December 2005 Sanctuary Talking
GENERAL NEWS
Happy New Year!
The management and staff of Sanctuary Lodges & Camps would like to extend our warmest wishes to everyone for a happy, prosperous and fulfilling 2006! We look forward to working with our clients and thank everyone for their ongoing support.
Green Season Specials
 December to March is Green Season and offers a lovely alternative to travelling in High Season (July-October). Green season offers the ideal opportunity for clients to see another side of Botswana. The landscape is lush and green after the beautiful summer rains with many young animals being born at this time too. Bird watchers will be enthralled with the prolific bird life! The introduction of the Cape Town – Maun direct flight launched mid October 2004 has also made Botswana more accessible for guests visiting South Africa to extend their stay to Botswana over this period.
Motorised Boat & Mokoro Activities
Motorised boat activities are not taking place at Baines' Camp nor are mokoro excursions at Chief's Camp or Stanley's Camp due to low water levels. This has been done with guests' safety in mind as we have had a number of hippos taking up residence in the channel near Baines' and Stanley's.
Appointments
 Anna-Marie Theophilopoulos (left) joined the Accounts Department in November 2005. Anna-Marie previously worked in the Accounts Department of a pharmaceutical company for five years. She has a passion for animals especially elephants and cats! Welcome Anna-Marie, we look forward to working with you.
Thank you very much and a sad goodbye to Julia and Ishmael who, after 12 months at Stanley 's Camp have decided to move on to different challenges. We wish you both everything of the best and thank you for your dedication whilst with us!
Elephant Outreach 2005 Update
 We are glad to advise that The Living With Elephants Foundation successfully completed the 2005 Elephant Outreach Program. The majority of primary and secondary schools located in the southern part of the Okavango region, the children belonging to the 6 villages officiated by the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust (Boro, Daonara, Ditshiping, Morutsa/Quqao, Xharaxau and Xhaxaba) and children assisted by the Bana Ba Letsatsi Trust - that is to say hundreds of children and their environmental teachers, participated in Living With Elephants Foundation's two day educational program. The objective of the program is to improve the Human-Elephant relationship, one child at a time by offering the youth of the region an opportunity to touch, approach and interact positively with the three elephants ambassadors, Jabu, Thembi and Morula and their guardian Doug Groves. The objective is also to raise environmental and conservation awareness thus helping young Batswana become active in wildlife conservation by opening their eyes to eco-tourism career opportunities.
The 2005 Elephant Outreach Program would not have been possible without the kind support of international and local partners including Sanctuary Lodges & Camps (Botswana), Peter Luck-Hille Foundation (UK), Pont-Scorff Zoo (France), Fondation Nicolas Hulot (France), Amnéville Zoo (France), Foundation Brigitte Bardot (France), Tom Fowler inc. (USA), Mack Air, (Botswana), Kalahari Kanvas (Botswana), Maun Photo Lab (Botswana), Custro's Safaris (Botswana), Makila Voyages (France).
Our sincere thanks got to all who played a role in helping make it possible!!
BOTSWANA
Baines' Camp
 General game viewing has been satisfactory this past month, although not as good as it was before the rains. The diversity of the species' is still present however the numbers have declined. We have had exceptional sightings over the past 2 weeks! For at least 10 days our guests have seen a graced by the elusive leopard…… every day! These sightings have been excellent since the leopards were very relaxed allowing for great photographic opportunities. Other predators seen in the latter part of the month have been lions, wild dog and a single sighting of a pair of shy cheetahs. All in all a great month for predator sightings at Baines' Camp.
We had approximately 55 mm of rainfall this month and have been experiencing lows of between 19-22 degrees and highs of between 28-36 degrees. As water activities are not offered at the moment, guests are enjoying exciting game drives with an educational walk. Guests are still ecstatic at the opportunity of spending time with our three elephants and interacting with them in their natural environment.
December has had an interesting mix of special occasions from a 50th birthday and honeymooners to a romantic marriage proposal. In general guest feedback has been very positive with regard to the service and hospitality provided by the staff and we look forward to an exciting 2006!
Chief's Camp
 A serval was spotted twice in front of camp with guests absolutely thrilled to see it. Two buffalo were killed 300 metres from camp by the “Mombo boys” (majestic lions) which add ‘spice' to our game drives providing excellent game viewing opportunities. The fierce lions have been fighting a lot recently with a dead male spotted at Boro West. The rhino have been quite hard to find over the last month because of the rain scattering them all over the area. On two game drives some rhino cows with cute calves were spotted causing some excitement with guests. The elephants have also scattered because of the rain with the bulls only spotted on game drives. Last month a cheetah was killed by some lions and it seems that the other cheetah has fled hence cheetah sightings have been minimal the past month.
The grass has grown quite rapidly with all humidity and heat hence the area is looking very lush and green at the moment. Most of the water holes are about 80% full at the moment and some of the grass is already going into seed.
We have had a number of groups in camp this month as well as a photographer who came in to shoot the upgrade of Chief's Camp. We are please to advise that the upgrade is running on schedule with the first room completed.
“Thanks to Chiefs Camp staff, who made our trip so exciting and interesting – thanks so much”
The Dashwood family
Chobe Chilwero
 The general game has been consistently good, especially at the river with close hippo encounters abound. There have also been regular sightings of buffalo and elephant and, of course, plenty of impala. Guests have reported a few good sightings of sable as well. The birdlife here is diverse and plentiful. This is a wonderful time of year, with many of the seasonal migrants coming in to brighten up the skies.
Our guide Ali witnessed an amusing incident when he saw four young lions attempting to ambush a monitor lizard! Despite being surrounded by these fearsome predators, the lizard continued on his way, plodding determinedly towards a bush. The lions kept reaching out their paws to swipe at the reptile but his sturdy tail proved enough of a deterrent to see him safely to cover.
They may be the kings of the jungle, but still the lion cannot always count on coming out of every battle on top. While out on a drive, our guide Rodgers watched as a young lion decided on a monitor lizard as prime contender for his evening meal. After stalking the lizard, he tried his level best to get his powerful jaws around the reptile's neck. The monitor lizard had a secret weapon, however, that he was not afraid to use. As the lion got closer, the lizard swung his hefty tail towards the predator, lashing at his face. Despite the lion's nimbleness, he could not get close enough without being beaten back. The bout continued for some time, with both contenders unwilling to step down from the battlefield but, eventually, the young lion was forced to retreat, having learnt a valuable lesson – that even kings have moments of weakness…
 River cruises are still proving popular, providing some exciting hippo encounters and giving guests the opportunity to enjoy elephants playing and bathing. There have been a lot of breeding herds around so the babies always provide great slapstick comedy in the water! The drives have been excellent and game viewing seems to have improved considerably this month, with many sightings of lion and buffalo, as well as the guaranteed elephants!
Temperatures have been fairly stable, rising to around 36°C most days. The weather seems to have found a rhythm, with the mornings dawning bright and sunny and then rain clouds coming in towards late afternoon. There hasn't been a lot of rain this month and most of it has been kind enough to wait for evening before falling!
This month saw Civil Aviation Day bringing the skies to earth in Kasane. The event was aimed at helping local people understand the role the air transport plays in the tourism industry. Various specialised speakers addressed the people of Kasane on the history and development of civil aviation in Botswana.
We have had a number of VIP guests the past month who have thoroughly enjoyed their stay at Chobe Chilwero. We also had Gavin Ford in with a group who had some exceptional game sightings - lion, buffalo and around a hundred elephant all on one drive! Trevor Carnaby also stayed at the lodge with a group who also commended the exceptional game viewing offered. Martell Bergh from the Johannesburg office also visited the lodge and enjoyed her stay.
“The grounds and facilities are wonderful. The shower is world class and the bathroom/rooms/sitting areas are beautiful.”
Brian Torman and Judith Luther-Wild
“Have had a fantastic stay and are sad to leave. Would love to come back. All the staff here have been wonderful.”
Anthony and Margret Bate
“A lovely and charming setting. One night was not enough. We will be back.”
Mark Davis & Liz Williamson
“Beautiful place! We saw the elephants finally and a ‘factory of impalas'… wonderful!”
Saez-Benito
Stanley 's Camp
 The sightings this month have been varied. Some days there were very few animals in the area. The one very special aspect of the sightings at the moment are all the new born zebra, impala, reed buck, kudu as well as some other buck. On the afternoon of the 16th December 2005, our guests left for their game drive. Big Sam (one of our polers) was preparing the fire at the main deck area awaiting our guests return. He ran to the office and reported that a male leopard was at the main deck area! Zane (Relief Manager) went to look but the leopard had moved. Zane and Big Sam beckoned Kate, Francis (Assistant Manager couple) and John (Camp Manager) who jumped into the 4X4 vehicle to scout the leopard. As they pulled out of the parking bay, two chefs, Maggie and Chedza walked past and joined the enthusiastic leopard trackers without much convincing. They jumped in and drove around to the front deck area, cruising along the camp perimeter. Nothing…then suddenly on the opposite side of the camp hysterical Franklins were heard and the group headed off in that direction. They drove around the camp and as they arrived on the other side, they spotted her walking along the road. Zane was driving and quickly radioed the guides from both Baines' and Stanley's Camp to advise the location whilst still following the beauty. The leopard left the road and moved into some short grass with the team following. Finally, she settled down on a termite mound looking out at a herd of petite Impala. The light was fading and she quickly made a run for the Impala. She was not successful and retreated to a bush to rest. It was then that another leopard was spotted. The male was sitting under a bush close to the female. The first game drive vehicle arrived and we left the sighting to return to the camp.
 On the morning of the 18 th December the guests were sitting in the main deck area after their morning game drive. “LION! LION!” a guest screamed. Right in front of the deck were 3 magnificent lions stalking 2 reed buck. As we all gathered to look we saw four lionesses as well. Alan and Zane (guides) escorted guests to the vehicles and drove around to the front. In total, 16 adult lions were gathered in front of the camp. They attempted to take down a Zebra but the attempt was unsuccessful. The guests had a feast of a view and took many wonderful pictures. The guests returned after the sighting and sat on the main deck watching the pride in utter awe. It was the most amazing day here at camp!
This month we have had guests from all over the world, mostly from England, France, Germany and the USA. We had two groups in camp this month with private guides Trevor Carnaby and Gavin Ford. It is always a pleasure having these guests with private guides in camp.
 The top deck area is the Stanley's library and the side section is the smoking lounge. We are glad to advise that the library is now fully stocked with all our books in an enclosed cabinet with glass doors so that guests can easily view the books. The bar counter will be placed in the Smoking Lounge.
“ The best camp visited in terms of hospitality and service”
Mr. Phatshhane
EAST AFRICA
Gorilla Forest Camp
Gorilla Forest Camp has just acquired a brand new 27KVA generator which should be delivered at the January 2006. The generator is expected to improve our service delivery and prepare us to expand in the near future.
Gorilla Forest Camp Leads in the Bwindi 2006 Market share
 Based on the latest Gorilla Tracking statistics, there has been significant growth in the number of tourists. Between January to September, Bwindi has had 4270 tourists. Out of these, GFC has had 2243 trackers which is a significant 53% of the market share - kudos to all marketing efforts!
GFC was visited by the new British High Commissioner who tracked the mountain Gorillas and enjoyed birding in Bwindi. His comments on the camp were that it was exceptional and that the team was great. He will definitely introduce the incoming envoy to GFC. British High Commission staff in Uganda have always used GFC as their preferred lodge in Bwindi and we look forward to a wonderful 2006!
Olonana
Olonana has been named as one of the 2006 Grand Award winners in the 27th annual Hotel of the Year competition by Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report – a connoisseur's worldwide guide to unspoiled places. Each year some of the world's most captivating hideaway hotels and resorts are singled out for special recognition. To be considered for the competition, the property must be relatively intimate in size and be located in peaceful and scenically pleasing surroundings. Properties are judged for their all-round comfort, non-commercial character and passionate commitment to personal service. Also taken into consideration are recent firsthand guest experiences of Hideaway Report readers. Incognito inspections are conducted to look into the general décor, design, cleanliness and upkeep of lodgings and public lounges; staff are judged on esprit de corps, attentiveness, friendliness, thoroughness and efficiency; food on ingredients, inspiration and presentation and the grounds on overall appearance and maintenance. Congratulations to all the staff at Olonana!!
  This month a sighting of the very rare Ground Hornbill was a special treat for many bird watchers (Photo, left, courtesy of Jean-Pierre Steiner).
Guests on a recent game drive were taken by surprise when a lioness literally jumped out of nowhere in a river bed and took down a zebra right in front of the Olonana vehicle (Photo, right, courtesy of Nigel Spalding).
December saw the last of this years very long migration in the Mara. There were a few small crossings - with crocodiles still taking advantage of the opportunity for an easy meal while the animals cross the river. A group of very lucky (and excited) guests, with the help of Francis our driver guide, spotted a leopard in a tree. The leopard is one of the most illusive of all predators and many people have been on safari several times without spotting one. On return to camp our guests were treated to another leopard spotting from Olonanas' tent 7. The leopard stayed for about 10 minutes, lying on a big rock across the river grooming itself.
The Masai Mara is as very dry since the long awaited “short” rains have not yet arrived and the animals are starting to endure periods of little or no food. The baboons are on a “food raid” all the time. It is incredibly hot and everyone in the Mara is holding their breath and praying for the life giving moisture.
December has been an incredible month at Olonana. There have been so many different activities as many of our guests had chosen to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays at the camp. One of the highlights in December was the official opening of the new staff recreational centre which provides staff with a place to relax, watch TV and play games while not on duty. Long service awards were also handed out and a tree was planted to open the new tree planting area as well.
 Olonana was also privileged to host two senators from the United States government for two very busy days. They spent time visiting local communities and learning more about various conservation efforts in the area. They were very inspired by the local people and their conservation efforts. We also had a Japanese couple celebrating their 50 th wedding anniversary in style - they were joined by their family members and had a private bush dinner under the stars.
Olonana continues to refurbish its vehicles, which should take up to six months, the first few vehicles that were refurbished have already arrived at camp. Many small changes have been implemented over the past month which includes new mattresses for the beds, new chocolate holders, new table settings, new laundry baskets and dustbins with new potted plants placed in the main lodge. New vanity displays will be in place at the end of January.
Kusini
 It has been hot, dry and dusty with only 15 mm of rain for the past month. Some of our guests had the privilege of spotting 8 cheetahs in one afternoon!!!! Unfortunately, due to lack of rain, the migration has not arrived at Kusini with general game viewing in between few and fantastic - cheetah, lion and honey badger. The past few months have brought the lions into camp on an almost nightly basis in search of precious water.
We have had some VIP guests this month and want to say that it was an absolute pleasure having them with us.
Our 3 new tents are now all set up with the first guests arriving in January 2006.
Fadhili Msangi received the best worker of the year award at Kusini - well done Msangi!!!!
“I've traveled all over the world, but this is the first time anyone has taken special care of my dietary needs”
Viva Hintz from Germany, who requested a gluten free diet, thoroughly enjoyed her visit to Kusini.
Swala
 Game viewing has been excellent at camp as well as along the river. This is due mostly to the fact the short rains in November did not materialise. The mammals sighted at the camp waterhole included lion, leopard, jackal, elephant, eland, greater kudu, waterbuck, impala, zebra, giraffe and the adorable dik-diks.
 This month will be hard to beat or equal! It was Christmas Eve and everyone was sitting on the veranda drinking fruit punch before dinner. We suddenly heard impalas alarm calling at the water hole. We shone down with our torches and saw the territorial male leopard busy strangling the dominant impala male - a huge ram! We brought down 2 vehicles and drove towards the kill to get a closer look. We watched for quite some time and then decided to leave him to his prize as we did not want to create any additional attention in case he would lose his kill to another predator. We then proceeded to the bush dinner which was a roaring success. We returned later and saw that the leopard had not yet eaten much and was not able to hoist his kill due to the massive weight of it. He had a nice long drink after which we decided to leave him in peace. A short while later we could the reflection of another pair of eyes which turned out to be a female leopard who had come to out to investigate. There was no aggression from the male so we presume that they were courting.
Later, at about 2am, we were startled by the roaring of lions close by. We thought that we would come out on Christmas morning to find that the lions had stolen the kill but surprisingly they had not smelt it and the leopard had already fed off the hind quarter. The kill had not been hoisted though and we watched throughout the day as various eagles and vultures came to peck at the carcass. The leopard was not that lucky on Christmas evening though as 2 lionesses with one cub returned and robbed him of his Christmas dinner. An unbelievable Christmas “present”!!!
 Another amazing thing occurred midway through the month….Guests were enjoying their afternoon sundowners on the deck when a 3-4 year old girl from the village (a good 10km away and outside the park) appeared out of nowhere, walked passed the elephants at the waterhole and stood at the bottom of the deck. We took her to our office and asked our staff whether anybody recognised her or knew where she stayed. After a lot of questioning we had a vague idea and so set off to look for her family. We eventually found the house and a very relieved and grateful family. What actually happened was that she was at the neighbours with her twin sister and wanted to go home for lunch. The sister did not, so she decided to go it alone. She must have got horribly disorientated and crossed into the park without knowing and eventually by some stroke of luck ended up at our camp! Naturally she was extremely thirsty and full of scratches so we offered something to eat and drink, although she only ate half of everything saying that the rest was for her sister. The amazing thing was that she had spent more than 24hrs in the bush!! Yes indeed, she spent the night out in the bush on her own and survived!!! A real Christmas miracle.
Swala also had some VIP's this month we entertained us with their stories of discovery. We would like to thank them for the support provided to the school where books were generously donated. The school will reopen in January after the Christmas break. One of our new ideas is to start a conservation club for the older standards.
December has been very hot and humid at times but some showers late in the month helped settle the dust and cool things down a bit.
We have received new bed covers which look stunning as well as some new decorative material for the main area.
DISH OF THE MONTH
DON CORLEONE
“The Godfather” cocktail (a Gorilla Forest Camp in house creation)
A simply amazing cocktail by Leopold King at GFC
Ingredients:
1 Double Amaretto
Strong Black Coffee (preferably espresso)
A pinch of Cinnamon
½ tea spoon of Sugar
Preparation:
Pour the Amaretto in a coffee cup and then fill the cup until half filled with the coffee. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on top and add the ½ spoon of sugar. Stir well and serve hot.
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