Birthday celebrations at Rietvlei

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Yesterday we celebrated Joubert’s ninth birthday at our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve, just a few kilometers from home. Combining family and friends, wildlife,  photography, a picnic and birthday cake just seems like the best way to celebrate the special day, don’t you agree?

African Reed Warbler
Black-backed Jackal
Black Wildebeest
Blesbok
Buffalo
Buffalo
Buffalo bull
Buffalo attraction
Buffalo horn
Buffalo with an itch
Capped Wheatear
Common Moorhens
Crowned Lapwing
Little Grebe
Eland Herd
Eland Bull
Eland Bull
Eland Bull
Fiscal Shrike
Grey-headed Sparrow
Groundscraper Thrush
Hadeda
9 Years old: August 2018. Celebrating his 9th birthday at Rietvlei Nature Reserve!
The Birthday Boy!
The Birthday Boy and his proud mom
The Birthday Boy and his friends ready to go visit the lions
Lion Jarvis
Lioness Bassie
Neddicky
Cape Longclaw
Ostrich
Ostrich
Pied Crow
Red-billed Teal
Red Hartebeest
Reed Cormorant
Speckled Pigeon fledgling
Springbok
Waterbuck bull
White Rhino discussion
White Rhinos causing a traffic jam
Yellow-billed Ducks
Plains Zebra on the move

Rietvlei is home to a small pride of lions housed in a 150-hectare enclosure in a corner of the reserve. Normally we wouldn’t support any “reserves” in which lions are kept in confined quarters nor any that offer “cub petting” as an attraction due to the very real possibility that these establishments are involved to a greater or lesser extent in the breeding of lions for the canned hunting and bone exporting business, despite their claims of “conservation” and “education”. Rietvlei’s lions however were rescued from exactly such circumstances, cannot be introduced to the wild and will live out their lives here. It was a special birthday treat for Joubert and his friends to visit Tau, Jarvis, Bassie and Tawane at their home.

44 thoughts on “Birthday celebrations at Rietvlei”

  2. Playamart - Zeebra Designs

    Very good – how did you photoshop that smile on his face.. better yet, how did you photoshop him into those images? Ha ha.. seriously, he has been upgraded to ‘The Darling of Word|Press’ — thank you for sharing this birthday outing.. Um, is there any cake left?

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      We had a lovely time surrounded by beautiful creatures and beautiful people that Joubert loves and that loves him, so the smiles came very easily! 😀
      And Mom always bakes far too much cake, lest anyone should want another piece, so there’s definitely a slice for you as well, dear Lisa!

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  4. naturebackin

    Belated happy birthday wishes to Joubert. Lovely photos of such a variety of birds and mammals. Thanks for highlighting the sad issues related to ‘cub petting’ facilities. Good to know that Rietvlei offers sanctuary to the rescued lions.

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thanks Carol!

      Rietvlei is a wonderful place when we crave a nature-fix.

      The despicable lion “farming” industry is something that really spoils South Africa’s proud conservation legacy.

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  9. John

    What a great place to celebrate his birthday on!😊 Both your son, his friends and you certainly had a wonderful day! Very beautiful photos of the nice animals. Amazing that you have so close to this great nature!

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  13. perdebytjie

    Baie geluk met sy verjaarsdag! Toe ek by jou begin lees het, was die outjie nog nie eers in die skool nie…ai die tyd vlieg! Pragtige foto’s en dis darem wonderlik dat ons nog so ‘n stukkie natuur net hier om die hoek het, Dries.

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Baie dankie, Dina. Ja, dis wonderlik om te sien hoe Joubert sy eie mens word!
      En daar’s nie veel ander plekke in hierdie wêreld waar mens minute van jou voorstedelike huis af wilde renosters, buffels, jagluiperds ens. kan gaan soek nie – Rietvlei is baie besonders

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