SANParks.org Forums

At LAST! But seriously, it is an animal I would LOVE to see in all its glory. Not to mention the Gemsbok!

Megan, many thanks for sharing the above information with us.

Another very interesting animal not found in the Kruger Park is the Bat-eared Fox. These animals are mainly nocturnal but you do see them sometimes in daytime.

Porcy

@ Megan.

I also bookmarked the Addo link that you gave a couple of months ago. I does however not seem to be working now. Is the site down or did the address change

The website is up and the link should work. It was down for a week or so last year while we were restructuring it, so perhaps you need to refresh....
Also try www.addoelephantpark.co.za as both addresses should work.
Let me know if you continue to have problems.
Regards,
Megan, Addo Elephant National Park.

As mentioned it's currently the most critical phase.

How are the twins doing?

We are happy to report that the twin elephants are still appear to be in good condition and both suckling from their mother.

They have been seen regularly by Riverbend Lodge guests and appear to be behaving as most playful young elephants do.

Will keep this post updated with any changes.

Megan, Addo Elephant National Park.

I am returning to the park in september but havent visited for a few years. Can anyone give me any hints where to find the lions or hyena at this time of year.
Also is it possible to see whales if driving by yourself or do i need to book a trip
Thanks

As the lions and hyenas are relatively new to the park, we have not yet determined their pattern of movement related to time of year. Your best bet is to enquire when you are at the park. There is a visitor sightings board where anyone can mark sightings. Very early in the morning or on one of the sundowner or night drives is the best time to see lions and hyenas.

We do not have whale watching trips as yet, although there are some operators who run these trips from Port Elizabeth. If you want to see them from the park, you will have to travel to our Woody Cape section near Alexandria. That's about one and a half hour's drive from the main camp. if you are hikers, I would recommend the Alexandria Hiking Trail - find details on the website.

Very interesting decision to bring in four males and only two females. Can anyone enlighten me as to why this was decided?

It is well known that males do kill rival cubs. In general the females do most of the hunting and often hunt in groups or pairs. My thinking tells me it would have been better to have four females and only two males. Even more so if they are operating in two seperate groups.

There is obviously more to it...?

Porcy

The male to female ratio was selected in order to minimise the breeding rate.

There has never been a formal study of the carrying capacity for lions in the thicket biome (which covers the main game area into which lions were introduced) and thus, we do not have exact numbers for a limit size for the lion population.

Research on the impact of lions on prey and their habitat selection in the park has been ongoing since the release of lions in 2003. Of course, this study also includes the spotted hyenas as they compete with lions for food. The results will afford us a clearer picture with which to manage the lion population.

However, based on what we do know, we think that the limit for the lion population in this main game area may be 20 lions. As lions can breed relatively fast (gestation period: 110 days), we do not want to reach this limit too soon, hence the choice of male:female ratio.

We can also move lions to the new sections of the park, as the population becomes bigger, but we first have to ensure that these new areas are properly fenced and stocked with enough prey species to support large predators.

Megan.

I am sure we all support the concept of conserving a natural ecosystem. It is interesting however that you refer to "historical records". What are these and how comprehensive are they in listing the animal species of an area?

I suppose early pioneers and hunters kept diaries and compiled notes on their visits. Can one conclude though that a particular species did not occur in the area purely on what is listed or not listed in these documents? Do we have historical records on animal migration?

Another source of information could be bushmen paintings but again the tendency was to paint animals with some spiritual importance rather than a record of animals they encounterd on a daily basis.

Please, I am not questioning the judgement of the park officials, but would really like to understand the background to these decisions.

At present there are no Springbok in the section open to the general public, however they are present in their hundreds in the Darlington dam area. As the greater Addo will consist of many biomes, is it possible that some species like giraffe or blesbuck (as an example) could be suitable for introduction in specific areas?

What about the rare species like sable and roan? Any record of them occuring in the Eastern Cape?

Bushman.

So who watched 50/50 last night. Those people were so luck to see that baby ellie, not even 2 hours old.

Good thing she took the video with her zoom...I think had they come any closer, they also would have had a chat about the "Great Elephant" storm.

Aww I missed it! DO 50/50 have a repeat during the week? If they do can you post the time and day here please.

regards

bwana

It was on the Veldfocus section...

Unfortunatly they don't have a repeat show, but have a look at their site 50/50.

Maybe you can find something there...

Bwana, make sure to visit that link - worthwhile. You are redirected to another page where you register to view the previous programme's clips. Last night's clips have not been loaded yet. Just had a look.