MalaMala - The Wildlife

LARGE HERD: APPROXIMATELY 600 ANIMALS - in the northern and central areas of Mala Mala
SMALL HERD: APPROXIMATELY 22 ANIMALS - southeastern regions of the reserve [Not seen this month]
NERVOUS HERD: APPROXIMATELY 300 ANIMALS - north-eastern parts of reserve
BACHELOR MALES FOUND THROUGHOUT MALA MALA

December 2001

The first baby buffalo was seen on 10th December and this amongst the herd of 300 or so nervous buffalo which have been seen on and off towards the northeastern parts of Mala Mala. The buffalo of the large herd also started giving birth shortly thereafter. There were no sightings this month of the small herd of buffalo which is typically seen towards the south of Mala Mala.

Conditions have been good for the buffalo and viewing this month was both consistent and of high quality. Buffalo were encountered on a daily basis during December and on the few occasions when lions tried to pursue them, the buffalo moved off the reserve for only a brief period. Both the large herd and the nervous herd spent most of their days feeding from the grass of the section of land which was burned in early September 2001. Grass here is both of high quality and quantity. Water and mudholes are also very available in the

area. There were at least three occasions when the large herd of buffalo was the target of male lions and towards the end of the month four young male lions also spent two of three days pursuing the nervous herd of buffalo. Although the buffalo kept moving from the lions and indications were that they certainly panicked at times when suddenly confronted by these powerful cats, there was little evidence that the lions actually managed to kill one of them.

Good summer conditions have also allowed others to benefit from the buffalo, and here of course filarial parasites. These parasites are present mostly on areas which the buffalo cannot reach when it tries to chase insects off its body - particularly the shoulders and flanks. The infection manifests itself as a massive lesion which appears quite horrible. Fortunately they look worse than they are and death as a result of this parasite seldom occurs. Oxpecker birds also feast on the exposed wounds and certainly can aggravate things to some degree. Healing usually starts in early autumn and the infected buffalo is left with a visible scar.

November 2001

The buffalo had a bad November until the quantity of grass became more plentiful, allowing them to regain the strength needed to flee from the lions and at the same time easily regain the energy spent retreating from their foes. Also, strong buffalo have more chance against lions since they can also stand their ground and defend themselves. Such buffalo which do not weaken easily remain dangerous prey for lions and the cats become more hesitant to attack them. This was seen towards the end of the month when the three West Street Male lions spent four days following the large herd of buffalo over many kilometres and did not appear to meet with any success; the buffalo must have been just too strong for them. The lions then wisely decided that they were probably onto a hiding for nothing and so eventually called it quits.

But towards the beginning of November this was definitely not the case. The effects of the summer rains had not yet influenced the availability of green grass and a weakened herd of buffalo spent much of their time running from lions - and not just one or two groups of lions, but many of them. Four buffalo were recorded as being killed by lions - there may well have been more, particularly the young, but these were not found - and all of these were probably caught within 72 hours. Thereafter the buffalo of the large herd fled and spent over a week off the reserve before returning with the three West Street Males in tow - but this time conditions had changed and the buffalo were stronger. And so it should get better for the buffalo. Rains have fallen in good quantities and the grass is growing rapidly and water- and mud-holes are everywhere available. Perhaps the next critical time for the buffalo in terms of attracting serious attention from the lions will be in a month or so's time when calving starts.

There was again a regular presence during November of the large and nervous herd of buffalo which was seen to enter the reserve last month to make use of the freshly sprouting grass on the north-eastern parts of Mala Mala which were burned in early September. As the month progressed, these buffalo relaxed somewhat when landrovers approached them. But now that grass is everywhere available and that

on the recently burned areas is not that much superior when compared to non-burned regions, it is unlikely that these buffalo will stay.

There were only three sightings of the 'small herd' of buffalo in the southeastern parts of Mala Mala this month. Aside from the above-mentioned herds, other buffalo were also seen this month, particularly groups of males. One bachelor party of nearly 30 animals spent probably at least a week on the central-eastern parts of the reserve and another similar sized and compositioned group made a brief pass through the central-northern regions. Under current conditions of plentiful grass and water and when there are next to no mating opportunities in the herds, it can be expected that small parties of male buffalo will take at least temporary leave. Although they could be a fraction more vulnerable to lions by being in these smaller groups, the individual buffalo would be strong and confidant due to the good food and water availability and even the bravest of predators would think twice before tackling them.

October 2001

The buffalo had a trying month. Although the large herd of buffalo spent many days on the reserve, their movements were rather erratic and they were forced to cover some large distances over short spaces of time. Perhaps their worst few days of the month came towards the later parts when, after a few days of absence, they were encountered moving rapidly south from the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River. The three West Street Male lions were further north of them, eating a young buffalo. The following day they moved many kilometres again, from the lower-middle of the Matshapiri River to the confluence of Kapen and Sand Rivers. Here three lions, a young male and two lionesses attacked them. Night was falling and the buffalo panicked and the young male lion caught a buffalo calf. Although some of the buffalo appeared to turn to defend when the distress calls of the dying buffalo were heard, they were caught in the general rout and all fled.

By the next morning they were entering the Kruger National Park many kilometres from the area of this latest attack. But water is probably scarce in the area of the national park adjacent to Mala Mala and by the following morning, the herd was forced to head all the way back to the Sand River. Bad luck was really on their side and they just happened to choose an area of the river where five of the Eyrefield lionesses and one of the West Street Males were sleeping. The lions heard the buffalo and attacked, killing yet another youngster. This was too much and within 24 hours the herd had fled all the way up along the Matshapiri River and over the northern parts of the Mala Mala boundary, probably encountering two of the West Street Males as they departed. This pair of lions were found lying in their tracks and as fat as could be. All in all a bad few days for the buffalo of the large herd.

But several days later they were back and potentially inviting more traumas as they focussed on the fresh green grass which has appeared in the areas burned during early September. This grass is of superb quality and the buffalo can taste it. The only problem is that the quantity is not there to support hundreds of buffalo and the herd needs to scatter and move at speed to get enough to eat. The weaker buffalo fall behind and, in following the rest of the herd, walk through an area already eaten up. So they get even weaker through the forced march and the lack of food. Eventually the herd then scatters into smaller units and so it continues. For the lions this usually means easy pickings. The frustrating aspect is that the unburned areas of the reserve still probably offer medium quality forage and plenty of it, and if the buffalo would only wait a while for the new growth to bulk up a bit, they would have an easier time. November may prove to be an interesting month for the buffaloe's. Strangely enough, although lions from the Eyrefield Pride and West Street Male coalition shadowed the large herd of buffalo for some days in the middle of the month, they were not seen making any efforts to attack them.

The small herd of buffalo usually seen towards the south of the reserve was encountered only four times and these on successive days and in pretty much the same spot. On two successive days, a herd of 100 or so buffalo was encountered on the section of the Sand River which runs east-west to the east of Kirkmans Camp. Tracks indicated that these buffalo had moved into Mala Mala after crossing the southern boundary with the Kruger National Park. Being unused to game-drive landrovers, this herd was nervous and kept moving away from vehicles. Goodness knows why they had moved from the Sabi River (the river immediately south of Mala Mala inside the Kruger National Park) into Mala Mala - perhaps the area they usually frequent inside the Kruger National Park has been burned out by one of the numerous fires which have occurred in the area and this forced them to explore northwards. Another herd of nervous buffalo, this one numbering some 300 or more animals, was found on the north-eastern parts of Mala Mala; this herd had no doubt been attracted to the newly flushing grass in this recently burned area.

September 2001

Of the various herds of buffalo seen so frequently last month, it was really only the large herd which provided the bulk of the viewing this month. Both the small herd and the herd of approximately 150 animals were seen only once and this on the very first day of the September Game Report period. On this day both groups of buffalo had been severely traumatised by lions and both were last seen heading steadily away from the scenes of conflict. Strangely, the rest of the month appeared to go the way of the buffalo and lions were hardly seen harassing them, even though the two species were definitely in contact with each other. By months-end the large herd of buffalo had moved off the reserve after spending a good proportion of the time on it. When they did depart they seemed to do so fairly steadily and lions had been seen more frequently in their general area. Perhaps they sensed that the forces were gathering and it was time to move off. Fortunately for the buffalo they still have supplies of both food and water away from the Sand River.

August 2001

The woes of the buffalo continue as lions wreak havoc upon them. At least four different herds of buffalo were encountered on various parts of the reserve this month and at least three of these were at various times routed by lions. The herd of 200 or so animals was seen to have a particularly bad time, losing several members to the lions of the Eyrefield Pride and West Street Male coalition. The large herd of buffalo which typically spends so much time on the reserve was hardly seen, appearing and then vanishing as the lions struck or the buffalo sensed their presence. One example of their extreme fear of lions occurred as they moved towards the Mlowathi Dam and a lone lioness started roaring from that direction; the buffalo simply turned back the way they came and moved off. But what will happen when they run out of places to wander off to? Currently they still have watering holes and grazing away from the Sand River and so have resources to retreat to. But when things finally dry up and grazing depletes, the Sand River with its endless water and good food will have to be used and that's where the lions will be.

July 2001

Although buffalo were not found on a daily basis during July, viewing was good with no less than four separate herds being encountered. The 'large herd' of close to 600 animals spent nearly a third of the month on the reserve, each time being chased off by lions. When they first appeared opposite the Main Camp towards the beginning of the game-report period, the Eyrefield lionesses immediately descended upon them and tore down an adult male. The herd went back the way they had come. Two weeks or so later, they were back again, approaching from the same direction. At the time the Eyrefield Pride - their principle enemies in this area - were many kilometres away. However, within hours of the arrival of the buffalo, the lions were aware and upon them, another adult male going down. Again the buffalo retreated, but this time did not stay away as long and within a day or two had re-entered Mala Mala, this time from a different route. Strangely the lions did not harass them with the intensity of the previous two occasions. They were certainly aware of the buffalo, but apparently only tested the herd, retreating soon after being chased off. On this visit the large herd of buffalo stayed for approximately a week before finally cracking and running, the agents this time two of the Mlowathi Males. The buffalo had moved towards the mid-reaches of the Matshapiri River where good supplies of water and food still occur. The herd was lying down close to a water-hole when one of the cows stood up and moved down to drink. The two Mlowathi Males then rushed in and tore the cow down, but her bellows brought the rest of the herd thundering in and the lions retreated. The buffalo then spent the rest of the morning 'nursing' the injured cow. That evening they fled, moving rapidly north and west with the male lions in tow. Several small - day-old - calves have been seen with the large herd of buffalo. With the attention now being directed at the buffalo by the various lion prides, these late arrivals probably do not have much of a chance.

There were two sightings in July of a herd of buffalo which numbered approximately 300 animals. Both sightings were towards the northeastern parts of the reserve and close to the Kruger National Park. Disposition-wise these animals were rather more aware of the landrovers than other buffalo usually resident in this area and would not allow vehicles to get particularly close. They clearly spend most of their time within the Kruger National Park where exposure to vehicles such as occurs here does not happen. In the south of the reserve there were three encounters with the 'small herd' of buffalo. The first occurred during the first week of July opposite Kirkmans Camp, but that night the lionesses from the Selati Pride chased after them. Tracks and scraps suggested that a young buffalo had been killed. The next sightings occurred on successive days, 10 days later and many kilometres east, closer to the Kruger National Park. Counts

indicated that they numbered 21 animals, slightly higher than a month or so ago. These buffalo probably spend more time on the reserve than sightings suggest. The reedbeds of the Sand River in the south of the reserve are currently extensive and provide good food and concealment for this small herd of buffalo.

The fourth herd of buffalo seen on the reserve during July is one which has been encountered on an increasingly frequent basis and numbers approximately 200 animals. This herd typically resides more to the west of Mala Mala, but for some reason has started using the north-western and central areas around the Sand River quite regularly.

June 2001

The large herd of buffalo certainly spent some time on Mala Mala this month but their stay appeared determined by whether lions attacked them or not. Luckily for the buffalo they still have alternative places of food and water whenever the lions do descend upon them and so they can move off. Later in the season, however, when the Sand River may well be the only real area capable of sustaining them for any length of time, things could be different. Also, most of the buffalo are still in really good condition and so attacks by lions can be effectively repulsed without always needing to run away - and again, this could change as the dry season progresses. Another herd of buffalo was also seen several times during June, this group not unknown to the reserve. Again, however, they were chased by lions, the West Street Males seen running in after them on one occasion. This happened again later in the month when tracks of both lions and buffalo told of a similar story. In the south of the reserve the remnants of the small herd of buffalo was seen several times. Two years ago this group of buffalo numbered nearly 80 animals, but, subsequent to the floods of last year, they now total no more than 20 animals. It is not known how the herd could have been reduced by such quantities - maybe sustained lion attacks causing permanent splitting up of the group or there being greener pastures elsewhere, who knows. Anyway, they too were harried by lions, the story also told by footprints and the cats the Windmill Pride. It is not known if the buffalo suffered any loss, but they certainly did not hang around to be challenged again.

May 2001

The large herd of buffalo spent most of the month on the reserve, moving steadily through the grazing areas of the central and northern parts. Although they certainly spent time drinking from the Sand River, most of their activity took place some distance from it. Grass is still plentiful in these areas and, more importantly for the buffalo, so is the availability of water. Conditions at the moment are such that the quantity of the more acceptable green grass is declining rapidly and the buffalo

are moving at pace in order to select as much of the high quality material as possible before it totally disappears and they are forced to eat the drier material. When this happens it could perhaps be expected that the green reeds in the Sand River will become more sought after. Interestingly, the large herd of buffalo has not split up into smaller units as a consequence of this more rapid movement through the area. The herds break-up can be expected as the weaker buffalo fail to keep up with the stronger front-runners, who also end up getting most of the good quality grass. One of the negative sides of splitting up, however, is that the smaller units become more tempting targets for lions.

There were not many instances recorded this month of lions taking on the buffalo of the large herd and, as far as is known, only one bull was killed by the Eyrefield Pride. After this incident the buffalo moved away from the area.

April 2001

The large herd of buffalo seemed to spend the month running from lions. Just why lions would be interested in these large and potentially dangerous bovines when an apparent abundance of other game also exists is not known.

At the beginning of this game report period, the buffalo made an undramatic entrance onto the northern parts of Mala Mala after their long absence during March. The next morning, whilst they were moving generally west and south towards the Sand River, at least four lions were seen following them. The behaviour of these big cats was such that they would not allow landrovers to approach them, this suggesting that they had followed the buffalo in from the Kruger National Park. From what was seen of the lions, they were mostly males and young, probably recently independent nomads which had grown up in an environment where they would not have been exposed to gamedrive landrovers and so were most uncomfortable when approached by them. Anyway, the lure of the buffalo had brought them and although they were not seen to catch any, they pushed the buffalo deeper into Mala Mala.

Several nights later, when the herd was moving south towards the centre of the reserve, the West Street Males appeared and although no interaction was seen, evidence suggested that the cats and buffalo had indeed made contact. The buffalo then headed east into the Kruger National Park and reappeared only 10 days later, this time in two groups, one appearing from the west and numbering probably less than 150 animals, the other group coming in from the north and containing the bulk of the herd. And it was this last group which caught the attention of the lions, this time the three Mlowathi Males, renowned buffalo killers.

After watching the buffalo for a day, the three lions took advantage of circumstances - darkness and the confusion created by a powerful thunderstorm and cover of thick bush. The courage of the buffalo has to be recognised; once they were aware that the lions were onto them and attacking and that conditions favoured the attackers, the herd moved steadily west towards a large open area. When they reached it, the storm had died down and the lions realised that they had lost the initiative and backed off. The following day the lions were again found, some kilometres from the buffalo and quite fat - perhaps they had finally returned and caught a youngster. But this was not where it ended; that night the Mlowathi Males caught up with the buffalo and the chase was on again, this time with the buffalo looking for safety in the open areas of the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River. Again, no buffalo were seen being killed, but subsequent sightings of these male lions suggested that they may well have caught one.

Later in the month, three other male lions arrived on the scene and latched onto the buffalo, killing an almost new-born calf. As could be expected, the large herd of buffalo took to their heels, closely followed by the lions. No further killings were seen to occur and evidence suggests that these three males were chased off by the Mlowathi Males, the coalition which controls the area they were in. If the buffalo are being sought by lions this early in the season and when their body condition is so good and they are still so capable of defending themselves, goodness knows what sort of dry season they will have when lion-buffalo interactions are expected to peak. Calving season is still going full-steam ahead and several births were witnessed during April. Perhaps the abundance of tiny calves and the helplessness which this conveys has been the drawcard attracting the lions. Once the youngsters get beyond the stage of real vulnerability it may be that the lions treat the herds with more respect.

Aside from the large herd of buffalo, viewing during April has had to make do with old bulls which have had their time in the herd and now reside in exile. These old animals are certainly around in good number, but circumstances have made them difficult to locate. With warm temperatures, it has become expected that they spend much of their time resting in cool streams in the Sand River where dense reedbeds have made locating them decidedly challenging.

March 2001

Following their rapid withdrawal from Mala Mala towards the end of last month soon after the Mlowathi Males had killed a female and calf from the herd, the large herd of buffalo spent only a few days on the reserve during April this month. However, the absence of the buffalo from the area can perhaps be explained through other factors as well. For the last few months the large herd of buffalo has been present nearly every day on a relatively small part of the reserve. Growing conditions have been good so there has never been any shortage of food and, with the abundance of small calves, it has been in the herds interest to move as little as possible. However, with such a large herd and its regular use of a relatively small area, it could be expected that the vegetation would become somewhat soiled by faeces and the regular churning up by the thousands of hooves. This would surely lower the quality of the regrowth over a short period and buffalo would perhaps reach a tolerance level where, if they had a choice, make them seek out more favourable grazing areas.

Also, as autumn approaches with its less favourable growing conditions, regrowth rate would slow down in these heavily grazed areas, forcing the buffalo to wander further afield so that they could get the quantity which they require. Another factor which could well cause them to move off temporarily is a behavioural phenomenon which has been described in other situations as well where bulk feeders use the rapidly depletable resources first, leaving the more permanent supplies for the expected lean times. In this area, the Sand River continues to provide water and high quality food until late in the dry season whilst other water-holes and grazing areas far from the river can be expected to decline in quality and quantity long before the onset of the next rainy season. With this in mind, the buffalo tend often to use these peripheral resources first, saving the others which could be expected to last later into the dry season, for when they have no real choice. Under fairly expected conditions of a late dry season, it can be anticipated that the buffalo and other bulk feeders such as elephants which require regular water and plenty of food will use the Sand River for their supplies on a nearly daily basis. So with the foregoing in mind, it should come as no surprise when the buffalo move away.

From the few sightings of the buffalo of the large herd this month, their health appeared superb and calving is continuing at a good pace. There was one sighting in March of a large and rather nervous herd of buffalo close to the central parts of the border between Mala Mala and the Kruger National Park. These buffalo ran away when approached by a landrover, evidently being quite unaccustomed to this sort of thing from their experiences in the national park.

Although lone buffalo bulls (these mostly the elderly exiles from herds) have certainly been around - this from sightings and their tracks - they have proved rather difficult to see, mostly due to them spending long hours in pools of water and mud amongst the tall reeds of the Sand River. Under such conditions one can be yards from them and not see them. As mentioned earlier, spoor of these old buffalo has been everywhere, particularly along the rivers, but movement has been mostly at night when conditions would be cooler and irritating insects less plentiful. There were no sightings of the remnants of the Small Herd of buffalo during March.

February 2001

There were good sightings of buffalo on Mala Mala during February, until, towards the end, when the large herd moved off, this perhaps due to lion attacks and a heavy fall of rain. Towards the beginning of February the large herd of buffalo started to split up into various units, but these generally remained on the reserve, avoiding each other. Initially it appeared as if lions had contributed towards this break-up, but, later, it appeared to be almost purely along the lines of the presence or absence of small calves. At one time there were as many as four separate groups, all from the original large herd. Two of these units numbered no more than a few dozen animals, these mostly males. The largest group of buffalo probably numbered in excess of three hundred and included the cows and young calves. The reminder of the buffalo comprised both males and females with the latter initially having no young calves in attendance. This separation remained for approximately two weeks until the cows from the last-mentioned group started to calve; then all appeared to join forces again and calving continued at pace. For most of the time the buffalo continued to limit their movements to the north-central parts of the reserve, until rains arrived, rejuvenating the grazing and filling the water and mud-holes away from the river. Just prior to these rains, the buffalo were starting to make frequent use of the water in the Sand River. The arrival of the rains also coincided with the three Mlowathi Male lions attacking the large herd of buffalo and killing an adult female and her hours-old calf. It appeared as if the cow had given birth whilst the rest of the herd was on the move. None of them had waited for her and the lions intercepted her just as she was approaching them. Surprisingly, in spite of her bellows, the other buffalo did not come running to her aid. Two days later they had moved well away from the area, initially going east into the Kruger National Park and then north. With the growing season slowing down and the rains giving the buffalo an opportunity of utilising resources away from the permanence of the Sand River, it will come as no surprise if the large herd of buffalo stay on the very peripheries of their range until they are more-or-less forced to resort to using the river again. The Small Herd of buffalo made a brief reappearance during February, but was harassed by the four lionesses of the Charleston Pride and did not stay for long. There were no more than 15 buffalo seen representing the Small Herd, with only one calf which the lions tried to catch. As it was, they managed to wound the youngster before the adults responded and routed the lions.

January 2001

The large herd of buffalo spent nearly every day of the month on Mala Mala, concentrating around the Matshapiri River and occasionally moving east into the Kruger National Park before returning. Most of their watering was done from sights away from the Sand River. The health of the buffalo appears superb, aside, that is, from those which have lesions resultant from filarial parasite infections. But even the latter appear to be less noticeable than was the case last month. Calving is progressing well with there probably being several dozen new arrivals this month. The relative lack of movement from the buffalo has of course aided the new-borns and they and their mothers have mostly had the luxury of minimal walking in the first few days of birth. Towards the middle of January there was a brief period when the large herd of buffalo split into two units of roughly the same size, each separating by several kilometres and going north and south from the central areas. The group which went north soon encountered the three male lions known as the Mlowathi Males. Given the state of health of the buffalo, most lions appear to have given them a wide miss, but in this instance the three powerful young males looked interested. As could be expected, the buffalo were standing for no nonsense and chased the lions, the latter attempting to retreat with a degree of dignity. This encounter spooked the buffalo and they moved rapidly out of the area. However, tracks indicated that the lions followed and when these cats were seen several days later, they were very fat and could well have managed to pluck a buffalo from the herd. When these lions were found, the other half of the large herd of buffalo also arrived on the scene. In spite of having drum-tight bellies, when the grazing buffalo were almost upon them, the youngest member of the Mlowathi Males ran in. However, the buffalo did not flinch and soon routed the lions. A day or so later the two groups of buffalo rejoined. One surprising item of behaviour seen during their steady movement away from the lions happened when the large herd of buffalo stumbled across a very young kudu calf, hiding in a thicket. Perhaps they were still highly strung from the lions and on edge, but several of the buffalo deliberately trampled and gored the young antelope, apparently badly injuring it. This brief trampling did not last long and the buffalo left the distressed youngster to whatever fate was awaiting it. The only sign of the small herd of buffalo this month was perhaps a single female and calf which were seen with a few buffalo bulls. A year ago, just prior to the major floods which hit this area, this herd of buffalo numbered approximately 80 animals. Their fate is not known - perhaps they are still around but in greener fields, perhaps lions have decimated them. Certainly with regard to the latter, indications many months ago were that they were starting to suffer heavily from some of the prides in the area. There were two sightings this month, one by field workers, of perhaps the same herd of approximately 300 buffalo. These sightings were almost 15 kilometres apart, but were both close to the Kruger National Park boundary. Judging from the buffaloes' nervous behaviour when approached by vehicles, the animals of this herd probably spend most of their lives within the borders of the adjacent national park.