Welcome to the WILDwatch.com Newsletter Dear Wildwatcher! Summer is here and the rains have finally arrived in South Africa, bringing lush green grass and a chance for brand new beginnings. Meanwhile, the rains in East Africa continue to cause confusion for the migratory herds. The animals keep moving back and forth according to the weather patterns. As a result, the wildebeest and zebra have now moved into CC Africa's Serengeti Under Camps to feast on the new grass popping up everywhere! For more migration updates and sightings visit www.wildwatch.com Interesting SIGHTINGS A Desperate Elephant - Sandibe Safari Lodge, Botswana On our way back to the lodge one afternoon, driving next to the Airstrip, we spotted an elephant next to the road energetically shaking a palm tree, and trying desperately to shake off some of the fruit. The poor elephant fought long and hard to get at least one piece of fruit or at least one nut - but to no avail! He struggled for a while before moving off into the thick bush. Read more... 2 Lions, 1 Leopard and a Hyena - Nxabega Safari Lodge, Botswana Early one evening, my tracker and I were on our way back to camp from a mokoro ride when we heard several monkeys making alarming noises. We stopped and looked around, but saw nothing. All of a sudden we heard a growl. We moved closer and spied two male lions feeding on a hyena! The one male was growling at a leopard that was up on a tree nearby. Eventually the leopard came down and scurried off. The sighting was quite unbelievable as this particular pride has not been seen for seven months! The lions stayed for three days and eventually headed for Pom Pom and then crossed over to Kanana. Read more... Cheetah vs. Eland - Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, South Africa It was a beautiful cool morning here at Kwandwe, and so I offered a nice walk to my guests. We set out for a Grade 1 walk looking at the smaller things in an open area. We saw fantastic general game including Black wildebeest, eland, springbok, warthog, zebra and fantastic bird life. Just before we got back to the vehicle one of my guests yelled "Cheetah"! Read what happens when the cheetah spot a herd of eland! Featured ARTICLE Vultures - Supreme Scavengers Along with snakes, spiders, hyenas and sharks, vultures are often nicknamed the 'bad guys' of the animal kingdom. All creatures do, of course, have a role to play in nature and it is only through the subjective thinking of humans that labels such as 'cruel' and 'merciless' arise. However, no animals possess such traits - they are all engaged in a struggle for survival which sees them trying to optimise on feeding and reproductive opportunities within the ecosystems in which they have evolved, and the particular niches that they occupy. Read more about these 'supreme scavengers'. Suggested READING The Return: The Story of Phinda Game Reserve The Return is the story of a dream to create a game reserve out of a group of derelict farms in the midst of Maputaland's rural poverty. The four men who founded Phinda believed that Maputaland was worth saving from the spiral of destruction into which it was being drawn and that they would find a way of establishing a game reserve and returning the wildlife to a land that had once echoed with the sounds of thousands upon thousands of animals. Their goal was to show, by example, that there was a sustainable alternative to the poverty of the rural people. First published in 1999, The Return is still sold in record numbers - a definite must-read for any CC Africa admirer. Order this book now To review an interesting book you have recently read, please email us. Wildlife UPDATES New Vulture Hide at Sossusvlei Private Game Reserve! The Namib Rand Nature Reserve, in partnership with Raleigh International and under the guidance of the Vulture Study Group of Namibia, has established a vulture hide and restaurant on the Reserve. Poison-free carcasses are laid out to attract the endangered lappet-faced vultures, one of the Lodge's Star Birds. It is hoped that this hide will contribute towards the conservation of these birds, and also enable researchers to closely observe the vultures. Situated on the Draaihoek farm, a mere 15 km from our lodge, CC Africa's guests are now also welcome to visit this hide! Black Rhinos Galore with CC Africa! The highly endangered black rhino is a shy animal at best (and somewhat grumpy at worst), but with current conservation efforts, the population is increasing, and CC Africa provides refuge for these magnificent animals at 5 of our lodge destinations! Phinda Private Game Reserve ~ 19 in total Kwandwe Private Game Reserve ~ 11 in total (with more due this summer!) Madikwe Game Reserve ~ at least 30 in total Ngorongoro Conservation Area ~ at least 25 in total Kichwa Tembo ~ 4 in total 250 million years and counting at Kwandwe A recent palaeontological expedition at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve brought about an interesting discovery! Billy De Klerk, curator of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, visited Kwandwe to sift through the Beaufort shale in the hopes of uncovering the fossil remains of 250-million-year-old creatures. Kwandwe rangers spent the day, face down, carefully sweeping the floor for any inconsistencies in the shale that might lead to fossilised remains. No creatures were found, however, the team did discover a glossopteris leaf imprinted in the shale. This means that 250 million years ago, a leaf fell from one of these trees, fluttered onto a muddy patch on the ground, possibly got caught downstream in a river, and deposited on that exact spot - forever weighed down by 2 km of rock and then weathered away for all to see. What a truly amazing find! CC Africa Guide Exchange Programme: Sharing Knowledge Across the World! CC Africa has recently embarked on a fantastic and truly innovative 'guide swap' programme, whereby guides from other corners of the world visit CC Africa to learn about how we are making a difference in the environment in our respective countries. Some of our CC Africa guides then venture to those corners of the world to expand their horizons too. This spectacular programme proves how wonderful the ecotourism fraternity network is, with world-renowned companies sharing their best practices in an effort to raise the bar worldwide. Claudia Léon of Inkaterra (Peru) and Jason Annahatak of Cruise North Expeditions (Arctic) recently spent quality time at CC Africa. They visited several of our lodges and also eagerly undertook our Inkwazi Ranger Training course at Phinda. Both guides also gave interesting, informative talks to CC Africans, educating us about the Arctic and the Amazon, and imparting their specialist knowledge about their culture and environment! Another groundbreaking CC Africa initiative! Safari OFFERS Botswana Explorer This 10-day Botswana camping expedition offers its guests a fantastic opportunity to view pristine landscapes and experience unrivalled game viewing. CC Africa is offering you a great opportunity to go on a Botswana Explorer expedition of a lifetime. Valid for bookings made in October or November for travel in January or February 2008! Read More... Stay 3 and only Pay for 2 nights at Madikwe Safari Lodge! Stay for 4 nights at any of the following CC Africa lodges in Tanzania and receive one complementary night on us, our gift to you! Enjoy beautiful nights at one or any combination of: Grumeti River Camp Klein's Camp Lake Manyara Tree Lodge Serengeti Under Canvas Read More... www.wildwatch.com Copyright © 2005 CC Africa - Wildwatch Disclaimer: CC Africa - CC Africa Safaris & Tours is not liable for any errors or omissions. All pricing and itineraries subject to final confirmation. CC Africa • 164 Katherine Street • Sandton, Johannesburg • South Africa Tel: +27 11 809 4300