SANParks.org Forums

On our first visit to Marakele - years ago - one of these rhino's was still in a boma and we had the privilege to go and see it. Have never seen a black rhino there again, but white rhino's are a common sight.

Hi Marsupial

Good to here from you in Germany and your interest on the black rhinos in Marakele. The rhinos are in good hands and they are currently having one offspring. Black rhinos are not always easy to spot during the aerial census. the total number of black rhinos taking into consideration of the previous aerial census and record by Field Rangers is plus minus 20 in the Park.

Regards
Marakele

Hello Hendricm, hello naomi!
Thank you! that´s great news!
Even the transport box is exhibited in the zoo...
Hope to visit Marakele soon. Just been to Kruger, Hluhluwe and Mkaya (swasiland). Saw a black rhino only only in Mkaya.


regards

I spent two days in the concession (PTY) area of Marakele to witness the capture of black rhinos in the adjacent breeding centre, also part of PTY. Being African Correspondent is a tough job, but someone's has got to do it.

First the bad news. After the release of the wild dogs into the park earlier this year, they broke out twice. According to the people from PTY the SANParks fieldrangers aren't managing to patrol the fences enough to prevent them from escaping. Outside the park there's some east prey (sheep & cattle) and wild dogs are used to cover great distances which are not available in Marakele. According to the PTY guys, the dogs escaped through the same hole the second time - another indication for the lack of resources of SANParks fieldrangers...

Anyway, the dogs have been captured again and are currently in the boma. The alpha female gave birth in the boma - which means the population is now 9 adults and 9 pups. According to my source they will be sold/translocated to Mashatu Game Reserve in the Tuli Block in Botswana. Hopefully Fhatuwani can shed some light on this?

Pix of the dogs being fed in the boma:




Good news as well! Ten (male) roans have been released in the park a few months ago, donated by the PTY breeding centre. One of them has been killed by a lion and two other ones have disappeared of the 'radar' but the seven others seem to be surviving. If the males are doing ok, more roans might be released into the park. When I was there, the animals were very much sticking to the fence - it apparently gives them a (false) sense of safety after being brought up in a breeding centre. Hopefully they´ll start to move around a bit more, otherwise they´ll become too easy prey...




Speaking of lions, earlier this year three more have been released - the Marakele population is now 4 males & 2 females. They are mostly active in the flatter concession area but are seen in the generally accesible area too. I saw one of the - possibly pregnant females and witnessed an incredible hunt: we were right behind her when she went into stalking mode, accelerated, jumped into the reeds and when we had a visual again (after hearing some loud protesting sounds), she had managed to kill an adult male kudu. The prey never knew what happened to him - so quick and efficiently the lioness worked - incredible!

No pix of the kill. This was just before...




I must say game viewing is very rewarding in the consession side, althought I believe most ellies and buffaloes are currently in the SANParks side. I also saw bat-eared fox, blue wildebeest, black-backed jackal, aardvark (!), zebra, impala, red hartebeest, tsessebe, giraffe, elephant, eland, lots of black & white rhino evidence, warthog, steenbok, monitor lizzard and much more. Apparently there are frequent aardwolf and pangolin sightings too. The concession is currently only accesible for guests of the expensive Marataba Lodge. Hope this will one day change!

Thank you JoelR...
Do hope that 'access' will change one day too !

Hi Joel,

you've had much more luck than we had.
We've been in Marakele for 4 days last week and the only thing we saw, (in the second part of the park, which is called big 5 area...) in 4 days 3 elli's, and only some wildebeast,zebra, kudu, impala and very far 2 elands, but not one sign of any predator at all.
For us it was a little bit disappointed but maybe we expected to much after visiting so many other parks in Africa.

What I wrote earlier has unfortunately taken place: the wild dogs have left Marakele for Botswana (article). Now my secret hope is that the dogs will run back into SANParks territory after they are released. The Northern Tuli Game Reserve is on the other side of the Limpopo River from Mapungubwe and animals are crossing often...

Hope I'm not duplicating a topic;

but I'd like to know about lions in Marakele:
1) Are there any lion in Marakele?
2) Numbers?
3) Area?
4) Will I as a day visitor be able to see them?

Same with wild dog and are they roaming free?

Michael

Hi Pikkie, here's some info:

Marakele
What the lion population numbers are, I unfortunately don't know.

Marakele: Animals are a old thread, but worth reading.

Hope this helps a bit

Thanx Boorgatspook!

Will have a look.

Michael

Marakele LIONS
1) Yes, there are lions in Marakele.
2) A year ago there were about six, but two females were pregnant so maybe a few more.
3) They mainly roam in the lower, sweetveld part of the reserve (which is full of plains game) which is not accesible from the SANParks roads. Marakele NP is a viable conservation area thanks to private funding, but this also means half of the reserve is only accesible for people who are staying in the privately ran part of Marakele. SANParks staff refers to this part of the reserve as the "PTY-area".
4) Not likely, but in theory they can roam anywhere in Marakele's Big 5 area. Ask at the reception if they have been seen in the SANParks area recently.

Here are some photos of a Marakele lioness and the Wild Dogs when they were still in the boma (more info on them below)

Marakele WILD DOGS
1) No, they have been removed because they kept breaking out and killing sheep and goat on adjacent farms.
2/3/4) With a lot of luck the pack CAN be seen in one of the SANParks. The Wild Dogs have been moved to Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, which lies on the other side of the Limpopo river from SA's Mapungubwe National Park. (read more...)

I just discovered that the field guides in the PTY (Marataba Lodge) section of Marakele keep a Rangers Diary. It might give you some clues where certain animals are...

Last news on the lions: "The lions are still moving around a lot and have fragmented again. It’s been difficult this week to keep track of them as they are covering such large areas of the park. We have been hearing them in the vicinity of the lodge and there has been a lot of evidence of their presence."

Lots of movement, so maybe a chance to see them after all... Reading through it there seem to be at least two males (brought in from Kgalagadi if I remember correctly) and a few females, one of them tugging along four cubs!

Wow thanx for the gr8 response. I hope to visit the park in the very near future.

All this info really answered my questions!
Thanx once again.

Michael

The field guides of the Marataba lodge in the privately managed part of Marakele are keeping a weekly Ranger Diary. Great to read that one of the Marakele lionesses is caring for four cubs at the moment! All animals described in these reports can also wander in the National Park side of the reserve, but a lot of the plains game (and therefore also the lions) prefer the low-lying sweetveld in the privately ran "PTY-area". Marakele visitors should keep an eye out for the four cubs though!

The above mentioned Ranger Report on game movements in the private part of Marakale mentions a second sighting of a Black Leopard!