A WILDLIFE TALE

“A WILDLIFE TALE”

 

This wildlife tale starts out something like this. Once upon a time there was a porcupine mother and her little babies that were crossing a country road when a car passing by hit one of her babies. The baby porcupine was too injured to go on. The mother had to abandon the baby to insure the survival of the others.

 

Another compassionate motorist came by and saw the injured baby. They took it to a Vet here in town. This vet is a very special guy. He loves animals and treats wild orphans for free. He stitched up the baby, gave it antibiotics and then came the problem. Who is going to raise this baby? 

That’s where we came into the picture.

 Here is the baby on his first day. 

He was traumatized and scared. It took some time to get him to accept the bottle but finally he realized we were trying to help him.

This is Rhulani our housekeeper. She is one of the family and cares for all the orphans we adopt when we are traveling. She’s more like a sister than an employee.

There are some sacrifices  one has to make when raising a wild animal. This is some of the damage he did to our house. Considering the damage we have done to "his" environment, I gave him a pass!

He loves sweet corn.

 Try not to spoil them. It makes it more difficult when it comes time to release them.

Here he is resting after a hard day of dining!

  

 Here he is resting on his hot water bottle with a towel rolled up as a pillow. I said we “tried” not to spoil him. I didn’t say we succeeded.

We named him Howie after a dog on the “dog whisperer”.  Later we nicknamed him “Patitas”. In Spanish it means the one with the little feet. Patitas likes to sleep under my bed. The problem is porcupines are nocturnal. So when he wanted to play he would wake me up between 1 AM and 3 AM to play, “catch me if you can.” He would chase me around the work island in the kitchen. Then I would chase him around the island. This would go on for an hour or two almost every night. Fortunately we don’t have any neighbors nearby. People think I’m strange enough. If they saw me running in circles in the kitchen at 3 AM they would have me committed I’m sure.

He is a very gentle guy. He never puts up a fuss. He even shares his food with other orphans. Here he is enjoying his strawberry yogurt.

 He loves to interact with people.

  It wasn’t long before we noticed him staring out the door into the Bush, smelling the smells and probably thinking about his former life. It was time to release him back into the wild. So, one night with a heavy heart, we opened the back gate and watched as he disappeared into the darkness. We wondered if we would ever see him again. We wondered how we would recognize him if we did!

Well the next night I couldn’t help but take a look out the back door. There was a black shadow right near the gate. I walked out and there he was!! I opened the gate and let him in. We made him a little snack. Yogurt (strawberry), 2 ears of corn, an apple, sunflower seeds, Philadelphia cream cheese, 

( how did he acquire a taste for Philadelphia cream cheese? He's never even been in Philly.) some pasta (with mushroom sauce) and 4 chocolate covered raisins for desert. Oh yeah, and a cup of coffee when it is cold at night.

He comes back every night, eats, then crawls onto our camping mattress and we all fall asleep watching the stars go by. After a few hours he gets up and returns to his burrow not far from the house.

   

This is why we call him "Patitas".

This is what he looks like now!

 

This little guy never fails to put a smile on my face. I hope this story put one on yours. Until next time take care. Oh yeah, the moral to this story is “if you see an animal that needs help—help him out.”  The rewards far out weigh the sacrifices.

 Have a great week and take care.

Kwa Zulu Natal, Sabie, Giants Castle, and more!

We got back from Alaska, took a deep breath and headed for Kwa-Zulu Natal. Yep, another 10 day safari. Everyone says you slow down, as you get older. Not true. I am going faster now than when I was young. Live everyday like it was your last. On your last day, you will be happy you did!

We traveled 2205 miles or 3550KM. I took almost five thousand images. Below are just a few I selected for this blog.

Kwa Zulu Natal as the name infers is Zulu country. It is beautiful. The Zulus are a colorful and handsome people. Their reputation as warriors is well founded in factual history.

The most infamous King of all was King Shaka. His cruelty was legendary and his courage was never questioned. He believed, as did his subjects that their lives belonged to their king and not themselves. He killed pregnant women in various stages of pregnancy just to see how the fetus was developing. He had 150 men leap from a cliff just to impress a British officer.

The scenery in this area is unbelievable. Here are a few photos of what we traveled through. The wildlife, the scenery, and the people made this a very special trip.

We visited King Shaka's personal hunting ground, Umfolozi, and toured the area of the Zulu wars. There was a British Commander that thought the Zulus wouldn’t stand a chance against a modern well-armed military force. King Cetshwayo didn’t see it that way. The British had about 1,700 men. The Zulu chief sent 24,000 Zulu to meet them. The Zulus charged head on. The soldiers shot directly into their ranks joking among themselves “that it was like shooting fish in a barrel.” It was meant to be. The real Zulu force of 20,000 attacked from the rear forming the bull’s horns or a classic pincher movement. The British were decimated. The bodies were mutilated as the Zulus felt they didn’t fight well.

The same day a Zulu force attacked Rorke’s Drift defended by 138 British soldiers. The soldiers fought bravely and repelled 4,000 Zulu “impi” warriors.  500 Zulus were killed, 17 British were killed and 10 wounded. The Zulus left paying the men a tribute for their bravery by pointing their spears at them, chanting Zulu, Zulu and then, they simply walked away.

To a Zulu, being a Zulu is the most important thing they have. These dancers show that their connection with their ancestors is still very strong.

With names like The Giants Castle, and The Cathedral you can imagine what it was like.

The birds in the area were incredible. Look at these images. The color and the variety were too much to pass up. I could have spent all day with just one of them.

(CLICK THE PHOTO TO VIEW IT FULL SIZE)

The big mammals always get me excited, Elephants, Rhino, and cats. We started off at Umfolozi Game Reserve with this beautiful female Elephant.

  Next we saw 34 Rhino in just 11 hours.

 

Then, two male lions. The brothers were much lighter in color than the northern Lions. Here is one of them.

We drove up to the top of one of the mountains. Our goal was to try and photograph the Bearded Vulture and the Cape Vulture. Here is the Bearded Vulture in Flight. Now on the endangered list.

These are Cape Vultures.

This is one of the lodges we stayed at.

Worth mentioning is Ubizane, Zululand Tree Lodge. This Lodge has been totally renovated and the service is fantastic. The food is even better. It is just 6 KM from the Memorial Gate entrance to Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve. If you are in this area their place is worth looking at.

We spent two nights at Nottens Bush Camp. It is located in the greater Kruger park area but has its own private concession. www.nottens.com

I very rarely recommend a lodge. I was in the business for 17 years and I am very fussy. This lodge is exceptional. The bedrooms (chalets ) don’t have electric. Now that was a negative for me until I sleep in one. The room allows you to experience the sounds of the bush all night. Lit by paraffin lamps and candles it reminded me of the 1920’s safaris you see in the old Clark Gable movies. It is a very  pleasant experience.

It is all inclusive and that even includes the drinks!! Alcohol too!!! The service is 5 star. My only complaint is they feed you too much. I gained 2 kilos a day. (PS. Everything is homemade from scratch and served buffet style). Don’t miss it if you are in the area. We saw a pride of 18 lions.

Almost! Just a little wider!

There you go. After all he just learning the trade.

This bird is a Saddle Bill Stork. They are really impressive.

I took these photos between 5:30PM and 6 PM, just before a beautiful sunset. The light from the sunset made these photos very special. I hope you enjoy them.

Hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa (except for people).  These guys are not fighting. They are just playing. You can tell because there isn’t any blood. Imagine when they get angry!!

Even this little guy gave it a try.

These Black Rhino photos were taken at Nottens Bush Camp. We were very lucky to get to spend some time with these guys. They are very rare and dangerous. They have a hair trigger and sometimes like to shoot first and ask questions later.

Don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge!

           

These leopard photos were taken at the same camp. Leopards are very difficult to spot. Our guide and tracker could see them when we couldn’t, even when they were pointing at them. They are one of the most beautiful animals in the world. Everyone enjoys a Leopard sighting. I was very lucky to get these images.

These two are Mother and cub. We had several encounters with them. Getting the right light and the right pose was difficult. I managed these photos with a little luck.

Here are some close ups of Mom.

I captured these images while the cub was feeding on a Bush Buck.

These animals are known for their bad dispositions. When a male is too old to breed he is forced from the herd by younger more dominant bulls. These loners are called “DAGGA BOYS”. They are the most dangerous. They have a herd mentality. So without the herds support they are on edge, and feel lonely and rejected. This causes them to be extra dangerous. I have had several close encounters with these guys in the Bush. They always give you that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you run into one in thick cover and you are carry just a camera, or a walking stick. This is the African Cape Buffalo. We just had a neighbor attacked by one this year. She is still in the hospital six months later. The buffalo disemboweled her. She is very lucky to be alive.

 

Just a quick story.

Awhile back there was a Bull Buffalo that fell victim to a poachers snare here on the reserve. The snare caught up his back legs. The snare tightened until it cut into his legs. He couldn’t follow the herd and was dying from starvation, a slow and painful death.

 The reserve contacted a vet and he was darted and the snares removed. He still could not walk and would just stand there, moving one step at a time. Pepi and I kept him alive by feeding him and bring him water everyday. His wounds healed and he rejoined the herd. Every time the herd passed our house he would stop here and wait at the back gate. We would walk out and just look at each other. After a while he would leave and catch up with the herd. This went on for months. Unfortunately he was shot and killed by hunters “culling” animals on the reserve. I have to wonder who was more dangerous, the buffalo or the human.

This Cow and calf greeted us on an air strip. The baby suckled right in front of us. The baby looks curious, the mother looks like she is giving us a warning!

Here are a few random photos.

 This Ibis was nesting in the perfect spot for a quick photo.

 tThis King Fisher got lucky. So did I.

This Eagle was very cooperative. You usually don't get this close.

This little guy was curious about us, but stayed behind its Mon just to be sure.

This Hyena pup was looking for its Mom. It would come out of the den, look around then retreat back inside. Mom must have been gone for sometime.

This is a Rock Dossie. Its nearest relative is an Elephant! That's what they say---!

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I'll update the site again in a week or so. Until then--take care and have a great week.