BUSHMANS RIVER WITH CHARLES AND INGRID DU TOIT MAY 2008

BUSHMANS RIVER MAY 2008
May 2008.
The first weekend in May we were invited to Charles & Ingrid’s Bushman’s shack. Thursday and Friday had been public holidays due to Workers day. Saturday morning I enjoyed a run with Kobus, Adrienne, Andy and Stuart. Then we packed up and after a few errands collected Ian. From home to Bushmans is less than 130kays and a really easy drive. Charles has bought this home together with Stuart Herrington and family. Stuart lost a child recently. The child had been in a coma for many years and finally died this year.

We had been to the Butcher at First Ave Walmer and had bought a Fillet steak @R140pkg. As we were driving to Bushmans, we were signalled by another driver that our wheel was flat. We stopped to inspect and decided that we could drive as far as Alexandria as it was just 20kays further and then pump up the tyre. In Alexandria we searched for some cold ham for lunch and after being shown some really disgusting looking stuff at the OK foods we were directed to the local butcher. Here I was shown some really delicious ham which I purchased and for interests sake asked about fillet. The owner told me that he sold fillet @R91pkg. I felt like I had been “had” but decided to purchase a nice big fillet which I would take home after the weekend. We also bought some Kudu dry wors for the road.

The home in Bushmans is in a caravan park. They have bought a 15 year use of the home. It is a caravan with a room and stoep built onto the caravan. It makes this a really good place to visit for two families at a time. They are within walking distance of the river and beach where they launch the motor boat that they have bought. This is their second boat as they were not entirely satisfied with the first boat. And this weekend was their first time to take the boat out.

We arrived at the Bushmans shack at lunch time. Charles & I went to the shops across from the main road to purchase some wine for the evening. He had a look at a hardware shop for some cement to fix the braai area but as they did not have any we went to another bigger hardware shop which was really well stocked. Here he was given some cement by the owner. I bought a shower caddy for Wildcliff.

Both Ally and Ian had made themselves sandwiches and after we had all had something to eat and drink we headed down to the river. Charles and Ingrid had been there a few days already and the boat was in the water. We launched the boat and went for a long drive up river. Charles had packed some rods and eventually we stopped and cast our lines. It was Ally’s first time to go fishing and she had a few tugs on the line. At the place where we stopped in the river we had game parks on either sides and on the north side we had seen an Eland (See below).

Charles was the only one who caught a fish. It was a flat round fish that we decided was not going to be good to eat so threw back into the river. We saw a number of people going past us in some fancy looking boats including groups of tourists on safari. Charles had also packed in some snacks, cooldrinks and beers so we felt like we were on top of the world.

Barbara was sitting at the back of the boat and had a wet behind. Not even this had put a damper on the afternoon. Ingrid was our captain on the way back. We had hardly started up the motor when Barbara yelled for her to stop. She had spotted a Cheetah (see below) lying on the side of the river. There are fences all along the perimeters of the game parks and the Cheetah was lying inside the fence. We stopped to look at the cheetah and, as we were turning to get a closer look, Ian saw what we first thought was another Eland but turned out to be a Rhinoceros (see below).

It was a White Rhino with two enormous horns grazing right next to the fence. It walked along the fence for a while and then we think that it may have picked up Digby’s scent and then stood at the fence looking at us for a while before moving off behind some shrubs.

As we cruised down river we saw a number of birds; Cormorant, Heron, a Crane, a Kingfisher amoungst others. This had been the most amazing afternoon with a lovely boat trip and game viewing all thrown in. Once back at the jetty we secured the boat for the night and headed back home.

This evening we braaied the steak with some chops and sosaties. Ingrid had bought some Mielies and spiced rolls which also went on the fire and made a delicious meal. We sat chatting and enjoying the evening and after supper went for a walk down to the beach. Ian was fooling around and had a nasty accident in the dark as he cracked his shin on the stairs leading down to the beach. When we got back to the shack, Ian put some ice on his leg and I iced my left knee which gives me constant trouble. The walk added to the evening and made me feel tired enough to excuse myself for the evening. I think that others also bedded themselves down shortly after I had left. I awoke in the evening and opened the window and door and then fell into a deep sleep with the fresh sea air in the room. Digby slept outside which is quite unusual for him.

Sunday morning I went for my morning run. I ran to the hardware shop in the industrial area and past along what I thought was a nice farm road but turned out to be the road to the town sewerage farm. Along this road there is a marshy area which is a conservation area for the Crested Blue Crane. After a shower and coffee I was ready for breakfast and was happy to say yes thanks to the offer of scrambled eggs.

First off Charles had decided to tackle the Braai Repair. He found a small plastic container and started to mix some cement. We removed all the loos brickwork, washed down the area to be repaired. Then Charles scooped cement with a stick that he had scrounged up and we began the repair job in earnest. I will be interested to see how it lasts but once we had finished; we had rejoined both sides of the braai and had sealed the centre area. Finally we washed the whole area down and surveyed our handiwork with a great deal of satisfaction.

Ingrid had a little two burner cooker which she put onto the centre table. Unfortunately she was trying to be kind to Ally and Ian who were also using the extension cable for their DVD player. The result was a cooker upside down on the wooden floor, a burn mark on the floor, bacon on the floor and a broken pan. We were able to right the cooker, scoop up the bacon and Ingrid saved the pan later with some special glue. The floor now has a “character mark”. At the Braai area they have a tree that blends in with the fence. This tree seems to attract a variety of bird life that eat the nectar of the pink flower. The result of the flower is a pod with just two seed in the pod. I took two of these pods and a branch that had been sawed off the tree to see if we can grow this tree either at home or Wildcliff.

After breakfast the Charles, Ian, Ally & I went out on the boat again. We did not have much petrol left and only went as far as the bridge. We cast some lines out, saw some mullet as they were leaped out of the water, probably being chased by a larger predator fish and Ally learned to cast. It was not long before she was casting a really good line.

The sun was shining and while I was content to stay there all morning we eventually had to pack up and made our way slowly back to the jetty. Charles went to fetch the trailer and I watched a bunch of St Andrews boys as they played around on the beach with their teachers. Reminded me of many years ago. Charles brought the trailer down and we quickly winched the boat up and drove it to the area where Charles would leave it till the next trip to Bushman’s. On the way home we stopped in Alexandria again to pump up the tyre which I had forgotten to change. It was an easy drive home. Ally had to pack ready for her outing to Addo.

The Eland is the world's largest antelope. Males have twisted horns which are thick and tightly spiralled, growing up to 25" in females and to 50" in males. Elands belong to the same group as kudus, Nyala and bushbuck. Eland are found in grassland, mountain, sub-desert, acacia savannah and miombo woodland areas.

Diet: Herbivorous, browsers and grazers, Eland usually feed in areas where shrubs and bushes provide the leaves they prefer. Eland use their horns to bring twigs and branches into reach. They are also known to consume large bulbs and tuberous roots.

Family: Antelope

Size: About 70 inches

Weight: 1,300 to 1,500 pounds

Reproduction: Single young are born any time of the year. Gestation is 9 months.

Habitat: Plains; Eland are found in grassland, mountain, sub-desert, acacia savannah and miombo woodland areas. They distance themselves from deserts, forests and swamps.

Socialisation: The social behaviour of Eland is somewhat different from that of other antelopes. Usually older, dominant males are solitary, while other adult males form small groups of three or four. Adult females associate in much larger groups, whose size and membership vary from day to day. Several hundred eland sometimes gather, and males may spend a few hours or even weeks with a female group before becoming solitary again.

Lifespan: 15 to 20 years.


The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist and is one of the few megafauna species left. Behind the elephants, it is probably the most massive remaining land animal in the world, along with the Hippopotamus, which are of comparable size. It is well known for its wide mouth used for grazing and for being the most social of all rhino species. The White Rhino is the most common of all rhinos and consists of two subspecies, with the northern subspecies being rarer than the southern. The northern subspecies may have as few as 13 remaining world wide.
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Taxonomy and naming


A popular theory of the origins of the name White Rhinoceros is a mistranslation from Dutch into Afrikaans and English. The Afrikaans word "wit", meaning "white" in English is said to have been derived by mistranslation of the Dutch word "wijd", which means "wide" in English and is spelt "wyd" in Afrikaans. The word "wide" refers to the width of the Rhinoceros mouth. So early European settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wyd" for "white" and the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called the White Rhino and the other one, with the narrow pointed mouth, was called the Black Rhinoceros. A review of Dutch and Afrikaans literature about the rhinoceros has also failed to produce any evidence that the word wyd was ever used to describe the rhino.[2] Other popular theories suggest the name comes from its wide appearance throughout Africa, its colour due to wallowing in calcerous soil or bird droppings or because of the lighter colour of its horn. An alternative common name for the white rhinoceros, more accurate but rarely used, is the square-lipped rhinoceros. The White Rhinoceros' generic name, Ceratotherium, given by the zoologist John Edward Gray in 1868,[3] is derived from the Greek terms keras "horn" and therion "beast". Simum, is derived from the Greek term simus, meaning "flat nosed".
Southern white rhinoceros


White Rhinoceros in Lake Nakuru.
There were also two White Rhinos in Livingstone, Zambia (in the Mosi-o-tunia zoological park). They were both poached during the night of June 6, 2007. One was shot dead and dehorned not far from the gate and the other received serious bullet wounds.
According to BBC, there are only thirteen northern white rhinos left in the world as of 2007.[6]
Description


The White Rhino has a massive body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. This rhino can exceed 6670 pounds (3,000 kg), have a head-and-body length of 3.35-4.2 m (11-13.9 feet) and a shoulder height of 150-185 cm (60-73 inches). The record-sized White Rhinoceros was about 4500 kg (10,000 lb).[7]. On its snout it has two horns made of keratin, rather than bone as in deer antlers. The front horn is larger that the other horn and averages 89.9 cm (23.6 inches) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 inches). The White Rhinoceros also has a noticeable hump on the back of its neck which supports its large head. Each of the rhino's four stumpy feet has three toes. The colour of this animal ranges from yellowish brown to slate grey. The only hair on them is on the ear fringes and tail bristles. White Rhinos have the distinctive flat broad mouth which is used for grazing.


White Rhinos have three distinct toes.
Its ears can move independently to pick up more sounds but it depends most of all on smell. The olfactory passages which are responsible for smell are larger than their entire brain.
Behaviour and ecology
White Rhinoceros are found in grassland and savannah habitat. Herbivore grazers that eats grass, preferring the shortest grains. The White Rhino is one of the largest pure grazers. Regularly it drinks twice a day if water is available, but if conditions get dry it can live four or five days without water. It spends about half of the day eating, one third resting, and the rest of the day doing various other things. White Rhinos, like all species of rhino, love wallowing in mudholes to cool down.


White rhinos can produce sounds which include a panting contact call, grunts and snorts during courtship, squeals of distress, and deep bellows or growls when threatened. Threat displays (in males mostly) include wiping its horn on the ground and a head-low posture with ears back, combined with snarl threats and shrieking if attacked. The White Rhino is quick and agile and can run 30 mph (50 km/h).
White Rhinos can live in a crash or herd of up to 14 animals (usually mostly female). Sub-adult males will congregate, often in association with an adult female. Most adult bulls are solitary. Dominant bulls mark their territory with excrement and urine. The dung is laid in well defined piles. It may have 20-30 of these piles to alert passing rhinos that it's his territory. Another way of marking their territory is wiping his horns on bushes or the ground and scrapes with its feet before urine spraying. They do this around 10 times an hour while patrolling territory. The same ritual as urine marking except without spraying is also commonly used. The territorial male will scrape-mark every 30 yards or so around its territory boundary. Subordinate males do not mark territory. The most serious fights break out over mating rights over a female. Female territory is overlapped extensively and they do not defend it.
Reproduction
Females reach sexually maturity 6-7 years while males reach sexual maturity at a later date which is 10-12 years of age. Courtship is often a difficult affair. The male stays beyond the point where the female acts aggressively and will give out a call when approaching her. The male chases and or blocks the way of the female while squealing or wailing loudly if the female tries to leave his territory. When ready to mate the female curls its tail and gets into a stiff stance during the half hour copulation. Breeding pairs stay together between 5-20 days before they part their separate ways. Gestation occurs around 16-18 months. A single calf is born and weighs between 40 and 65 kilograms (90 and 140 pounds) and are unsteady for their first 2 to 3 days of life. When threatened the baby will run in front of the mother. The mother is very protective of her calf and will fight for her baby vigorously. Weaning starts at 2 months and may continue suckling for over 12 months. The birth interval for the White Rhino is between 2 and 3 years. Before giving birth the mother will chase off her current calf. White Rhinos can live to be up to 40-50 years ol
Distribution
The northern subspecies is now only found in the Republic of Congo while the southern subspecies or majority of white rhino live in South Africa. 98.5% of white rhino occur in just five countries (S.A, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda). Almost at the edge of extinction in the early 20th century, they have made a tremendous comeback. In 2001 it was estimated that there were 11,670 white rhinos in the wild with a further 777 detained worldwide, making it the most common Rhino in the world.
Like the Black Rhino, the White Rhino is under threat from habitat loss and poaching, most recently by Janjaweed. The horn is mostly used for traditional medicine although there are no health benefits from the horn; the horn is also used for traditional necklaces. A recent population count in the Republic Congo turned up only 10 rhinos left in the wild, which led conservationists on January 15, 2005 to propose airlifting White Rhinos from Garamba into Kenya. Although official approval was initially obtained, resentment of foreign interference within the Congo has prevented the airlift from happening as of the beginning of 2006. On June 12, 2007 poachers shot the last 2 rhinos in Zambia, injuring one and killing the other. They have removed the horn off the dead rhino.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that is unique in its speed and stealth, while lacking climbing abilities. As such, it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx. It is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 kilometres per hour (70 mph) and 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph)[3] in short bursts covering distances up to 460 metres (1,500 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) in three seconds, greater than most supercars.[4]
The word "cheetah" is derived from the Sanskrit word chitrakāyaḥ, meaning "variegated body", via the Hindi चीता cītā.[5]

Description


A cheetah
The cheetah's chest is deep and its waist is narrow. The coarse, short fur of the cheetah is tan with round black spots measuring from 2 centimetres (0.79 in) to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) across, affording it some camouflage while hunting. There are no spots on its white underside, but the tail has spots, which merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks" run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth to keep sunlight out of its eyes and to aid in hunting and seeing long distances.
The adult cheetah weighs from 40 kilograms (88 lb) to 65 kilograms (140 lb). Its total body length is from 115 centimetres (45 in) to 135 centimetres (53 in), while the tail can measure up to 84 centimetres (33 in) in length. Males tend to be slightly larger than females and have slightly bigger heads, but there is not a great variation in cheetah sizes and it is difficult to tell males and females apart by appearance alone. Compared to a similarly-sized leopard, the cheetah is generally shorter-bodied, but is longer tailed and taller (it averages about 90 centimetres (35 in) tall) and so it appears more streamlined.
Some cheetahs also have a rare fur pattern mutation: cheetahs with larger, blotchy, merged spots are known as 'king cheetahs'. It was once thought to be a separate subspecies, but it is merely a mutation of the African cheetah. The 'king cheetah' has only been seen in the wild a handful of times, but it has been bred in captivity.
The cheetah's paws have semi-retractable claws[6] (known only in three other cat species - the Fishing Cat, the Flat-headed Cat and the Iriomote Cat) offering the cat extra grip in its high-speed pursuits. The ligament structure of the cheetah's claws is the same as those of other cats; it simply lacks the sheath of skin and fur present in other varieties, and therefore the claws are always visible, with the exception of the dewclaw. The dewclaw itself is much shorter and straighter than other cats.
Adaptations that enable the cheetah to run as fast as it does include large nostrils that allow for increased oxygen intake, and an enlarged heart and lungs that work together to circulate oxygen efficiently. During a typical chase its respiratory rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute.[6] While running, in addition to having good traction due to its semi-retractable claws, the cheetah uses its tail as a rudder-like means of steering to allow it to make sharp turns, necessary to outflank prey who often make such turns to escape.
Unlike "true" big cats, the cheetah can purr as it inhales, but cannot roar. By contrast, the big cats can roar but cannot purr, except while exhaling. However, the cheetah is still considered by some to be the smallest of the big cats. While it is often mistaken for the leopard, the cheetah does have distinguishing features, such as the aforementioned long "tear-streak" lines that run from the corners of its eyes to its mouth. The body frame of the cheetah is also very different from that of the leopard, most notably so in its thinner and longer tail, and unlike the leopard, its spots are not arranged into rosettes.
The cheetah is a vulnerable species. Out of all the big cats, it is the least able to adapt to new environments. It has always proved difficult to breed in captivity, although recently a few zoos have managed to succeed at this. Once widely hunted for its fur, the cheetah now suffers more from the loss of both habitat and prey.
The cheetah was formerly considered to be particularly primitive among the cats and to have evolved approximately 18 million years ago. New research, however, suggests that the last common ancestor of all 40 existing species of felines lived more recently than that - about 11 million years ago. The same research indicates that the cheetah, while highly derived morphologically, is not of particularly ancient lineage, having separated from its closest living relatives (Puma concolor, the cougar, and Puma yaguarondi, the jaguarundi) around five million years ago.[7][8]
Reproduction and social life


Cheetah cub
Females reach maturity within twenty to twenty-four months, and males around twelve months (although they do not usually mate until at least three years old), and mating occurs throughout the year. A recent study of cheetahs in the Serengeti showed that female cheetahs are sexually promiscuous and often have cubs by many different males.[9]
Females give birth to up to nine cubs after a gestation period of ninety to ninety-eight days, although the average litter size is three to five. Cubs weigh from 150 grams (5.3 oz) to 300 grams (11 oz) at birth. Unlike some other cats, the cheetah is born with its characteristic spots. Cubs are also born with a downy underlying fur on their necks, called a mantle, extending to mid-back. This gives them a mane or Mohawk-type appearance; this fur is shed as the cheetah grows older. It has been speculated that this mane gives a cheetah cub the appearance of the ratel, to scare away potential aggressors.[10] Cubs leave their mother between thirteen and twenty months after birth. Life span is up to twelve years in the wild, but up to twenty years in captivity.
Unlike males, females are solitary and tend to avoid each other, though some mother/daughter pairs have been known to be formed for small periods of time. The cheetah has a unique, well-structured social order. Females live alone except when they are raising cubs and they raise their cubs on their own. The first eighteen months of a cub's life are important - cubs learn many lessons because survival depends on knowing how to hunt wild prey species and avoid other predators. At eighteen months, the mother leaves the cubs, who then form a sibling, or 'sib', group, that will stay together for another six months. At about two years, the female siblings leave the group, and the young males remain together for life.
Territories
Males
Males are very sociable and will group together for life, usually with their brothers in the same litter; although if a cub is the only male in the litter then two or three lone males may group up, or a lone male may join an existing group. These groups are called coalitions. A coalition is six times more likely to obtain an animal territory than a lone male, although studies have shown that coalitions keep their territories just as long as lone males {between four and four and a half years.
Males are very territorial. Females' home ranges can be very large and trying to build a territory around several females' ranges is impossible to defend. Instead, males choose the points at which several of the females' home ranges overlap, creating a much smaller space, which can be properly defended against intruders while maximizing the chance of reproduction. Coalitions will try their most to maintain territories in order to find females with whom they will mate. The size of the territory also depends on the available resources; depending on the part of Africa, the size of a male's territory can vary greatly from 37 to 160 square kilometers.
Males mark their territory by urinating on objects that stand out, such as trees, logs, or termite mounds. The whole coalition contributes to the scent. Males will attempt to kill any intruders and fights result in serious injury or death.
Females



Unlike males and other felines, females do not establish territories. Instead, the area they live in is termed a home range. These overlap with other females' home ranges; often it will be the sisters from the same litter or a daughter's home range overlapping with her mother's. Females, however, always hunt alone, although once their cubs reach the age of five to six weeks they take them along to show them how it is done. The size of a home range depends entirely on the availability of prey. Cheetahs in southern African woodlands have ranges as small as 34 square km, while in some parts of Namibia they can reach 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi). Although there have been no studies, it is expected that the home ranges of females in the Sahara desert have the largest of all the cheetah populations.
Vocalizations
The cheetah cannot roar, unlike other big cats, but does have the following vocalizations:
• Yipping - When cheetahs attempt to find each other, or a mother tries to locate her cubs, it uses a high-pitched barking called yipping. The yips made by a cheetah cub sound more like a bird chirping, and so are termed chirping.
• Churring or stuttering - This vocalization is emitted by a cheetah during social meetings. A churr can be seen as a social invitation to other cheetahs, an expression of interest, uncertainty, or appeasement or during meetings with the opposite sex (although each sex churrs for different reasons).
• Growling - This vocalization is often accompanied by hissing and spitting and is exhibited by the cheetah during annoyance, or when faced with danger.
• Yowling - This is an escalated version of growling, usually displayed when danger worsens.
• Purring - This is made when the cheetah is content, usually during pleasant social meetings (mostly between cubs and their mothers).
Interspecific predatory relationships
Cheetahs are outranked by all the other large predators in most of their range. Because they are designed for extreme bursts of short speed at the expense of both power and the ability to climb trees, they cannot defend themselves against most of Africa's other predator species. They avoid fighting typically and will surrender a kill immediately to even a single hyena, rather than risk any injury, as anything that slows them down is essentially life threatening. The cheetah's death rate is very high during the early weeks of its life; up to 90% of cheetah cubs are killed during this time by lions, leopards, hyenas or even by eagles. Cheetah cubs often hide in thick brush for safety. Mother cheetahs will defend their young and are at times successful in driving predators away from their cubs. Coalitions of male cheetahs can also chase away other predators, depending on the coalition size and the size and number of the predator. Because of its speed, a healthy adult cheetah has no predators.
A cheetah has a 50% chance of losing its kills to other predators.[6] Cheetahs avoid competition by hunting at different times of the day and by eating immediately after the kill. Due to the reduction in habitat in Africa, Cheetahs in recent years have faced greater pressure from other native African predators as available range declines.
Diet and hunting


A cheetah with impala kill
The cheetah is a carnivore, eating mostly mammals under 40 kilograms (88 lb), including the Thomson's gazelle, the Grant's gazelle, the springbok and the impala. The young of larger mammals such as wildebeests and zebras are taken at times, adults too, when the cats hunt in groups. Guineafowl and hares are also prey. While the other big cats mainly hunt by night, the cheetah is a diurnal hunter. It hunts usually either early in the morning or later in the evening when it is not so hot, but there is still enough light.


A cheetah in pursuit of Thomson's gazelle.
The cheetah hunts by vision rather than by scent. Prey is stalked to within 10 metres (33 ft)-30 metres (98 ft), then chased. This is usually over in less than a minute, and if the cheetah fails to make a catch quickly, it will give up. The cheetah has an average hunting success rate of around 50% - half of its chases result in failure.
Running at speeds up to 75 MPH puts a great deal of strain on the cheetah's body. When sprinting, the cheetah's body temperature becomes so high that it would be deadly to continue - this is why the cheetah is often seen resting after it has caught its prey. If it is a hard chase, it sometimes needs to rest for half an hour or more.[citation needed] The cheetah kills its prey by tripping it during the chase, then biting it on the underside of the throat to suffocate it, for the cheetah is not strong enough to break the necks of the four-legged prey it mainly hunts. The bite may also puncture a vital artery in the neck. Then the cheetah proceeds to devour its catch as quickly as possible before the kill is taken by stronger predators.
The diet of a cheetah is dependent upon the area in which it lives. For example, on the East African plains, its preferred prey is the Thomson's gazelle. This small antelope is shorter than the cheetah (about 58 centimetres (23 in) - 70 centimetres (28 in) tall and 70 centimetres (28 in) - 107 centimetres (42 in) long), and also cannot run faster than the cheetah (only up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph)), which combine to make it an appropriate prey. Cheetahs look for individuals which have strayed some distance from their group, and do not necessarily seek out old or weak ones.