Ubizane Wildlife Reserve supports World Rhino Day 2012:

Those of you, who follow our blog, will be familiar with our de-horning of our male rhino, and the brutal murder of his mother and butch, his father. With world rhino day 2012 approaching we only felt it natural to celebrate this day, not only for the rhinos we have lost on this very reserve; but for the global loss of the 5 rhino species due to poaching.  

The World Rhino Day tradition started in 2010 as an opportunity for people all over the world to take a stand against rhino poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn. The latest statistics on rhinos poached for 2012 stand at 388, with the Kruger National Park having lost a total of 241 rhinos since the beginning of this year. Limpopo, the North-West and KwaZulu-Natal continue to be the province’s most targeted by poachers, collectively accounting for 119 of the total rhinos poached this year.

We decided to get our guests geared up for this important event by kick-starting the event on the Friday, when most of our guests were set to arrive for the long weekend coming up. The first obvious sign to our arriving guests as well as the passing traffic that Ubizane was in support of World Rhino Day was our big banner on the gate clearly stating we are in support of World Rhino Day 2012. On arrival at Zululand Tree Lodge and Zululand Safari lodge guests received a bag of cookies, which were made in memory of our late Butch. Our chef made delicious cookies in the shape of a rhino’s footprint. This was almost an exact replica of Butch’s real foot print that is by his skull in Tree Lodge Reception.  

We tried to keep the entire two days as rhino themed as possible, at Afternoon High Tea, which was served in The Fever Tree Forest. Accompanying our normal delicious high tea treats were various flavored biscuits cut into the shape of Rhinos. An informative statistics board was also present; in order to further educate our guests on the seriousness of the matter.

Dinner was served in the Tree Lodge Restaurant, and the elegantly set tables were softly lit by the ambient glow of candles that accompanied a rhino inspired place mat. With a crackling fire, soft lighting and delicious food, it was an evening enjoyed by all.

Heavens Temptation:

Our afternoon high tea is always a tasty affair; Lance our chef made the most delicious Honey Biscuits and was kind enough to share the recipe:   

 Ingredients:

210g Flour

1tsp baking powder

1tbs finely grated orange zest

1tsp cinnamon powder

60g walnuts, finely chopped

60g Butter, softened

55g caster sugar

60ml olive oil

60ml orange juice

Syrup:

75g caster sugar

2tbs honey

1tsp cinnamon powder

2tbs orange juice  

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Line a cookie tray with a silicone mat or grease it with spray and cook and prepare it for baking.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Mix in the zest, cinnamon and half the walnuts. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl using electric beaters until pale and fluffy, mix in the oil and orange juice slowly, into the butter mixture, whisking constantly.

Mix in the flour carefully and then bring the dough together with your hands. Shape tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the tray. Flatten slightly and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool on the tray.

To make the syrup, mix all the ingredients with 60ml of water and the remaining walnuts in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten minutes. The syrup will thicken. Using a slotted spoon, dip a few of the biscuits at a time in the hot syrup, use another spoon to baste them. Transfer to an airtight container. 

Afternoon High Tea in Tree Lodge Forest:

It seems that all the happenings are occurring in Tree Lodge lately. Its 14h30 on Friday afternoon, the cool shade of the Fever trees provides an ambient atmosphere within the Fever tree forest, the distant knocking of a woodpecker breaks the afternoon’s tranquility. The guests slowly amble down to the forest for afternoon high tea.

Encircled by chairs, the refreshment table is the centre of attention within the forest where a selection of tea, coffee, fruit juices and delicious eats we freshly prepared and waiting.  

 

In the distance warthogs are intrigued by the movements in the forest and stare in amazement, while the Nyala (as calm as ever) peacefully grazes nearby. It is not long after everyone has had their refreshments that the ever boisterous ban of monkeys arrives, startling the guest a little with their fearless attitudes. 

The Ubizane team had to step in when one monkey got a bit too close for comfort, and tried his luck at have a taste of a guests snack. Thankfully he was stopped in his tracks and the guests had a good chuckle at his efforts.

This just goes to show that there is never a dull day here at Ubizane!