Tag Archives: nature

Celebrating a century of the Kruger National Park

Statue of Paul Kruger at Kruger Gate

Today we celebrate the centenary of one of the world’s greatest conservation areas; the Kruger National Park. I am grateful to say that I was introduced to the Kruger National Park 43 years ago, have loved her ever since, got to spend 22 years in her service and now have the immense privilege of showing her off to new fans from this country and from all over the rest of the world.

At the end of the South African War, Major (later Colonel) James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed to the position of warden of the Sabie Game Reserve; a loosely defined piece of land between the Sabie River in the North, the Crocodile River in the South, the foothills of the Drakensberg in the West and the Lebombo Mountains in the East that was proclaimed a game sanctuary by president Paul Kruger of the (then still independent) Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, some months before hostilities broke out with the British.

Stevenson-Hamilton, born in October 1867, arrived at his new station in July of 1902, soon setting up his office at Sabie Bridge, the place where the Selati Railway crossed the Sabie River. It was the local Shangaan population that gave Stevenson-Hamilton his nickname of “Skukuza“, meaning “he who sweeps clean” or “he who turns everything upside down“. Against considerable odds, piled up against him from politicians, mining houses and wealthy landowners, the plucky Scotsman managed to considerably enlarge the area under his jurisdiction, expand his powers of law enforcement, and won considerable support from the South African public, culminating in the proclamation of the Kruger National Park by Minister of Lands, Piet Grobler, on the 31st of May 1926.

The Kruger National Park was opened to the public in 1927, and by 1929 the first purpose-built accommodation facilities at Sabie Bridge, or “Reserve” as it became known, housed their first guests. The first hut, named the “Campbell Hut” after W.A. Campbell, a founding member of the National Parks Board, has been preserved as a tiny museum showcasing the early years of tourism in the Kruger Park, and is located near Skukuza’s restaurant.

From humble beginnings, through the dedication and hard work of her staff compliment and the love and loyalty of her visitors, the Kruger National Park today stands as a beacon in a world where wild places are more scarce and endangered than ever.

Visitors gawking at a lion on a guided drive in the Kruger National Park

Bushbuck ewe relaxing on the lawn in Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Common Dotted Border Butterfly

Diederic Cuckoo

Waterbuck in a dry river bed

Spotted Hyena

Impala with an inbound fly

Tree Agama in breeding colours

Sunset over the plains east of Satara

Letaba River

Leopard

Chacma Baboon

Elephants congregating in the Mphongolo River

Elephants crossing the Olifants River

Lionesses causing a Kruger roadblock

Cute baby elephant

Tree Frog

A rhino-poaching survivor

Elephants on the move

Sunset over Pioneer Dam

Sunset near Satara

Leopard

River crossing in Kruger

Kruger sunset

Tailed Blackeye Butterfly

Waterhole outside Talamati

Dusty Kruger Road

The fathers of the Kruger National Park: On the left, Minister Piet Grobler, in the centre President Paul Kruger, and on the right, Colonel James Stevenson-Hamilton

DeWetsWild introduces guided open-vehicle safaris of the Kruger National Park

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Our followers will know that DeWetsWild has been offering guided tours of South Africa for several years now, lead by Dries de Wet who is a passionate naturalist and qualified and fully registered guide with a career spanning almost three decades in the conservation and hospitality industries in South Africa, a vast knowledge of her wildlife, ecosystems and cultural history and extensive experience exploring the country’s prime conservation areas.

We’re excited to bring a new dimension to this offering now, with Dries available to conduct open-vehicle overnight safaris in the Kruger National Park tailored to your diary, budget, interests and preferences for groups of up to 9 people. Why not add a deeper dimension to your enjoyment of this iconic conservation area by being shown around by one of her biggest fans!?

Dries can be contacted for bookings or more information on WhatsApp +27 (0)82 346 3671 or email dries@dewetswild.com.

Dries de Wet and Open Safari Vehicle at Malelane Gate

Dwarf Crocodile

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Today, on Endangered Species Day, we feature another African animal that isn’t indigenous to South Africa.

Osteolaemus tetraspis

The Dwarf Crocodile is the smallest living species of crocodile – they grow to a maximum length of 1.9m and weight of about 32kg.

Dwarf Crocodiles inhabit streams and swamps in the equatorial forests of central and western Africa. They are solitary and mainly nocturnal in habit and hunt on land more often than most other crocodilians. They feed on a wide range of invertebrates, like insects and crabs, and smaller vertebrates, such as fish, rodents, birds and frogs.

Female Dwarf Crocodiles build nesting mounds of dead, wet plant material; the decaying of which creates heat that incubates the clutch of about 10 eggs, which takes about 3 months. The female watches over the nest and hatchlings to protect them from predators.

The IUCN considers the Dwarf Crocodile as vulnerable. There is a number of them held in public and private collections in South Africa, the USA and Europe.

Dwarf Crocodile (photo by Joubert)

Dwarf Crocodile

Southern Red-headed Weaver

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Anaplectes rubriceps

A bird of woodlands and savanna-type habitats following an omnivorous diet consisting mainly of seeds, fruit and invertebrate prey, the Red-headed Weaver is not nearly as social as most others of their kind and are most commonly encountered as monogamous pairs. The male builds a typically weaver-like nest, which the female then furnishes with soft materials before laying her clutch of 1-4 eggs, usually in the months of Spring. The female incubates the eggs for about two weeks but both parents feed the hatchlings, who fledge before they’re 3 weeks old.

The Red-Headed Weaver has a wide distribution in Africa south of the equator, stretching from the southern DRC to northern South Africa, where it occurs in North West, Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and northern Kwazulu-Natal. According to the IUCN, it is of least concern.

Red-headed Weaver nest

Red-headed Weaver

Karoo Boer-bean

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Schotia afra

The Karoo Boer-bean is a small evergreen tree, growing to maximum 5m in height, that occurs in the drier parts of South Africa’s Western and Eastern Cape Provinces and is most commonly found on the banks of small, usually dry, streams. It is a terrific addition to water-wise gardens and its attractive nectar-rich flowers, borne during the summer months, attract birds and insects in numbers. The seeds are edible and, roasted and ground, was used as a meal in olden days.

Karoo Boer-bean buds

Karoo Boer-bean flowers

Karoo Boer-bean leaves

Karoo Boer-bean pods

Karoo Boer-bean flowers

Wild Plum

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Harpephyllum caffrum

The Wild Plum is an indigenous tree well loved in gardens for its deep shade and as magnet for birds and butterflies. It is evergreen and may grow to up to 15m tall. Naturally it grows in forests from the Eastern Cape through Kwazulu-Natal and onto the escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where the fruits are enjoyed by a wide range of mammals (including people), birds and insects.

Wild Plum tree

Wild Plum

Bronze-winged Courser

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Rhinoptilus chalcopterus

The Bronze-winged Courser is a nocturnal bird with a solitary, nomadic lifestyle and as such not seen very often. They inhabit savanna-woodland type habitats with bare patches, on which they hunt for a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates in the dark. They breed mainly in the months of spring as monogamous pairs nesting in a simple hollow scraped in gravel or sand and raising clutches of usually only 2 chicks that hatch after an incubation period of 4 weeks.

In South Africa, Bronze-winged Coursers occur mainly in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo, while they’re also found widely over the continent south of the Sahara and are considered to be of least concern.

Bronze-winged Courser

Bronze-winged Coursers

Lesser Grey Shrike

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Lanius minor

A very competent hunter of invertebrates, especially beetles, the Lesser Grey Shrike inhabits open savanna-type habitats where it likes to hunt from a prominent perch. They visit southern Africa in our summer months, arriving from November and departing by April, when they’re found in South Africa (in all our provinces, though significantly more numerous in the northern parts) and our neighbouring countries. During our winter the Lesser Grey Shrike is to be found in their northern breeding grounds spanning much of Europe and western Asia. According to the IUCN it is of least concern.

Lesser Grey Shrike

White-winged Widowbird

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Euplectes albonotatus

The white-winged Widowbird is a bird that is closely associated with open grasslands and wetlands with a dense grass covering. Grass seeds make up the staple of their diet. During the breeding season the male builds a number of nests in his territory just in case the females find his advances to their liking, and then he tries to mate with as many females as possible. Females are solely responsible for incubating the clutch of up to 4 eggs, which hatch within two weeks of laying, and feeding the chicks until they fledge at about two weeks of age.

White-winged Widowbirds occur widely over Africa south of the equator, and in South Africa it is common in the wetter north-eastern parts of the country. The IUCN considers the species to be of least concern.

White-winged Widowbird

White-winged Widowbird (non-breeding)

White-winged Widowbird

African Yellow Warbler

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Iduna natalensis

The African Yellow Warbler, formerly known as the Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, has a rather limited distribution in South Africa, where it is found along the coast and escarpment from the Wild Coast northwards to the Limpopo Province and marginally into Gauteng. Its distribution in the rest of the continent is equally patchy, stretching northwards to Nigeria and Ethiopia. It is not considered to be in any danger of extinction.

These small birds, weighing only about 12g, are most commonly encountered in areas with rank vegetation along streams and on the edges of forests. They feed on insects gleaned from the vegetation while moving slowly through the undergrowth. African Yellow Warblers breed in spring and summer. The female incubates a clutch of 2 or 3 eggs for about 12 days, with the chicks leaving the nest at about two weeks of age and then becoming fully independent of their parents before they’re two months old.