Page 1 December Staff children receive Christmas

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1 Page 1 December 2013 Lissataba Times Staff children receive Christmas S P E C I A L POINTS OF INTEREST: Monthly Safari Camera Traps Security INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Children Receive Gifts 1 Going The Extra Mile 2 Monthly Safari 3 Camera Trap 4 Fact Corner 5 Classified 6 Despite a slow start to the initiative, soon donations for the kiddies Christmas gift boxes came in thick and fast. Some families kindly supported gifts for as many as 7 children. It was very heart-warming for us to have such a great response. Every gift box included; something to love (toys, cuddly bears), something to use (toothbrush, toothpaste and soap), something to do (educational items) and something to wear. Thanks very much to the Scandling family (site 25) for helping us with the enormous task of wrapping and labelling over 30 presents and to the Williams family (site 26) for donating printing paper that was used as wrapping paper. On the 23rd December, the gifts were handed over to the children on the farm. The children were so excited to look under the African Christmas tree (Sausage tree on the clubhouse lawn) to find their name tags on the presents and start unwrapping their gifts.

2 Page 2 December 2013 G O I N G T H E E X T R A M I L E After hearing about our pledge for the kiddies Christmas gift boxes and the initial slow response, one of our younger Lissataban s took it upon himself to find donations for the cause. Eight year old Thomas Scandling was determined to ensure that all of the kids would receive a gift, Tom took initiative and wrote a letter to the Head Master of his Primary School in England to seek support in organising a raffle and raising money. Tom prepared a presentation to the other pupils in his class which explained the work that Lissataba does with the surrounding community. He explained about the environmental education and painting projects that we have done with Maatla Primary School. Tom explained how fortunate he is to go to a nice school and how lucky he is to receive gifts every year at Christmas. He then went on to explain about the gift box idea for the Lissataba staff s children. By organising a raffle and collecting donations, Tom managed to raise an astonishing R1600. Such an amazing achievement. With the majority of the presents for the children already bought with the donations from other home owners, we discussed with Tom and his parents, Grant and Antionette Scandling, how we would spend this money. We decided that we can further help the staff s children by building a small play area in the staff village for when they visit their parents. With the money raised, we are going to build a safe area for the kids to play in, including; a swing set and sand pit. Thomas was awarded with an Honorary Junior Ranger certificate from Lissataba for his commitment, initiative and showing special interest in the reserve. Later on, Thomas and his younger brother, Daniel, were taken for a spin on the tractor for a little bit of fun.

3 Page 3 December 2013 Y O U R M O N T H L Y S A F A R I The caracal on Main Road was seen again this month, by Deon and Karen (site 16). This is the sixth recorded sighting of the animal this year, within an approx. 600m stretch of road. Keep your eyes out on Main road between Huilboerboom Dam Road and the open area close to the Main Gate. It also seems as if the African Wild Cat seen by Sean and Beth in November has made another appearance. Some homeowners were fortunate enough to see a wild cat during an evening drive. From the description of the place seen and the relaxed behaviour of the animal, it seems like it is the same individual. A large black mamba was found in the roof thatch at site 5. As avid snake enthusiasts, Thomas and Zander (site 9) were called to remove the snake. Upon arrival, they decided that the size of the snake would require even more expert experience and so Donald Strydom from Khamai Reptile Park was called for assistance. With huge professionalism, Donald removed the snake safely and then gave all those present a small talk on mambas and the correct procedure for removal of these animals. Sadly the snake had to be taken off of the property due to injuries. It was operated on will be released back on to Lissataba. December has definitely been a month for reptiles. The tortoises are out in force, both the Leopard Tortoise and the Speke s Hinged Tortoise. This tiny Leopard Tortoise was found near Koppie Dam. During their stay, Thomas and Zander (site 9) managed to rack up quite a list of reptiles and shared some of their wonderful pictures with us. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. (Male Boomslang Zander Dreyer) (Western Stripe-bellied Sand Snake Zander Dreyer) (Herald snake Thomas Bothma) (Juvenile Flap-necked Chameleon Thomas Bothma)

4 P a g e 4 D e c e m b e r C A M E R A T R A P S A dead Waterbuck bull was found close to the gate at the beginning of the month. A single wound to the chest area suggested that the horn of another Waterbuck was the cause of death. Cameras were set up at the carcass. On the first evening, a brown hyena visited the carcass. A few photos in succession show the animal coming to sniff around but it did not stay long. The next animals to pay a visit were bushpig. The following 600 photos showed bushpig and only bushpig eating the rest of the carcass! Bushpig then featured again on the cameras this month. Deon and Karen Scheepers (site 16) set up their trail camera in the housing section, close to the water tanks, after seeing some digging activity that they thought might have been aardvark. During the day, the camera caught warthog and then in the evening, the other member of the Suidae family, bushpig. A camera was left close to Heron Dam for almost a month. Species seen included; eland, waterbuck, kudu, impala, baboons, warthog, nyala and wildebeest. This photo of an impressive eland bull was taken there as well as this blurry, but amazing photo of an impala ram jumping over the drainage line. Other interesting photos taken this month include this nice photo of two young waterbuck bulls locking horns in a playful fight.

5 Page 5 December 2013 F A C T C O R N E R : T H E M A R U L A T R E E Marula trees (Sclerocarya birrea) can either be male or female (dioecious). The female trees bear fruit. It is traditionally believed that the sex of the tree can be used to determine the gender of an unborn child. Women wishing to have a girl bath in the water with a branch from a female tree, or drink a tea made from the powdered bark. Women hoping for a baby boy use the branch or powdered bark from a male tree. The fruits are high in vitamin C and one fruit is said to have several times as much as a single orange. The seed kernels hold nuts, which are held inside the kernel by small caps. The caps are notoriously difficult to open, although squirrels make quick work of it. The seeds produce a rich oil called sakoa oil. The oil is used as a meat preservative and currently being tested for use in cosmetics and sunscreen. The fruits are used to make jellies and a potent beer. More famously, they are a key ingredient in the Amarula liqueur. Many parts of the tree are used in traditional medicinal remedies. The leaves are chewed to reduce heartburn, oil from the nuts is used in skin treatments, and the bark has several uses - it contains an antihistamine, is used as a malarial prophylactic, and is also effective as a treatment for stomach upsets. S E C U R I T Y This month, there was a security issue on the neighbouring farm, Breytenbach. The house was broken in to and the burglars attempted to steal the rifles safes but were not successful. On the 15th, homeowners reported seeing poacher dogs on Leopard Road, North of Heron Dam. Sean and Donovan responded but could not find any spoor to follow up further. Later that evening, one of security contacted us to say he had seen poachers on the Western Fence close to the Eskom Gate. Again, Sean and Donovan responded but the poachers were already on the other side of the fence making their way to Finale. No snares have been found on Lissataba this month.

6 Page 6 December 2013 L I S S A T A B A I N T H E N E W S Back in July, John and Apple Gidley came through to Lissataba to see friends, Dan and Jacqueline Coope (site 6). After their holiday, Apple wrote an article that was published in the Global Living Magazine. Part of the article can be seen opposite. To read the entire article go to

7 Page 7 December 2013 SITES FOR SALE Site 1 Open Site Site 19 Open Site Site 25 Built Site Site 26 Built Site Site 28 Share for sale Site 31 Built Site Site 33 Share for sale Site 34 Open Site Site 37 Built Site Site 41/44 Share for sale Site 43 Built Site C L A S S I F I E D S FOR SALE Pool Table for sale, please contact the office. Site 31 has a Toyota Hilux game viewer for sale, extra large body good running condition, R LISSATABA IN THE 21ST CENTURY We have started a Lissataba Facebook page, which aims to update homeowners with the latest goingson on the reserve, including photos and sightings. To keep updated, search for Lissataba Private Game Reserve in the search bar on Facebook and Like the page. D E C E M B E R B I R T H D A Y W I S H E S Wishing all of our December birthday friends a wonderful day from the Lissataba family. Eugene Kruger (site 9) Tony van der Camp (site 15) Dee-anna Zotos (site 39) Stuart Hain (site 20) David Manttan (site 41/44) Louise Jankowitz (site 11) Grant Scandling (site 25) Peter Koek (site 33) He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature - Socrates Best regards, the Lissataba Team