Greater Kruger. It is therefore important that we know what to look for and how to react should a poisoning incident be suspected within the UPNR.
The training was incredibly interesting and informative, covering what to look for in suspected poisoning cases, how to treat the situation and who to call, and how to ensure the best possible outcomes for any affected animals. It also focused on measures to take to prevent further poisoning instances in the immediate area and preserving the crime scene adequately for possible further actions to be taken. The session was attended by 7 participants in total: 4 members of the Conservation team from Ingwelala, the warden of the Umbabat PNR, and 2 members of the WelTrac team. Thank you to all who attended!
Although poison can affect almost any species, it most commonly affects vultures, birds of prey, predators and scavengers, as they are most likely to feed from a poisoned carcass. In these cases, the predators or vultures are usually the targets. In some instances, poached animal carcasses are poisoned to target vultures specifically, as they would give away the location of the poached animal. However, poisoning of water sources has also been recorded, and this will affect almost any species - they will drink indiscriminately. This can include anything, from smaller birds to antelopes and predators, and possibly even elephants.
We’d like to thank the EWT team for coming out to train us on such an important topic - we learned an immense amount from the session. As mentioned above, although we have not had any reported poisoning cases within the UPNR, we’d rather be prepared for them, as there is always the possibility of a poisoning incident in our area. For that reason, we’d like to encourage anyone that sees any “strange” behaviours in animals to please report it to the Conservation team or Reception as quickly as you can - we’d rather check and make sure that it is not a poisoning case, as the knock-on effects can be absolutely devastating if it is a poisoning case that is not controlled as quickly as possible.
If reporting this, please include a precise location - and if you can stay with the animal(s) until we arrive. This is incredibly important, as if the animal has been poisoned, we will need to react quickly to hopefully save that animal, but also to control any further knock-on effects to other animals in the area. Time is of the essence, so we cannot afford to lose it and have to search!
Things to look for (from a distance - do not approach!):
- Lots of dead birds around a water source
- Lethargic, “lazy” or unusually slow behaviours in vultures, predators, etc.
- Shakiness or muscle spasms, along with a lack of motor control or co-ordination (e.g. stumbling, falling over, inability to fly for more than a few metres, etc.)
- Intense salivation and unusual breathing
- Vomiting and/or diarrhoea
- Multiple animals showing the same or similar behaviour in a small area, especially if close to a water source or a carcass.
Other Training for Ingwelala Staff
Over the course of the month, Ingwelala hosted both Alexander Forbes Retirement training and First Aid Level 3 training for staff members.
All staff on site received training on retirement funds, the Two-Pot System and adequate preparations for our futures, and we’d like to thank Ingwelala for facilitating this, and Alexander Forbes and their team for coming out to spend time educating and informing us and helping us make the best decisions for our futures.
First Aid Level 3 training was also provided for a further 8 staff members by Emcare, which was hosted in our training room. All 8 staff passed with flying colours, and we would like to commend them on their efforts during the training course. Thank you as well to Emcare for providing this training to us - it is greatly appreciated!
Aerial Game Census for the UPNR
As is the custom, the annual game count/census was conducted aerially over the Umbabat PNR during the month. The census took a full day of flying by the team, which included Captain Mike Pingo, ecologist Dr Mike Peel and spotters/counters Wimpie Pretorius and Josh Hibbett.
The census went well, and conditions were spectacular for the helicopter flight and a successful count, and although the official census has not been released yet, the general feedback was that veld conditions are drier than they have been for quite a few years, and game numbers were not as high as expected. Highlights from the census included a sighting of the white lion with a lioness (see image 3 below), a pack of wild dogs, a leopard stalking impalas, large herds of buffaloes and multiple raptor and vulture nests.
Thank you to the dedicated census team for your efforts - we eagerly await the release of the 2024 census for the UPNR!
Road Maintenance on Argyle, Sibon and Buffelsbed
Building up to the traditional wet season we have been focusing on road maintenance, including improving the condition of road surfaces, clearing of mitre drains and doing erosion control at river crossings and drainage lines.
The conservation team, particularly Two-Boy, Chris and Manfred, have been hard at work with the tractors, grader and large tyres, making sure the roads are in better condition before any potential big rains arrive. This will continue throughout the next few months, as usual, and we’d like to thank you for your patience as we move from road to road.
Considering the wear and tear on the road surfaces, if you notice a particular road or crossing that needs attention that we may have missed or not gotten to yet, please feel free to let us know! Thank you.
Upgrades to the Garden at Reception
We have been hard at work improving the aesthetic of the main garden at the Reception area. Our newest project focuses on upgrading the existing garden-scape to include various other indigenous plant species dotted throughout the sea of aloe species already in place.
This has begun at the section closest to the carpark, and will continue down towards the shop area, with the addition of 50 new plants of varying species to give the garden a bit more “sparkle” and dimension. We have specifically chosen indigenous species that will not only look lush, but will also survive the nyalas and various other animals that move through the shared space. This project will take time to complete, but we are already very happy with the results of adding new plants into this space. Thank you to Clive Mews for supplying the plants for us, and to the Conservation team for setting everything in place and keeping the space beautiful!
Verge Trimming, Brush Packing and Boundary Markers
As usual, ongoing projects throughout the year include maintenance along the road verges and rehabilitation projects such as brush packing. We have also placed emphasis on boundary markers for Ingwelala, where we have started re-painting them.
Verge trimming has continued sporadically throughout the month, with the focus being on Argyle for most of September. Vast majority of the brush trimmed away from the roads has been caused by animals moving through, especially elephants. However, routine trimming has also been underway for general growth, although this has been slower than usual as there has not been much re-growth in most areas. This will continue indefinitely, and the next property which will be done road-by-road is planned to be Buffelsbed.
Brush packing using thatching grass has also still been underway at the airstrip, with progress now well past the half-way mark on the western side. Following the completion of the western side, we will move to the eastern side. At that point, we will also be re-painting the Ingwelala sign that is visible from the air.
Along with these projects, a major focus has been on re-painting the boundary markers across the reserve, especially on Buffelsbed and Op Goedehoop. We aim to have this completed within the next 2 months across all boundaries of Ingwelala.
Snake Call-outs
This month we have seen a substantial increase in snake call-outs. As we move towards summer, the number of snake encounters is due to increase as reptiles become more active in general. Thank you to all that called us to assist - we really enjoy these call-outs! We are happy to report that all snakes we were called for were safely removed.
Species safely captured and released from bungalows this month included Spotted Bush Snake, Mozambique Spitting Cobra and Eastern Bark Snake. There were also sightings of Black Mamba’s, Snouted Cobras and a Puffadder. Please be cautious of snakes, as always, and do not hesitate to call us should you find a reptile in your bungalow!
Motorised Gate Repairs
Following a series of breaches of our motorised gates by an elephant bull, two gates needed repair work.
The bull discovered how to bend the gates by inserting his tusk into a specific open spot, lift the gates and then bend them inwards.
Both gates have been repaired successfully and have since had additional spikes and earth mats added.
Fire Fighting Trailers: New Tyres
We’d like to thank Dave Annandale, our Workshop Manager, for sourcing and fitting new tyres to all of our firefighting trailers! As one of our most important safety measures and sets of equipment, we have placed particular emphasis on this over the past year.
With their new tyres, we are incredibly pleased with the overall condition and serviceability and want to thank Dave for making this possible!
Our Staff Member of the Month
This month we thank Willichia Venter, our Front of House Manager, as our Staff Member of the Month.
Willichia can be found at Reception, where she is always willing to help.
Although relatively new, Willichia has been at Ingwelala for almost a year now and is always up for a good laugh and some hard work!
Thank you, Willichia - we appreciate you!
Notes from the Conservation Team:
We have had a productive and busy month, especially with animal call-outs and bush walks. A massive thank you to everyone who has reported injured animals to us so quickly - it has made a massive difference! A huge thanks as well to everyone who joined us on walks this month.
We would also like to thank Dr Uwe Hohl and the Members who came out to join us for the Conservation Work Party over the long weekend - we really appreciate all of your effort! We are so impressed with how much we got done, and we cannot wait for the next one! Hopefully we will see more and more Members joining in the future - it really is worth it!
On a similar note, we’d like to extend our gratitude to Dr Ben Muller, the Wildscapes Veterinary and Conservation team, the members of EWT, Wimpie Pretorius, Ingwelala Members and Ingwelala staff who assisted with so many projects this month - from snared wild dogs to collaring a wild dog, and everything in between! This is especially prominent for the collaring of the wild dog, which we are so grateful we got the opportunity to share with so many people. Thank you to every single person involved!
Lastly, thank you for your patience for the month of October as Bush Walks are put on hold while we are off-site. We appreciate your understanding, and will be back at it in November. There are still bookings available, should you wish to book a walk with us before December.
As a last reminder, Bush Walks will be closing for the season from December 1st.
Josh and Tess
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of Tess Woollgar, Adel Annandale, Willichia Venter, Manfred Mashele & Wimpie Pretorius