Lion Survey

The lion survey is in full swing in the Save Valley Conservancy.

The aim is to try and identify population numbers and members and learn more about the lion that use our areas.

Meat baits were dragged to establish scent trails (not the most attractive part of the operation) before being strategically set to allow for maximal observation.  The lions were then called in using recordings of lions making a kill and feeding.  This took about an hour.

Once the lion arrived they fed at the bait for approximately another hour.

A male and a female of those who fed at the bait were darted and collared.  Researchers say that the female has definitely had cubs before and judging by her teeth think she is approximately 7 years old.

The lions photographed here were taken by camera traps at bait sites after they had been collared.

Leopard Kill

Our scouts found a fresh Leopard kill yesterday morning.  Due to all the foliage it was too difficult to determine if it was a male or female.  As it was not hidden very well the leopard might just loose its kill to vultures or other little scavengers.

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The dryness of a Lowveld can be harsh but it is certainly beautiful in its own way and the increased visibility without all the greenery and leaves on vegetation sure helps with game viewing.



Black Eagles

On the nest

Not many people can say that they have looked DOWN on a flying Black Eagle. 

A few lucky clients are able to make this claim after making the tough climb up the back of Castle Rock to look down on a Black Eagle nest site a few weeks ago.

They saw the female sitting on the eggs and were able to get a photo of her from above a little while later.



A Black Eagle from above!



The pair nest in the same place each year and have raised several chicks successfully over the years.  Hopefully this year will be another success story for the Black Eagles of Castle Rock, Chishakwe.

Dogs Denning

The first Wild Dog Den has been found and the pups captured on a camera trap at the den site.

"This is the first record of pups this year – the denning season has just started and I hope to be able to report on lots more pups over the next few months." reports Rosemary Groom of the Lowveld Wild Dog Research Trust.

Eclipse

 For those of you who might have

 missed this wonderful sight, we caught it! As you can imagine the

view from Moon Rock was

Magnificant!

 The photo on the right shows the moon when it was totaly in the shadow of the earth. 

The next eclipse is due on 

Sept 28th 2015.

Dogs and Baboons do NOT mix

Maddox who is an exceptionally large dog (probably weighs in at about 80kg) got into a fight with a baboon.  Despite out weighing the baboon quite considerably he was quite badly mauled and has a deep gash on his throat.  He will have some scars but is expected to recover ... and has hopefully learnt some respect for baboons!

Maddox is the big guy on the right in this picture.

Hassan

I have found some pictures of how Hassan looked in life.  I am posting them in his honour ... this is how he should be seen and how he should be remembered.

What a waste!

Moon Rock

Just realised:  We have the perfect spot to watch the eclipse from:  Moon Rock.

Moon Rock is a large granite dome about 3/4's of the way up a kopje on Chishakwe.  From Moon Rock it is possible to watch the sun set on one side of the sky and the moon rise on the other.  When it is dark it is totally dark with no electric lights to be seen anywhere ... and that is even IF the power is on!

Perfect spot for watching lunar eclipses!  Bit chilly up there at this time of year though so maybe a bonfire would be a sensible addition to the event.

Lunar Eclipse

Look out for the lunar eclipse on the 15th of June.  It will be visible from South Asia, Australia and Africa.
It is due to start at about 19h22 universal time and reach its peak by about 20h12 universal time.

Ignorance Kills. Spread the word.

This horrifying picture says it all.

Hassan is (was) the white rhino bull we reported poached in our last post.

He was shot multiple times by AK47's.  The poachers responsible are ruthless and dangerous men who care for little other than the money they will recieve for their part in this horrific incident.  But are they really the ones to blame? 

Certainly they are immoral and greedy men who care little for the pain of the animals or the damage to the country's wildlife heritage.  Nevertheless they would have no reason to do what they do were it not for the stubborn ignorance of those who use the horn for what they believe are medicinal purposes.

As it is a well established fact that rhino horn does not have any medicinal purposes at all these people are putting themselves or whoever they are treating at risk as well as providing the reason for the senseless and bloody massacre of one of Africa's most iconic animals.  Rhino's are critically endangered for no reason other than the archaic and mistaken beliefs of some misguided people on the other side of the world.  If that is not tragic then what is?

We would like to start a social media revolution to spread the word around the world:  RHINO HORN HAS NO MEDICINAL BENEFITS!!!  Perhaps if enough people say it often enough eventually the ripples will reach the areas where they may make a difference.  Tell everyone you can think of to tell everyone they can think of!

Sad News

On Friday evening (3rd June) poachers shot and killed a white rhino bull on a property near Chishakwe.

This comes as a blow to scouts who were engaged in tracking the poachers but could not prevent the incident.  Efforts to prevent further incidents are ongoing.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RAOUL DU TOIT

Raoul Du Toit has been honoured by being named as one of the winners of the Goldman Environment Prize for Africa for 2011 in recognition of his efforts to conserve rhino in Zimbabwe.  The awards were made at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and later the same day the recipients got to meet President Obama who congratulated them on their achievements.

"Conserving rhinos saves much more than the rhino themselves - they are flagships for biodiversity and for national development based on sustainable wildlife management in Africa" Raoul told Phyllis Kachere of Sunday-In-Depth during an interview after his return to Harare.

In the meantime the battle to save the rhino from unscrupulous poachers in ongoing in the Save Valley Conservancy.