Limpopo-Lipadi Blog

Recently one of our new shareholders spent a number of weeks at the reserve. Noticing the large number of burrows in and around River Camp he decided to do some more detailed examination.

Picking a couple of sites that looked to be in use Fons placed his trail camera out at each location for the night. Within a couple of days he'd captured great images of the holes being used by warthog families, at least three separate brown hyenas, black-backed jackals and a porcupine!

The warthogs were even observed entering a burrow that turned out to be already in use by brown hyena, which left swiftly shortly afterwards! It was apparently so distraught after its rude eviction that it remained outside the burrow howling!

Another pair of brown hyenas were seen dragging the remains of a carcass back to the burrow too.

Even the porcupines don't seem to be fazed by close encounters with brown hyena...

There really is always something interesting going on at Limpopo-Lipadi - check out the Galleries to see more shots.

This week has brought the long-awaited rain to Limpopo-Lipadi with over 200mm falling in just 3 days! The reserve team have been battling the elements and the havoc they can wreak and our guests have been joining in too.

The many stream beds that cross the reserve, winding through the arid bush towards the main channels of the Limpopo, come alive when it rains. Within moments they can turn from sandy depressions into raging torrents that carry along any debris in their path. When this organic mass reaches a fenceline it just ploughs straight through tearing down wires and posts. So the staff have been frantically rushing from breach to breach repairing the damage and clearing the destruction.

One of the wild dogs also took the opportunity to add to the challenge by escaping through a aardvark hole under the fence. The rest of the pack, perhaps older and wiser, just laid up nearby and awaited the loner's return. This was duly achieved with much cajoling from shareholders, guests and staff collectively herding it back the way it came.

And through all of this the reserve has played host to Josie Borain for a few nights as she makes her road-trip through southern Africa! You can read more about these events and her stay in the latest item in her popular blog on the Safari Interactive website. We hope you had a wonderful time with us Josie and that you are swift to return. Best wishes for the next leg of your journey.

For now we're all hoping that the downpours have replenished the land for another year.

Much has been happening at Limpopo-Lipadi in November with rich animal activity caught on the trail cameras and lots of watery goings on at River Camp!

Leopards and brown hyena are becoming almost expected features of every location where we install the trail cameras, showing up with exciting regularity and giving us some great shots in the process. Check out the latest additions to the galleries for Old Man's Dam and Mogorosi online to see what we mean. A pair of elephant bulls also showed up at Mogorosi one morning - one never knows exactly where they will appear next!

For the last few weeks Gordon has been staying on site at Limpopo-Lipadi to provide some assistance to our management team. Whilst there he is keeping eyes, ears and other senses alert to game movements and other natural occurrences and has sent the following update for November.

Possibly the best drive to work in the world ...

Irrespective of what you do or where you do it, I doubt the drive to work is anyones favorite part of the day, but on the basis that many of us (sorry, you) have to participate in this tedious ritual of the western world, some are probably better than others.

Cutting to the chase, I am sure most of you will have been quite envious of our accounts and admin manager's drive to work on the Monday after the AGM finished. Heading from home to the office the route takes her past Mbusi, and at around 0700, she passed a leopard stalking one of our feathered friends, albeit I understand, without any success.

Well, if you're going to have to commute, I personally, cannot think of a better drive to the office!

Speaking of the AGM & feathered friends ...

A sad tale this one, but many of you who attended the AGM will have become aware of our adopted friend for the weekend.

Late on the preceding Friday morning, I found a tiny bird outside my room at unit 6, I recognized it was a kingfisher and with recourse to my reference material, I identified him as being an African Pygmy Kingfisher. Indeed, it was my first sighting of this particular species which in turn raised the question among some as to whether or not this species has previously been seen at Limpopo-Lipadi? If yes, please share with us when and where you have seen them.

Moving on, it became apparent that all was not well with this little fellow, and sadly, despite the efforts of numerous shareholders and some of their guest's, it was all too much and sadly the little guy succumbed on the Saturday night.

Late night dip?

Despite various notices around the camp and strict instructions that there should be no swimming in the river, a good deal of commotion was heard after dark on Friday evening from the water outside the central facility. Thankfully those first on the scene have not been greeted with ebullient shareholders or celebrating staff, but a far more rewarding sight, a group of Cape Clawless Otter seeking an easy meal from the trapped fish. Eyewitness reports suggest four or even five otters ... and some very quick and acrobatic fish!

Seasonal Visitors

The annual invasion of summer visitors is in full swing with many of the migrant summer birds now back at Limpopo-Lipadi for our pleasure & enjoyment. Whilst not a particular "twitcher" myself, my eyes can confirm the return of the Woodland Kingfisher, my ears the Black Cuckoo and my colleague (our Operations Manager) just about everything else that should be here by now!

On the subject of what should be here by now ...

Water! Yes, always a topic of conversation for us Brits (who claim to get too much) and those that live in areas that don't get enough. Here at Limpopo-Lipadi we have had some rain in the past week, but very small amounts, and against the incredibly hot days, certainly not enough to start filling any pans, but as they say, "every little helps".

Saturday evening brought a most magnificent arrival in the shape of, not rain, but literally tons of water in the form of the Limpopo River!!! I can tell one and all that at 1900 on Saturday evening the riverbed was as dry as a bone! But by 2200 we had a fast moving river flowing past us and rising quickly up the dry and dusty banks.

The water around the edges is now very clear and in small pools outside units 6 and 7 the water is alive with thousands of tiny fry. For myself and those that witnessed this arrival on Saturday evening it was quite a humbling experience.

Back to the subject of Leopards again ...

How many hours have we all spent driving around looking for, or indeed, just hoping for a glimpse of, a friendly leopard? Countless!  ell for myself I am going to adopt a new strategy. Having earlier told the tale of the drive to work, I must now recount the tale of the drive to the shops. On returning from a shopping expedition to Selebi-Phikwe, we have been treated to a big male Leopard strolling across the main road in front of us, very relaxed, not a care in the world. Very nice timing – thank you very much - pity I had not bought (nor brought!) a camera.

... but there is plenty of game around

Despite the long hours I have managed to squeeze a few game drives and am very happy to report that driving between Tholo Dam and Old Man's Dam and points south thereof, a host of game is being seen, lots of impala, wildebeest, zebra, warthog – as you would expect, plus giraffe, red hartebeest, gemsbok, kudu, eland (with young) and many of our other smaller and bigger friends as well!

And finally, I could not leave without a word about "the dogs"

Yes, they remain amongst my firm favourites and they have been over the western side of the reserve for the past few days. Despite my efforts, they have thwarted me, but fellow shareholders and their guests have recently been treated to wonderful viewing. I may have the benefit of being here and not there (wherever "there" may be) but the green monster of envy can still tap me on the shoulder! Seriously, it seems that they have recently tangled with a porcupine, and learnt that there are limits even to their highly developed hunting skills, a few of the dogs picking up injuries and lessons in life!

This month our wild dogs have again featured in Africa Geographic, this time in an item on their immensely popular blog. The post provides an update on news since their article complemented with images of the pack and pups on a waterbuck kill in September. The really exciting part though is in the comments that this blog has generated...

Limpopo-Lipadi shareholders will remember Mathebole - one of the male dogs we bonded with our rehabilitated females and released onto the reserve in 2010. After the arrival of the 6 males later that year and the take-over of the pack he, and his brother Lekoma, left the reserve with the surviving pup. Since then there have been sporadic reports of sightings from further east along the Tuli Block.

One commenter, from a reserve in the Tuli, has provided news that Mathebole is fit and well and roaming not just with two other adults (presumably Lekoma and the surviving pup - which was not related to either male) but a new litter of seven pups of their own! Reportedly they are all curious and in great condition which is fabulous news for the wild dog population in the Tuli area and in Africa as a whole - especially following the sad news from Northern Tuli and Tanzania recently. We can feel proud that the work started in 2008 is bearing fruit across the region and hopefully generating a meta-population that will be an important part of ensuring wild dog's survival.

Click here to read the full item and comments.

This year's shareholder photographic competition has been won by Tim Doyle with his wonderful image of elephant interactions at Mogorosi. Tim recalls the experience:

"While on a late afternoon game drive with a Limpopo-Lipadi ranger we encountered a herd of elephants at Mogorosi waterhole. It was only when we returned back home to Toronto, Canada that we realised the photo portrayed the herd interactions, including the females and young at the water, as well as the jostling males in the background. It is our favourite photograph by far of all our trips, and has been enlarged, to be displayed in a prominent position in our apartment. My wife Heather, and I, are recent shareholders having joined the LL family early in 2012. The southern Africa bushveld is 'in my blood', having moved to Canada only in 2006 from Southern Africa. It is a delight to get back frequently and share with Heather, a Canadian, some of the amazing wild areas and wildlife. Being shareholders in LL adds a whole new dimension to that, in terms of experience and involvement !"

A great shot of a wildebeeste bull in the darkness by Paul Klomp claimed the runner up spot:

A number of other commended images have been compiled into the 2013 reserve calendar which is now available to download on the website!

This week an old eland had to be euthanised and so we positioned the trail cameras at the carcass site not far from Zanzibar Dam to see what would arrive. Over the course of the next few days the camera captured stunning images of brown hyena, leopard, vultures and civet visiting. The leopard above looks likely to be one we have identified as part of our project, but can you tell which one? 

You can see more images from this, and other dens and kills, in our online gallery. Other trail camera galleries catalogue the comings and goings at various waterholes around the reserve.

The camp has been busy for the last few weeks and this has brought more news of what is going on out in the bush and being seen on drives.

The wild dogs have left the den sites and are once again roaming as a large pack making it harder to keep tabs on them! Tracks were seen in the last few days near the River Fence.

Brown hyena are becoming a very regular sighting, especially at Mogorosi and even in daylight. Several images have also been captured on trail cameras located at the camp gates as they move through during the night.

A number of elephant bulls have been using the area around Tholo Dam and Zanzibar Dam and there are fresh tracks and feeding sign found daily on the roads there. Sightings have been made further afield at Phofu Dam and Mbusi too - watched from the hide only 25m away!

In terms of cats leopards continue to provide good viewing with one group making sightings on seven occasions in the last 8 days at Tholo Dam, Mogorosi, near Zanzibar, Mbusi and perhaps most excitingly from their deck at the lodge!

Cheetah have also popped up once more - this pair located last night in the southern section of the reserve.

And in amongst all the bigger game, the smaller species are also exciting visitors. Genets have been seen in the dry riverbed as visitors sit around their campfire, bushbabies are observed jumping about on the lodge rooftops to reach higher trees, and even an aardvark was seen foraging within a few yards of the camp gates!

The dry season is certainly going well at Limpopo-Lipadi. Perhaps it is time for you to book a visit?

You can also follow more detailed updates from one of our shareholders, blogging his stay, through our Facebook page.

Although you might think the title of this post is blowing our own trumpet a little too much we can happily say these are the words of a recent weekend visitor to the reserve who seems to have had a fabulous time! 

In their four night stay they listed sightings including leopard (x2), elephant (x4 occasions), the wild dogs hunting wildebeeste, African wild cat, brown hyena and more! Some of Anton's wonderful images follow below and more can be seen in the Wildlife and Birdlife galleries on the site. 

In his email Anton describes one afternoon at Mogorosi:

"We left camp at 1400, heading for Mogorosi where we planned to spend the afternoon. Arriving at the hide, it was quiet - only 2 eland. Renate then saw movement across the dam wall, wild dog! We drove around and spent a few minutes with them until they settled down. We returned to the hide. After a few minutes 2 elephant bulls arrived for a drink. When they started to leave again the wild dogs came for a drink, and the 1yr old pups chased after the elephants. Eventually they left, and only a few moments later 2 brown hyenas appeared, and we enjoyed their presence for 10 minutes or so. After dark we decided to head back via Tholo dam, where we found a male leopard (unfortunately couldn't ID) resting on the dam wall! He stood up and dissappeared over the dam wall. What an amazing afternoon, this type of afternoons is what make Limpopo-Lipadi so special..."

Many thanks for the lovely pictures Anton and such great feedback!

So if you like the sound of a short break at Limpopo-Lipadi or a couple of afternoons in our great bush hides, why not find out more about a stay with us now?

Limpopo-Lipadi has partnered with renowned training provider EcoTraining Botswana to deliver an exciting and varied learning opportunity on the reserve. Open to everyone, these courses will be running in November and December 2012 initially. Three courses are available:

Driving and Dangerous Game aims to equip learners with the skills to drive 4x4 vehicles in the bush, off road and with sensitivity towards the environment. It will cover fault finding and how to avoid getting stuck as well as how to get out if you do! An understanding of the range of potentially dangerous game, their habits and behaviours and how to interpret various warning signs will also be gained.

Nature Interpretation will cover basic Tuli ecology, keystone species and the current hot conservation issues. Identification of trees and plants will be complemented by bird identification and how to read the signs of the wild.

Small and Big Things aims to provide you with an experience of the Tuli after the rains when insects, amphibians and reptiles become more plentiful. Dealing with snake bites will also be covered and with sessions about walking in the bush and nightime frog hunting this course is sure to excite!

A Wildlife Photography course is also in the planning stages and will be considered in 2013 if sufficient interest is generated.

If you would like to find out more about these amazing courses, delivered by a highly experienced team, on an exciting wilderness reserve, you can download the programmes and booking sheets here.

All the signs are that the wild dog pups are growing up fast! The trail cameras are recording them outside the den for longer periods of time, throughout most of the day, and up to all sorts! Ears are growing up, snouts are pushing out and legs lengthening as they transform from the balls of fur they were just a few weeks back into the rangy adults we know well.

Although still happy to be within close proximity of the adults, especially if there's a chance of some milk, they are becoming increasingly confident readying themselves for the time when the pack will leave the den site and they will have to roam with them. 

At that point the pups will be especially vulnerable as they will still not be fully grown and will lag behind the leggier adults, especially when they hunt. This can leave them vulnerable to other predators who won't think twice if the chance comes to grab a meal and diminish a rival species' numbers at the same time.

But that time must come and perhaps there will be a last image like the one above, where the pups realise they must follow the last adult off into the bush on the next stage of their lives?

The last couple of days has brought another tranche of images from the wild dog den on Limpopo-Lipadi, such as the shot above showing the pups being encouraged to explore by one of the adults.

Although still suckling (see image above) you can clearly see their legs and snouts starting to lengthen into the characteristic adult shapes and their ears are growing too. There have been some lovely moments of the pups at play captured - in the image below you can see a pair practising hunting skills, critical for their life in the future.

There has also been a lot of interaction seen between adult dogs and the pups, such as the picture underneath.

Our gallery has over 70 new shots since the last blog so why not check it out for more images of the pups exploring the den site as well as the adults giving the camera a closer inspection!

The latest images from the wild dog den are just in and show up to four pups at a time, meaning we have a litter of at least this size. All appear to be active and healthy and exploring around the site and will probably be around 5 weeks old at this point. Recently the adults moved the den site a short distance - quite a common occurrence. In the next few weeks they will be weaned onto the solid food brought back by the pack from kills and shortly afterwards will begin moving further and further from the den following the adults as they hunt. But for now the adults remain on alert when at the den as young pups can be vulnerable to other predators if they wander too far from protection. 

We have set up a new image gallery on the website to hold all the updated images caught of the pups and activity at the den. There are several more photos there showing the pups at play and interacting with the pack - why not take a look?

Limpopo-Lipadi is thrilled, excited and proud to announce that our most recent litter of wild dog pups have been seen for the very first time! We have suspected that they were underground for some time, but at 16.34 on Sunday 10th June 2012 the trail cameras located at the den site clicked into action and recorded the first shots, shown in this blog, of the brand new pups emerging from the den for the very first time. The shot above is the first captured clearly showing a tiny pup crawling up the sandy tunnel towards an one of the parents while the other keeps watch.

Encouraged by the adult it keeps on coming, perhaps moving slowly out of caution, getting used to all the new smells in the outside world. 3 minutes later it has nearly reached the lip of the tunnel!

A minute later and no sooner have the first two pups made it above ground then a third can be seen following bravely in their path. So there are definitely at least three pups!

By now the first pup is starting to explore its new surroundings closely chaperoned by the parent dogs while other adults patrol the vicinity - the pack vigilant for any threat to the new pups. 

Moments later the pups are nowhere to be seen but the adults are on alert staring into the bush - what has startled them and led them to hide the pups back underground? Perhaps they have picked up a scent on the breeze or alarm call in the distance? 

Whatever it was, just over 10 minutes later the danger has apparently passed and the parents are once again encouraging their offspring to leave the den in the late afternoon sunshine.

A pup can just be seen emerging from the tunnel with the parents watching closely.

And what a greeting it receives as it again leaves the den!

Now the exploring begins again and some of the other adults arrive for a closer look.

There will be many more pictures to follow over the coming days and weeks as the pups spend more and more time outside of the den, interact with the other adults dogs, are weaned onto solid food and take their first trips deeper into the bush. But for now they are just small bundles of fur taking those first steps in an unfamiliar world.

If you've enjoyed seeing these first images - more evidence of how strong and successful our breeding pack is - then do share them with friends!

Keep checking back on the blog for more updates from the den!

 

The brand new Limpopo-Lipadi public newsletter is now available to download online. Featuring updates on the wild dogs, MOTSE and Matabele ants as well as exciting sightings and a new bird species recorded on the reserve. Get your copy now and if you've not seen it yet, why not check out the previous issue too?!

The new shareholder newsletter has been distributed by email but can also be downloaded once logged in.

April and May have been busy months at Limpopo-Lipadi with shareholders taking advantage of the autumn temperatures and lush green bush. This season's young are doing well and growing up fast - laying down the energy stores that will help them weather their first winter. The reserve has also been pleased to receive numerous visits from people who are passionate about the bush, as we are, and interested in joining the Limpopo-Lipadi family as shareholders themselves. It has been our pleasure to host you all at River Camp and show you some of the secrets and hidden places of our wonderful patch of the Tuli Block. 

Aardwolves, African wild cats, porcupines, elephants, and of course leopards featured on the sightings list much to the enjoyment of our visitors. Mauro, from Italy, was just one of these guests and has kindly shared some of the images he took during his stay, which include his first leopard - a moment we're sure will stay with him for a long time to come!

Those who have been following our leopard identification work may be interested to know that the image above is of a young female called Maya who seems to have returned to the Mogorosi area despite a foray further south earlier in the year. She certainly seems to have bulked out a little since being regularly seen as an inexperienced hunter last September. Again, we welcome submission of any and all photos of leopards taken on Limpopo-Lipadi to add to our records.

To top off a great couple of months it also appears that our wild dog pack is denning, with the alpha female, Two Spots, spending the last week or so underground at the site. Our team on the ground are monitoring their progress closely and hope to use the trail cameras to record the first movements of any new pups above ground as they occur. This news is incredibly exciting for all at Limpopo-Lipadi and will mark the second litter of pups born into the wild from this pack (and the third in total for our project aimed at preserving this endangered species).

This month Limpopo-Lipadi has published a new electronic brochure online. The thirty or so pages contain a wealth of information about the reserve and shareholding and are designed to showcase some of the fantastic wildlife opportunities, memorable bush experiences and stunning accommodation options we have available. The brochure itself can be downloaded from our website now.

Please note that the brochure is provided solely as a source of supplementary information about Limpopo-Lipadi and does not, in itself, constitute an invitation to invest. To find out more about becoming a shareholder in this inspiring project in Botswana simply email enquiries@limpopo-lipadi.org

This month sees a special feature on Limpopo-Lipadi's leopards published in International Lifestyle Magazine. ILM focuses on positive lifestyle choices from around the globe and features inspirational people alongside great design and photography.

Our feature spans four whole pages and looks amazing, whether viewed in their online publication, in the print issue, or just a standalone PDF (download from our website now)!

Share the link with friends around the world!

Here for March is our brand new public newsletter containing recent highlights and updates from the reserve. You can download a copy from the website now. Keep your eye out for the next bi-monthly issue in late May - why not subscribe to the blog or follow us on Facebook to keep updated.

Happy reading!

Inspired by dinner-table conversations at Limpopo-Lipadi this blog is a collated reading list of some of our shareholders' recommendations for books about, or featuring, Africa and especially Botswana. The list, which is in no particular order, features travelogues, investigative reporting, memoirs, adventure novels and short stories. Perhaps your favourite is missing? Why not add to the list?

"Twenty chickens for a saddle: the story of an African childhood" - Robyn Scott (based on a farm just a few kilometres west of the reserve!)

"The lost world of the Kalahari" - Laurens van der Post

The number 1 ladies detective agency series - Alexander McCall-Smith

"Botswana time" - Will Randall

"Cry of the Kalahari" - Mark and Delia Owens

"Tropic of Capricorn: a remarkable journey to the forgotten corners of the world" - Simon Reeve

"Don't look behind you!: true tales of a safari guide" - Peter Allison

"The eye of the elephant: an epic adventure in the African wilderness" - Delia and Mark Owens

"A game ranger remembers" - Bruce Bryden

"Baking cakes in Kigali" - Claire Perkings

"Don't run whatever you do: my adventures as a safari guide" - Peter Allison

"Wild honey: more stories from an African wildlife sanctuary" - Bookey Peek

"Chasing the devil: on foot through Africa's killing fields" - Tim Butcher

"Dark star safari: overland from Cairo to Cape Town" - Paul Theroux

"The weekenders: travels in the heart of Africa" - various authors

"Secrets of the savannah" - Mark and Delia Owens

"The elephant's secret sense: the hidden life of the wild herds of Africa" - Caitlin O'Connell

"The poisonwood bible" - Barbara Kingsolver

"The Africa house" - Christina Lamb

"I dreamed of Africa" - Kuki Gallman

"West With The Night" - Beryl Markham

"A Voyager out: The Life Of Mary Kingsley" - Katherine Frank

"The Tree Where Man Was Born", "African Silences", "Sand Rivers" - Peter Matthiesson

"King Leopolds Ghost" - Adam Hothschild

"Babylon's ark" - Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence

"Sahara" - Michael Palin

"We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families" - Philip Gourevitch

"Blood river: a journey to Africa's broken heart" - Tim Butcher

Plus many of the adventurous novels by Wilbur Smith and any books on the Courtneys and the Ballantynes.

Following the receipt of our tourism license earlier in the year Limpopo-Lipadi has had a number of guest parties stay at the reserve and we've received our first, very helpful, feed back. Our guests also kindly sent us a number of the lovely photographs they took during their stay and some are reproduced in this blog.

The first questionnaire filled in marked us Excellent on 8 of 11 areas and Good on the remaining 3. These areas cover everything from staff friendliness to check-out procedures. Specific feedback included the following responses:

• The unit was no 4 and the unit was really great and so was the housekeeper
• Actor was our guide and he was fantastic! He was not in a hurry and drove very well
• The nice part about the whole experience was that everything was looked after. The fences, the gates, and even the chains and hooks at the hide were all there. Fantastic housekeeping!

Perhaps the best compliment of all though was in response to our question "Would you recommend our reserve to friends and family?" which was answered "Yes, absolutely". We will continue to maintain these high standards and strive to improve further.

Many thanks to our guests for their kind and helpful feed back - we hope to see you at the reserve again soon. Also to the reserve team who work every day to deliver memorable stays to all who visit Limpopo-Lipadi - you are doing a great job!