The “Bumi Boys” seen yesterday, along the Bumi Hills Safari lodge shoreline.
Having naturally dispersed from their parent pride in Matusadona national park on lake kariba, these two young males have made it a regular incidence along the Bumi Hills Safari Lodge shoreline, where they frequently kill and eat large crocodile.“Dinner for two”
Some say “the setting sun in Kariba, Zimbabwe are some of the most spectacular sunset’s in the world”. These pics taken yesterday evening while having a sundowner just off the Bumi Hills foreshore.
Her name given Nobhuhle, In foreground. Cecils Pride as of December 2015.
One of the last known pictures taken prior the collaring of one of Cecil’s Queens, thereafter named Nobhuhle meaning Beautiful in the Ndebele language.
The fitment of the satellite collar has been a necessary measure for the purpose of research so as to know the exact location of the pride at all times, which has been done by researcher Brent Stapelkamp of WILDCRU as he monitors the Lion populations throughout Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.
Six cubs and two Lioness remain forming the nucleas of what are commonly known as Cecil’s pride. Although still on the run at age 11 months the six cubs of Cecil’s pride are still in fantastic health.
Cecil’s pride originally consisted of 3 Mature females and 8 cubs born to the pride in February 2015 sired by both Cecil and Jericho, however there currently remain 6 cubs and two mature Lioness. It appears the third Lioness is no longer with the pride.
She has disappeared the circumstances unclear.
They are situated between the area of Kennedy 2 and Mbiza within the eastern boundary of Hwange National Park. Although they are constantly on the move they still infrequently present regular photographic opportunity.
Despite the missing third Lioness, all six cubs are in fantastic condition.
Jericho, unable to hold the territory moved north abandoning the pride and has settled around Kennedy 1 and the area of The Hide Safari Camp and is seen on a regular basis.
He has within the territory he currently holds three Lioness, a collared Lioness named Cathy and her two nieces.
Here Cathy feeding on a young elephant they had just killed. This is a typical behavior of Lions in the height of the dry season In Hwange.
The Lion in Hwange, from September will prey on the elephant in their weakened state.
This juvenile had been abandoned by the herd.
The abandoned elephant calf.
In the October heat, the elephant suffer badly the affects of dehydration. This cow lay here never to rise again.
An average elephant drinks in excess of 100 litres a day, the big bulls 227 litres a day. some of the waterholes are seeing more than 1000 elephant a day.
The buffalo and other wildlife have a hard time accessing water. This bull rather curious and thirsty came to check us out.
Cecil the lion became world famous when he was tragically Killed on the border of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on the 1st of July 2015. Before his untimely demise he lived a full life in the world renowned game park and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of his history and provide […]
In Southern Africa there exists two species of rhino the Black (Diceros Bicornis) and the White (Ceratotherium Simum) Both species currently face extinction due to demand in many Asian countries for the Rhino’s Horn.
The horn of both species up until now for thousands of years people have believed it to possess properties making it much sought after as an aphrodysiac.
The current Idea…
For many years Zimbabwe and other Southern African countries have conducted annual dehorning exercise’s.
The current Dehorning exercise is typically carried out by a qualified veterinarian who darts the rhino with a powerful anaesthetic which puts the Rhino to sleep. The team then quickly move in and will check the Rhino’s vital signs and will cut the horns off, thereafter the vet will administer a drug to reverse the anaesthesia. The Rhino gets up and after a few puffs and pants runs off into the bush.
To cut the horn off is to remove the incentive from the poaching of the rhino, making it less attractive for the poacher. Over the years it has been established that the Rhino’s horn after dehorning grows five Centimetres per year and can be harvested without damage to the health of the Rhino…
In Southern African countries the rhino horn Stockpile in the Parks vaults increases year by year…
There is currently a ban in the trade in rhino horn imposed by CITES an International body (Convention for the international Trade in Endangered Species) and yet year by year the demand for horn in Asia increases 13 killed in South Africa in 2007 and by the end of 2014 1215 Rhino were killed for their horn.
The Rhino named Swazi
The question is… Is It Working???
Swazi Poached
The Way Forward.…
Does it not make sense to legalize the trade in the horn giving the farmer a financial incentive to not only look after the rhino he has, but to also be provided the incentive to increase his numbers.
An ethical legal trade in rhino horn should be controlled by a Central Selling Organisation.This organization would broker sales to partners in consumer countries. All horn would have to be registered through a database and marked and quotas proportionate to the ownership of rhinos would be determined.Only registered stakeholders (farmers, landowners etc) would receive payment for horn.
Many people comment on the game parks potentially having less Rhino, the trouble is most have already disappeared from the wild.
The reality is…
The Rhino’s horn is made up of Keratin exactly the same stuff making up our hair and finger nails and the claimed pharmacological properties of the horn as an aphrodysiac yet remains to be proven.
Despite the great variety in appearance, it was recognized by early comparative anatomists that structures as diverse as hairs, feathers and hooves and consist of a similar substance, which was called ‘horn’ or ‘keratin’.
It is whilst watching elephant within Hwange National Park, one of Southern Africa’s biggest game parks that a certain dynamic is realised to exist between the Old Bull elephant and their young apprentices, friendships which will often span a lifetime.
The Elephant herd consisting of the matriarch, her sisters and daughters, as well as young males under the age of 14.
The young Bull from age 12 comes into must which is a condition of breeding. Both the male and female need to be in season for copulation to occur.
To avoid the young elephant bull from breeding with sisters and aunties he is expelled from the herd from between age’s 14 and 20 and in this condition has a natural inclination to cover tremendous distances moving him away from potential family members.
Elephant bulls when in breeding enter a state of elevated testosterone levels known as musth. During musth the elephant bull dribbles strong smelling urine profusely, discoloring the inside of his legs and penis and secretes from the temporal glands run down the sides of his head. The elephant Bull in Musth also becomes aggressive due to high blood testosterone and will travel long distances taking them away from areas where they may be related to cows, along the way they emit an infrasonic musth call to attract oestrus cows and will challenge other bulls they may encounter.
In Hwange, In the late dry season when the young bulls are dehydrated, depraved of nutrition and alone will often be preyed upon by the prides of Lion as the young elephant bulls no longer have the protection of the herd. It’s at this time that the young bull elephant needs to join up and become Askari to an older bull who will teach him the natural migratory routes, certain plants to eat at certain times of the year but most importantly the breeding protocol’s and manners.
Although they can breed at a young age the Elephant can only start breeding when he is big bodied enough to be able to challenge the big bulls. Typically this takes place from age 35.
The discipline instilled from the influence of the older bulls is a vital part of maintaining order within the structures of society and definitely something we too should learn from.
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