Tag Archives: wildlife

Tsessebe

Damaliscus lunatus lunatus

The Tsessebe is considered to be Africa’s most athletic antelope, though you would probably not immediately guess that when looking upon their ungainly physiques for the first time. Not only are they the fastest antelope (up to 80km/h), but they have tremendous stamina, being able to maintain a speed of 60km/h over distances of up to 5km.

Tsessebes are large antelopes, much larger than their close cousin the Blesbok, weighing in at an average of 140kg and standing up to 1.3m high at the shoulder. Bulls have thicker horns than cows.

Tsessebe Calf

Tsessebe Cow

Tsessebe Bull

These fleet-footed antelope live in open woodlands, lightly wooded and open grasslands and flood plains, where they require easy access to drinking water and shade. They subsist almost exclusively on grass and are especially attracted to new growth sprouting after veld fires.

Tsessebe like open areas

Tsessebe

Tsessebe in Mokala National Park

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger National Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tsessebe along the Nshawu Marsh in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe like open areas

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Tsessebe

Tsessebes are territorial animals. In areas with low population density they live in stable herds consisting of a single territorial bull, 2 to 6 cows and their dependent calves with large home ranges, while in more densely populated areas, specifically during the rutting season, bulls establish small territories into which they try to herd traversing cows for mating. Solitary bulls and bachelor groups also occur, and move along the edges of the territories. Territories are maintained through ritual displays (including horning the ground) and fighting, and demarcated with scent glands and dung heaps by both sexes. They are normally found in small herds of up to eleven animals, but can at times congregate in huge numbers when conditions are favourable. Herds are lead by the most dominant cow. Tsessebes often associate with other herbivorous animals, regularly occurring in mixed herds with waterbuck, wildebeest, zebras and ostriches. They are very curious and will even approach something unknown for a closer look, or when fleeing run away for only a short distance before turning around to check up on what frightened them, often with deadly consequences for the tsessebe.

Tsessebe at rest

Tsessebe are very athletic

Tsessebe at a waterhole in Mokala National Park

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger National Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tsessebe in the Pilanesberg

Tsessebe in mopane vegetation in Northern Kruger National Park

Tsessebe at Nshawu Marsh in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe in Ithala Game Reserve

Tsessebe at Mooiplaas in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe and zebra at Mooiplaas

Tsessebe searching for fresh growth following a fire in the Pilanesberg

Tsessebe at Nshawu

Tsessebe at Mooiplaas

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Tsessebe silhouette

Tsessebe (photo by Joubert)

Tsessebe

Tsessebe cow and calves

Single calves are born at the onset of the rainy season after a gestation of around 240 days, and are able to keep up with the herd shortly after birth. Females can stay in the same group their entire lives, but young bulls are driven from their maternal herd at about a year of age. Tsessebe and their calves feature on the menu of all Africa’s medium to large predators, and have a natural life expectancy of about 12 years.

Tsessebe in thornveld vegetation in Ithala Game Reserve

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Posturing Tsessebe Bull at Tinhongonyeni in the Kruger Park

Protective Tsessebe cow with her calf

Tsessebe herd grazing on the plains north of Shingwedzi

Tsessebe

Tsessebes on Tshwene Drive

Grazing Tsessebe on Tshepe Drive

Grazing Tsessebes on Tshepe Drive (photo by Joubert)

Tsessebe and suckling calf

Tsessebe

Tsessebe with calf

Tsessebe close-up

A Tsessebe dwarfed by the landscape

Tsessebes

Africa is home to five different races of Tsessebe, also called Topi, Korrigum and Tiang according to the subspecies they belong to, numbering an estimated 300,000. The IUCN estimates the total population of the southern race of Tsessebe (D.l. lunatus) at around 30,000, with the overall population increasing steadily despite pressures from habitat loss. They are rare in South Africa, though numbers are increasing, with small populations being protected in the Kruger, Marakele, Mokala and Pilanesberg National Parks, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Ithala Game Reserve.

Mokala National Park

41 Replies

The recent Women’s Day long weekend in South Africa allowed us the opportunity to visit Mokala National Park for the first time. Mokala is our country’s newest National Park, and in our opinion one of the most enchanting and underrated!

Mokala was proclaimed a National Park in 2007, and today covers over 28,000 hectares of sandy plains and rocky ridges, with plans to expand further. The Riet River forms a significant part of the Park’s northern border, while artificial water holes are dotted through the rest of the reserve. The thorny woodland vegetation is dominated by iconic Camel Thorn (Mokala in Tswana) and Umbrella Thorn (Mosu in Tswana, Haak-en-Steek in Afrikaans), with extensive areas of open grasslands. The Park gets an average of only around 400mm of rainfall annually, most of it in summer, when temperatures can soar into the forties on the Celsius scale. Temperatures on winter nights on the other hand often falls below freezing, which we can certainly vouch for having seen the Stofdam entirely frozen over on our last morning at Mokala.

Umbrella thorn with sociable weaver nest

Mokala sunrise

Small waterhole

Mokala road

Mokala landscape

Mokala sunrise

Mokala landscape, near Lilydale

Tsessebe at a windpump near Mosu

Mokala road and sociable weaver nest

Mokala landscape, with a lone blesbok

Black wildebeest and umbrella thorn

Open grasslands near Lilydale

Mokala scenery

Tsessebe in Mokala National Park

Gemsbok in thornveld

Kudu in a vast landscape

Kudu trying to drink from a frozen Stofdam

Mokala scenery

Mokala offers some brilliant visitor facilities. The two main accommodation options are self-catering chalets at Mosu Lodge and Lilydale Rest Camp (with grand views over the Riet River), each located near to one of the Park’s two entrance gates, while Mofele Lodge provides dormitory style accommodation for big groups. Haak-en-Steek Cottage is a private hide-away for small families (more on that in the next paragraph) and Stofdam Hide has four bunks that can be booked for one night at a time. The Park also has a stunning tree house available, with plans afoot to construct more. Each of the sites at the small Motswedi Camping Area provides a private kitchenette and ablution block with shower and toilet. The interpretation centre near Mofele offers fascinating insights into the Park’s history and management. The Park’s gravel road network is in fair condition, and for the most part easily traversable in a sedan. There’s no fuel station in the Park – the nearest is at Modder Rivier, a small town just a few kilometers from the Park. Mosu has only a tiny selection of souvenirs and a few essential groceries for sale, so it is best to stock up on provisions before arriving or to take your meals in Mosu’s excellent restaurant. Mosu also has a small venue for conferences. Two picnic sites cater for the needs of day visitors to the Park. Guided game drives and walks, including visits to San Rock Art sites, accompanied by knowledgeable ranger-guides can be booked through Mosu’s reception, while catch-and-release fly fishing for yellowfish in the Riet River is a popular excursion available from Lilydale.

Lilydale entrance to Mokala

Lilydale setting on the bank of the Riet River

Mokala interpretation centre

Mosu chalet

Mosu Lodge in the Mokala landcape

Mofele Lodge

We stayed at the secluded Haak-en-Steek Cottage, a lovely two-bedroomed unit with gas appliances in the small kitchen and solar powered lighting, in the west of the Park. The cottage has a fantastic view over its own waterhole, especially well frequented in the afternoon and early evening hours by a steady procession of game and birds coming to quench their thirst. A few campsites are available to house additional guests when Haak-en-Steek is booked by larger parties, but it is only ever sold to a single group at a time, offering fantastic privacy. Haak-en-Steek is not surrounded by a fence, and game often moves straight past the cottage on their way to the water.

Turnoff to Haak-en-Steek

Haak-en-Steek Cottage, Mokala National Park, August 2016

Haak-en-Steek is unfenced

Evening mud bath

Gemsbok are regular visitors at Haak-en-Steek in Mokala

Eland and Tsessebe share Haak-en-Steek’s waterhole

A flock of sociable weavers at Haak-en-Steek’s waterhole

Big herd of blue wildebeest at the water

Sunset at Haak-en-Steek cottage

Mokala’s located in the transition zone between the arid west and wetter east of the country, and as such offers a haven to a wide variety of big game in impressive numbers. Black and White Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Giraffe, Plains Zebra and Warthog share the Park with no less than 17 species of antelope: Blue and Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Blesbok, Tsessebe, Springbok (including copper-coloured and black specimens), Grey Duiker, Steenbok, Klipspringer, Impala, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Gemsbok (Oryx), Kudu, Nyala, Eland, Mountain Reedbuck and Waterbuck. In fact, the Park really deserves its tagline of “Where Endangered Species Roam”, as it is probably the best place in South Africa to see endangered Tsessebe and Roan Antelope (both of which we’ll feature in more detail soon here at de Wets Wild).

Blue wildebeest

Black wildebeest

Blesbok

Tsessebe at a waterhole in Mokala National Park

Red hartebeest cow standing watch in Mokala

Red hartebeest resting in Mokala National Park

Grey (Common) Duiker

Springbok Ram

Springbok ewe

Copper Springbok

Black Springbok

Steenbok

Impala

Gemsbok on the run

Sub-adult Roan Antelope

Sable antelope in the distance

Buffalo

Impressive kudu bull

Nyala

Imposing Eland bull

Waterbuck cow

Giraffe family

Warthog

Plains Zebra

White Rhinoceros

Visitors should not however keep their eyes open only for the bigger mammals, as Mokala is also home to a wide variety of smaller creatures, many of them rarely seen in other reserves.

Rock monitor lizard on a Mokala road

Vervet monkey drinking at Stofdam

Black-backed jackal scaling a rocky outcrop

Bat-eared fox

Suricates (or meerkats) are frequently seen

Ground squirrels often share their burrow systems with suricates and mongooses

Yellow Mongoose

Scrub Hare at Haak-en-Steek

Although only recently proclaimed, Mokala’s bird list is already over 150 species strong, ranging from the booming population of ostrich to the sociable weavers with their spectacular mansions.

Black-winged Stilt at Stofdam

Northern Black Korhaan

Red-crested Korhaan

Pygmy Falcon at Mosu

Male Ostrich on the run

Fiscal Flycatcher at Haak-en-Steek

Red-headed finch (male)

Karoo Thrush at Lilydale

Familiar Chat

Red-faced Mousebird

Acacia Pied Barbet

Violet-eared Waxbills

Speckled Pigeon

Sociable Weaver

Spotted Thick-knee

African Red-eyed Bulbul

Mokala National Park is located in the Northern Cape Province, approximately 60 to 80km to the south of the historic diamond-mining city of Kimberley, depending on which gate you are heading for, and accessible from the N12 national highway, from which gravel roads leading to the gates at Mosu and Lilydale turn off. These roads are not always in the best condition, but you shouldn’t let that deter you from experiencing the thirst-land paradise that awaits you. We’ve already started planning our next trip to Mokala!

Mokala location

A taste of Mokala’s magic

17 Replies

We’re fresh back from our first visit to Mokala National Park, a thirst-land paradise dominated by majestic camel-thorns and teeming with wildlife, in South Africa’s Northern Cape.

Mokala August 2016

Of course we have thousands of photos to work through, and can’t wait to share this newly discovered gem with all our friends here at de Wets Wild in the days and weeks to come!

Them Big Old Bulls

38 Replies

What better way to wrap up the report back on our winter visit to the Kruger National Park‘s Satara and Mopani Rest Camps, than to appreciate those majestic elephant bulls that roam the Lowveld!

Nothing like an evening dustbath…

… and a bit of a scratch!

Drinking from an “elephant well”

The old guys don’t mind a bit of shade

Impressive Tusker

Just look at that bulk!

Obviously a very gentle individual

Armada approaching over the waving landscape

Ndlovane (2016/07/02)

Regal procession

Herbivore Haven

23 Replies

The Kruger National Park protects an amazing variety of wildlife. Our recent winter visit to the Satara and Mopani areas of the Park allowed us to tick 35 different species of mammals, in addition to the many kinds of reptiles and birds we’ve already shown you. We told you about the hardships the drought is causing for the hippos and we’ve bragged about the buffaloes, predators, huge zebra herds and rare antelope we encountered. Here’s a chance now to look at some of the other herbivorous species that find sanctuary here in South Africa’s flagship Park.

Blue wildebeest on the move

Wildebeest herd kicking up dust at Makhadzi

Wildebeest bull walking away from Tinhongonyeni

Curious Wildebeest Calf

Bushbuck Ram

Bushbuck Ewe

Bushbuck in Letaba

Young Bushbuck Ram

Tuskless elephant cow

Elephant family

Giraffe in a sea of Mopani

Grey Duiker

Grysbok

Impala Ram

Impala youngster

Spotlight on Klipspringer

Klipspringer ewe

Kudu siblings

Kudu bull with an oxpecker irritation

Kudu cows drinking

Kudu bachelors

Scrub Hare

Steenbok

Warthog

Waterbuck

A tender moment between a White Rhino cow and her calf

Taking in the Kruger’s amazing scenery

23 Replies

Our recent winter visit to the Satara and Mopani areas of the Kruger National Park provided constant reminders of just how privileged we are to have this amazing natural area in our country. While it is the astounding bird and animal life that find a home here that draw people from all over the world, that would not have been possible had it not been for the incredible landscapes that has now been protected from human exploitation for over a hundred years.

Sunset at Satara

Looking up into the branches of a fever tree

Lazy winter morning sun above a pool in the Nwanetsi

Sweni stream crossing

Gnarled Leadwood stump

Taking in the wildlife and scenery from Satara’s boundary fence

Herds of game congregating near Satara

Taking in a Satara sunset

Satara sunset

WInding roads and beautiful scenery

Congregating at the waterhole

Kudu in the mist

Misty sunrise

Sweni stream crossing

Satara sunrise

Windpump at sunset

Sunrise at Tinhongonyeni

Sunset at Shipandani

Gathering at Tinhongonyeni

Breaking through the clouds at Tinhongonyeni

Finding Mopani’s rare antelope

31 Replies

The Kruger National Park‘s Satara Rest Camp is known for its abundance of predators, but when you visit the Mopani area, you should keep your eyes peeled for some of South Africa’s rarest antelope species, which are regularly seen here. Along the roads to the east of the camp, past Mooiplaas and Tinhongonyeni waterholes and along the Nshawu marshes, there’s always an excellent chance of encountering Tsessebe, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Southern Reedbuck, Eland and Roan Antelope, while Sable Antelope is regularly reported from the Shongololo Loop and H1-6 tar road to the west and north of camp.

A big herd of eland we saw in the distance at Tinhongonyeni

Reedbuck are often encountered along the Nshawu Marsh

Roan Antelope Cow near Mopani in Kruger Park

Juvenile Roan Antelope near Mopani in Kruger Park

Roan Antelope Bull along the Nshawu marsh in Kruger Park

Roan Antelope herd along the Nshawu marsh in Kruger

Roan Antelope Cow along the Nshawu marsh in Kruger Park

Roan Antelope herd along the Nshawu marsh in Kruger

Roan Antelope Cow and Calf along the Nshawu marsh in Kruger

Roan Antelope herd along the Nshawu marsh in Kruger

Roan Antelope calf near Mooiplaas in the Kruger Park

Roan Antelope cow near Mooiplaas in the Kruger Park

Roan Antelope cow near Mooiplaas in Kruger Park

Tsessebe along the Nshawu Marsh in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe on the road to Makhadzi Picnic Site

Tinhongonyeni is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger National Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Posturing Tsessebe Bull at Tinhongonyeni in the Kruger Park

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tinhongonyeni is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger National Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tsessebe along the Nshawu Marsh

Bountiful Birding in Kruger, even in winter

41 Replies

The Kruger National Park has a list just short of 500 bird species recorded there. Many of these are summer migrants, while a few others are rare vagrants to these parts. Even in winter however, the Park abounds with feathered life, and here’s just a few of the 115 species we managed to tick in our recent eight day visit to the Satara and Mopani areas of the Park.

African Mourning Dove

African Spoonbill

Black Crake

Cape Glossy Starling

Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark

Chinspot Batis (male)

Coqui Francolin (male)

Double-Banded Sandgrouse male

Double-Banded Sandgrouse female

Great White Pelicans in flight over Mopani

Grey Heron using a hippo as an island

Grey Heron

Hamerkop

Kori Bustard

Ostrich female

Senegal lapwing

Southern Black Tit

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow

Southern Ground Hornbill

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Red-billed Hornbill

Tawny Eagle

Verreaux’s Eagle Owl

African Barred Owlet

Lilac Breasted Roller silhouette

Water Thick-Knee

White-Headed Vulture

Black and Woolly-necked Storks

Saddle-billed Stork

Yellow-billed Stork

Creepy Crawlies

33 Replies

When out and about in the Kruger National Park, even in winter, there’s always a chance of spying some cold-blooded creatures, many of them extremely dangerous to humans!

Puff adder, poised to strike

Medium-sized African Rock Python seen at Middelvlei, between Letaba and Mopani

Nle crocodile slipping into the water

Young Nile Crocodile basking next to a small pool

Big adult Nile Crocodiles sharing a piece of shoreline

Basking Nile Crocodile

Armoured ground crickets abound in the mopaneveld in the north of the Park

A dry Kruger is a predator’s paradise

25 Replies

Our winter visit to the Kruger National Park, suffering through one of the worst droughts to hit it in recorded history, provided several excellent sightings of some of the predators for which the Park is renowned. While many of the herbivores are finding survival difficult now with limited water and grazing, the predators are having a royal time, as the movement of prey revolves predictably around the remaining water sources where they can be easily ambushed.

Black-backed jackal at Satara

Black-backed jackal at Tinhongonyeni, near Mopani

Black-backed jackal saying his morning prayer?

Bold honey badger at Nwanetsi Picnic Site

Foraging honey badger seen between Satara and Tshowane

Foraging honey badgers just north of Satara

Early morning leopard at Nsemani Dam

Leopard trying to hide among the thorns

Lion pride with buffalo kill

Spotted hyena waiting for the lions to have their fill

Another lion protecting his buffalo carcass from vultures near Tshokwane

Lying in wait at the waterhole

With a belly full of wildebeest, this lion doesn’t have enough energy to get up

Lying in wait at the waterhole

Spotted hyena

Spotted hyena along the road

Spotted hyena

Spotted hyenas with porcupine kill

Spotted hyena close-up

The Satara area of the Park is well known for excellent predator sightings, and the guided night drive we took part in there delivered lions, hyenas, black-backed and side-striped jackals and two leopard sightings!

Spotted Hyena on Satara Night Drive

Leopard at Nwanetsi Bridge, on a night drive from Satara

Leopard at Nwanetsi Bridge, on a night drive from Satara in the Kruger Park

Daring jackals at a lion kill, seen on a night drive from Satara

Even just walking around the fenceline at Satara could provide close encounters with dangerous predators, though 99.9% of the time seperated by an electrified fence. Spotted hyenas are to be found on most nights, as visitors often feed them scraps from their evening meals. The reason why this is illegal is because the animals become very bold beggars, which often ends in tragedy for the hyenas and sometimes also for the human visitors, as evidenced by a hyena attacking a teenager when it somehow found its way into Crocodile Bridge recently. We therefore expected to find hyenas on our evening walkabouts and weren’t disappointed, but the leopard that unexpectedly appeared in the glare of our spotlight near Satara’s entrance gate, safely on the other side of the fence, caused us great excitement!