Exploring the Wildekrantz kloof – 17-18 May 08
We had decided on the spur of the moment on the Tuesday before the weekend that we would go to Wildcliff. We hadn’t been there for about 2 months and were very jealous on the Peter, Ian and the family for having been there just the weekend before.
It is about a 3.5-hour drive from Durbanville to Wildcliff. We left Durbanville on Friday the 16th and met up with some friends we had invited to Wildcliff, at Heidelberg, to show them the way to the reserve.
Niki invited Christina Collett, one of her long time friends. Christina brought along her roommate Liesl. I also invited Ian Mitchinson, a photographer friend of mine, but he would only come the next morning.
The last bit of road to Wildcliff is still quite bad, but does not seem worse than before. We reached Talari at 8pm, quite dark already. After a few slices of homemade bread and a few glasses of wine, we went to sleep.
We woke up at about 7:30 only on Saturday. Because Wildcliff is facing west, and lies on the dark side of the hill, it becomes light a bit later than everywhere else. Ian arrived at 10am and at about 11am all of us walked down to Oaktree meadow. Niki and the kids were going to spend some time under the Magic Oak Tree at the stream. The rest of us, myself, Ian, Christina and Liesl decided to see how far we could go up the Wildekrantz kloof.
The water level seemed to be slightly lower and the going was easy. We reached the rock pool below the 1st waterfall in under an hour. On arrival we discovered that the safety belt webbing that we had fixed in the waterfall to assist with climbing up it, had been worn down by the constant flowing water and that it was broken in half. The webbing we had fixed on the side of the waterfall, however, was still in tact. I do think we have to make a more permanent fixture here if we can, as I am scared that the nails we used to fix the webbing, would rust in time. We were contemplating on whether we should swim through the cold water to get to the waterfall. I had brought along Jenny’s inflatable boat to ferry our equipment across. We tied a rope to it and one by one paddled across. Ian has a Yorkshire terrier (Simba) and a Border collie (Oscar). They came with us all the way to the rock pool and we were not sure whether we should try getting them up the waterfall as well.
Ian went first and with the grace of a Spiderman he scaled the rocks next to the waterfall and within a minute he was up and safe. I think this gave all of us a lot of confidence that we could make it as well. I was next and also found it quite easy. We discovered that to go up there, with bare feet, was a lot safer and you could also get more grip and toe holds than with shoes on. Surprisingly, the girls also made it up fine. Ian went back for the dogs and ferried them across with the boat. With a bit of help from myself, we managed to get them both up the waterfall. I think they will go down in history as the first dogs ever to have gone up there!
The second stage of this hike is far more physical than the part up to the first waterfall. There are a lot of big boulders to climb up, but nothing too dangerous or difficult. The most difficult part was the waterfall that we had now already negotiated. There was only one other pool we had to swim through on the way to the 4th waterfall. On the return I found a dry route hanging on the the rocks on the side of this pool, but it was touch and go or I was in the water. As Peter and myself found the first time we did this hike, it is definitely safer to go through the water, than to try and stay dry all the time. We reached the 4th waterfall (we have to name this one) 1h30 after we left the meadow. It was the first time I had come right up to the pool beneath it. The last time, Peter and myself turned around once we saw it from a distance. I would estimate it to be between 20 and 25 meters high. It is definitely not possible to scale it without proper abseiling gear. It is absolutely beautiful! The going back part was as easy as getting there. We thought that getting down the waterfall was going to be difficult, but we found a relatively safe route on the right side (opposite from the climbing up side) to get down. Unfortunately you cannot get away without getting wet. By this time the dogs were also very confident in jumping from rock to rock, so much so that the Border Collie, Oscar, just ran down this waterfall, without hesitating for a moment. Luckily he did not get hurt, but the was surely a risk – or maybe he remembered that the pool down below is quite deep.
The last stage back to Talari was also easy and fast. We got back home at 2:30ish. I would say, that anyone can make this hike in 4 hours (including stopping at pools)
Recommendations for this Hike:
Good “Wet shoes” - I bought myself a pair of Hi Tech shoes, made of wetsuit material and mesh. It has holes in the sole to allow for good drainage.
Small backpack for some snacks, towel and warm top. No Water bottle is needed as you can drink from the stream the whole way.
Swimming costume – there is no avoiding getting wet.
GPS equipment – we would like to map the coordinates better. Also in case where someone would get hurt, we can notify the rescue teams of the exact spot.
Camera with a waterproof housing
Two way Radio with at least a 2km range. If the other unit is left at Talari, we can stay in touch with people the whole time. We found that is almost always take longer than you anticipate and the people do get worried when there is no communication.
That night we made a potjie and drank some red wine. We were the first to use the new Braai area – It was great! The evening was quite cold and we had to wear Ski jackets to stay warm. Brett, Emily and Njal joined us as we had a very enjoyable night. It was great to spend some time with Brett, to find out more about what was going on at Wildcliff. Christina made some Mielie Pap to go with the potjie. It was very tasty and filling and everyone including myself was impressed at my cooking skills.
We all were in bed by 11pm. The night was quite windy and a few doors slammed in the night. You definitely have to check that no windows are open when the wind blows like this. We woke up at about 7:30am and had a coffee, while watching the baboons play with Aaron’s ball. He left it on the grass in front of the stoep and, being bright orange, it must have seemed like a very interesting object to them. One of the young ones threw it up in the air and when it came down tried to catch it again. It was hilarious. When they left they took the ball with and we later found it in tack on the way to rainfrog dam. It must have lost it’s appeal…
At about 11am, Brett took Niki and the girls up to Ena’s Falls, with the Bush Pig. Ian and myself and the 3 dogs decided to go on foot and meet them up there. I took Ian past Rainfrog dam and then up to the Pine plantations. The dogs went for a dip in the dam, including our dog, Star. Star is a Maltese and Yorkie cross and she is about 4 months old now. I was surprised at her endurance. She made the 3.5km trip up to Ena’s Falls without moaning or stopping.
Ian and myself decided to go and explore the section of the kloof that myself and Andre previously did. I wanted to see the 3rd waterfall from the bottom. I have seen it from the top already. We discovered with the other Waterfalls that you could only really see the extent of it from the bottom. When I did this hike in March, we went downriver to reach the 4th waterfall. This time around, the plan was to go upstream to reach the bottom of the 3rd Waterfall. We left the 4x4 track (that goes up to Ena’s Falls, just below (Talari side) the Fern Kloof. The Fern kloof is just too thick to go through, so there is a more rocky part with less dense Protea and other fynbos next to it. The vegetation here is about 1.3 m high and that thorny bush that grows at the bottom of Protea is everywhere. We had shorts on and it was quite painful to make our way through here. Next time, I would definitely wear long sleeve pants for this section.
It was the first time I walked through this part, It is not was dense as the bush in other places. If we were to make a trail down to the river, this would be a good spot to start. This section is quite flat, but before you know it, You reach a very steep gradient. Once we reached these cliffs, I saw the top of a tree that I recognized from the last hike we did. By this time, Ian questioned the safety of this trip and he was especially weary of the fact that there might be snakes. He also expressed his concern about the fact that you could not see very far in front of you and that If you are not careful might fall 2 or 3 meters.
When we reached this tree we used as a beacon before, I was surprised to find a beaten path to the bottom. We had stumbled across the path Andre and myself had beaten 2 months before. It was interesting that the bush had not recovered and made me realize how easily we can damage the environment if not cautious. The beaten path was though fern mainly – it looks like it stays down once stepped on. The good thing was that we now trotted on the same route again and this would mean this path would be even more established and surely be there for at least a year. Once we reached this path, our going was much easier and we were down on the riverbed in 15 minutes. Upstream from where you enter, there is a very recognizable tree that had fallen right across the river. I used this as a beacon for our exit point later.
I wanted to show Ian the top of the 4th waterfall first, so we made our way down stream. Getting there, you have to swim through 2 pools and down 2 smaller waterfalls. After taking some photos here, we made our way back, with the mission to reach the bottom of the 3rd waterfalls. We encountered a small green/brown snake swimming in the second pool on the way back. We think that this is either a Herald snake or a green water snake (leaning more towards the Herald snake). I took a picture of it and later Njal and myself tried to identify it with about 3 snake books as reference.
Of the whole Wildekrantz kloof, I would say this part is the toughest going. You have to be fit and physically able, as you have to swim through 10 pools to get from one waterfall to the next. You also have to scale some rocks on the side of small waterfalls and constantly push yourself up rocks etc. The water was cold, but not freezing as I expected and as soon as you have done one pool, you are used to the cold and we no longer hesitated about getting in. It took us well over an hour to do about 500meters going up the kloof. In between, we again had to get rid of our shoes to climb up a smaller waterfall. This is probably the most dangerous part of this section. If you would slip, you would injure yourself badly on rocks below. This is not for the fainthearted and I think it might be wise to do this section with a good climbing helmet next time. We reached, what I thought to be the 3rd waterfalls, but it was in fact another waterfall of about 10 to 13 meters high. It had a big pool below. About 5 meters above the waterfall, on the side of the cliff, there was also a very interesting protruding rock that looked like the head of a dog. It almost looked like this “statue” was protecting or watching over these falls.
There is a dangerous route on the right of these falls to scale up and we decided against it to go up there. We headed back instead. In all we had to go through 20 pools that day. Most of them are at least waist deep.
We really have to name the waterfalls properly as it can become confusing if we refer to them by numbers only. Especially if we discover more, like we did this time
It took us 30 minutes of hard climbing uphill before we reached the road. We had easily found the path up to the tree we used as a beacon. This trail through the ferns is now very visible. Even the section from the tree up to the road is visible, but to a lesser extent. My aim is to cut down a clear path from the road to the tree next time I go to Wildcliff. This will enable more people to get down to the river bed. Hopefully Peter and Saul will help with this when we are there in the middle of June.
Once up at the road, it took us about 20 minutes to get home. It was now already 4:45pm and the sun had disappeared behind the mountain.
Recommendations for this hike:
Long sleeve pants to make the first section of protea less painful.
Good hiking shoes for the first section down to the riverbed and then a pair of wet shoes for going through the pools and rocks.
Once down in the riverbed, a wetsuit will be great as you are more in the water than on dry ground. If you do not get cold easily, a swimming costume can also work, but definitely not in the winter.
A good waterproof bag of some sorts for cameras and other stuff. The smaller this bag the better. You can leave a lot of your supplies like food etc where you enter the riverbed.
A two-way radio with at least 3km range – for emergencies and also just to keep in contact with people at Talari.
GPS mapping equipment
Climbing Helmet for rock climbing sections.
Water bottle for section coming down and up mountain.
When we got to Talari, Niki and the girls had already cleaned and packed and were ready to go. But then we all decided to stay another night. Before I left, I started another potjie and Christina finished it for me. She also baked an awesome olive and onion bread and we feasted like kings on this.
We left the next morning just after 8:30am and had a good drive back to Durbanville
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
WILDCLIFF HIKING AND TRUSTEES MEETING MAY 2008
Wildcliff May 2008.
Weekend Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May 2008.
Ian and Jenny were in Jhb for work and Ian was able to spend the weekend at Wildcliff while Jenny planned a whole week there. We had decided to join them and collect them at the George airport at 19.45 on Friday afternoon. I had a particularly busy Friday as I had been in East London for the week and we were changing our Computer system at work. I had a whole lot of training stuff to complete and distribute as well as preparing for a group of Head Office people arriving on the following Monday. I had to borrow Gerald’s trailer and as I had take the tow bar off for the Bike rack. I had to refit that, drop Ally at her friend for a Party, Fill up with Petrol that had recently gone up to R9.30 per Liter, visit the DSTV people and we finally managed to get on the road after 4pm.
The drive to George was interrupted by two long stops at road works. Firstly near to Gamtoos and then at Storms River where there are some major changes taking place. A funny (South African) thing happened when we stopped at the first road works: there was a lady stopped in the car next to ours. She had a dog on her lap who was clearly interested in all the goings on. Then we had Digby with us who was excited to see one of his kind. We struck up a conversation with these people who were on their way to Jeffries for the weekend.
We had planned to buy our provisions for the weekend at Plett Pick and Pay but with these delays and our late start it was getting tight so we phoned in to see what time they closed. Watching the car clock and with only a minute or so to spare we screeched to a stop in front of the shop at 19.00 and I rushed in while Barbara waited in the car. We had made a list but I was in such a rush there was no time for looking at the list. I grabbed a trolley and zoomed up and down the aisles trying to remember what we needed. When I had a trolley full I rolled up at the tills to find them closed and the cashiers packed up to go home. I pleaded our case and told them I did not need change as I would pay with a card. They relented and we had provisions for the weekend.
We then drove on to meet Ian and Jenny. We had phoned so they knew we would be late. After picking them up we had an easy ride to Heidelberg where we filled up with petrol and drove very slowly up to Wildcliff. It had been good to be in the car together as it gave us some time to chat. The road is not at all good once you turn off the Gysmans Hoek road and we had the trailer to contend with as well.
That evening we arrived at Talari at about 11pm. It was a real treat to see the lights on at Talari as well as at the Heron house. Brett and Emily had gone to a great deal of trouble to make our arrival as warm as possible with cleaning the house and making beds. After unpacking had a glass of wine and a snack, finally getting to bed at about 1am.
I have purchased a TV and Decoder that I had arranged to have set up at Talari. The real problem will be if Baboons get hold of the dish. I may have to have a cage set up that can be closed when we leave Talari. It will be on the basic Annual charge of R210.00 for the SABC and ETV channels. On this system there are also some news and sport channels plus a number of radio channels. If you have a DSTV at home you should be able to bring your smart card and use it on this decoder.
Saturday Morning 10 May 2008.
Ian and Jenny had been up in the night as all the travel had made them quite restless. After sunrise we had a relaxed morning. We did some unpacking and sorting out. Mike the builder and Wayne the Metal man were there to talk out building operations. Brett, Emily and Nial came to greet us. Coffee & Biscuits in the kitchen is a wonderful way to start a Wildcliff day.
Jenny, Barbara & I drove to the nearby village and were fortunate to again meet up with Hendrik Steeneberg who we had met last year. Unfortunately he has been offered a cushy job nearer to Riversdale where he collects his monthly pension and so will not be part of the local community. He told us that he is mainly a sheep and cattle tender and that this is his specialty. Hendrik described how his family had lived and farmed in the area for generations. He recommended a woodcutter called Freek Meyer who he described as “’n baaie vris man”. He says that Freek is multi skilled and has a code 10 driver’s licence, can do Bou Werk and who is able to handle a chain saw. He promised to send Freek to us on the Monday. (As it turned out Freek never came on Monday).
Jenny made us a delicious and wholesome pasta lunch and we then set out for a walk. I really don’t know why we were so rushed when we left PE but Barbara had left her walking shoes at home and so could not come with us. We were expecting Roger and Gael and so took the short Tortoise Head route. This is a trail that starts from the Oak Tree meadow and the aqua duct. It follows straight uphill through the wattle forest and winds along the East bank of the Wilderkranz Kloof. It then moves upwards until you reach a rock that juts out and really looks like a Tortoise head. Jenny had taken a route from above. At that time Roger and Gael arrived and with a bit of shouting they looked up to see us. At this stage the trail then makes its way back down to the meadow and then back up to Talari.
That afternoon Ian showed us another trail that he had discovered. Brett, Emily and Nial had cleared a pathway from above Talari following a distinct route to the Rainfrog Dam. They did not join us as they felt that they should prepare for their presentations later that evening. We followed the track to the dam and then headed in a Westerly direction through a field of Protea and then up the hill to the pathway that had been cleared for the water pipe that feeds Rainfrog Dam.
I had brought along some apples and we feasted on these before following the pathway to the main Fynbos road. Ian gathered some Protea, Jenny picked a pretty Fuchsia from one of many that we saw along the road. Gael pointed out some Rinosterbos/ Rinosterveld. Gael takes a plastic packet and collects plants for later identification. She showed us a number of interesting plant sorts. Gael and Roger are wonderful walking companions as they have a wide knowledge of plant life as well as a huge Latin dictionary.
As we walked down through the Pine Forest I was really upset to see how many small Wattle were emerging on the road despite the fact that we had always pulled out every little sapling that we saw. When I enquired from Roger about the Kweek on the road Roger confirmed that it was Kweek and could be used to stabilize the pond. We headed back down to Talari as it was getting late and we still had a meeting and the presentations to do before supper.
We put on some chicken to roast. Fortunately we still had some wine in the pantry & Roger had brought some beers. Bob, Wilma and Toerien joined us for supper. Everybody had made a contribution to the meal and we had a really fun evening.
Wildcliff May 2008. Minutes of a Trustee Meeting.
Present:
Ian & Jenny
Roger and Gael.
Brett, Emily & Nial.
Peter & Barbara.
Ian opened the meeting and welcomed the group. In particular Ian thanked Emily for all her contributions and hard work that she has put into Wildcliff. Emily has, for a number of reasons, decided to leave Wildcliff for America where her home is. Ian had made a number of notes to discuss so these minutes should be read together with Ian notes.
Priorities:
Conservation of the natural environment
The conservatory status of Wildcliff is being worked on.
Eradication of alien species (Black Wattle).
Working for Water has not yet responded.
Tom Ambrose (082 978 1971),
Freek Meyer. Local man.
Derek Malan: Dept Forestry and Water Affairs in Bellville: 021 950 7100
maland2@dwaf.gov.za
dam@dwaf.gov.za
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry: 021 464 1500
Tom Cuthill. Independent contractor.
Jan: Future not certain as he has unrealistic expectations about moving the wood to his home.
Research: Logs, Baboon observation work done by Pascal, Janet Naude visit (lists now available on the web), Flora initial study due in August. Erica expert; Ross.
Pascal had an ongoing work presentation on the two troops of baboons that is now all on the web and interest was shown by people at Cape Town University.
There have been applications by more people to study baboons.
The list of Fauna continues to expand.
Ecology study of the biodiversity.
Education: a lot of response to the Website.
Emily: Education will be aided by the finalisation of the White House.
There are plans for an interpretive trail with Tree Tags. Emily has prepared some Text and some Illustrations.
Clubs such as Birding clubs have shown interest.
Emily has some posters of Frogs and snakes.
Infrastructure: Houses, water, road, Electricity, telephones, Internet.
There is a local Fire Group that we should continue to contact and to build relationships.
The water system with a 12mm pipe system is being investigated.
Trails:
A number of trails were discussed:
Tortoise Head Trail: Oak Tree Meadow; Cross Aqua duct; Northerly Direction; Looking down to the left is Wilderkranz; past Aloes, Up in an Easterly Direction. See the Tortoise Head Rock and then over the top where you can see Talari and then back down to Talari.
Wilderkranz: Oak Tree Meadow; Aqua duct; Past the pipe and stay on left hand side of the stream all the way to the Cave Rock Pool. And beyond?
Plattekloof Trail: Up Fynbos Road; Right along the Jeep Track towards Kallie Engelbrecht’s Farm with Power Lines on your right. Down towards the Cattle Pastures and then left into Plattekloof; all the way up Plattekloof to Peterkloof. Left up Peterkloof and all the way up working your way back to Fynbos Road and then back down to Talari.
Fynbos Road up to Ena’s Falls and back.
Waterfall Trail: From Ena’s Falls down the Wilderkranz Kloof exiting either above bum slide pools or before the next waterfall. Or working your way down as far as possible towards Talari.
Rain Frog Dam: up behind Talari; follow the pipe and find Rain frog dam; head West and over the Protea fields until you see the Dinosaur/Whale head. Head up in a northerly direction until you reach the cleared pipeline area. Along this trail to Fynbos Road and back down to Talari.
Research Presentations:
Nial gave us a very interesting talk and computer presentation on the snakes and lizards that he has been observing. He divided his area into a number of sections and then spent a definite number of hours in each section walking around looking for snakes. He has catalogued all of this information into understandable format and presented us with his findings so far. The main snake is the Slug eater but he also found some other snakes including one Puff adder. He showed us how it was unlikely that he would find any snakes in the pine/wattle forests.
Brett and Emily gave us an equally interesting and well thought out presentation of the planned Alien Eradication program. They demarcated a number of areas and prioritised these. They then presented a number of ideas on how the areas should be tackled. Emily has a number of ideas regarding identification of trees, interpretive posters and signage for roads and trails. There is so much to be done in the area of eradication and trails that having a plan that is mapped out with give us a base for the future.
Both Nial and Brett & Emily’s presentations are or will be available for study on the Wildcliff Web.
Sunday 11.05.2008. (Mothers Day)
Barbara & I slept very well in our bed. It is two single beds pushed together to make a King-sized bed and gives us a huge amount of space. I had bought two rechargeable lamps and used one as a reading lamp. It gives off a soft light and is ideal as a bedside lamp. It was a perfect day again. The wind blows at this time of year but did not bother us this time. The real problem is that it blows trees down and causes doors and windows to slam.
We saw Nial doing his snake search. He has a long stick with a butterfly net on the end. He uses the stick to overturn branches, rocks and pieces of metal that lie around the fields. We joined him just below the pond and he soon showed us a scorpion as well as a Puff Adder that he had discovered. There are huge quantities of old fencing and metal sheets that need to be moved off the fields.
We decided to walk the Wilderkranz trail. As we walk along any field we continually are pulling saplings of the wattle and while I think that there should be some areas that we have cleared it seems to be a never ending job. I had the Lopper with me and much to Roger’s disgust cut away overhanging branches to make some kind of a pathway. We never reached the Cave Rock Pool as every tree and shrub was being examined and identified. Amoung others Gael pointed out Wild Pear, Stinkwood and Cheese wood. I was also able to point out the small red plant that I thought was in insect eating plant but Roger tells me that it is a Root Fungus. It uses its foul smell to attract “pollinators” and not prey as I had thought.
On the return Ian decided to look for a “high route” past a certain section. After going upwards for a while we realised that there was no easy route and climbed back down. Emily had been in front and was now in a steep rocky section. The soil is loose and there are not many hand holds or roots to grab to steady a descent. I am nervous of heights at the best of times and I think that Emily was also struggling at this stage. Finally we made our way back to the stream and followed the rest of the party back to Talari.
Roger pointed out a small bunch of Arum Lilly seedlings which I gathered as they were loose. We also collected a number of Aloe plants that Baboons had loosened as they come scrambling down the hillside. We took these to the Pond where Brett dug a hole for the largest of the lot and I stuck the rest into wet soil along the side of the pond. Gael said that they need good drainage and I will probably replant them the next time I am there. I also took half of the Lilly seedlings and planted them on the Island. The two logs that we had positioned last time we were there serve as a stable enough bridge.
Hennie from the Co-op came to talk to Ian about the pipes and water system that he could provide. After a shower a delicious salad that Jenny had made, we packed up and left for George and then home. With Gerald’s trailer in tow we made our way very slowly back to the main road and then on the N2 were able to pick up speed. Ian had looked at his watch and it was 14.15 as we hit the N2.
Our first stop was in Albertina where we bought some gekerfde biltong and then on to George where we dropped Ian in time that he could catch an earlier flight to Jhb where he was due to spend the week. We were quite fortunate with the road works at Storms River and avoided the Gamtoos stop by taking the old road. As we approached PE the petrol warning light came on but I know from previous experience that I still have between 30 to 50 kays left in the tank. We arrived at Michael’s house at 19.30 where we collected Ally and at home at 20.00.
Lessons Learned;
Future Visits to Wildcliff:
Short term visitors should take own Linen, Blankets, Cleaning material and provisions.
Employment of subcontractors
We will have two categories of paid persons on Wildcliff:
1. Volunteers who for one or other reason may receive a “cost of living” allowance or a stipend. This will not be the norm as volunteers are individuals who see this as an opportunity to give without compensation.
2. Individual or corporate subcontractors who are given specific contracts of work. Here there is the understanding that there is no master/servant relationship. No notice of termination of the contract is required other than that stated in the contract itself. It may be necessary to draw up a standard contract for individual contractors where conditions are set out in simple terms.
Sunday 18 May 2008.05.
This morning we were able to go to church for the first time in ages. We seem to have been so busy that we have missed recently. Straight after church we went to the Biathle at UPE sports stadium. It was a chilly morning. Ally & I did a few warm up laps and were soon ready for our event. It was a busy day as there was a gathering of Christian Scientists there as well. They were having a baptism in the pool where we were swimming. Ally went off first and was in quite a strong competition. She ran well but was not able to catch the front runners. She had a good swim and caught one of the girls in front of her. Then it was my turn. There were just 4 of us masters: Steven, Kevin, Rene & Myself. The warm up had helped and I managed to stay with Rene for the run but she was faster in the swim and I was not able to catch her in the second run. At the end Ally & I were awarded certificates as this had been the EP champs. Because there were so few in the Masters section I was awarded a Medal.
From Biathle we went to Builders warehouse. O the way Michael phoned to say that our Geyser was leaking. Fortunately it was not in the house. The leak was overflow onto the scullery roof and Michael was able to turn off the water to stop the flow. Ally bought herself a Snowball: Crushed Ice with flavouring. At Builders warehouse we bought paint and the necessary for painting the outside wall of our house. We arrived at home at about 3 or 4pm and I moved the computer and study to what had been a bedroom but we had now tiled and was now to be our study.
It is back to Hockey season, Drama season, Swimming winter training, Tennis, Piano, Hip Hop, Link, band practice and trying to fit in a bit of school work in between for Ally. We seem to rush her from bed in the morning to Band practice to school and then trying to fit in the afternoon activities sometimes ending at 20.30 if there are Drama Rehearsals for the Jungle book play that she is taking part in. The Wednesday Hockey matches have been quite fun. They started off against Herbert Hurd where they played on a sloping field. It was their first match and they lost. But since then they have played Summerwood, Westering, Sunridge and Harvest and have beaten them convincingly. The next big match will be against Collegiate who always have a very strong team. Ally is in the Clarendon first team together with: Cloe the goal keeper, Shannon, Lara O and S, Brittanny, Nicci, Kaylee, Kyla and others.
I went to watch Grey play Dale on Saturday 31st. Barbara had left for Cape town with Suzanne. She had gone for a visit as well as to try out the Corsa Bakkie that we had purchased. By all accounts it went very well and did not struggle on the hills at all. Driving from PE to George is very slow. There is construction on the road and slow sections from Kurland right through to George. From there it becomes an easy drive. The Dale match was a bit of a wash out for me as it started raining and I decided to miss the main game which Grey won by 16 to 3.
Weekend Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May 2008.
Ian and Jenny were in Jhb for work and Ian was able to spend the weekend at Wildcliff while Jenny planned a whole week there. We had decided to join them and collect them at the George airport at 19.45 on Friday afternoon. I had a particularly busy Friday as I had been in East London for the week and we were changing our Computer system at work. I had a whole lot of training stuff to complete and distribute as well as preparing for a group of Head Office people arriving on the following Monday. I had to borrow Gerald’s trailer and as I had take the tow bar off for the Bike rack. I had to refit that, drop Ally at her friend for a Party, Fill up with Petrol that had recently gone up to R9.30 per Liter, visit the DSTV people and we finally managed to get on the road after 4pm.
The drive to George was interrupted by two long stops at road works. Firstly near to Gamtoos and then at Storms River where there are some major changes taking place. A funny (South African) thing happened when we stopped at the first road works: there was a lady stopped in the car next to ours. She had a dog on her lap who was clearly interested in all the goings on. Then we had Digby with us who was excited to see one of his kind. We struck up a conversation with these people who were on their way to Jeffries for the weekend.
We had planned to buy our provisions for the weekend at Plett Pick and Pay but with these delays and our late start it was getting tight so we phoned in to see what time they closed. Watching the car clock and with only a minute or so to spare we screeched to a stop in front of the shop at 19.00 and I rushed in while Barbara waited in the car. We had made a list but I was in such a rush there was no time for looking at the list. I grabbed a trolley and zoomed up and down the aisles trying to remember what we needed. When I had a trolley full I rolled up at the tills to find them closed and the cashiers packed up to go home. I pleaded our case and told them I did not need change as I would pay with a card. They relented and we had provisions for the weekend.
We then drove on to meet Ian and Jenny. We had phoned so they knew we would be late. After picking them up we had an easy ride to Heidelberg where we filled up with petrol and drove very slowly up to Wildcliff. It had been good to be in the car together as it gave us some time to chat. The road is not at all good once you turn off the Gysmans Hoek road and we had the trailer to contend with as well.
That evening we arrived at Talari at about 11pm. It was a real treat to see the lights on at Talari as well as at the Heron house. Brett and Emily had gone to a great deal of trouble to make our arrival as warm as possible with cleaning the house and making beds. After unpacking had a glass of wine and a snack, finally getting to bed at about 1am.
I have purchased a TV and Decoder that I had arranged to have set up at Talari. The real problem will be if Baboons get hold of the dish. I may have to have a cage set up that can be closed when we leave Talari. It will be on the basic Annual charge of R210.00 for the SABC and ETV channels. On this system there are also some news and sport channels plus a number of radio channels. If you have a DSTV at home you should be able to bring your smart card and use it on this decoder.
Saturday Morning 10 May 2008.
Ian and Jenny had been up in the night as all the travel had made them quite restless. After sunrise we had a relaxed morning. We did some unpacking and sorting out. Mike the builder and Wayne the Metal man were there to talk out building operations. Brett, Emily and Nial came to greet us. Coffee & Biscuits in the kitchen is a wonderful way to start a Wildcliff day.
Jenny, Barbara & I drove to the nearby village and were fortunate to again meet up with Hendrik Steeneberg who we had met last year. Unfortunately he has been offered a cushy job nearer to Riversdale where he collects his monthly pension and so will not be part of the local community. He told us that he is mainly a sheep and cattle tender and that this is his specialty. Hendrik described how his family had lived and farmed in the area for generations. He recommended a woodcutter called Freek Meyer who he described as “’n baaie vris man”. He says that Freek is multi skilled and has a code 10 driver’s licence, can do Bou Werk and who is able to handle a chain saw. He promised to send Freek to us on the Monday. (As it turned out Freek never came on Monday).
Jenny made us a delicious and wholesome pasta lunch and we then set out for a walk. I really don’t know why we were so rushed when we left PE but Barbara had left her walking shoes at home and so could not come with us. We were expecting Roger and Gael and so took the short Tortoise Head route. This is a trail that starts from the Oak Tree meadow and the aqua duct. It follows straight uphill through the wattle forest and winds along the East bank of the Wilderkranz Kloof. It then moves upwards until you reach a rock that juts out and really looks like a Tortoise head. Jenny had taken a route from above. At that time Roger and Gael arrived and with a bit of shouting they looked up to see us. At this stage the trail then makes its way back down to the meadow and then back up to Talari.
That afternoon Ian showed us another trail that he had discovered. Brett, Emily and Nial had cleared a pathway from above Talari following a distinct route to the Rainfrog Dam. They did not join us as they felt that they should prepare for their presentations later that evening. We followed the track to the dam and then headed in a Westerly direction through a field of Protea and then up the hill to the pathway that had been cleared for the water pipe that feeds Rainfrog Dam.
I had brought along some apples and we feasted on these before following the pathway to the main Fynbos road. Ian gathered some Protea, Jenny picked a pretty Fuchsia from one of many that we saw along the road. Gael pointed out some Rinosterbos/ Rinosterveld. Gael takes a plastic packet and collects plants for later identification. She showed us a number of interesting plant sorts. Gael and Roger are wonderful walking companions as they have a wide knowledge of plant life as well as a huge Latin dictionary.
As we walked down through the Pine Forest I was really upset to see how many small Wattle were emerging on the road despite the fact that we had always pulled out every little sapling that we saw. When I enquired from Roger about the Kweek on the road Roger confirmed that it was Kweek and could be used to stabilize the pond. We headed back down to Talari as it was getting late and we still had a meeting and the presentations to do before supper.
We put on some chicken to roast. Fortunately we still had some wine in the pantry & Roger had brought some beers. Bob, Wilma and Toerien joined us for supper. Everybody had made a contribution to the meal and we had a really fun evening.
Wildcliff May 2008. Minutes of a Trustee Meeting.
Present:
Ian & Jenny
Roger and Gael.
Brett, Emily & Nial.
Peter & Barbara.
Ian opened the meeting and welcomed the group. In particular Ian thanked Emily for all her contributions and hard work that she has put into Wildcliff. Emily has, for a number of reasons, decided to leave Wildcliff for America where her home is. Ian had made a number of notes to discuss so these minutes should be read together with Ian notes.
Priorities:
Conservation of the natural environment
The conservatory status of Wildcliff is being worked on.
Eradication of alien species (Black Wattle).
Working for Water has not yet responded.
Tom Ambrose (082 978 1971),
Freek Meyer. Local man.
Derek Malan: Dept Forestry and Water Affairs in Bellville: 021 950 7100
maland2@dwaf.gov.za
dam@dwaf.gov.za
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry: 021 464 1500
Tom Cuthill. Independent contractor.
Jan: Future not certain as he has unrealistic expectations about moving the wood to his home.
Research: Logs, Baboon observation work done by Pascal, Janet Naude visit (lists now available on the web), Flora initial study due in August. Erica expert; Ross.
Pascal had an ongoing work presentation on the two troops of baboons that is now all on the web and interest was shown by people at Cape Town University.
There have been applications by more people to study baboons.
The list of Fauna continues to expand.
Ecology study of the biodiversity.
Education: a lot of response to the Website.
Emily: Education will be aided by the finalisation of the White House.
There are plans for an interpretive trail with Tree Tags. Emily has prepared some Text and some Illustrations.
Clubs such as Birding clubs have shown interest.
Emily has some posters of Frogs and snakes.
Infrastructure: Houses, water, road, Electricity, telephones, Internet.
There is a local Fire Group that we should continue to contact and to build relationships.
The water system with a 12mm pipe system is being investigated.
Trails:
A number of trails were discussed:
Tortoise Head Trail: Oak Tree Meadow; Cross Aqua duct; Northerly Direction; Looking down to the left is Wilderkranz; past Aloes, Up in an Easterly Direction. See the Tortoise Head Rock and then over the top where you can see Talari and then back down to Talari.
Wilderkranz: Oak Tree Meadow; Aqua duct; Past the pipe and stay on left hand side of the stream all the way to the Cave Rock Pool. And beyond?
Plattekloof Trail: Up Fynbos Road; Right along the Jeep Track towards Kallie Engelbrecht’s Farm with Power Lines on your right. Down towards the Cattle Pastures and then left into Plattekloof; all the way up Plattekloof to Peterkloof. Left up Peterkloof and all the way up working your way back to Fynbos Road and then back down to Talari.
Fynbos Road up to Ena’s Falls and back.
Waterfall Trail: From Ena’s Falls down the Wilderkranz Kloof exiting either above bum slide pools or before the next waterfall. Or working your way down as far as possible towards Talari.
Rain Frog Dam: up behind Talari; follow the pipe and find Rain frog dam; head West and over the Protea fields until you see the Dinosaur/Whale head. Head up in a northerly direction until you reach the cleared pipeline area. Along this trail to Fynbos Road and back down to Talari.
Research Presentations:
Nial gave us a very interesting talk and computer presentation on the snakes and lizards that he has been observing. He divided his area into a number of sections and then spent a definite number of hours in each section walking around looking for snakes. He has catalogued all of this information into understandable format and presented us with his findings so far. The main snake is the Slug eater but he also found some other snakes including one Puff adder. He showed us how it was unlikely that he would find any snakes in the pine/wattle forests.
Brett and Emily gave us an equally interesting and well thought out presentation of the planned Alien Eradication program. They demarcated a number of areas and prioritised these. They then presented a number of ideas on how the areas should be tackled. Emily has a number of ideas regarding identification of trees, interpretive posters and signage for roads and trails. There is so much to be done in the area of eradication and trails that having a plan that is mapped out with give us a base for the future.
Both Nial and Brett & Emily’s presentations are or will be available for study on the Wildcliff Web.
Sunday 11.05.2008. (Mothers Day)
Barbara & I slept very well in our bed. It is two single beds pushed together to make a King-sized bed and gives us a huge amount of space. I had bought two rechargeable lamps and used one as a reading lamp. It gives off a soft light and is ideal as a bedside lamp. It was a perfect day again. The wind blows at this time of year but did not bother us this time. The real problem is that it blows trees down and causes doors and windows to slam.
We saw Nial doing his snake search. He has a long stick with a butterfly net on the end. He uses the stick to overturn branches, rocks and pieces of metal that lie around the fields. We joined him just below the pond and he soon showed us a scorpion as well as a Puff Adder that he had discovered. There are huge quantities of old fencing and metal sheets that need to be moved off the fields.
We decided to walk the Wilderkranz trail. As we walk along any field we continually are pulling saplings of the wattle and while I think that there should be some areas that we have cleared it seems to be a never ending job. I had the Lopper with me and much to Roger’s disgust cut away overhanging branches to make some kind of a pathway. We never reached the Cave Rock Pool as every tree and shrub was being examined and identified. Amoung others Gael pointed out Wild Pear, Stinkwood and Cheese wood. I was also able to point out the small red plant that I thought was in insect eating plant but Roger tells me that it is a Root Fungus. It uses its foul smell to attract “pollinators” and not prey as I had thought.
On the return Ian decided to look for a “high route” past a certain section. After going upwards for a while we realised that there was no easy route and climbed back down. Emily had been in front and was now in a steep rocky section. The soil is loose and there are not many hand holds or roots to grab to steady a descent. I am nervous of heights at the best of times and I think that Emily was also struggling at this stage. Finally we made our way back to the stream and followed the rest of the party back to Talari.
Roger pointed out a small bunch of Arum Lilly seedlings which I gathered as they were loose. We also collected a number of Aloe plants that Baboons had loosened as they come scrambling down the hillside. We took these to the Pond where Brett dug a hole for the largest of the lot and I stuck the rest into wet soil along the side of the pond. Gael said that they need good drainage and I will probably replant them the next time I am there. I also took half of the Lilly seedlings and planted them on the Island. The two logs that we had positioned last time we were there serve as a stable enough bridge.
Hennie from the Co-op came to talk to Ian about the pipes and water system that he could provide. After a shower a delicious salad that Jenny had made, we packed up and left for George and then home. With Gerald’s trailer in tow we made our way very slowly back to the main road and then on the N2 were able to pick up speed. Ian had looked at his watch and it was 14.15 as we hit the N2.
Our first stop was in Albertina where we bought some gekerfde biltong and then on to George where we dropped Ian in time that he could catch an earlier flight to Jhb where he was due to spend the week. We were quite fortunate with the road works at Storms River and avoided the Gamtoos stop by taking the old road. As we approached PE the petrol warning light came on but I know from previous experience that I still have between 30 to 50 kays left in the tank. We arrived at Michael’s house at 19.30 where we collected Ally and at home at 20.00.
Lessons Learned;
Future Visits to Wildcliff:
Short term visitors should take own Linen, Blankets, Cleaning material and provisions.
Employment of subcontractors
We will have two categories of paid persons on Wildcliff:
1. Volunteers who for one or other reason may receive a “cost of living” allowance or a stipend. This will not be the norm as volunteers are individuals who see this as an opportunity to give without compensation.
2. Individual or corporate subcontractors who are given specific contracts of work. Here there is the understanding that there is no master/servant relationship. No notice of termination of the contract is required other than that stated in the contract itself. It may be necessary to draw up a standard contract for individual contractors where conditions are set out in simple terms.
Sunday 18 May 2008.05.
This morning we were able to go to church for the first time in ages. We seem to have been so busy that we have missed recently. Straight after church we went to the Biathle at UPE sports stadium. It was a chilly morning. Ally & I did a few warm up laps and were soon ready for our event. It was a busy day as there was a gathering of Christian Scientists there as well. They were having a baptism in the pool where we were swimming. Ally went off first and was in quite a strong competition. She ran well but was not able to catch the front runners. She had a good swim and caught one of the girls in front of her. Then it was my turn. There were just 4 of us masters: Steven, Kevin, Rene & Myself. The warm up had helped and I managed to stay with Rene for the run but she was faster in the swim and I was not able to catch her in the second run. At the end Ally & I were awarded certificates as this had been the EP champs. Because there were so few in the Masters section I was awarded a Medal.
From Biathle we went to Builders warehouse. O the way Michael phoned to say that our Geyser was leaking. Fortunately it was not in the house. The leak was overflow onto the scullery roof and Michael was able to turn off the water to stop the flow. Ally bought herself a Snowball: Crushed Ice with flavouring. At Builders warehouse we bought paint and the necessary for painting the outside wall of our house. We arrived at home at about 3 or 4pm and I moved the computer and study to what had been a bedroom but we had now tiled and was now to be our study.
It is back to Hockey season, Drama season, Swimming winter training, Tennis, Piano, Hip Hop, Link, band practice and trying to fit in a bit of school work in between for Ally. We seem to rush her from bed in the morning to Band practice to school and then trying to fit in the afternoon activities sometimes ending at 20.30 if there are Drama Rehearsals for the Jungle book play that she is taking part in. The Wednesday Hockey matches have been quite fun. They started off against Herbert Hurd where they played on a sloping field. It was their first match and they lost. But since then they have played Summerwood, Westering, Sunridge and Harvest and have beaten them convincingly. The next big match will be against Collegiate who always have a very strong team. Ally is in the Clarendon first team together with: Cloe the goal keeper, Shannon, Lara O and S, Brittanny, Nicci, Kaylee, Kyla and others.
I went to watch Grey play Dale on Saturday 31st. Barbara had left for Cape town with Suzanne. She had gone for a visit as well as to try out the Corsa Bakkie that we had purchased. By all accounts it went very well and did not struggle on the hills at all. Driving from PE to George is very slow. There is construction on the road and slow sections from Kurland right through to George. From there it becomes an easy drive. The Dale match was a bit of a wash out for me as it started raining and I decided to miss the main game which Grey won by 16 to 3.
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.
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.
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