here

- From the editors desk
- Last Month’s Top Shot Winner
- Facebook Cover Shot Winner
- Volunteer Encounter
- THAF Update
- Community Focus
- Photography Reflections
- Photography Focus
- Research Update
- Research Focus
Ansel Adams once said “ You don’t take a photograph you
make it”, of which l am going to disagree. In my view it's not
the photographer who make the photo it’s you. We bring to
each image our own values, our beliefs and as a result of
that, the image resonates with us. My name is Bongani
Siziba, assistant photographer, and welcome to the latest
edition! Enjoy some fantastic articles ranging from our
wonderful wildlife to the community projects.
Read about the community activities such as conservation
education where learners are taught on how to protect their
environment and the insects around them.
Volunteer updates on their experience here and what their
impacts have been on our projects.
Don't miss our THAF update on how they have been getting
on with fundraising for different projects - testament to that
was the pub quiz fund-raiser that happened recently.
A big thank you to all our contributors for their amazing
content!
Keep yourself updated with the latest news, subscribe by
[email protected]
mailing:
Covershot: Klaserie After Dark| Matthias Raggi, Austria
The
Where do I even begin? Maybe… Maybe first I’ll begin by
introducing myself. Hopefully by now, all of you reading this
know that I am a volunteer photographer with African
Impact. But who on earth am I? My name is Dylan Fisher
Schattman. I am 21 years old studying Wildlife Biology at the
University of Vermont. As long as I can remember, creative
expression has always been a major part of my life. Whether
it is drawing, writing, dancing, skateboarding, etc. I have
always loved the idea of viewing things as deeper than what
they are and applying these inner reflections to a use greater
than my own. Creativity in itself is my main passion. In
regards to a more constructive approach, I dream of
applying my passion to help spread awareness towards
protecting the natural world. To be honest, I had no idea of
what to expect prior to coming here to South Africa. Maybe I
thought I would be surrounded by older ladies, hunched
over their Sudoku and gawking over lost photos of
grandchildren or maybe I expected a rambunctious group of
young explorers, embarking on escapades of unanticipated
adventure disguised by Patagonia sweaters and
undiscovered destinies. I had absolutely no idea that the
beginning to the start of my life would be sparked by a
bunch of young (and old) enthusiastic individuals gathered
around a MacBook exploring the depths of our own
photographs. What I got from my time here with African
Impact is nothing short of an experience of a lifetime; an
experience that will forever change how I view the world.
Aside from my duties here with African Impact, I take
photographs in order to test the limits of my own personal creative
boundaries. Now I know more than most that this must all sound
so incredibly cliché BUT to put it simply exploring photography has
completely changed my perspective on how I view the physical
world. I guess maybe that’s not as easy to understand as it sounds
but let me try to explain. I love the beauty in broken things. I love
the way tears well in someone’s eyes when they are overwhelmed
with laughter. I love the way the earth smells the moment before it
rains. I love the way rust grows on metal like that of wrinkles on
skin from old age. I love being able to capture something deeper
within a specific moment of time. Through photography, I can
continue to express the beauty of everyday objects and apply them
to real world situations in attempts to provide a deeper
understanding of the naturally existing world. Objects contain so
much personality that really can only be captured by photographs.
Through photographing nature, I have begun to develop a deeper
understanding of the importance between mankind and man’s
connection to the environment.
Nature photography in particular has taught me to appreciate
the little things in life. African Impact and its leaders have taught
me the importance of sitting down and deeply investing time into
the space around my feet. There is so much that can’t be seen at
first glance from scurrying spiders to anxious termites. From “Timtips” to Lilla Szanto’s patience, I have not only grown as a
photographer but as a person in terms of how I view the world.
Whether that is from macro walks or long editing sessions, African
Impact has taught me the true value behind the beauty of the little
things. I am so thankful to be able to physically observe my growth
as a photographer and capture the moments in which I myself also
change. Until next time, until the next beautiful little nothing that
catches my attention, “adios”, “doei”, and “goodbye”.
As the largest land animal, the
African bush elephant reaches up to
24 feet in length and 13 feet in
height. Also known as the African
savanna elephant, it is found in most
African countries, living in varied
habitats from the open savanna to
the desert and high rainforest. It is
the largest of the three elephant
species and can weigh up to 11 tons
and live up to 70 years, longer than
any other mammal except humans.
African bush elephants are
herbivores and need to eat about
350 pounds of vegetation daily.
Since the last Warthog post we have decided
to start fundraising for the different projects
we have currently running here at Dumela
Lodge.
Random questions pose as
personality analysis of the most fun
loving Canadian at the lodge:
What is your favorite palindrome?
- Yo, banana boy!
What would you do if you found a
penguin in the freezer?
- #dodata!! Then figure out which
species it was and return it to its
habitat.
How would your best friend
describe you?
- "Thoughtful, gentle yet stern, kind
hearted, passionate, hard working,
intelligent, and beautiful. Extremely
reliable, dependable, I would trust
her with my life." (Straight from her
words...promise I'm not being full of
myself haha)
If you were a brand, what would be
your motto?
- Live life by design, not default
We decided to fundraise for conservation
education as this is one of our projects in
desperate need of different materials. In order
to make the importance of conservation fun
and engaging for the kids in the local schools,
lots of materials are needed.
After going through several potential
fundraising ideas we settled on holding a quiz
event at the local pub, the Bush Pub Inn. This
tavern is highly popular with guides in the area
making it the perfect spot to fundraise for
conservation education.
With a lot of advice and help from fellow staff
members I was able to put together a fun and
competitive night.
Everyone that came had to pay a R50
entrance fee and R10 of that R50 went into our
rolling cash pot, which was only open for the
winning team to answer. If they got it right they
would win the money. This time however they
did not get our question right which means the
R840 has been kept until the next quiz we hold
and the winners of that quiz could win the
R840 plus the money collected on the next
night.
In order to raise more funds during the night people
could buy hints and answer cards. Hints were priced
at R25 and answers at R50, except for the final round
which was the hardest where we doubled the cost of
both hints and answers!
The atmosphere for the night was incredible.
Everyone was relaxed and having a good time, of
course there was an undertone of friendly
competition, but what is a quiz without some
competition.
We had a draw for second prize and the teams were
Jolandie’s Chickens and The Vicious Six. Jolandie’s
Chickens won 6 vouchers to MJ’s photography shop in
Hoedspruit provided very generously by MJ’s. The
Vicious Six are now the proud owners of a
Jägermeister Hamper which was sponsored by our
hosts the Bush Pub.
Our first prize winners are the highly knowledgeable
Bar Badgers. With a score of 60/78 this team have
won the amazing prize of a game drive in the Greater
Kruger area for up to 8 people.
The total amount of money raised during the night
was R6,600. This amount is going to go a long way in
helping conservation education in the local areas.
A BIG thank you to everyone that helped in any way
to make the night as successful as it was.
Bring on the next one!
The lion is one of the big cats in the
genus Panthera and a member of
the family Felidae. The commonly
used term African lion collectively
denotes the several subspecies in
Africa. : 10 – 14 years (Adult, In the
wild)
Male: 420 lbs (Adult), Female:
280 lbs (Adult)
Male: 3.9 ft. (Adult, At Shoulder),
Female: 3.6 ft. (Adult, At Shoulder)
Females do 85 to 90 percent of the
pride's hunting, while the males
patrol the territory and protect the
pride, for which they take the "lion's
share" of the females' prey. When
resting, lions seem to enjoy good
fellowship with lots of touching, head
rubbing, licking and purring. But
when it comes to food, each lion
looks out for itself. Squabbling and
fighting are common, with adult
males usually eating first, followed by
the females and then the cubs.
Siobhan (meaning God’s grace) is
indeed a gracious soul, who
decided she wanted to give back
by working for a nongovernmental organisation,
namely The Happy Africa
Foundation. An added bonus of
her position here was it fulfilled
her desire to return to Africa, yet
explore parts unknown to her.
With hidden talents in both
computer espionage and singing
(she loves to holler along to Adele
and Sam Smith), she also loves
reading, swimming, and long
walks on the beach.
Affectionately known as ‘Shiv’ by
the other members of staff, her
favourite quote is, aptly, from the
film ‘Invictus’:
“I’m the master of my fate. I’m
the captain of my soul.”
Conservation Education is fun all the time!
We split grades 6 and 7 who each come once
every Monday. The reason for this change is
because these classes are overcrowded and it
is hard to concentrate on each learner so we
had to take one group a day. Lessons
covered: insects; the role insects play in the
ecosystem, identification of insects and their
purpose. We also covered in this term ways to
protect our environment, insects and the
roles they play in the environment and to
identify them. We had a total number of 12
hours spent in community and an average
number of 134 learners.
Homework assistance for Grade 4 covered
poetry, English grammar and tenses. Grade 5
covered instructional writing, and
understanding statistics. Total number of
hours was 15 and a total attendance number
of 244 kids.
At reading club we had an average of 103
learners attending. When we first started
most of the learners couldn’t understand
what was happening in a story, but now it’s
very different and it’s rewarding to see the
kids grow and improve their reading.
We would like to thank everyone involved in
the projects and more importantly our
amazing volunteers from all across the globe.
There’s never a dull moment when
doing community, and this month has
been filled with so many beautiful and
amazing things. Firstly I will start off by
saying that before volunteers go on
projects they are briefed so that they
understand the objectives for that day,
and also what is expected of them to do.
This month we started our own mini eco
heroes’ garden in Dumela lodge, where
we have supplied Seganyane Primary
School with 250 seedlings to help grow
in the garden with a short term goal of
contributing to feeding the learners.
We then started a mini flower garden
in mahlathi primary school helping our
partners Eco children to make the school
nice, beautiful and clean. We believe a
beautiful clean school encourages kids
to have pride, respect and love for their
school and also makes them feel
passionate about going to school. We
also painted the school’s outside to
make it more attractive and clean. From
nothing to something: Makwetse
primary school, a newly adopted school
by Eco children, has just started building
the eco villages. We are helping out our
partners Eco Children with the
construction, and this will help feed the
community as a whole and the learners
in Tsakani Community.
BUFFALO
1,500 pounds
About 65 inches at the shoulder
Herbivorous/grazer
Gestation:
Between 11 and 12 months
Predators:
Humans and lions
Behaviour
Buffaloes can live in herds of a few
hundred, but have been known to
congregate in thousands in the
Serengeti during the rainy season.
The females and their offspring
make up the bulk of the herd. Males
may spend much of their time in
bachelor groups. These groups are
of two types, those that contain
males from 4 to 7 years of age and
those that have males 12 years and
older. The older bulls often prefer to
be on their own. Males do not reach
their full weight until about age 10.
After this, however, their body
weight and condition decline,
probably because the teeth become
worn.
Sight and hearing are both rather
poor, but scent is well developed in
buffaloes. Although quiet for the
most part, the animals do
communicate. In mating season they
grunt and emit hoarse bellows. A
calf in danger will bellow mournfully,
bringing herd members running at a
gallop to defend it.
There’s a saying that runs “Those that can,
do.
thathow
can’t,
Let me just state
We Those
can show
theteach”.
Hippo has
for
the
record
that
this
is
hokum.
an affectionate, not just aggresive I’ve met
many
inspirational
figures
over the years and
side, we
can show the
industrious
dung beetle
working
awayhave
(the flies
more
than half
of those
been teachers
here,
incidentally,
ana sometimes
in
some
guise or point
other.like
It is
arrow towards
subject – I at times too, and
thankless
task,the
bittersweet
trained
them
myself),
or a lonely things I’ve
yet one of the most rewarding
impala
with
a
long
way
toIgo.
ever tried to do – those
instruct and their
work will attest to whether or not I have been
We can also create confusion
successful.
within the image to make the viewer
look deeper, like a crocodile’s eye
The
week
of thecroc’s
photography
seenfirst
through
another
mouth, project
here
is all
theto
workshop
– learning
getting
theabout
audience
engage with
about
the
camera
and its functions – and
a photo,
get
them thinking.
generally there’s a varied range of
Bringing twoIt’s
elements
experience.
difficult together,
to manage everyone’s
we
can
make
a
suggestion
here
expectations, but around–the
middle of the
that
African
Impact
works
with
week, something fantastic happens. Those
snakes
– soexperience
you can see start
that even
with
more
to help those
with few variables, a photograph
who are new to the craft; people become
becomes more and more
inspired
by what they see on the screen in
complicated.
critiques, and learn how to look at the world
in
different
ways
and
This,
for me,
is part
of to
mysee photographically.
fascination with photography - the
It’s
not we
just
the
students,
either.
control
can
have
over what
we I see new
want
to
communicate,
by
simple
ways approach a subject all the time from
inclusion
omission.
It’s alsoangles I’ve never
work
thatormy
guys submit,
where
we
have
a
responsibility,
thought of, or a different way in
to manipulate
only what we
but howthe
we first to admit
anot
photograph.
I’dsay,
be among
say it.
There
is no
way many
we canthings
get
that
there
are
many,
I know
that perfect image, that puts an idea
nothing about and there are areas of
in another’s head with no confusion
photography
I’ve yettowards
to explore,
whatsoever. Striving
that and this is
just
one of however,
the things
I get back
perfection,
is what
keepsfrom working
and
teaching
here
in
Greater
the photographer coming back.Kruger.
Natural lighting has an
advantage over flash
photography in that, well, it’s
Use
what’s
onandoffer.
natural!
Your eyes
brain
have,
over
time,
used to
Natural lighting become
is always
seeing
everything
lit
from
above,
going to be way better than
and at an angle. This is why
anything man can
horror movies light their subjects
manufacture,
so use it!toThe
from below sometimes,
give
hours
just
after
and
just
the subject extradawn
dramatic
effect.
before sunset (the golden
When give
taking
portraits,
hours)
light
with a look for
soft,
natural
light
– coming
beautiful, rosy quality
(which
through
a
window,
for example.
is why most romantic
shots
In this way, you get a nice, even
are
set at sunset).
spread of soft light over your
‘Bad’
lighting
in your
subject.
This iscan
thework
most effective
favour.
Atmospheric
way of flattering
your subject, as
harsh lighting
show
every
conditions
canwill
lead
to up
moody
detail
and
flaw
in
the
skin!
shots, so maximize any
definition in overcast clouds
to make sure it doesn’t look
painted out.
Rim-lighting (a technique used
in studio lighting setups using
a designated ‘hair light’ for
models) and silhouetting can
have a very dramatic effect.
Just because you can’t get into
the right position doesn’t
mean you should try for the
shot. Remember – let nature
inspire you!
Crocodile
Crocodiles are large reptiles
found in tropical regions of
Africa, Asia, the Americas and
Australia. They are members
of the order Crocodilia, which
also includes caimans,
gharials and alligators. There
are 13 species of crocodiles,
so there are many different
sizes of crocodile
Interesting Crocodile Facts:
Closest relatives of crocodiles
are birds and dinosaurs.
Crocodiles have lived on the
Earth 240 million years. They
appeared at the same time
when dinosaurs appeared.
Crocodiles vary in size.
Largest crocodile species is
Saltwater Crocodile which can
reach 13-18 feet in length and
weigh up to 2200 pounds.
Smallest crocodile species is
Dwarf Crocodile which can
reach 5 feet in length and
weigh up to 40-70 pounds.
Crocodiles are meat-eaters
(carnivores). They have 24
sharp teeth which are used
for killing fish, birds,
mammals and small crocodile
(their prey).
A wise man once told me, “In order to keep it, you have to give it away first”.
At first I thought this ridiculous, but the more I teach, the more I realise it’s
true. If you want to keep your passion in life, show others why you love what
you do. Sooner rather than later, others will join in the conversation and
through inspiring others, you’ll be inspired yourself: this is one of the
fundamental reasons why, I believe, our photography project here works.
Volunteers come to enhance their skills and get a taste of Africa, but what
they get is so much more. By immersing themselves in the projects, the
family, the atmosphere, they get the passion, too – not just for photography,
but for Africa herself. And it’s a beautiful thing to watch happen from the
outside.
Like most of our volunteers, I originally came here with no experience of
Africa apart from David Attenborough, and now I cannot imagine ever being
apart from it. My photography and the project is a massive part of that, just
like Africa is now a part of me. Being able to share my passion and the joy of
showing the world what I have discovered here is a gift which, if I keep on
giving it away, continues to come back to me.
I mentioned before that teaching can be bittersweet, and it’s for all the
right reasons. I’ve had students arrive with the camera still boxed, with the
cellophane wrapping on, still sealed. By the time they leave they may not
quite be Annie Leibovitz or Ansel Adams but they now have a passion and a
way of expression that, to me, is second to none (although I’m slightly
biased in that respect, I’ll admit).
To look at how the volunteers’ photography improves as the 4 weeks pass
by is just amazing, sometimes to the point of my own jealousy, when I wish I
had taken that photo, but that’s when I know that what I, and the rest of the
team, are doing is worthwhile. People leave here with skills they wanted to
acquire, and some they never knew existed – wielding a machete, tracking
animals, making short films – and are invariably better off for it.
I know if any one of us has been an inspiration to even just one of our
volunteers, it’s been worth it. The work may be hard, the hours long, but the
rewards, for staff and volunteers alike? Priceless.
Do you want your photographs to go from
ordinary to extraordinary? Do you have a
passion for photography and travel? Take
that passion to African Impact South Africa
and volunteer for the photography program.
You will visit one of the most diverse wildlife
countries in the world and learn about the
research that is going on to help save many
of the endangered species. You will see
beautiful landscapes and help in the
community.
By immersing yourself daily in this program
you will learn what makes a photograph tell a
story. Learning the importance of lighting,
composition, creativity, shadows and so
much more, your photography skills and thus
your photographs will improve immensely.
You will also learn how to use Lightroom for
post-production to put those finishing
touches on your art. In the 4 weeks we have
been here our photography skills have grown
by leaps and bounds. Going on game drives,
bush walks, bird walks, and macro walks you
will soon learn to train your eyes to see all
the creatures great and small. Be prepared
for an intense experience; getting up early to
catch the best light, staying out for the
beautiful sunsets, going on night drives,
painting with light and so much more will be
presented to you in a beautiful setting. You
will meet and become friends with other
photographers from around the world with
the same goals
Hippo
Hippopotamus means "river horse"
in Greek. Male hippos can be up to
15 feet long, 5 feet high, and 8,000
pounds in weight, making them one
of the largest terrestrial mammals.
Only elephants and some white
rhinos are larger. At birth a
hippopotamus weighs 30 - 60 kg,
and it takes 4 to 5 years to reach
maturity and a weight of 3600 kg.
Hippo lips are about 2 feet wide.
Hippos can turn each ear in a
different direction at the same time.
A bull hippos' bellow has been
measured at 115 decibels. Hippos
cannot float because their heavy
muscles weigh them down and
cause them to sink. This does not
present a problem, since they can
either paddle to stay afloat or simply
walk along the river bottom. Feeding
always occurs on land. However,
courtship, birth and nursing takes
place underwater. Adult hippos can
stay underwater for five to six
minutes. However, baby hippos can
only stay underwater for twenty
seconds. Few animals can open
their mouths as wide as hippos can.
They use this ability to scare away
other animals. Around the turn of
the eighteenth century, hippo tusks
were used to make artificial teeth.
The smallest species in the
mongoose family, and the smallest
carnivore in Africa, the dwarf
mongoose has a dark brown or black
coat, with white or grey grizzling at
the ends.
With few exceptions. Only the
dominant pair in each group breeds
successfully, with litters of 2-5 born
normally at the start of the rainy
seasons.
The eat mainly insects, although their
diet has been known to extend to
scorpions and small birds. and their
predators are mostly larger
mongooses and raptors.
As a team we have learned how to produce amazing
photographs. Each photographer may see the same
animal, but by taking the photograph from different
angles, different lighting and focusing on different
parts of the body it changes the entire feel of the
photograph. The photography instructor Tim Feherty,
will help by looking at your best photographs and
possibly tweaking it in the post production process.
These lessons add so much more knowledge to your
constantly improving photographs. You will learn a
flow pattern to work on your photographs during post
production that will decrease the time spent behind
the computer and allow more time to spend behind
the lens of your camera. During this post production
process we learned how to change a good photograph
and turn it into an eye catching photograph.
As an added benefit we have learned about the ever
decreasing populations of these amazing animals.
Seeing in person the effects of poaching, loss of
habitat, global warming, and more, helped create a
desire in us to go home and teach others about the
severe plight and potential extinction of rhinos, large
cats, wild dogs, and many more species. African
Impact is also very involved in the communities and
doing research to try to save these beautiful animals.
Seeing the villages and how some people live has
opened our eyes to the importance of saving the
environment and how lucky we are to be living our
dream of travel and photography.
We want to thank Tim Feherty and his photography
assistant Lilla Szanto for all of their guidance and
patience during this amazing 4 weeks.
Two new males came into Klaserie together
this month and were first spotted by our
researchers on June 7th. It is unknown where
the two males came from but it seems as if
they will stay for a while because the older
and larger male has been mating with the
females in the area.
Originally from South Africa, Emma
spent 18 years in the UK, but always
wanted to come back.
After completing her law degree,
then volunteering on both
Photography and Research
projects, it was time to let Africa
pull her back in, and working for
African Impact was the perfect
move.
She loves the creative side of her
job – working with brochures and
marketing, but also talking to
volunteers, explaining that “You’ll
meet new people, experience and
do things you never thought
possible.”
Her favourite quote?
“Nothing game-changing comes
from staying within your comfort
zone.”
The most commonly sighted lion at Klaserie
in the month of May, Mabandi, hasn’t been
seen by any of our researchers since June 1st.
KF1 and KF2 are still the most commonly
seen females at Klaserie and have been
mating with several different male lions over
the course of the month. If either gets
pregnant, this could possibly increase the
chance of the cubs survival as the males will
not know for sure if the cubs are theirs or
another male’s cubs therefore making them
less likely to kill off the cubs than if they were
known to be from another male.
Leopard tracks are everywhere and now
that winter is in full effect leopard activity has
increased. Our individual track data will be
added to our maps at the end of the month.
With so many tracks hopefully we can better
understand the range and patterns of these
leopards within the area. After measuring the
tracks we definitely have at least two
different males and at least one female with
the possibility of more in the area.
Makhula is now back in the area. He was the first leopard
that was ever identified at our new location.
He was seen by me and other volunteer researchers at
the main hole where he was active last year, as well as
being seen on one of our camera traps along the southern
fenceline. We now know a new part of his range that also
follows the river. Ncila was also seen with her cubs for the
first time in Buffaloland by a group of our researchers. A
new female leopard was seen on our camera traps this
month as well, along with reports of another female with
cubs at Buffaloland.
Wild dog sightings have become a special commonality
in Klaserie over the last month with a female, male, and a
juvenile being spotted nearly every research trip. The den
site of this family of wild dogs was located, and while
there was suspicion that wild dog cubs were in the den it
has now been confirmed that there are as many as 9 wild
dog pups at the den site as well.
Elephant sightings have increased over the last couple
weeks as well. With a new elephant ID kit made it is now
easier to identify which herds we are seeing and what
activities they are displaying.
Our physical conservation work continues to progress
as the water hole on our property here at Dumela
continues to be a main focus as we get closer and closer
to finishing it with every hour of hard work that gets put
in. Lastly, we continue to work on clearing brush in a
section of Buffaloland nearly every week in hopes that
soon water from the dam can be released into the area
and grasses can be planted and will grow to provide more
food for the grazing wildlife.
Re-setting your camera
,
In order to be prepared to get
those fantastic, spontaneous
shots, always reset your camera
back to settings that you’re
happy with. When shooting,
settings will often change in
order to suit the subject, but if
you revert to default every time
you set the camera down, you’ll
know exactly what you’re dealing
with every single time.
Research Focus: The Journey of FBL1 and
her Offspring
Wild Dog
The African wild dog, African
hunting dog, or African painted
wolf (Lycaon pictus) is native to subSaharan Africa. It is classified
as endangered, as it has
disappeared from much of its
original range. The current
population has been estimated at
roughly 39 subpopulations
containing 6,600 adults, only 1,400
of which are fully grown. The decline
of these populations is ongoing, due
to habitat fragmentation, human
persecution, and disease outbreaks.
The African wild dog is a
highly social animal, living in packs
with separate dominance
hierarchies for males and females.
Unique among social carnivores, it is
the females rather than the males
that scatter from the natal pack
once sexually mature, and the
young are allowed to feed first on
carcasses. The species is a
specialised diurnal hunter
of antelopes, which it catches by
chasing them to exhaustion. Like
other canids, it regurgitates food for
its young, but this action is also
extended to adults, to the point of
being the bedrock of African wild
dog social life. It has few natural
predators, though lions and
hyaenas are a major source of
mortality.
FBL1, or Ncilia Wo Leha, has been seen with
her two 6-month-old cubs!! This is the first
confirmation of these cubs since we heard
her mating last year. While seeing cubs is
special on its own, the journey our team has
taken to arrive at this point makes the
sighting extremely special.
2015
FBL1 was the first leopard we saw at
Buffaloland. On 15 June 2015, a large
leopardess strolled in front of the
researchers, confirming that there were
leopards present in the area and that this was
a potential priority research area.
By August, activity from the large males, MBL1
and MBL3, sparked the leopard project as
they were using holes in fences to travel
through multiple properties. On the 21st of
August, we observed leopard mating noises
close to the corridor we had been monitoring.
On the 23rd of August we heard mating calls
again, followed by seeing two leopards quickly
walk into the bush. One day later, we had a
camera trap photo of both leopards and were
able to discern it was MBL3 and this female.
Over the next few months, sightings, track
and camera trap data on FBL1 increased in a
more southern area of the reserve. It became
clear that this area was a core section of her
range.
2016
In January, a photo of FBL1 showed that she was lactating. A gestation
period of 90-105 days was consistent with our mating data and we excitedly
questioned whether the den site was in the area. At the beginning of
February, researchers had a visual of FBL1. She was noticeably more
aggressive with the vehicles, most likely due to her offspring close by.
Although we did not see the cubs, we decided to avoid the area to ensure the
potential den site was not disturbed.
Data on FBL1 decreased in the following months. However, the beginning of
June brought the most welcome surprise of two beautiful cubs,
approximately 6 months old, on an impala kill with FBL1. FBL1 was noticeably
more relaxed compared to the February sighting. MBL3 is potentially the
male who sired these cubs. So far, we think that it is one male and one
female cub, but will need new photos to be sure.
FBL1’s journey is a perfect illustration of the story that data can tell over a
period of time and represents the life cycle of leopards living in regions of
South Africa that are not formally protected. Leopards travel through
different properties that have various levels of human disturbance. They
cross roads, they enter agricultural properties, and they continue to populate
regions outside of reserves. FBL1 is the leopard that we have obtained the
most data for since arriving in 2015 and her cubs are possibly the offspring of
a very large male. The flow of genetics is extremely important to ensuring
healthy populations, and this flow has occurred within unprotected areas,
across human erected boundaries. Eventually, these two young leopards will
leave FBL1 to form their own territories. But where will these territories be
formed? In landscapes where suitable habitat is increasingly fragmented and
disturbed by human activity, where will these leopards survive and how will
they continue to ensure their genes are passed on in these areas? We will not
be able to answer some of these questions, but they represent our mission
to protect and understand leopard populations in the area as well as the
need for pooled data initiatives such as the Hoedspruit Leopard Project.
FBL1, MBL3 and the newly coded CBL11 and CBL12 will continue to stand as
flagships of that purpose. (Photos: Jolandie Botha)
Our resident DJ/mixmaster and
Community Liaison, Trico, from a
small village, Chavela Gaza, has
an inspiring story about passion,
focus and how if you put your
mind on your goal you can
accomplish anything.
With 8 languages under his belt
and having studied human
relations in university, Trico is
one of the best when it comes to
working within the local schools
and community.
Through Eco Children, a program
Trico was a part of as a child, he
now works with them and other
community programs to instill in
the young people of today the
passion and focus which made
Trico into the essential member
of our team he is today.
Ecosystems are in a constant state of flux, continually
striving to maintain equilibrium whereby all natural
organisms can flourish equally. When human nature impacts
an ecosystem negatively, it surely becomes our responsibility
as the “caretakers” of this planet to realign those natural
processes towards a healthy balance.
Dumela Lodge has a vibrant history, however; the many
changes the property has been through have led to an
ecosystem that is debilitated. So how do we rectify this
problem? We regenerate the property with a constructive
Ecology Management Plan that makes it viable in the future
for flora and fauna to thrive in harmony with the human
elements of the lodge. Involving a multifaceted strategy
starting with the basics of removing anything artificially
occurring from the property, for example the volunteers have
removed concrete, glass, metal, barbed wire and general litter
already.
Completion of this allows for the commencement of soil and
vegetation sampling, enabling us to study the health of the
land within Dumela’s boundaries. The knowledge gained will
enable us to determine what flora would be beneficial to the
fauna and general ecosystem health, be it removing alien
invasive and bush encroachment species, and/or replenishing
grasses and trees. The project is long term and will require
the dedication of both staff and volunteers to
complete…however imagine years down the road, an
ecosystem that is healthy and thriving, providing for the
greater ecosystem that is planet Earth. (Photos: Michelle Bitzi)
Check out our newest
submissions for this month on:
africanimpactphotography.com