Welcome to the family!

Ubizane has lately established a close partnership with CROW (Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife) and we have opened our arms to a warthog and two Spotted Eagle Owls to join our family.

CROW came to investigate the Ubizane premises to make sure it would be a happy safe environment for released animals and we were approved as a safe haven for wildlife! After much planning and organizing, CROW released two Spotted Eagle Owls at the end of November in our aviary. This is where we will nurture the two beautiful owls, like we nurtured our Barn Owls, until they’re big and strong and can be released into the wild.

      

It was an interesting day with the Spotted Eagle Owls almost being twice the size of the Barn Owls and we weren’t sure how the four owls would bond.  For the first day they stared at each other and did not know what to do. After the second night they started competing for the territory and we decided to divide the aviary in two to give the two species their own space.

We are happy to report that the owls are living happily in the aviary and we are waiting for the wonderful day we can release them successfully into the Fever Tree Forest of Ubizane.

            

We also had the pleasure of welcoming a female warthog into our family named Wendy.  This intriguing character was found in November 2012 after being abandoned by her mother in another game reserve, being only 1 ½ weeks old. CROW took her in and hand raised the little warthog with love and patience and asked us if we would release her at Ubizane.  After having a similar situation at Ubizane where we had our dear Tiban who we found as a baby, abandoned and almost drowned after heavy rains, we knew we could not say no.  Tiban was successfully released into the Ubizane bush in December 2012 and we are very proud of this wonderful story of a baby warthog fighting against all odds and surviving. We were excited to hear about Wendy and now the day has finally arrived! CROW released Wendy into an enclosure which is meant as Boma for her at Ubizane where she will get used to the environment and then eventually go into the bush and live a happy life back where she belongs. CROW, along with a camera crew who have been filming her rehabilitation process, released Wendy into Ubizane’s care.

 Wendy has a personality as no other with a love for bananas and mielies (corn cobs)!  She adores a good tummy scratch and enjoys being fed some luscious green grass by the hand so she can give you some loving while you feed her.

The warthog will be let out of the boma each day to graze and get to know the area and climate. She started to walk around on Saturday and slowly but surely she explores a little bit further each day before returning to her ‘safety zone’ in the boma. When she is ready we will let her roam freely into the bush where we’ll hope to see a very happy ending to this story!

The Spotted Eagle Owls will be a lengthier process as these Owls are still young and need more time to grow strong and comfortable in the area. They also need to still learn to hunt and excel their predator instincts which might take a lot more time than anticipated.

Thanks go to CROW for choosing Ubizane and letting us be a part of the conservation efforts. We are so happy to have these magnificent animals, Wendy the warthog and the two Spotted Eagle Owls joining the Ubizane family in their rehabilitation process! Welcome to the family!

For more information about CROW you can visit their website, http://crowkzn.co.za/

Keep updated with the latest news about Wendy and the Spotted Eagle Owls on our blog and our Facebook profile (https://www.facebook.com/ubizane.wildlifereserve)

The Count is On! (Part One)

I was lucky enough to be one of the six “chosen ones” to help out with the game count at Ubizane last month.  The game count is done annually to do a ‘stock take’ of the animals we have. This helps us to get an idea of how our animals are doing and to what extent poaching has affected our game.  We use this opportunity to analyse the population growth and decrease in order for us to make sure the animals are living in healthy circumstances without any serious fluctuation.  Being part of such an important part of conservation at Ubizane was truly exciting and knowing the technicalities that go into the final numbers, I simply enjoyed the events during the day which made this a fun outing for me! So this is my story:

Our general manager informed me early the morning we would do a game count later on the day and I must get ready because they need an extra person. Lucky for me I had a camera ready and a skin in much need of sunlight so I was first choice to fill the extra spot! I grabbed my camera, a pen and a hat and rushed to the Land Rover. I was paired up with the trusty Hamilton – our Game Ranger – and he chose the strong tough Landy called “Elephant” for our adventures and off we went to the “old gate” where we would meet up with the others.

Elephant - our tough Land Rover!

At “Old Gate” we gathered and discussed the plan of action.  Each Land Rover (with two people each) received a sector of the Ubizane grounds to count in which every single road and track needs to be covered to ensure the most accurate count possible.  And when finished we were to meet again at Tree Lodge to hand in our findings. Now as a first timer I have to admit I was a little bit scared we would have to jump into the bush and chop down thicket with Panga’s, in my mind looking like a scene straight out of Rambo, until we found animals to count and add to our ‘stock sheet’ which I had the pleasure of filling out.  With Hamilton laughing away at my ridiculous ideas, he told me we will be sitting in the Land Rover safe and sound without any Panga’s needed for any excursions in the bush.  With a big sigh of relief I took my pen and I was ready to count those Impala...and the Nyala, Zebra and whichever other animal we were to find.  The ‘stock sheet’ contained a column for species, babies, young male, young female, adult male, adult female, pregnant female and unknown for those Zebra and Blue Wildebeest who are just too fast to make out the gender. No animal will be left behind in Ubizane’s game count!

Even Matthew & Zequenya joined in the fun!

We started at 10am and drove through the Ubizane plains and bush, staring down each little bush with each movement our eyes caught.  We soon realised the heat did not help much and made our task a lot harder as animals were hiding away under trees in the shade or staying low in between the grass to catch any cool air they could find.  In the first two hours we counted a staggering 12 Impala.  Out of the hundreds we have on the farm (if you were wondering) this was not a good result for us. Since we were still in the “busy” part of the reserve near Safari Lodge we decided we will probably find more interesting and larger number animals further in the quiet bush of Ubizane.

And interesting it most certainly was...

(Part Two will be published in the first week of December so keep checking our blog and don't miss out on the next part of this adventure!)

Pool dinner

We have decided to have a dinner by the swimming pool on Monday to celebrate the nice warm weather! Here are the pics from setting up to the dinner:

 

Set-up started late on Monday afternoon

 

At night, the dinner site was lit up by the candles and the pool light

A magical evening starts

The tables are ready for the guests arrival

The view of the area with guests enjoying the interesting set-up

Yummy food served by Candlelight

Guests enjoying the evening

We try to keep it different by serving dinner in different venues, weather depending of course. So next time you're at Ubizane enjoy the unique set-ups and send us your photo's the following day!

A Walk Down Safari Lodge Memory Lane...

Today marks Zululand Safari Lodge’s 43th birthday! It opened its doors for business on 15 October 1970 for the first time, changing the future of Ubizane Reserve forever. In co-operation with Cape Hotels Group, Safari Lodge was established and realized Norman Deane’s dream for the beautiful reserve to become a tourist destination.

Back in those days, Safari Lodge had a very different look and feel to it.  As the only lodge on the reserve, it had a dining room, cocktail bar and 42 double rooms.  Safari Lodge also had two boma’s – one for dining and one for Zulu dancing.  Today we still have the one boma which we use as a dining venue. The dining room and bar has been moved to Tree Lodge as the main restaurant. 

Ownership has shifted tremendously throughout the years moving from private ownership to leisure companies such as Sun International and the Three Cities Group, and then back to private ownership again.  With each owner bringing their unique atmosphere to Ubizane, Safari Lodge soon became a popular tourist destination. 

 The Three Cities Group owned Ubizane until 2009 with the group consisting of the main investors from three different cities; Mark Taylor, Mike Harrison, Robert Maingard and Alan Burke.

In 2009, one of the Three Cities investors, Mr. Alan Burke, saw the potential of Ubizane Wildlife Reserve. Ubizane was in desperate need at that stage for renovation and a make-over.  Mr. Burke bought out all the shares for Ubizane Wildlife Reserve in December 2009 and renovations began in 2010. 

Now, three years later, Safari Lodge (and the whole of Ubizane) is still under Mr. Burke’s ownership and has been showing remarkable progress as rooms have been beautifully refurbished and a team works hard every day to keep the original dream of Norman Deane alive. 

If you have any photographs of Safari Lodge throughout the years, send them to social@ubizane.co.za and we’ll post it into our “memory lane” album on Facebook.

Join our Migration

Thursday is a big day for us at Ubizane.  For the past few months the team has been working hard to redesign and revamp our old website.  We decided 2013 is the year for change at Ubizane and we have completely redone our website.  We have upgraded our website to a look that represents Ubizane better so you can be sure that Ubizane is the holiday destination for you and your family!

The big launch is on Thursday, the 6^th of June and with it will be a brand new competition.  The first 10 people to register for the newsletter & to tell us where to find the phrase “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin” by William Shakespeare, on the new site will receive a 25% discount on their next stay at Ubizane! 

You can enter by emailing social@ubizane.co.za with your answer and your name & surname.
Competition closes as soon as 10 persons have entered complying with the rules!

The countdown to 6 June 2013 has begun, only 2 more days! Join our migration!

A Month with Barn Owls

From ugly ducklings to beautiful swans, it’s been a month of caring for our little wise owls and they’re still going strong!  Our Barn Owl chicks have almost lost all their down (fluff) and are now covered with interesting brown, white and grey feathers with small black spotted detail.  It’s a wonderful sight as we’ve watched them grow over the last few weeks. We have been used to small fluffy birds that looked like cotton balls and now we have big strong birds of prey with striking feathers.  They have been catching mice with the help of traps set by the Ubizane team in an effort to teach them to deal with their prey as it would present itself in the wild.  It is always hard, as a human with no clue of what is going on in the mind of an animal, to rehabilitate and try teaching them how to become wild and follow their instincts. However we have seen these birds find their natural grounds as they show more and more of their natural instincts every day.  We are starting to recognise facial structures in the birds that make each one unique which makes the connection we feel towards these small, incredible creatures stronger and stronger every day.  It is an amazing transformation that has just reminded us of how wonderful wildlife really is and why it is so important to conserve it. 

The heart-shaped faces of our Barn Owls.

We had to place the owls on a cardboard service because their claws slide on the slippery table when we feed them.  

Barn Owls are different to normal owls not only with their heart-shaped face appearances but also because of the sounds they make.  Other owls make “hooting” sounds whereas Barn Owls only make a hissing or screeching noise.  During the time we have spent with them we have experienced these sounds first hand and realised that they have a peculiar way of intimidating their enemies.  They hiss at enemies while standing up straight and puffing their feathers to make their bodies appear bigger.  They then make circular movements with their heads.  It has been very interesting viewing these owls and we are looking forward to keep witnessing these magnificent birds of prey.

From City Madness to Serene Nature

Yesterday we drove from Pietermaritzburg to Ubizane Wildlife Reserve for four hours which proved to be well worth it! At the gate I was greeted by a friendly guard who contacted the reception to let them know I have arrived.  Leaving the gate, entering the beautiful property the first sight I had the privilege to see was the long necked giraffes, eating a few leaves while staring curiously at the new visitor. 

Reception was just as beautiful and peaceful as the rest of the reserve with small water fountains to create an ambiance of serenity whilst the friendly receptionist, Bongani, welcomed me at the front desk.  I was offered a warm towel and a warm cup of hot chocolate for refreshment after the long drive.  It was clear that I was going to be spoiled well at Ubizane - a perfect place to rest the soul from the busy, stressful life in the city. 

After checking in, I was on route to Safari Lodge where I would be staying for the evening.  The hut-shaped chalets (“rondawels”) blend in perfectly with the Zululand area and the safari theme.  The area contains a swimming pool and a bar area.  There is also a restaurant and entertainment area which looks perfect for functions where you want a fun evening in a bush environment.  I can just imagine how this area lights up with laughter and the sound of splashing water during the summer times by the pool. 

Showing me the area was the hospitable general manager, Natascha Pienaar who explained about how the animals are very relaxed and peaceful.  I was also warned not to keep windows or doors open to defer monkeys from making their way into the room for their favourite treat; sugar packets stacked next to the kettle.  Inside, the room was transformed into a magical calm space with white and brown interior design.  Making it extra special to me was the leaves and Frangipani flowers scattered on the bed and in the bathroom, reminding me of nature’s presence in every corner of Ubizane.

After unpacking and settling in I sat on the porch watching Zebra and Nyala grazing in the area.  I decided to go closer and carefully walked over, expecting them to run away with every step I make.  To my surprise the Nyala were unaware of human presence as they stood only two metres away without running.  It is something you never think you would experience in your life! I never imagined I could be standing so close to a wild animal without it being scared.  The Zebra were not as trusting of me and I suspect it was because of the young one they had in the herd that they wanted to protect.  I still can’t believe they were so close to me. 

Dinner time came at 7pm and I was surprised at Tree Lodge restaurant by a five star buffet which was filled with foods for all tastes.  Again pleasant staff members filled the area with welcoming smiles to make me feel like I’m part of their family.  The food was delicious and the staff served it with a hospitality that is hard to find in the depressing city life.  Some staff members took a few moments to get acquainted with the guests and chatted like friends would.  It looks like the type of place you make friends that always stay close to your heart. After dinner I returned to my room with an amazing star filled sky, with the milky-way brighter than ever.  It was finally time for some rest and it was the best night’s rest I have had in a really long time.

The breakfast once again made me feel like I was eating for ten people.  A buffet with continental breakfast, yogurts, fruits, eggs, bacon, and many more started my day fresh and fully nourished.  You can’t help but get out of the right side of the bed if you know what is waiting for you here!  It’s not just the food putting a smile on your face but also the staff greeting you and asking about your nights rest.  It felt like I knew everyone personally and entered the day with excitement and in good spirit.  After my breakfast I went to take a better look at the Tree lodge.  These rooms are absolutely stunning and completely original.  With the feeling of staying in a tree house, I have to say it’s very interesting and magical.  I just cannot wait for my next visit to this wonderland and will hopefully have a longer stay.

If you want to get spoiled and meet wonderful people – and animals, this is the place to come to! When you leave Ubizane it is assured that you will feel sad to leave a family and a second home-away-from-home behind.  

Impala bucks staring curiously outside Safari Lodge at Ubizane Wildlife Reserve. ©Ettione Ferreira