From the editors desk Last Month’s Top Shot Winner Facebook Cover Shot Winner Volunteer Encounters Ranger’s Report
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Research Update Research Focus
Winter has come, had it’s dry and chilling hold on the country and has now slowly crept out, allowing spring to step in. With this comes higher temperatures and the hope of early rains which will in part bring new life to the world around us here at Dumela lodge. Early morning game drives used to be spent wrapped up in blankets, but with a near flick-of-a-switch immediacy, it’s now the time for shorts and t-shirts. Sunrise has skipped forward by approximately 45 minutes; the day is longer and the nights, albeit refreshing, come now to the added threat of the emerging mosquitos (everyone's ever-favourite). From a personal standpoint, being able to live here for the entire year has given me the ability to watch to the shift in seasons and the quick changes they bring. To see greens turn to browns and back again has been a marvellous thing and further highlights the capabilities and endurance of all things nature
Subscribe by mailing: warthogpost@africanimpact.com to keep yourself updated with the latest news! Cover shot: Flight Into Blue– Samuel Cox, Second Photographer, England
We are all used to keeping up the pace, to hurry, and to be ahead of others. We are taught since the beginning that we have to run, otherwise other people will put themselves right in front of you. So I started to run on this path. I turned 18 last December and spent this year studying, filling my head with lots of information. I had to do well. In July, I graduated from high school and spent the first part of summer studying for my admission to college. So I asked myself, in what direction was I heading? Why did I need to be in such a rush? I told myself to stop, otherwise I would crash. I had the necessity of putting my efforts into something different. I was so tired of myself, tired of thinking about myself and my future, that I did not even mind anymore. I wanted something bigger, not just as a person, but something that would potentially last. So I took the short amount of time before the beginning of college and made it worthwhile. I packed up and came to Africa as a volunteer, trying to leave most of myself at home, to have as much space as I could to learn. I could not have anticipated how much this powerful voyage would change and open up my mind. The fact that the path I’m following now is the African one. Nothing like the confusion of Western society; the rhythm is simple and clear, the natural way for people and for all other animals to live. It follows the huge sun. It can be explained by the wisdom of animals, and the most powerful emotions.
This antelope’s name, Klipspringer, is Afrikaans for ‘rock jumper’ and the animal certainly lives up to this description, leaping around and among cliffs and rocky outcrops like a mountain goat. A typical view will be of one individual standing stock-still on top of a rock. Look closer and you will invariably spot its mate nearby.
Q&A with:
Remember Why did you join Sasekile Gardens? To raise money to pay for my education next year. What is your favourite part about gardening? Watching the plants grow over time. I also find watering fun and relaxing. What is your favourite crop to grow? Beetroots. What will you do with the harvests? I will give it to my family and I will sell my second harvest to local customers.
The gardeners are now coming every two days to Sasekile Gardens to water and maintain the gardens. Together with the volunteers, about 40 2 litre plastic bottles were planting to water deeper onto the ground. On a regular basis, mulching (wood chips/dry grass) is added to prevent evaporation and keep the soil moist. This has also attracted termites but white vinegar seems to be a good repellent. Ladybugs have now settled in the gardens and are a great biological control, especially against the aphids regularly found on the tomato plants. Biodiversity in the garden has clearly increased! The 10th of September we had the first harvest of beetroots and spinach. It was really rewarding for everyone and raw beetroots were tasted. Delicious! They also sold a part of their harvest to the community and enjoyed having their first income. In the meantime, the gardeners have started to produce seedlings at home that will be planted at Sasekile gardens as soon as they are strong enough. This time we will do companion planting to diminish the chance of having pests and to improve the productivity.
What drew you to want to work in South Africa? I love travelling, experiencing new cultures and love to try and experience new things. What do you like most about your job? I love organising, working with people and thrive under new challenges. The beautiful surroundings here help too! What makes you smile here? Meeting so many people from different countries and seeing them all come together for one goal ď Š
The 19th of September we opened a new Reading Club at Hloaia Primary School. Grade 5 students had only one year of English and are therefore in a great need of improving and increasing their reading and comprehension abilities. The students read to volunteers one on one which help them in focusing on the book. In the meantime, the other students play reading games - spelling, creating sentences, matching pictures with words to learn new vocabulary - or simply develop other skills by playing, for example, a memory game or by making puzzles. An outside game, previously designed and based on a book read by one volunteer to the entire class, is played to test the students’ comprehension. The Environmental Club was launched on September 21st with the same students as the new Reading Club. During this Club, different topics are being discussed such as endangered species, littering, the solar system, plants or ecosystems. Based on one of the topics, two activities are always proposed – one using creativity and one sporty. The students have then the choice of participating to the activity they feel the most comfortable doing. That way they will develop soft skills in a manner that fits them and they will express themselves with more confidence.
Hi, my name is Melanie and I am an intern for the Happy Africa Foundation. I am from Austria and arrived in South Africa two weeks ago. Back home I just finished my Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Management and felt the need to dive into a new adventure outside my usual environment. I found what I’ve been looking for in South Africa and the internship with The Happy Africa Foundation, which was founded in 2008 in order to manage donations in a responsible way. As an intern, my job is to promote our community and conservation projects in order to raise awareness of these projects and the need for donations. Also the organisation of events and other promotional activities which help to raise further funds are part of my job here with The Happy Africa Foundation. Being on the ground and being engaged in the projects is essential in order to identify further needs or possibilities as well as to have an overview about the developments and the success of the projects. On the 24th of September, South Africa celebrated Heritage Day in order to honour the South African culture and so did we! It was a fun day where staff members, volunteers and guides could enjoy some typical South African games, have a taste of a cows head or try a traditional Mopane worm. In addition to the fun aspect of the day, me as THAF intern together with Sophie, the fundraising and marketing manager of THAF as well as some staff members of African Impact developed ideas to raise money for our projects. The volunteers themselves have been included in the process to make sure that they know about our intentions of the day and that we can be sure about their participation. Heritage day was a huge success and THAF was able to raise additional money for Sasekile Gardens as well as our Leopard Conservation project! Another just recently introduced way of how to raise funds for the Happy Africa Foundation is the search engine Lilo. It is a search engine that finances social and environmental projects through commercial links that come up with your search. The Happy Africa Foundation has joined Lilo a month ago and has already collected 6 Pounds so far! Lilo is an alternative way for people with less financial resources who would still like to support the Happy Africa Foundation without having to donate money from their own bank account. We are hoping to receive even more support through this initiative in the future in order to be able to continue and expand our projects.
Keeping on top of your health should always be a priority, and at times it can be tricky to be free and able to exercise when living in a remote are of Africa. One of our fantastic photography volunteers from May shares her story on how to successfully exercise and navigate the African bush:
Many people think Hyenas are dogs, or more closely related to them than anything else. In actual fact, they have their own zoological classification; Hyanidae. They do, however, share attributes with both felines and canines. They run, ? and kill bring down prey with their mouths like dogs but then they groom themselves and scent mark like cats. Even their babies are referred to as cubs, instead of the oftenbelieved pups.
Running in the bush in South Africa is not easy. But if you want to try it (because you´re in training and your legs want to be moved when you’re sitting too much) then do it. But only when it’s safe, of course!!! And humans on two feet are endangered in the bush. Everyone knows why, don't they? So, you have to find a good solution how you can do it anyway. On street is a bad solution too. Too much traffic! Then you only have Dumela Lodge. There is one possibility: to run around the lodge. You can only do it by daylight and it is more trail running than running, but it is a good solution. And the body and the legs appreciate it!!!!! Daylight is important because sometimes you can find tracks from a leopard and on foot you don’t want to meet it.... But when you've listened to your guide, you can feel safer doing it. And then you can have awesome experiences and adventures!
You can find this sign everywhere
Mind Your Background Backgrounds are an integral part of a photograph and can make or break your final picture.
Distracting shapes, branches that appear to stick out of animals’ heads and juxtaposing colours can very easily?distract from your chosen subject. However, they can also help tell a story, add to the atmosphere of your image and further enhance your subjects beauty – so pay close attention to what’s happening behind your focal point!
One lap around the lodge is about 2,1km. The path starts very nice and broad but later narrows. And the spear grass is very spiky. But running puts you in a good mood and you can appreciate nature. And sometimes impalas or monkeys! One day I heard a deep noise! And I felt a bit scared, I was alone and I could see nothing but bushes and trees. But around the next curve I saw a male impala right on my path. He was looking at me and he jumped a few metres to the side. Next lap it was the same “game“! And the next.... and so on … One day I met a lot of monkeys – on my left most of them were running away, but on my right two of them were sitting on the ground observing me. I stopped to observe them as well. What could I do? I decided to continue my run. Looking back I saw the monkeys remaining motionless on spot. Since I was feeling good, I continued for my second lap, with high curiosity for what would await me. Nothing changed, except my fan base observed me from a more distant vantage point. During lap three, I was severely disappointed in them having left, but I've never had more fun as a European running in Africa.
Mixed feelings filled the vehicle as we parked alongside two injured lionesses, KF1 and KF2. The two had barely moved since the last group’s trip due to their poor health, and remained unflinching as we brought our cameras out within three meters distance from their deteriorating bodies. Some focused their cameras in on the side puncture of KF1 to provide the researchers with images to reference, while others captured their fatigued repose. It was an uncomfortable sight to photograph, but the nature of wildlife. What’s more, such images often play a crucial part in reigning in the attention of an audience, be it for anti-poaching organisations, or newspaper articles. For instance, whilst an image of a rhino whose face has been wrecked for its horn may be unnerving to photograph, it can instantly relay the severity of poaching and encourage an audience to read up on the matter.
Following on from our lion sighting was a stunning sunset. Yet again, photography allowed the message, this time of its beauty, to be relayed to the other volunteers far more effectively than any words we strung together could. The photos shown here were shot in manual at f/16 for a larger depth of field to capture a sharper image of the clouds, and with a shutter speed of 1/400, as if the sky were underexposed, to darken the clouds and increase the vibrancy of the sky, with the shadows later brought up in Lightroom.
The Green-backed Heron is greenish grey, short-necked and its crown is a very dark green with a long crest of the same colour, almost black. The rear neck and sides are chestnut brown. The upperparts are dark green and underparts are pale grey, throat and chest are white. They live close to fresh and salt waters, in mangroves, in dense vegetation areas, along streams, lakes, rivers, ponds, in estuaries, and in open areas such as mudflats, tidal areas or coral reefs. We normally find it in lowlands, but it was observed in Peru up to 4000 m high!
The southern ground hornbill is one of two species and is the largest of the two with a lifespan of up to seventy years – making them comparable to more famously long-lived birds like the Wandering Albatross. However, they are classed as vulnerable to extinction and in South Africa are even listed as endangered. Appearance wise, they’re strikingly beautiful as well as giant in size, in older Southern Africa they were once a symbol of the arrival of the rainy season and thusly hunting of them was strictly tabooed.
Our final example of the power of photography comes from our time photographing at community projects both at local schools and with partners, such as Eco Children. These photos go on to be used on web pages and alongside magazine articles, and so a punchy image is vital to capture the attention of potential readers and draw them into reading what the subject matter represents. The photo shown here from Reading Club, with the contrast of the bright colours against the dark backdrop, was taken with exactly this in mind. After a month here with African Impact, we’ve not only witnessed some incredible sightings but we’ve also been taught the technical skills required to capture these sightings as best we can through photography. As discussed, these skills empower us to do more than take a good photo they can be harnessed towards engaging attention, expressing, educating, and even encouraging action.
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So what’s special about volunteering? Well, you get your hands “dirty” in so many ways, you are with really dedicated inspiring people, you aren’t in the “ivory tower” of a hotel or hostel and you get to see some amazing wildlife and stunning scenery.
Choose Your Speed Wisely Not everything has to be pin sharp and frozen by the thousandth of a second. Flowing water, moving clouds and waving grass can look fantastic shot on slower speeds; adding a dreamlike and somewhat ethereal tone to an otherwise normal composition. Just don’t forget to use tripods or a very steady hand!
Your fellow volunteers come from all over the world and, that alone, is a fantastic experience – if you haven’t travelled much before, you’ll get an insight into some really different cultures and it will be FUN!!! With an open mind, the possibilities here are almost endless. Apart from the physical conservation, research, community work and photography, all sorts of things happen. The volunteers completed an assault course used in training the Protrack anti-poaching recruits! Painful fun perhaps but it was an insight into just how fit these guys have to be to even start with this organisation. The Protrack rangers seem to be a mixture of ninjas and high-tech sleuths – and doing amazing work in reducing poaching! Eleven days after our last visit here, a beautiful rhino female was brutally killed for the stub of horn left after she had been “dehorned” before getting pregnant. She, and her calf, had been a regular sight on our game drives and the news of her death was a very personal shock – the only relief was when we found her calf had survived and was being cared for at a local sanctuary.
Slightly less strenuous is the Sasekile gardening project – this is so much more than helping in a garden. The idea is to help these gardeners to develop the skills to run a garden as a business – this was fun but, whatever you do, don’t get into a “discussion” with Taelo about over-watering his chillies – you’ll only end up getting hugged!
Want to pass on your love of books – there’s someone waiting for you at Reading Club! Want to “cuddle” a Golden Brown Baboon spider – it can be arranged!!! And the researchers will explain all the problems these creatures face if their homes are disturbed! So, if you can leave here without something actually making an impression on you, then you probably shouldn’t consider volunteering at all – because everyone I’ve met over our five months spent with African Impact has been really affected by some of the things seen, discussed, learnt and experienced - not all the same because folks are different. And judging by the wonderful smiles at Sundowners and the tearful goodbyes when they are leaving, I reckon they’ve all had a load of fun too! So don’t just sit there reading this, get out here and EXPLORE what will INSPIRE you and what IMPACT you can make!!!
Crested Barbets roost in holes in trees. They are very vocal, the call being a trill that can continue for long periods. Crested barbets are aggressive towards other birds in their territory and chase off both nest competitors such as other barbets and other birds such as doves and thrushes.
Composition “Composition is the difference between a photograph and a snapshot.” Throughout my month long stay with African Impact at Dumela lodge our research teams were graced with fantastic sightings of some of the most majestic creatures on Earth, the elephants. Every sighting of feels like an incredible gift, and observing their behaviours is always fascinating. Two individuals have been sighted frequently in particular; a couple of bulls identified as B16 and B19. During my stay I was given the task of creating and updating ID kits for the elephant bulls, which I quickly found to be an enjoyable and interesting undertaking to be involved in. Working on the ID kits you learn how to identify different individuals using their distinct features no matter how large or small. This alone teaches you to look at the finer details which makes up the unique profile of every animal. They all have their own features and even their own distinct habits just as we do. One of the things I found most intriguing was learning that elephants use their trunks predominantly towards the left or right which varies from one to the other, just as we are either left or right handed. This is among the factors which makes it possible to identify an elephant; the physical features being the notches, tears, holes and folds in their ears, of which every elephant has their own some very noticeable and some not as much so. Photos are gathered of each side of their face and body; then any distinct features are pointed out and focused on.
It’s a harsh but very true saying and instantly goes to distinguish the type of photographer who puts the extra thought into taken their picture. As such, it’s important to remember the guidelines of composition; rule of thirds in particular being an important one. However, it must always be remembered that these rules should be considered as guidelines. There are no rules in art. So use them, learn from them and then push the boundaries!
To properly understand population densities and distributions of leopards we must conduct camera trap surveys, record spoor and signs of predator presence. Ultimately, this focused research is vital to the development of sustainable conservation solutions that will protect the future of this iconic apex predator. Sign up for regular giving or a one – off donation below to help support the protection and better understanding of leopards in Southern Africa. https://www.globalgiving.org /projects/leopard-research/
As many details as possible are provided for them, estimated age and any other notable features, behaviours and social patterns such as which other elephants they are seen with and which herds or social groups they may belong to. An example of this would be that B16 and B19 are sighted together frequently. All of these things really helped me realise how unique and special each individual animal really is, and that they should be valued as such. You have to look closely and notice their defining features and qualities to truly appreciate this. The care and the level of detail that goes into creating every ID kit for each elephant makes you see how passionate the team is about what they do and that they care about every known and sighted animal they gather data on as individuals rather than collective numbers. That the guides at Dumela can recognise different individuals by memorising and recognising their features amazes me, though it may be a simple feat for them, and it is something I wished I had the ability to do out on drives if only I had time to study them more closely, spend more time with them and become more familiar with them as individuals. Having the chance to update the ID kit for B19 and observing him out on game drives after noticing the features I had pointed out prior was a special learning curve for me. I cannot iterate enough that what you put into the work is what you get out of it, especially in this field. That would be my key advice to any future volunteers with African Impact!
What drew you to want to work in this field? The past few months have been a blur of rosettes, camera traps, and tracks as the team has worked tirelessly to update and develop the reach of our ever growing leopard project. Now that we have garnered a few more camera traps we have been able to expand our leopard survey onto 2 additional properties. By adding new properties to the leopard survey we have been able to “connect the dots” of our leopard’s movements. These properties all have different land use types which lead to different variations in human wildlife conflict threats, food availability, and habitats. Leopards are one of the most adaptable species and are present in a wide range of habitats. By seeing which areas the leopards pass through we can begin to build corridors, or passages through different properties, which the leopards use to move through their territories. One of the most exciting new developments in the leopard project was made possible from the newly donated camera traps. After the first camera trap arrived we set it up on our own property in hopes of capturing some long awaited leopards on the camera. Any camera trap photos we had received in the past from our old cameras had been blurry or indistinguishable. But with the new cameras, the rosettes began to appear! After capturing an unknown male on the cameras last month, the research team had high hopes that we would be able to finally identify our mystery leopard. At the time we couldn’t identify him because the only photos available were of the opposite flank.
I like to be working in an area that makes people happy and comfortable; so working on a lodge is great. What do you like most about your job? I really love and have a passion for building and constructing things. What makes you smile here? Starting a job and then seeing the end result of all the hard work in the form of something I can be proud of. And lunch time!
This is the reason why it is vital to have 2 cameras at every location in order to capture both flanks of every individual. This helps to ensure we know exactly which individuals are moving through each property and can create their territory boundaries to follow their movements.
The Secretary Bird is a large bird of prey that lives in the Sub-Saharan Africa. They usually inhabits savannas and open grasslands which enable fast identification of the potential prey. Other than that, secretary birds can be found in semi-deserts, forests and farmlands. They are threatened by habitat loss due to increased agriculture and urban development. Luckily, the number of secretary birds in the wild is large and they are not on the list of endangered species.
A few weeks later we had exciting news as a male appeared again on the cameras. On the same night we also had word of a sighting on a neighboring property of the same male leopard! This time using both photos from this sighting and our unknown camera trap photos we were able to identify him as the new guy in town, Moyo, or MBL5. Not only was Moyo seen on our Dumela camera trap but the day before was also captured on another camera trap! Within 24 hrs he had traversed through 3 different properties using multiple corridor points! Now we have both flanks of our new resident male and many more camera trap photos captured. As we acquire more cameras we hope to be able to expand the camera trap survey further into other properties in order to do comparative surveys through multiple unprotected areas. Due to the generous donations from our supporters we have been able to accomplish so much in our leopard survey project and are learning more and more every day about these elusive animals. I personally cannot wait to see what the future holds for our leopard project and the exciting revelations to come.
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I’m in love with nature because it is so absurd. If you really think about it, it is. I mean, we are used to it, so we take it as normal … but if you really, really think about it … it is quite weird. Take frogs for example. Frogs are weird. Most frogs begin as little things that look like fish. They have gills and a tail and swim around. Then they change. They lose their gills but they can still breathe underwater. How? Through their SKIN. They have a network of blood capillaries that release carbon dioxide out through their skin, and take oxygen in. Then when the adult frog is on land it switches to using nostrils. Did you know that frogs moult? They shed their skin – not as neatly as a snake, but still, they shed it. Or, if it is the dry season, they keep it. Layer upon layer upon layer of dead skin can encase a frog like a hardened cocoon, reducing water loss so that it can survive in a state of hibernation for months, or even years if rains don’t come. YEARS!
Then there is the stunning safety mechanism programmed into the thyroid gland, controlling metamorphosis. If water temperatures increase the tadpole The metamorphoses faster, but if its watery home gets colder then the process instead slows down. This is notable when a pond is drying up – the water warms as it gets shallower, so the safety information kicks in within the thyroid gland and the tadpole turns into a frog a lot faster, allowing it to survive if the pond dries up. IS THIS NOT AMAZING?! Also, remember that frogs’ eyes not only need to function on land, they also need to function underwater. So frogs have these special retractable eyelids with clever glands that wet their eyes in dry air. Then they have a transparent membrane that covers their eyes underwater. Not only that, they can also retract their eyes somewhat into their heads, using the hardness of their eyeballs to force food down their throat. THIS IS ABSURD! Or how about their vocal sac? To make a loud noise they keep their nostrils shut while squeezing air out of their lungs. With nowhere else to go the air passes over the vocal chords and violently inflates a thinly walled vocal sac, amplifying sound without popping anything! This is majestic! I love nature, because it is delightfully, playfully absurd. I hope I never ever get used to it.
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