On Safari With Dean From 19 November 2013

19 November 2013

Today would be one of those days best forgotten, as we left camp at 06h00 and went up the Numbi Gate Tar and on to Napi Road making our way down to Skukuza for a break.

Animals seen were a bit on the quite side with sightings of impala, kudu, buffalo, rhino and elephant seen.

Two sightings of leopard were missed due to guide and public disorder and also a lion sighting was messed up by guide and public disorder which has become a huge problem for us professional guides.

We returned to camp to pickup other clients who had enjoyed a bush walk, we also picked up other guests who had come up from Johannesburg.

We took a drive down the Albasini road and up the Shabeni link to Pretoriuskop Camp for lunch.

Animals seen were hippo, impala, warthog and buffalo.

After lunch, we made our way down the Albasini road to Doispane where we turned towards Watergat.

Animals seen were wildebeest, impala, kudu, rhino and nine lions close to the Watergat junction.

We drove up Watergat and turned onto Napi Road, getting sightings of kudu, impala and warthog before returning to camp for the evening.

 20 November 2013

Today we left camp at 06h00 and made our way up the Numbi gate tar, a message came in of a zebra kill on the Albasini road just 2km's from the Doispane road, we travelled up the Numbi Gate tar getting two hyena females together with their pups before turning onto the Shabeni link road and then onto the Albasini road on route to the kill.

We got into the sighting and managed to get some good visuals of the lions with the kill on the left hand side.

After finishing at the kill we drove down the Albasini onto Doispane getting good sightings buffalo, elephant, impala, warthog and kudu before stopping off at Slukuza for a break.

After everybody had enjoyed their break, it was back to Numbi Gate on the Napi Road in order for the guests to get their transfer back to Johannesburg.

Guests had a good time, wanting to return for another safari.

 21 November 2013

Today we left camp at 06h00 with a lot of rain, drove up the Numbi Gate tar to Napi Road, stopped off at Skukuza for a tea and coffee break, and then proceeded to drive still in the rain back to the Numbi Gate.

Animals seen were rhino, buffalo, elephant, impala, kudu and wildebeest.

Left Numbi Gate and took clients to the Mpumalanga Airport for their flight to Durban.

We picked up new clients in Nelspruit, and drove through to Numbi Gate, after check in procedures, we made our way up the Numbi Gate tar and onto Napi Road.

We drove down Napi Road to the Napi Boulders entrance and then turned back, as there was some heavy rain coming, and guests did not want to get stuck in it.

Animals seen on the afternoon drive was impala, buffalo, rhino, elephant, tsessebe, warthog and waterbuck.

 Keep watching for more updates as it is our high season!!

Poacher Wounded

On Wednesday, 20th November 2013, after hearing gun fire, rangers in the Houtboschrand section of the Kruger National Park conducted a follow-up and made contact with two suspected rhino poachers.

One suspect was fatally wounded and the second suspect managed to escape into the darkness heading to Mozambique.

Ammunition, a hunting rifle and poaching equipment were recovered.

Investigations will continue tomorrow morning.

Issued by:
South African National Parks

Poachers Update 20 November

On Wednesday, 20th November 2013, at approximately 05H00AM rangers in the Letaba section of the Kruger National Park made contact with three suspected rhino poachers.

One suspect was fatally wounded and the other two remaining suspects managed to escape.

A hunting rifle, ammunition and poaching equipment were recovered.

Further investigations are underway.

Issued by:
South African National Parks

Poachers Arrested

On Tuesday, 19th November 2013, rangers in the Lower Sabie section of the Kruger National Park with support from the South African National Defence Force managed to arrest two suspected rhino poachers.

The two suspects were wounded when they tried to evade arrest, the third suspect managed to escape.

An axe and other poaching equipment were recovered at the scene.

Issued by:
South African National Parks

Poachers Update

On Monday, 18th November 2013, rangers in the Kingfisherspruit section of the Kruger National Park made contact with a group of three suspected rhino poachers.

One suspect was arrested and is in custody.

The remaining two suspects managed to escape with at least one hunting rifle.

Issued by:
South African National Parks

On Safari With Dean From 14 November 2013

14 November 2013

We picked up guests from their respective hotels and drove through to Nelspruit where we changed over vehicles and made our way through to Nkambeni Tented camp.

After guests had a chance to get some lunch, it was out onto the road for a game drive to see what we could find.

We drove up the Numbi Gate tar and got good sightings of impala and buffalo. We turned onto the Napi Road and drove down to the Napi Boulders exit junction getting more great sightings of buffalo, a large herd of elephant crossing the road, more rhino, impala, kudu and waterbuck.

After turning back onto Napi road, we made our way back to camp getting more elephant, buffalo, impala, stenbuck, kudu and a female leopard in the Marula tree just after the Shithave dam junction.

After all of this we made our way back to camp, arriving with only five minutes to spare. Guests had a good dinner, before going to bed in order to get up early and be back on the road again trying to find some more animals.

 15 November 2013

Today it was out on the road again at 05h30 to see what we could find.

With five of the guests on a bush walk, we took a drive down the Numbi Gate tar onto the Napi Road, down Watergate, left onto Doispane, going down River Road link and then onto River Road over Doispane and then back to camp on the Albasini Road.

Animals seen were impala, kudu, buffalo, elephant, rhino, stenbuck, waterbuck before it went completely quite with few animals been seen due to rising temperatures.

We got back to camp at 09h00 for guests to have breakfast and for us to pick up the others before leaving on another drive.

We made a turn down to Shithave dam, and on the way back, came across a lion that we had been looking for since yesterday afternoon.

We spent a good amount of time on this sighting, arriving back at camp in time for lunch and for guests to enjoy a swim, before they leave on their Afternoon / Evening Safari at 16h30.

 

16 November 2013

Today we left camp at 06h00 and made our way up the Numbi Gate Tar and onto the Napi Road to skukuza for a break.

Animals seen were impala, kudu, elephant loads of buffalo, rhino as well as two female lions with their cubs.

After the break it was back to camp on the Napi Road as the temperatures were rising and six guests had to get their shuttle back to Johannesburg International Airport for their flights home.

We departed this afternoon on a game drive going around dye loop as well as Shabeni Kopies before returning to camp.

Animals seen were dwarf mongooses, giraffe, zebra, impala. Buffalo, Rhino and baboon.

Guests returned to camp to enjoy dinner before retiring to get some rest before leaving on the game drive tomorrow morning.

 17 November 2013

We left camp at 06h00 and made our way up the Numbi Gate tar getting great sightings of impala and four female hyena with some young pups.

We turned onto the Napi Road, and got some good sightings of buffalo and elephant. We turned down Napi boulders and got sightings of sable antelope, buffalo and more elephant.

We got a radio call of a leopard near to Transport dam and made our way in that direction, getting him lying next to the road. After getting some good photos we made our way to Numbi Gate and then onto Nelspruit airport for the guests flight to Cape Town.

After picking up new guests in Nelspruit and checking in to Nkambeni Safari Camp, we made our way out at 15h30 going down Napi Road around boulders and back to camp at 18h15.

Animals seen were nine different sightings of rhino, impala, waterbuck, kudu and buffalo.

Guests returned to the lodge to enjoy dinner, before retiring as there is an early start tomorrow morning.

 

18 November 2013

Today it was out of camp early again and onto the road to see what we could find.

We made our way onto the Numbi Gate tar turning onto the Napi Road to The H3. We made our way down the H3 onto the S112 up the S114 to Skukuza.

Animals seen were buffalo, elephant, rhino, impala, kudu, leopard, lion and managed to just miss a cheetah who decided to walk off before we got there.

After our break at the Skukuza Camp, we made our way down the Paul Kruger Gate road onto Doispane and up the Albasini back to camp.

Animals seen on this route was buffalo, impala, kudu, elephant, lion and rhino.

This afternoon after getting some new guests joining the safari, we took a drive around Faye Loop, around shabeni Koppies and back to camp.

Animals seen were buffalo, impala, loads of kudu, warthog and wildebeest.

Seized Money To Fight Rhino Poaching

The Asset Forfeiture Unit has handed R8.1 million to SANParks's environmental crime investigation unit (ECIU), the National Prosecuting Authority said on Friday.

“The money will be solely directed by SANparks to enhance and support their ranger corps capabilities with much needed equipment, training and advanced technology for their counter-poaching operations,” said spokesman Nathi Mncube.

The High Court in Pretoria found that the money came from the proceeds of illegal rhino poaching by an alleged syndicate leader, Joseph Nyalunga, Mncube said.

Nyalunga was also a former police official stationed at the Hazyview police station.

The cash was seized in December 2011 when Nyalunga and another alleged poacher, Conrad Nkuna ,were arrested while returning from Mpumalanga to Gauteng.

The money was found in their Range Rover when they were stopped and searched by police near Middelburg.

Exhibits from the Range Rover were also seized and were sent for DNA analysis.

“The DNA profile of one male white rhinoceros found in the Range Rover matched the DNA profile of a male white rhinoceros poached in the Kruger National Park in December 2011 in the Stolsnek area,” said Mncube.

Apart from the R8.1 million, the 2009 Range Rover and a 2009 Toyota Fortuner were also seized.

“These vehicles will be sold and the proceeds thereof will also be paid to the ECIU,” he said.

Nyalunga was arrested again in early 2012.

Following his arrest, a further R5 069 800 was found in a metal coffer in the garage at his Mkhuhlu's residence.

The case against Nyalunga and Nkuna has been postponed for trial until March 24 next year in the Middelburg regional court.

By:
South African Press Association

Contact Made With Poachers In The Kruger National Park

On Sunday, 17th November 2013, rangers in the Crocodile Bridge section of the Kruger National Park made contact with a group of at least five suspected rhino poachers.

One suspect was fatally wounded and the second suspect was wounded and arrested.

Two hunting rifles, .458 and .375, ammunition and a set of fresh rhino horns were recovered.

The three remaining suspects managed to escape arrest.

Issued by:
South African National Parks

Poachers Update

#PoachersUpdate: 16/11. Mozambique Rangers made contact with a group of 3 suspected rhino poachers inbound to #KNP. During contact, one suspect was arrested and the remaining suspects managed to escape. A .458 rifle, ammo and poaching eqiupment were recovered. At 15h00 y/day afternoon, Moz Rangers managed to arrest the suspected owner of .458 rifle that was recovered in the first contact where the suspected poacher was arrested.