March 2006 Sanctuary Talking
GENERAL NEWS
Indaba 2006
Sanctuary Lodges & Camps will be at Indaba representing East & Southern Africa from 06 - 09 May 2006 and would love to meet with you at stand 156, ICC. Please contact Ryan at rpowell@sanctuarylodges.com or on +27 11
438 4650
to set up an appointment to learn more about our luxurious camps and lodges.
Living With Elephants Foundation
 Sanctuary Lodges & Camps supports LWE's educational program (Elephant Outreach Program) and provides guests staying at Stanley's and Baines Camps with the exclusive opportunity to join LWE's elephant trio and their life long guardian Doug Groves on morning foraging treks.
LWE's elephant ambassadors continue to host groups of school children on a weekly basis. Local school children between the ages of 12 and 14 years are given the opportunity to touch, feel and walk with Jabu, Thembi and Morula in the Okavango Delta. Through this program it is our hope foster positive perceptions of elephants in Batswana youth and we thank our sponsors for their continued support on this important endeavour.
Field Notes By Doug Groves
10th March
 As we rounded a bend behind camp, on our way to the river for a morning drink, we startled a wild elephant bull. He bolted, splashing through the water with his head held high and his ears out. Jabu, Thembi and Morula were also surprised as they have not encountered any of their wild cousins near camp for a number of months. The gang hurried across the water to where he disappeared into the undergrowth. I felt a little left out as my olfactorally gifted friends put their remarkable noses to work examining the chemical calling cards left by our visitor.
13th March
 While wondering through thick tangled vegetation with my great grey companions, my eyes locked onto something small struggling at my feet. Caught in a web of stems and vines a baby squirrel cried for help. After carefully untangling the little guy he leapt with sudden and surprising agility out of my hand and scurried to freedom.
Later, we found a medium sized morula tree just north of camp and Jabu easily managed to get hold of and pull down a few lower hanging branches. The fruit were still green and heavy on the tree. Thembi and Morula crowded around Jabu to partake of his harvest as they lacked the reach to get their own. They crunched and munched moist leaves and fruit with obvious relish. Jabu getting the lions share of the proceeds, of course.
BOTSWANA
Baines' Camp
 The rain is still around but not as heavy as the past few weeks. Temperatures have been consistant and quite reasonable, but the mornings are quite chilly. We have had really good game sightings this month including leopard, wild dog, elephant and buffalo. Birders are enjoying the migrants which are present this time of the year. A highlight this month was wild dog chasing an impala through camp just before sunset – magnificent photo opportunities! Thomas the elephant has had a field day amongst the wild cucumber plants around the camp.
Elephant activity is still popular and guests come back elated taking back fond memories of our three elephant ambassadors.
Boating excursions are become more frequent now that the water levels are rising, but unfortunately we are still not able to offer mokoro excursions. Distances traveled on the boat excursions are relatively short as the channels are not that wide as yet.
Staff played soccer with Ditshiping where everyone was victorious as it was a draw, 2-2.
The suites have new shade mesh incorporated into the suite enhancing the light and air flow into the rooms.
“We will always remember our visit, especially being woken by Thomas (the elephant)- thank you everyone!”
Mark & Elisabeth Newcombe
“We would certainly recommend this to our clients.”
Mr and Mrs Ellis
Chief's Camp
 Game viewing has been good this past month with an exceptional game drive where guests had the pleasure of seeing both white and black rhino as well as lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, and buffalo - not bad for one afternoon! Guests were delighted to observe the birth of a giraffe, a truly amazing sight. Some large elephant herds passed by the camp but have moved through to the Mopani areas. Lions have been plentiful with a number of them lounging in trees. As usual the Mombo boys are sighted regularly. The most exceptional sighting this month was white and black rhino within 200 metres of each other!
We hosted a number of guests and agents this month from around the globe, who thoroughly enjoyed their stay with us. The rebuild at the camp is still underway and running smoothly.
“Rodgers is the best, he found the leopards”
Salvin
Chobe Chilwero
Game sighting have still been quite impressive, particularly on the river front. The elephants are slowly becoming more and more visible and there are also regular sightings of lions. On an afternoon which the guides had concluded was going to be a quiet one, Paul and his guests were in for surprise! Just around a corner they came across a pride of lions. Not far from them, they spotted a kudu feeding away, oblivious to the presence of these lions. What Paul and his guests did not realise at this stage was that there were other lions hidden in the grass flanking the kudu. While they were busy watching the resting lions, they hear a thunderous roar as the kudu was attacked by two female lions who wrestled it to the ground. Needless to say, this was the topic of discussion at the dinner table.
River cruises on the magnificent Chobe River are received well by guests since it offers an alternative to game viewing in a vehicle. Paul, our guide went out on an afternoon boat cruise with some guests who were eager to see lions. Midway through the cruise Paul picked up a radio signal that one of the other guides had spotted a lion. He immediately turned the boat around and headed for the jetty. Upon arrival he quickly got everybody on the vehicle and drove to the park. Upon entering the park, they immediately located the lions - a pride of eleven, including cubs! Setting their eyes on something they been longing to see, the guests could not contain their emotions and were so overwhelmed that they cried the whole time while they watched the lions.
We hosted a few educational groups this month as well as a professional photographer who thoroughly enjoyed their stay at Chobe Chilwero. The lodge also supports an orphanage for children who have lost their parents through the Aids pandemic.
We played host to the wedding ceremony of Bernd Stamkoetter and Agnes Beis from Germany . It was a lovely, private and very intimate wedding where the District Commissioner solemnised the union and lodge management were the witnesses. The reception was held in our front gardens where the Chobe River provided a beautiful scenic back ground at sunset (photos below).
We wish the lucky couple a prosperous marriage.
       
“Beautiful, exceeded our expectations, a slice of paradise”
Anne and Barrie Bell
“We loved every moment of our stay here at Chobe Chilwero. We look forward to returning with friends and family. All staff were warm and helpful, bright and considerate. Thank you for a wonderful experience.”
Reeve and Ellen Bartholomans
“This lodge, and specially service and helpful people is among the best I have the hance to stay or visit, our educational tour was a success and I would take the opportunity to thank Sanctuary Lodges for the beautiful days I had.”
Jacques Mohl
“Exquisite attention to every detail. Poniso made our trip extra ordinary.”
Pam Lindvall
“Everything superb, very good food, wonderful people, we loved our safari with our guide Poniso, he is extremely knowledgeable.”
Mr. and Mrs. Daren
Stanley's Camp
 General game viewing has been excellent and improving. While the rain has continued throughout the majority of the month, sunnier days seem to be becoming more regular. In the past week, two leopards have provided excellent sightings and there have also been lions and buffalo passing through the concession. The elephants seem to be returning from their desert trip and sightings have become more frequent. The flourishing vegetation is still providing good cover for the more self-conscious animals but our guides' eyes also seem to be adjusting!
The wild dogs are definitely proving to be the highlight at the moment, due to their scarcity at most other camps throughout Southern Africa . NG32 really does seem to be proving to be one of the very best locations for sighting dogs and for providing the kind of environment that allow these dogs to flourish. The dogs' natural effervescence and the strong bonds and relationships evident between the individuals within the pack provide guests with truly exceptional sightings.
Our guests this month included return guests of Sanctuary Lodges & Camps as well as agents from the UK and prominent members of the media industry.
The school trips from the Living With Elephants Foundation continue and the children seem fascinated by the basic forms of communication used by the camp. Justice has been doing a wonderful job of showing the children around and familiarising them with Stanley 's Camp.
Next week there is an election at Xaxaba village, the largest and most established village in the NG32 concession. The villagers will be voting on the members of the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust.
The new ablution blocks in the staff village are almost complete and we are currently doing the finishing touches. We are planning to revamp the tents over the next month or so in preparation for the start of high season.
“We were truly impressed with July's knowledge and ability to find/track the animals. July is very articulate and we wish we could take him with us.”
Renee Benjamin and Brittany Wivell, Bermuda
“Friendly, enthusiasm, talent & hard work in a camp area! I have enjoyed the staff managers very much.”
Beverly Spicer
EAST AFRICA
Gorilla Forrest
GFC acquires new powerful generator
The new F G Wilson auto power generator came in this month at the time that GFC needed it most. As the old 9 KVA generator was already developing problems by the day. The mighty 2000Kg machine arrived down the stairs and the greatest challenge was bringing it up, the steep, soggy and rugged terrain. After calling on the local labor in conjunction with staff the generator arrived at our newly built modern power house. It was quite phenomenal! The 30 KVA is all digitally computerised. The tremendous achievement will take Gorilla Forest Camp to whole new level of fast and effective service delivery in the various departments. For instance a washing and drying machines among others, since Bwindi is typically cold and cloudy making it a challenge for drying anything.
 GFC Hosts boxing personality
One of the first East Africans to hold a boxing gold medal in the late 50's came around this month. Mr. Tom Kawere who won a series of medals in the fifties and sixties, visited Bwindi for the first time. The proprietor of the famous Kampala Boxing Club came along with three of his personal guests. He was surprised at how Gorilla Forest Camp is a hidden treasure in the jungle and was quite fascinated at how the service was exceptional. Mr. Kawere promised to recommend Gorilla Forest Camp as his preferred Luxury spot to the whole boxing fraternity in Europe.
GFC offers further Support to the women's group
As a token of appreciation to the women's group for their diligence and commitment towards their established projects, GFC has awarded the Women's group another tender to supply all guest room hand crafts. These include waste baskets, woven lamp holders and toiletry baskets among others. Consequently this will strengthen our relationship with the community and is also a fundamental strategy in economically empowering the community.
Olonana
 Rain, wonderful rain! There are great celebrations in the Mara at the moment – THE RAINS HAVE COME. We have had glorious rain every night for about three weeks. With the gift of rain – many other gifts have arrived such as a wonderland of green grass for the animals to feed on, little flowers are popping up everywhere, and small babies are being born. It is a very welcoming sight to see buffalo, hippo and many other animals with their heads sturdily to the ground – feeding on fresh green grass. With the rains, the black cotton soil “Sloosh” has also arrived. The field guides have been getting stuck in the mud, but true to Olonana style, our guides make it part of the adventure and guests return to camp excited with stories of how they got out of the mud.
With the onset of the rains and after many hippos having passed on, the circle of life returned once again in the form of new born babies. One of the resident hippo females in front of the lodge has just given birth to the first baby. She is extremely protective and chases any of the other inquisitive hippos away. The picture was captured a few hours after birth. Unfortunately the little one received a severe injury to her left upper jaw which has damaged her one nostril which prevents her from going under the water for long periods of time. She spends most of her time on her mothers back with her head out of the water. When the river rose quite dramatically we were concerned for the little one's safety, but she is fine a week after being born.
 Ziwadi, the leopard that is frequently seen in front of the lodge and who had two cubs, has sadly lost one of her cubs. Ziwadi was being seen on a regular basis until the cub (4-5 months) was killed. We do not know what killed her cub. She has been very scarce since. Another large male leopard was seen on the Mara Triangle side of the river towards the Tanzanian border and provided our guests with much pleasure and long hours of photographs.
Olonana continues to regularly upgrade the camp with many new changes. The shading on the main deck has been replaced and new table settings have arrived together with new menus. We have started sanding the outside deck chairs and have treated the leather on the dinning room chairs. We are in the process of revamping the boiler enclosures as well as the enclosures around the tents. The guides are back at work after their training and have received new pairs of binoculars for guests to use if they don't have any. New first aid boxes have also been installed in the vehicles.
The lodge has hosted a few large groups again this month. We had a family who stayed with us for a week and then two of our guests who spent two days with us and promptly returned three days later for another three days and still did not want to leave after their stay!
Kusini  We have received quite a lot of rain hence the migration has not come down in full but they have moved in and out of the area. The migration is concentrated between Kusini, Ndutu and the NCAA region. Game viewing has still been really good especially cats - there have been a number of cheetah sightings, Serval cat, Caracal as well as African Wildcat. We have had 2 memorable sightings not too far from the camp when guests got the opportunity to watch a mother cheetah bring down a Thompson's Gazelle and share the feast with her cubs!
Guests also witnessed 2 male Cheetah's eating a Bat Eared Fox. Bird life has been profilic and all the migratory birds around. A number of Genets have been seen as well as a few sightings of Honey Badger.
A prominent figure from Switzerland enjoyed his birthday with us and stayed at Kusini for 2 glorious nights. We also hosted an agent from the UK who enjoyed her stay, although it was fairly short.
Our staff village is presently under renovation and will be expanding since we are building 10 extra rooms, extending the ablutions and renovating the staff kitchen and staff canteen.
Quirky story:
Rain brings out the best in everyone. Our mechanic was so desperate to keep dry that he found an old long ladies nightgown that was sent to the camp for cleaning rags. He then proceeded to put a fire extinguisher canvass cover on his head. Thank goodness, we didn't have any guests around – they would have thought we've gone mad – CABIN FEVER!!
Would you recommend Kusini Camp to friends and family?
“Yes, Absolutely. After 2 years of Planning and anticipation, our stay at Kusini has more than exceeded our hopes. Everyone, from Mauritz and Nicola down to each staff member, helped to make our stay the most memorable of our Africa Experience. Thank you.”
Curt and Celeste McEwan:
Swala
 The weather is still fairly hot and humid with a few good showers. There is a definite “winter snap” in the air with nice cool evening breezes and chilly mornings. Game viewing still remains quite good and there is a high concentration of elephants in the park as well as some large buffalo herds with lion following suit. There is a nice variety of animals on game drives but bird life has been excellent!
Without a doubt the sightings of wild dogs close to camp for 3 successive days has been the highlight this month. There are 5 in the pack and are all very darkly marked which will be easy to recognise in the future. We simultaneously had 2 leopards, both with hoisted kills, less than 1km from camp which was absolute bliss for our guests for those fantastic 3 days.
We are in the process of redoing the screens for the water boilers with natural wood and are glad to advise that the bedside chests have been completed. Our tractor and a driver wer sent to the school to begin plowing the land before it is blessed with showers from the heavens.
“This is our first trip to Africa and our first stop on our Safari and it will be hard to top. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality.”
From Leroy and Betty Parthum
DISH OF THE MONTH
Onion and Raisin Salad
(courtesy of Chief's Camp)
1.5kg peeled baby onion
60ml olive oil
30g crushed garlic
pinch salt and pepper
800g tinned tomato
250g raisins
¼ bunch chopped parsley
- Heat oil in a pot.
- Add onions and garlic and cook for at least 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped, tinned tomato and raisins and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the chopped parsley as well as the salt and pepper.
- Pour into a wooden serving bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
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