The Count is On! (Part Two)

The deeper we went into Ubizane the worse the roads became. That Landy looked like Elvis, rockin’ and rollin’ while battling through some very small spaces.  Luckily I got over my claustrophobia a long time ago! While tensing our eyes looking for any sign of movement or animals next to us we suddenly looked up with the tall...gigantic...Giraffe standing right in front of the Land Rover! We couldn’t help but laugh at our own stupidity for almost missing these massive creatures right in front of us! So Hamilton called out the number of males, females and youngsters for me after analysing them carefully while I wrote all our findings down.  We were slowly but surely making progress.

Giraffe were closer than expected!

Another interesting creature we met on our road while counting the game, was a big, furry Cane Rat.  Rats aren’t really the most gracious or most beautiful animals but these Cane Rats are just too cute! They are huge with little crooked teeth and fluffy fur. I enjoyed seeing this interesting friend. Now on the other hand if I saw him in my house at night – maybe I wouldn’t enjoy his presence as much!

A Cane Rat

At one point we went down a road that, to me, looked like a game trail rather than an actual road! We counted some Wildebeest and saw a few hiding Nyala.  With an overgrown trail (I’m calling it a trail because roads are different in my mind) we bundu bashed into the bush. Leaves were flying everywhere and I was covered in branches and plants, so much so that I could probably start my own garden in the Landy! Hammy laughed as I cringed and ducked for oncoming Acacia thorn branches.  As we came to a stop in an open area where the trail connected to a road which I perceive as a REAL road, I realised the Landy was a little heavier than usual. I did not know if I wanted to look back...maybe a Wildebeest decided to join the party or it could have been my worst fear – a gigantic spider on steroids! This is Zululand after all where ANYTHING is possible! After plucking up the courage I looked behind me and there it was...a massive tree branch – the size of pretty much HALF THE TREE stuck in the row of seats behind me. So I explained the situation to Hamilton in the only way I saw fitting, “Ah Hammy you shouldn’t have! Normal men give a bunch of roses...not half a tree!”

 After driving for hours with the sun piercing through my pale skin, we were finally confident that we covered as many animals in our designated area and went back to Tree Lodge.  It was important to go through your designated area as many times as possible before calling it a day.  It helped to use landmarks such as a certain odd looking tree, etc. to ensure that game weren’t counted more than once. It is also easy to get lost in the endless bush so we were all equipped with a handy Ubizane map which we also used to mark and pinpoint the animals’ locations. 

 

Hammy looks over the Ubizane grounds to see if he can spot any herds
and to plan our next route...

While driving back I realised how dirty my pants were, not only with leaves covering it but also from pen marks. Driving in a shaking Land Rover with an open pen shaking around in your hand with beige-white pants – not the greatest idea.  It is now decorated in blue Vincent Van Gogh style stripes to remind me every day of my fun outing during the game count!  The end of our journey also brought about another critter which I did not appreciate as much as Hamilton did; a small jumping spider.  Yes, I do live in the bush and this should not faze me but unfortunately for me I really dislike these small eight-legged beasts. This little critter knew I disliked him and kept jumping back on me – and I admit; I did let out a girlish squeal every time it landed back on me! Hamilton enjoyed it very much, for him it was like an episode from his favourite comedy.  I just want to add this spider continuously made his way back to me after countless attempts of trying to get rid of him every time for the whole journey back to the lodge!  He’s probably still awaiting my return to the Land Rover since that fateful day...

Upon return at the lodge I ran for my lunch and water realising that we were gone from 10am until 2:30pm! We counted again for two days after the first trip and I can now say I’m a pro at game count and I am ready for the next one next year!

10 Tips to get you through your first Game Count!

 Here are a few tips that I picked up from my experience which might help you one day if you are asked to help in a game count on a wildlife reserve:

1. Use sun block... a lot
2. Wear a hat & sunglasses
3. Wash your face when you get back to the lodge...people tend to laugh at your red dirt-filled face
4. Don’t leave your pen-cap off while driving in a Land Rover – I drew on myself without even knowing
5. In fact (following point nr. 4) don’t wear white or light beige pants!
6. Look in front of you as well as to the sides to avoid catching a fright with a massive unseen Giraffe suddenly appearing right in front of the Land Rover
7. Get over your fear of spiders – you might get a follower like my jumping friend
8. Eat breakfast before you go!
9. Remember to pack a water bottle filled with fresh water
10. Keep your eyes open and find those animals! 

©Ettioné Ferreira

  

Guess and WIN!

This month's competition has to do with your skills in puzzle solving! Guess the animal that we recently released by liking our Facebook Page and commenting with your answer! Hints will be posted throughout the week on our Facebook Page and Profile so don't miss out on an opportunity to win a 25% off voucher to stay at one of our luxury lodges!

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/UbizaneReserve
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/Ubizane.wildlifereserve

New Home for the Barn Owls

Our beautiful Barn Owls that we have hand raised have finally found a new home! We built an aviary especially for them and a new project we have decided to tackle.  Ubizane is proudly entering the world of bird rehabilitation and we invite the public to bring any birds of prey that needs rehabilitation to our brand new aviary! Email: social@ubizane.co.za for more information about this exciting new project!

 We went from an open patch of grass with only a few poles to a full aviary in only a couple of weeks time.

The Release over the weekend:

Feel free to come visit our two Barn Owls and get to know these birds of prey better! 

An Ubizane Moment

We recently ran a competition for all guests who've stayed at Ubizane before.  Guests were encouraged to send in their photographs that they took on their trip to the reserve.  We wanted guests to show their Ubizane moments! Today we chose winners! The votes were tied and because of the beautiful photo's that were sent in we decided that we need TWO winners! So in the nature category we have chosen Gary Roper for his beautiful photo of a sunbird on an Aloe flower. And for the portraits category we chose the stunning photo of Shirley Groenewald!  Thank you to all who participated! We cannot wait for the next competition!

Gary Roper and Shirley Groenewald each wins a
2 night stay for 2 people at  Zululand Safari Lodge!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

A new beginning

We have recently set all plans in motion by beginning construction on our bird aviary! The aviary will serve as a home for our rescued Barn Owls and other birds of similar circumstances.  We decided to build an aviary in a central location at Tree Lodge not only for our owls to have more space to move around during the rehabilitating process but also so we can have an area that's more guest-friendly. Watch this space for updates on the progress of this exciting new venture!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Our competition has ended and here is the lucky 10 who were chosen at random as the winners!!!

CONGRATULATIONS YOU GET A 25% off VOUCHER FOR UBIZANE!!! Email social@ubizane.co.za to claim your prize and receive more information!

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.

April is Prevention of cruelty to animals month!

April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty month and Ubizane likes to support the cause! We would like to inform the public on how it is not only domestic animals suffering from cruelty.  The wildlife has been put in the line of fire and some species risking extinction if humans carry on destroying at this rate.  We have compiled a few facts to spread awareness of how much damage wildlife conservation is suffering. 

   Speeding Kills.  

Normally this would be an AA ad to prevent human loss but what most of us forget is that speed also kills a lot of our wildlife every year. 

Thousands of reptiles get killed on roads in South Africa every year because it’s hard to see a small creature walking over the road when you are driving speedily to your destination.  When in areas with long grasses on the side of the road, try be extra vigilant about what’s going on, on the road.  There might just be a snake sneaking over the road or a tortoise slowly making his way across.
The larger animals are a lot harder to miss when crossing the road but if you speed, there’s a big chance you can kill the animal as well as endanger yourself.  Larger antelope and animals, such as Kudu are known to jump in front of cars during early morning hours and late at night.  They jump high enough to jump fences easily so if you’re in an area with a lot of wildlife during those hours, make sure you drive slower to ensure you have time to stop for the animals crossing the road.

    Report animal abuse

If you witness someone harming any wildlife, report it.  It’s the only way you can prevent it from happening again.  You can get in contact with the local SPCA and if they cannot help you, you can ask them the contact details of the nearest Wildlife Conservationist. 

    Rubbish!

The worst habit some of us have is to simply throw a paper wrapper, empty can or bottle or an empty plastic bag out the window or in the water when nearby a river, dam or the ocean.   This is the easiest way of damaging not only the environment but also endanger animals who do not know what the foreign objects are.  Animals can eat the plastic and choke on it and fish can get entangled in bags.  So the golden rule is to never throw rubbish on the ground and rather keep it until you can find a rubbish bin.
 

   Don’t feed animals

It is sometimes hard not to feed a helpless little creature but in actual fact you are disturbing the natural ways of living for the creature.  If there’s a monkey in your area, don’t feed him and make him used to eating at your house, off foods that he might not normally get.  One day you will stop feeding and when that happens the animal won’t know how to find its own food.  This goes for birds as well.  If you have a bird feeder in your garden, you either keep feeding the birds or don’t feed them at all.  When you forget to feed them, they will not know where to find other resources of foods and might suffer because of this.  The best thing to do for any animal rather than feeding them, if you want to help, is to build a pond with a water source for them.  Water is always something that all animals need.  If you can make a pond in your area, make sure it has a constant source of water and doesn’t dry up in summer or freeze in winter. 

     Minimize amount of herbicides and pesticides

Poison might be good to keep the pests away but not all animals are pests.  Remember that animals – any animal – can eat the poison that you spread outside and it is just as dangerous to them as the pest that you’re trying to keep out.  Try to minimize your use of these poisons and spread it responsibly where other animals will be safe from it.

If you have any other tips for April’s Prevention of cruelty to animals month, feel free to comment on this blog to inform readers on more handy tips!

Rutting Brawl

Lately we have seen an increase in Impala locking horns over dominance.  It is an interesting sight as the rams fight over territory with the sound of horns knocking against each other.

Here the Impala rams are preparing to lock horns.  They carefully align themselves so they do not cause harm to each other while in the brawl.

The male Impala round up any females that enter their territory and include them in their herd.  When another ram enters their territory they surround the females to show that the females are now a part of their harem.  The rut (breading season) usually starts at the end of May in most areas in Africa.  In our part of South Africa the rutting starts in April already, explaining why Ubizane has been seeing our Impala locking horns since beginning April.

 

The main reason apart from dominance, for the Impala to lock horns and fight until one succumbs to the other, is that the rams in the herd want to keep the females with them.  They do not want their females to leave the harem and therefore chase away all weaned or bachelor rams. 

 

The noises they make is a type of roaring-blowing sound as if they were a mix between a lion and a horse.  So if you visit Ubizane during this month, be sure to look out for these sights and listen to the sounds of nature.  You might think it’s a lion but don’t worry it’s only the Impala!