In the last newsletter, I went to great pains to point out that there is more to the Bushveld than the Big Five. So, I will not be telling you about the 8 lions seen attacking a baby elephant at Legends (it did survive!)…. ..or the pair of leopards seen playing in front of the main deck at Narina.
We are fast approaching midwinter at Tinga, and this heralds a particularly interesting facet of the natural history of the Kruger. The Tinga concession is located along the Sabie river, and the habitat around the river is particularly favourable for the ubiquitous impala due to the combination of permanent water, scrub, and sodic sites. Concentrations of 95 impala per square kilometre have been recorded. From late April, the area reverberates with the sound of the rut, as the males compete fiercely for access to the females. During this time, the impala rams are so preoccupied with the females, and fending off rival males that they have little time to feed, and generally lose condition over this period. Nutrition levels in the plants have dropped off, but it appears Nature has concluded that in order for the newborn lambs to have the best possible start in life, and be born at the onset of the rains, the males must endure this hardship.
As if that was not bad enough, Nature has landed the impala with a double whammy. It is no co-incidence that over this period that the African Wild Dog has its denning season. At this time of year, the alpha female of the normally highly mobile packs selects a suitable burrow in a termite mound ……..and in Kruger, dens are almost always established close to areas where there is…wait for it… a combination of permanent water, scrub and sodic sites. The average litter is 10 – 11 pups, and with an average pack size of 8 adults, that is a lot of mouths to feed. In Kruger, the dogs normally range in an area of 855 km2, but when denning, it is restricted to 80 km2. So, not only do they select areas of high prey concentration, but they choose a time when their preferred prey is in a poor condition. Not only are the rams easier to bring down, but the yearlings from the past year are now feeling the pinch during the dry season. Such wonderful synchrony has to be admired…unless of course you are an impala!
What is particularly strange, after this long discourse on impala/wild dog dynamics, is that recently one of our guides (Megan) witnessed a wild dog kill on Narina access. What was strange was that it was a lone female – traditionally the breeding female remains at the den, whilst the rest of pack hunt, and bring back the kill.
Another special sighting recently was an osprey on the Sabie River. These raptors are rarely seen, especially in the Kruger, as they are outcompeted by the resident fish eagles but most twitchers will agree this is something worth seeing.