Rangers Diary
15 February 2010
As Pumba continues to experience hot weather, a lot of general plains game continue to give birth to late comers, such as Impala and Black Wildebeest. The plains though sustain them well, with good grass cover, and there is still an abundance of water, with two of our water holes being supplemented by natural springs in our mountains, which are being maintained through continual Alien Plant Management.
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The White Lion in the Southern Section of the reserve have provided very good sightings over the past week, particularly on Thursday evening when they were seen feeding on a Blue Wildebeest which they had just caught. Looking full, and unable to move anywhere, the pride proceeded to locate themselves near a dam, were they lounged about for the next two days. The White Lioness is venturing further west from the eastern boundary where she has been associating for the past couple of months, with no sign of kills being made, though she is in very good condition, and amazes all who have the opportunity of seeing her.
The Hyena continue to show their presence with sightings being had in the main section of the reserve, in the plains, pursuing the Blue Wildebeest which forage on the grasslands. Hyena have proven to be great opportunists, not only scavenging for food, but are just as efficient hunters, were reliance on team work as a clan is vital to their success, a trait typical of the dog family, even though Hyena are classed as a family of their own.
With the calving season, having come and gone, the males of the general plains species, in particular the Impala have started asserting dominance amongst the males, with the rutting season starting to take place. Numerous skirmishes have been witnessed over the past week, with no noted fatalities, which are often experienced when evenly matched males come face to face.
The Breeding Herd of Elephant have been concentrating a lot of their foraging activity in the Brookhuizenspoort, a tributary to the Cariega River, were there is an abundance of water, following the ho days that have been experienced during this month. Endless wallowing has been observed as well as the occasional dust bath, to keep at bay biting insects.
~Richard Pearse
(All images courtesy Pumba Private Game Reserve. All rights reserved)
Eastern Cape Luxury Safari Accommodation at Pumba
In the malaria-free Eastern Cape, Pumba Private Game Reserve provides an intimate African experience never to be forgotten.
The reserve is home to Africa’s Big 5, as well as white lion, hippo, hyena, cheetah, giraffe, wild dog, antelope species and an abundant 270 bird species.
Pumba offers a variety of accommodation at luxury game lodges.
More about Pumba.
To book accommodation at Pumba please contact Portfolio Collection.
