Mahlathini. Private Game Reserve. Manager s Newsletter. November Rainfall November 57 mm. Last November we recorded 7 mm

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1 Mahlathini Private Game Reserve Manager s Newsletter. November 2015 Rainfall November 57 mm Last November we recorded 7 mm Season total to date recorded at office- 93 mm Extreme temperatures and drying up of waterholes is creating high stress levels with the animals. November rainfall has brought some relief, with above average recordings for this month. We have purchased our 3 rd load of grass bales recently and have been informed that that will be the last load, as grass stocks in our area are almost depleted.

2 Interesting interaction caught on the night camera. We came across a dead impala caught up in the fence line whilst on a morning patrol We suspect something had spooked the impala causing it to get tangled up in the fence and electrocute itself. Anyway we decided to set it up in a tree to hopefully get pictures of Leopards. First on the scene was a pair of Honey badgers. One up already and the other still climbing up.

3 Whist the badgers were busy feeding a big male caracal [Rooikat] came along and tried getting at the meat. I can just imagine the growling and snarling that went on between these 3 animals. I certainly would not like to confront 2 angry Badgers and I m sure the Rooikat was of the same mind because he didn t hang around very long.

4 Not long after the Rooikat, the inevitable hyenas arrived and the confrontation must have been something else! Check the one badger peering over at the hyena. The badgers then dragged the carcass higher up into the tree and out of reach of the frustrated hyena. Whilst on about hyena, they are the apex predators on the reserve at the moment. Recently they caught and devoured a waterbuck cow at stand 10. They can be heard throughout the night.

5 With the late November rains the ground vegetation has flushed quite nicely. I am still putting out food to keep the pressure off the veld. Forecasts and predictions of rain are not very encouraging and we will have to monitor and manage the situation carefully. Snakes, scorpions and spiders [the big ones!] are active and one needs to be observant around the dwellings, mainly because their prey, like frogs, mice, birds etc. get their food and water near to residences. Ronald and Yvonne had a fairly rare visitor which they very gingerly released back to the wilds. Black headed centipede eater.

6 I thought this snake needed mentioning as even though they are fairly common they are not often seen. They are venomous, but considered not dangerous to man, due to their tiny fangs which would be difficult to penetrate the human skin. They are generally non-aggressive when handled. They feed exclusively on centipedes and can reach a length of around 25cm. In turn, they are fed upon by other snakes, spiders and sometimes centipedes themselves. I was called for a Boomslang at house 24 recently. Nice large, shiny green fella, which I managed to catch and release. Boomslangs seem to be dominating the sightings at houses, and if cornered inside can become aggressive. You don t want to be bitten by one!! Well Christmas is upon us once again, seemed like just the other day. Hope everyone has a good one and hopefully a wet one!