SANParks.org Forums

We also enjoy the sightings boards and always check them out. BUT I don't think the new little magnet "thingies" are effective. The previous pins that were pressed into the board worked better as it could not be moved easily and sightings could more accurately been recorded

These magnets are easily, propably acidentally, moved through the day by others recodring their sightings. I have found that our sightings that we have maybe recorded earlier a day (with the magnets) been shift to a totally different, inaccurate position when we return to the board later at gate closing time.

Please can someone sponsor SANParks some coloured magnets for their sighting boards. If I had known how bad the shortage was I would have taken hundreds up last week.

Satara seemed to have things in order (different magnet type, so it can only be assumed that camp management have sourced their own), but Skukuza, Croc Bridge, Lower Sabie, Nkuhlu, Biyamiti and Tshokwane all seem to have a major shortage and it’s very frustrating for those that utilize the boards. (I’m not sure what the situation is north of Satara)

It would be a sad day if they were left to die out

I actually wanted to bring up the same issue. We were also in the South over last weekend - and found that Lower Sabie and Croc Bridge's sighting boards had a severe shortage of magnets. So sightings could not be "recorded" on it - and thus could also not be followed... On some of the boards there weren't any magnets of a certain colour... I think some people might be stealing them... But even if they had to replace them everyday (they can't be THAT expensive) - I think it is worth the joy they bring to us as visitors!

Hi all,

I'm also willing to donate these magnets but I can't find them. It was really frustrating as Lower Sabie, Nkhulu, Skukuza and Croc Bridge didn't have any or very few over the Easter Holiday season. Lower Sabie had precisely 1 red (lion) magnet.

Satara was better with enough of each colour.

I'm going down next month again and are more than willing to buy them and put them up, if only I can find them. Does anybody know where I can find them in Pretoria??

Waltons sells them. I guess any office stationary suppliers that sells magnetic whiteboard accessories will sell them. They are usually called something like "magnetic dots" or "magnetic circles" in the stationary catalogues. Rather expensive though - something like R20 for 4 or 6 dots - depending on the size of the dot. Cutting magnetic strips up may be a much cheaper option...

Hi there

Could anybody find out about the little magnets again. I can't find them, although I have not checked at Waltons and are also not willing to pay R20 for 4.

I found plain (no colour, black, regular magnetic colour) ones today and attempted to turn them into coloured ones. Please tell me what you think:





If you look closely you can see they're not very neat and look home made, but I thought they can do for a while. I used those dot stickers and then sealed them with ... wait for it .................... clear cutex

I'm going down next week and thought of putting up a few at LS, Skukz, Nkhulu and Croc bridge. Do you think I can make some more and put them up????????

Which colour is buffalo again, can't remember, orange or green? Not gonna bother with the rhino colour, for obvious reasons.

Would like to hear from you...

Njoy the cold if you're in SA

Those look very nice Anja! Go for it!


Let's see, the colours are (correct me if I'm wrong):

red - lion
black - leopard
white - wild dog
yellow - cheetah
blue ?
green ?
orange?

Hi everyone,

I'm glad to tell you that the sighting boards at most of the southern camps are currently functioning well. At Malelane, Afsaal, Phabeni and Skukuza day visitors area there were enough magnets of each colour.

As mentioned before I made some of these little magnets since I noticed a shortage at certain of the camps in April and took them with on our trip now in June. When we arrived, Lower Sabie, Croc Bridge, Skukuza, Nkhulhlu and Tshokwane were still short. After putting them up, this was what the sighting boards then looked like:


Nkhuhlu:



The GREEN I used is a bit shocking but I couldn't find anything else


Skukuza:






Lower Sabie:



I,ve put my magnets up on 16 June when we arrived then noticed on Monday (21st) that someone else added these smaller ones...






I unfortunately did not take pictures of the boards at Croc bridge and Tshokwane as we didn't go there again after putting tme up.

Hope they will last for a while.

Enjoy your trips!!!!!

Thanks Anja!
It would be good if Sanparks would put up a little explanation on the boards explaining why this is so.

I put this suggestion in my online survey, but wanted to put it up on the forum as well. Obviously rhino are off the sightings boards, but I think there is opportunity for the boards to be of more use for visitors.

Think about what animals people typically stop for, and then what animals are up on the boards. Pretty close match, but not completely.

Take Hyena - I saw cars stop for them each and every time I spotted them. Including a sighting 150m from the road. There is also a well-known den just outside of Letaba.... (well known if you are "in the know") ...that we happened to stumble upon that nearly all saffies that I spoke to afterwards knew about. (We had a terrific sighting there)

I suggest a sightings boards refresh and add hyena, sable (or similar), etc to the boards.