MalaMala - The Wildlife

LARGE HERD: APPROXIMATELY 600 ANIMALS - in the northern & central areas of Mala Mala
SMALL HERD: APPROXIMATELY 20 ANIMALS - southeastern regions of the reserve
NERVOUS HERD: APPROXIMATELY 200 ANIMALS - southern parts of the reserve
HERD: APPROXIMATELY 300 ANIMALS - northwestern areas of Mala Mala
BACHELOR MALES FOUND THROUGHOUT MALA MALA

December 2003

Buffaloes continued to be plentiful during December, this thanks to the lack of rain and the fact that the Sand River continued to be the main spot for drinking.

Although the Large Herd of buffaloes spent the first half of the month divided into at least two separate units, most or all of them joined forces towards the middle of the month as they roamed the reserve, dividing their time between searching for food and going to the few remaining watering points. Although grass still remains in reasonable quantity towards the eastern parts of the reserve, there is no drinking water (at least not for buffaloes) and so it is all but useless for them.

The first buffalo calf of the season made an appearance on 10 December, but subsequent to that there were very few others seen. One wonders just what the calf-survival rate is going to be this year. If the drought continues, what can be expected is for the mothers to abandon their youngsters almost as soon as they are born. And even if they don't, the predators will almost certainly have an easy time catching them as the herd defends with less vigour than is usually anticipated.

The herd of buffaloes often referred to as the 'Nervous' herd has remained fragmented, wandering around the reserve in small parties and, although still wary of vehicles, is not nearly as apprehensive as when they first appeared in the area. Having been forced to use areas which they would otherwise probably have avoided has caused them to come into contact with gamedrive vehicles on a daily basis and they are now far more accommodating of their presence than once was the case. This month a fairly sizeable unit of this Nervous herd (including a female fitted with a radio collar, this almost certainly done by researchers within the Kruger National Park) was seen on the western bank of the Sand River. It's almost certain that this was the first time that these buffaloes have explored these regions. One wonders what will happen when things return to normal; will they include these new areas within their range or will they return to their original areas of security?

There were many small groups of buffaloes seen on various parts of the reserve during December, these comprising members of larger herds which have split away from whatever bigger body they were part of. Bulls dominated these smaller units. The rationale behind this fragmentation is probably that the smaller units won't, on average, have to work as hard to find food as compared to a larger group. The downside is that a smaller group of buffaloes will be more tempting to predators because they won't have as many members to assist in defence. But, if all members are weak through lack of food, what difference does it make to band together? A difficult choice for the buffaloes.

Predators certainly ate buffaloes this month, but the individuals appeared to have been either weak or already dead, these latter ones almost certainly diseased, wounded or old buffaloes which succumbed to the added pressure of the lack of food and water. Natures way, perhaps, of weeding out the weak.

The Small Herd of Buffaloes, numbering approximately 20 individuals, continued to roam in the south of the reserve and generally appeared to be left alone by lions. They were seen with a newborn calf on 18 December. Perhaps the abundance of smaller groups of buffaloes, mostly males, has kept the attentions of lions away from them.

November 2003

Buffaloes were super-abundant this month as the various herds on the reserve fragmented and wandered all over the place, trying to get enough to eat and at the same time keeping themselves in contact with the few waterpoints still available to them.

There were no sightings of all members of the 'large herd of buffaloes' together and neither of the buffaloes of the 'nervous herd'. Rather, these groups split into smaller units which made them more vulnerable to lion attack, but at the same time probably provided the best balance between energy expenditure (walking) and energy gain (eating).

All of the splinter groups of the nervous and large herds seemed to wander the same general home-range, which was mostly the central and northern parts of Mala Mala. There were a few occasions when members of these groups mixed and spent some time together, but, generally speaking, these mixes didn't last long and weren't common.

Buffalo bulls also moved away from the herds, probably because staying with the other animals would be really counterproductive. As could be expected, the body condition of these lone or small groups of buffalo bulls was almost always good.

The buffaloes which seemed to bear the brunt of the lack of food and water have been the young bulls (operating below the level of social maturity and which are bullied by the bigger, more mature bulls), and the cows that have been looking after calves. Many of these animals have lost body condition and there was at least one occasion this month when a cow was seen to fall behind the herd and eventually die, having wasted away as her bodies immune system simply couldn't keep continuing to function.

The small herd of buffaloes stayed in the southern parts of the reserve and appeared to have at least a relatively lion-free month.

The next few weeks could prove particularly critical; with calving season about to start and reserves running on empty, chances are good that whatever youngsters are born will have only a small chance of survival and mothers can be expected to abandon them.

October 2003

October was a bad month for the buffaloes. With drought conditions persisting and water and food reserves low and great distances apart, herds split up and individuals became weaker and weaker. As a result, lions attacked on a more frequent basis and killed several buffaloes, more so than is usually expected.

Several herds of buffaloes were encountered on the reserve this month, many of these fragments of what are usually larger groups, but which have, under the existing conditions, split up. There were no sightings of all members of both the large and 'nervous' herds together and the sub-groups which formed wandered the reserve independently of one another. Many groups of bachelor males, some numbering several dozen animals, were also encountered throughout the reserve.

The large herd of buffaloes split into probably two units, the one of perhaps 200 animals, mostly of cows and their calves. This portion spent most of its time towards the northern areas of Mala Mala where conditions are perhaps drier than further south and less food and water exists. The other, larger, part of the large herd of buffaloes occupied the southern and central parts of Mala Mala and probably even spent several days inside the Kruger National Park adjacent to these regions. Later on in the month, the 'southern' group headed back to the central and northern parts again.

The 'nervous' herd of buffaloes, which is usually encountered towards the northeastern parts of Mala Mala, was hardly ever in this particular area, except for fleeting visits. Fairly early on in the month, groups of this herd of buffaloes made the long trek to the Sand River to drink from pools in front of the Main Camp. This is fairly far from their home-range and this type of movement makes one appreciate just how desperate things have become for them. And moving to these areas, as other buffaloes were doing, brought them into contact with waiting lions and the other families of buffaloes.
So, not only was there the stress of being attacked in a position of vulnerability, but they also had to contend with the stress of mingling with 'foreign' buffaloes. The latter, however, was perhaps the least of the stresses and there were several instances when different herds crossed paths close to the watering spots. When this happened, the buffaloes would sniff one another suspiciously. But there was no real animosity seen, as one might expect when, for instance, different gangs of lions made contact.
On one or two occasions, particularly when the 'nervous' herds first arrived at the Sand River, some of the buffaloes, particularly calves it seemed, would get confused and join the wrong group. For minutes thereafter their mothers would look for them, running back and forth between the herds, calling loudly.
Later on in the month, the buffaloes appeared to be getting used to each other's presence and there were several days when it appeared as if members of both the 'nervous' and large herds intermingled and fed side by side.

Light rain halfway through the month brought some relief, but principally to the central-south of the reserve and this caused members of the 'nervous' herd to venture into these parts. This has been the first time that they have been recorded in these regions. One wonders just what this will do for buffalo dynamics when the conditions return to normal and the various buffalo herds reunite and have the opportunity to go back to their more traditional areas.

Another feature of the buffaloes seen this month was the reluctance of the herds to defend against lion attacks. There were certainly some instances when the lions failed to intimidate the herds, but, on other occasions, there were scenes of lions eating freshly killed buffaloes within metres of where the other members of the herd were standing and watching. Perhaps the buffaloes realise that their energy reserves are so critically low that nothing will be gained by chasing a lion off an already dead animal and they have simply resigned themselves to this situation. The animals which appear to be suffering most are the older females which have calves; these are rake-thin and they struggle to keep up with the other members of whatever herd they have chosen to accompany. Strangely enough though, although some of these have most certainly been killed by lions, the big predators have also attacked some of the large bulls amongst the bachelor groups, indicating that all may be equally vulnerable, even though, on average, the bulls in the small groups appear to be in better physical condition that the cows.

Towards the south of the reserve, the small herd of buffaloes continued to wander the areas in which they are expected to roam. Since few other buffaloes are apparently in these regions and lions appear to be concentrating elsewhere, they had a relatively easy month compared to other herds further north.
But this situation may only get worse if the rains stay away or arrive only in drips and drabs; good rains soon could avert a real population crash, but these probably need to arrive very soon. A deterioration of conditions will not only allow lions access to easy kills, but the energy crisis which the buffaloes now find themselves in will manifest itself in natural deaths too, particularly amongst old buffaloes, disease carriers and the younger calves.

September 2003

The large herd of buffaloes started the month in two separate groups, one slightly larger than the other and wandering different parts of their range. This splitting up of the herd under dry, water and forage-limiting conditions is to be expected and in some ways makes sense. The only negative, of course, is that a smaller unit would be more difficult to defend against lions.

Then, after a large pride of lions attacked and killed a sub adult buffalo, the two sections joined forces and once more roamed their range as a single unit. A few days after the lions attacked the buffaloes, the same pride tried once more, failed to catch one in the initial engagement, but caused the herd to move rapidly out of the reserve, walking from downstream of the Mala Mala Bridge to the northern parts of the Mlowathi River in 12 hours. But the lions followed and the buffaloes also realised that the northern parts of the reserve and beyond have almost no grazing - some water from man-made waterholes, but no grass to speak of and in a few days they were back on Mala Mala once more.

Rains fell in early and mid-September, but not much and very patchy. Nevertheless, for the large grazers such as the buffaloes, the almost immediate shoot of green which appeared could hardly have been more welcome and within a few days their pattern of behaviour changed from slow, methodical eating of dry, slowly digestible old grass, to rapid movements across their range in search of the short, green, easily digestible new growth. The rains in some areas, particularly the central regions of the reserve, were also sufficient to fill pans, temporary water sources, which allowed the buffaloes to at least leave the riverine areas for a week or so.

In some ways the green flush of grass in the initial parts of the dry season can be more destructive than not since the buffaloes go charging around, trying to get enough to eat, but using almost more energy walking than they gain from eating. And the weaker buffaloes at the end of the extended herd have to work all the more to keep up with the stronger front-runners, while at the same time have to scrabble for food in areas already passed over by those stronger leaders. But in the end things did not go too badly for the buffaloes; apart from a few incidents, the lions appeared to back off from them, goodness knows why, and the herd wandered far and wide, staying alive and at least slowing down the rate of decline in body condition.

What will happen from now, however, goodness knows. Already by months end the flush of green was declining and in some areas frizzling up in the baking sun and the lions were again testing them. If no more rains arrive in the near future, it will be back to square one for the buffaloes and perhaps even worse.

The small herd of buffaloes, which typically occupies the southern areas of Mala Mala, spent a fair amount of time on the reserve, particularly towards the southeastern corners of the property where a good supply of water still exists in the Sand River. Lions generally appeared to leave them alone.

Towards the end of the month, for some or other reason, this already small group of buffaloes split into two units, but stayed reasonably close to one another. This separation is expected under some conditions, but more with large herds of buffaloes.

Towards the northeastern parts of Mala Mala, there were several sightings of at least a portion of what is often referred to as the 'nervous herd' of buffaloes, a group of animals which probably spends more time within the nearby Kruger National Park than they do on adjacent private game reserves. These buffaloes appear to be drinking from man-made waterholes to the north of Mala Mala and then entering the regions around the upper parts of the Matshapiri River to graze. The part of the herd seen most often numbered perhaps less than 100 animals, including an individual with a collar, this probably to mark it for some study initiated by scientists from within the Kruger National Park. Later on in the month, what was probably the larger portion of this 'nervous herd' of buffaloes, was encountered, also in the northeastern parts of the reserve.

August 2003

Buffaloes from all herds seen on Mala Mala had a relatively tough month, particularly towards the end when things seemed to become really very dry. Towards the end of July and beginning of August, the last of the green grass from the June rains and mild winter conditions was eaten up and the buffaloes had to go back to the dry, less nutritious material. And, with grazing and water being some distance apart, things were even more difficult.

A typical couple of days for the large herd of buffaloes for perhaps half of the month, seemed to be to drink early in the morning, hang around the river for the remainder of the day, eating what they could find, then, towards evening, drinking again before moving steadily away from the river, towards the areas of better grazing situated several kilometres from the river. Then, with stomachs filled with grass, the buffaloes would spend the day mostly resting whilst the grass digested, before trying to refill their stomachs towards evening again. So, they typically went for 36 hours without water, using this time to get to and then digest their food. Mild temperature conditions would of course assist in this, saving at least some water. But, with spring and its hot weather rapidly approaching, the buffaloes will almost certainly have to drink every day and this will place tremendous pressure on them as they spend more time walking and less time eating. Unless early and substantial rains arrive, that is.

The large herd of buffaloes was present on the reserve for most of the time, leaving once for a week when they headed north, off Mala Mala and towards artificial water-holes on properties in this area. But then they were back and repeating their behaviour seen earlier. From the middle of August onwards, surface flow in the Sand River declined particularly rapidly and access to water was definitely more limited. Plenty of water was still around, but available mostly from small pools on the surface or from narrow, elephant-excavated holes. Thus, when the buffaloes came down to drink, a more orderly system had to be developed, with some waiting while others had their share first. This seemed to take several trips to the river to sort itself out. But, with a longer drinking time needed, the vulnerability of the buffaloes to predators would of course increase. Strangely, however, the lions only really started striking towards the end of August when they killed an old female buffalo after the herd had panicked and had been driven through thick bush and a dry riverbed under windy conditions. Such was the confusion, that the lions had it all their way and their victim, although fighting to the last, had no assistance from the rest of the herd at all.

But this incident appeared to be the key to a major shift in buffalo strategy and the next day the large herd split into two units, one slightly larger than the other. Both groups then went their separate ways. Interestingly, the smaller portion of the herd appeared to be the most vulnerable, seemingly containing a slightly higher proportion of females and calves.Separation was perhaps not unexpected and has an advantage. As food becomes scarcer and the quality of what remains diminishes, a large herd of buffaloes will split, thus hopefully giving all a chance to find food, but with a lower energy expenditure. The negative side of this is of course defence; the smaller the unit of buffaloes, the more vulnerable they could be. The other side could, however, be a large herd of mostly weak animals, unable to defend effectively, even if they were plentiful in number. Sort of being caught between a rock and a hard place. But the buffaloes of the large herd appeared to make a conscious decision about all of this and towards the end of the month this is how things stood.

The small herd of buffaloes, which is usually found towards the southern parts of the reserve, spent only the last parts of August on the reserve, this after they fled into the Kruger National Park at the end of July when three male lions launched a prolonged and purposeful attack on them. The result was that the buffaloes fled rather than fought. If the lions managed to catch anything, it was probably a calf. When the small herd of buffaloes returned, they soon settled down to a rather tranquil daily routine of eating and drinking, apparently not hassled by lions.

Towards the northeast of the reserve, there were several sightings of the herd of 200 or so buffaloes which have been using this area for the last few years. These animals are not as relaxed in the presence of vehicles as some of the herds more regularly encountered on Mala Mala. It is thought that they spend most of their time in wilderness areas within the nearby Kruger National Park and have been making use of this particular portion of the reserve in order to get access to water pumped into artificial water-holes on properties just to the north of Mala Mala. The herd then uses Mala Mala for much of its grazing needs.

The herd of 300 buffaloes which probably resides mostly to the west of Mala Mala, were seen half-a-dozen times this month, making use of the water and food reserves of the Sand River. On the last occasion when they were encountered, a family of 8 lions, which had followed them onto Mala Mala, attacked them. The buffaloes managed to repulse the lions and retreated, in a rather orderly manner, back along the route which they had taken onto the reserve.

September will almost certainly be an interesting month for the various herds of buffaloes associated with Mala Mala. If rains continue to stay away, they will be in serious trouble and the lions will have a good time. The only consolation will be that the weak and sick may be the first to go and the survivors will, on average, be healthier. If good rains do arrive, the buffaloes will not immediately have things go their way. They'll fall for their desire for sweet green grass and travel like mad to get it, using precious energy and discarding the weak along the way and once more the lions will have a good time. But this phase of vulnerability does not usually last as long as that associated with a prolonged drought and is perhaps the lesser of the evils. So, whatever happens weather-wise in September, the buffaloes still have bleakness ahead of them, for a short spell at least.

July 2003

There was plenty of buffalo viewing this month, particularly from the large herd which spent most of July on the reserve. On those occasions when the buffaloes of the large herd headed off Mala Mala, they returned within a few days and made their way directly towards the Sand River.

Towards the beginning of the month the buffaloes feasted on short but green grass, this a result of the rains which fell during June, coupled with the mild temperatures which allowed the grass to grow at least a few centimetres. But the grass was never plentiful in this green state and the buffaloes moved steadily and in a reasonably loose assembly. By the end of the month, there were almost no green shoots left and the buffaloes had to concentrate on the dry leaves again.

One of the problems, however, is that most of the good quantities of grass are at a great distance from the Sand River, forcing the buffaloes to expend much energy as they move between the prime eating and drinking spots. At present the only water available for buffaloes is in the Sand River and man-filled dams off the reserve.

The buffaloes spent most of their time along the stretch of the Sand River running through Mala Mala and Flockfield, but, as happened last month, they made one brief foray to drink on the northern parts of Toulon, this way to the south of their traditional home range. What will be interesting to see is whether these southern visits become more regular, particularly as water and food supplies become more critical.

Although the buffaloes of the large herd are still in a good condition, the next few weeks could prove critical and lions, which up to now have pretty much left them alone, could suddenly become a seriously worrying factor

The small herd of buffaloes, traditionally found along the southern-most portions of the Sand River, were seen quite frequently during the first half of July, but then left the reserve, probably to go to the Sabi River which joins with the Sand River just inside the Kruger National Park.

In addition to the large and small herds of buffaloes, two other herds were seen this month, one to the northeast of the reserve and one to the southwest. Both groups, the former numbering perhaps 200 animals, the other perhaps just over 100, were somewhat apprehensive of the presence of vehicles and were probably 'visiting' Mala Mala from their more usual respective ranges within the Kruger National Park.

Will these herds of buffaloes wander further into Mala Mala and be seen more frequently when their food and water sources become limiting?

June 2003

For the first 10 days or so of the June game-report-period, the large herd of buffaloes was not seen much on the reserve and seemed to be moving around mostly north of Mala Mala. When they did make an appearance on the reserve during this 10-day-period, they appeared to be moving rapidly, gobbling up the short green grass which has emerged following the late and somewhat patchy rains which have fallen. Although no doubt nutritious, there was not much of this green grass and the herd had to move with some speed for all to get enough.

Then, perhaps when this supply had been depleted, the buffaloes moved south once more and for the remainder of the month spent their time on the central parts of the reserve where supplies of grazing seem to be good. Other light rains have kept a short green tinge to the grass and the buffaloes have certainly benefited. The generally cool weather has also meant that there have been days when drinking in the Sand River has not been necessary and the herd has gone for 36 hours or so without a good drink. This has allowed them to make even more use of the good grazing positioned some distance from the river.

One surprising move seen towards the end of June and following a light spell of rain, was the movement of the large herd of buffaloes, overnight, towards the very lower parts of the Sand River. The herd went all the way down to drink from that section of the Sand River which runs east-west through the southern parts of the reserve. The only other time that they have been recorded as having been close to this part was some months ago when they were running from lions. On this occasion there were no lions seen harassing them and it may simply have been curiosity which drove the buffaloes to explore. The buffaloes did not stay long in this 'unknown' area and soon headed north once more, back to areas more familiar to them.

All of this unexpected unseasonable rain has been most useful for the buffaloes; what was threatening to be a disastrous dry season for them has turned out somewhat differently. Things will no doubt be tough towards the end, but these rains have certainly cushioned the blow.
Generally the individual animals of the large herd of buffaloes remain in good condition and a few calves are still being born. Lions have mostly left them well alone.

The small herd of buffaloes weren't seen on the reserve for the first two weeks of this report-period, but then returned to occupy parts of their 'traditional' range, this the lower reaches of the Sand River. As with the large herd of buffaloes further to their north, lions have not been seen troubling the small herd of buffaloes.

There were a couple of sightings this month of a medium-sized herd of buffaloes towards the upper parts of the Matshapiri River. Spoor in the area suggested that this herd, which has a relatively shy disposition towards landrovers, has been active more often in these northeastern parts of Mala Mala than the two sightings suggested. It is highly likely that these buffaloes are from the herd which has been making use of this area over the last few years and, since they probably spend more time inside the Kruger National Park than inside Mala Mala, are somewhat apprehensive of the presence of landrovers.

May 2003

Late rains towards the end of April were just what the Large Herd of buffaloes needed to rush off and utilise those parts of their range denied to them for much of the year due to either a lack of food or a lack of water. Along the eastern parts of Mala Mala, rains have been good enough to produce a reasonably good stand of grass, but have not been sufficient to fill the waterholes with enough water to satisfy hundreds of buffaloes, this then denying the buffaloes access to the grazing and holding them hostage to the river with its plentiful water.

Within hours of the 30-plus millimetres of rain having fallen, the buffaloes were moving away from the Sand River and heading eastwards and northwards. But the surface water did not last long and the buffaloes then headed northwards towards parts of their range probably denied to them mostly through a lack of food. Many of these northerly areas were burned last year and have had no real rains and although most have water in the form of man-filled artificial dams, without food, this would be useless to the buffaloes. But for the first two weeks after the rains the grass hardly grew and the buffaloes had no real purpose being in such areas. Thereafter, however, with a mild start to the winter being just what was needed, the northern parts of the buffaloes' range was a field of short green grass and the large herd made full use of it and the water in this area. Much of the feeding involved fairly fast moving for the herd as they walked along, trying to get enough of the short yet probably very nutritious grass shoots.

And in the end they did well; by months end the buffaloes, although absent for some time on Mala Mala, looked to be in good condition once more, perhaps good enough to get them through at least half or more of the dry season.

The Small Herd of less than two dozen buffaloes was seen mostly during the first couple of weeks of the May game-report-period before they vanished, presumably heading southwards towards the lower parts of the Sand River or to the Sabi River inside the Kruger National Park. Given the abundance of resources still within the range travelled by the Small Herd of buffaloes, this the southern parts of the Sand River, it would be surprising if the late April rains which had such a big influence on the movements of the Large Herd of buffaloes in the north of the reserve were also responsible for how the Small Herd moved.

The herd of 300 or so buffaloes, which usually roams on land to the west of Mala Mala, made two appearances on the reserve during the mid and latter parts of the month. On both occasions their stay was brief, mostly restricted to drinking in the Sand River and then retreating west again. Their second stay, when they ventured into the Manyelethi River, a part of the reserve where they have not really been recorded before, may have been shortened by lions. Spoor indicated that the herd made a hurried departure back across the Sand River and that lions were behind them.

April 2003

The large herd of buffaloes spent much of the month on Mala Mala, concentrating their stay along the Sand River, mostly towards the central and northern parts. Towards the middle of the month, they headed northwards, off the reserve, but came back a week or so later, making a long dash down to the river once more. During this long trek, they abandoned a very young calf which was killed by hyenas which discovered it that night. Goodness knows how many other newborn calves the herd has left behind this year.

For most of April the buffaloes seemed to remain in good condition, courtesy of the rains which fell in early March. For a few days this month, the buffaloes were still able to stay away from the river and make use of muddy waterholes close to the Matshapiri River. But this did not last long; quantity and perhaps even quality of these last drinking spots was not good enough for 600 or so buffaloes.

Whilst the lions continued to shadow them from time to time, they made no major inroads and in fact there were no buffaloes recorded as having being killed from the large herd by lions this month. But, by the end of April, things were starting to look bad for some of the members of the herd, particularly the older females nursing calves and one wonders as to just how long they will still be able to hold out.

At the very end of April, good rains fell on Mala Mala and it waits to be seen if this last gasp will be much good. Whilst extra water may now be around for some additional weeks in rain-dependent clay pans and could allow the buffaloes to make more effective use of grazing far from the Sand River, it is doubtful that this rain will promote much growth of the grass, providing food so desperately needed by these large grazers. As winter approaches and temperatures and sunlight hours decline, growing conditions deteriorate and so it would be expecting a bit much for any substantial improvement in the grazing situation. But lets wait and see exactly what happens; the rains will not be totally wasted and the buffaloes have probably been given at least a few extra weeks of breathing space.

The small herd of buffaloes, typically occupying the areas adjacent to the Sand River towards the south of the reserve, spent most of the month on Mala Mala. But, as happened towards the end of March, they were seen to move northwards on occasion, moving to areas not regularly used by them. Rains in the catchment area of the Sand River stimulated the flow and there was certainly no shortage of water for these buffaloes towards the lower parts of the river which they usually occupy. Also, they appeared to have been left alone by the lions, so the reasons for these sudden northerly moves are still not certain. In each case, the buffaloes spent a few days 'away' before moving rapidly back towards areas perhaps more familiar to them.

March 2003

Buffalo viewing was exceptional during March with the large herd present on the reserve for much of the time. Towards the start of the viewing period, the drought was beginning to take its toll on the buffaloes and lions noticed this. The Sand River was being used on a daily basis and food was getting scarce and the buffaloes of the large herd were getting noticeably weaker. Although the buffaloes did a good job at defending themselves against lions, several calves and at least one adult female buffalo were killed. But then there was a slight reprieve when localised but good rains fell, just enough for the grass to show some growth and for waterholes to keep water for a week or two. This seemed enough to allow the buffaloes to move further afield and put back some body condition. But it did not last long and after spending a week or so off Mala Mala, the large herd returned and was once more confined to the Sand River.

They initially stayed quite close to the water, making use of the grazing in this area as well as the water. They managed to stay away from the river for several days at a time, using the waterholes close to the northeastern parts of the reserve, which had been filled by the late rains, and also use the good grazing in this area.

But by months end, the situation seemed to be changing once more; although grazing in these far-from-the-river areas was good, the quality and quantity of the water in the waterholes was very poor, particularly for so many buffaloes and it was back to the river for drinking. It is usually at this time of the year that the buffaloes start making themselves scarce, moving away from the long-lasting resources, these principally those associated with the Sand River, and making use of the water and food far away, the peripheral resources which are always the first to dry up. But with these resources already strained, the buffaloes are facing a challenge and probably have little choice but to use what they would like to save for later.

One good thing for the buffaloes at this stage and following the smattering of rains at the beginning of March has been the general improvement in their condition and the fact that newborn calves do not seem to be abandoned as was noticed in previous months. Then again, however, this may only be a delay of the inevitable if things do not improve drastically and this of course is quite unlikely given that it is already at the very end of the rainy season.

As with the large herd of buffaloes, the small herd spent much of the month on Mala Mala, particularly, but not exclusively, towards the lower parts of the Sand River. But with the lack of rain this year, the Sand River has stopped flowing towards its lower reaches, close to where it exits Mala Mala and joins the Sabi River. Water is still available in these areas since most of the river runs in the deep sand of the riverbed and all that is required is a scraping away of the sand and water will seep up. But it is an ominous sign and it could have been this which encouraged the small herd of buffaloes to suddenly head far upstream in the Sand River towards months end. They ended up just to the north of the Charleston/ Flockfield boundary, an area not unknown to them but certainly one rarely visited. But the small herd of buffaloes should have an easier time during a drought compared with the large herd which is perhaps thirty times as large in number; the southern parts of Mala Mala have plenty of reedbeds and water will always be around. So, unless vast numbers of 'foreign' animals come rushing in to use this resource, the small herd of buffaloes should last longer than others.

There were three sightings of a herd of approximately 300 buffaloes (or part of this herd) during March, all towards the very northeastern parts of the reserve. This was probably the herd which was seen so often in this area last year when the water and food supply was so good. These buffaloes almost certainly spend most of their time within the Kruger National Park and so are not that accommodating with vehicles as are some of the more resident animals. At one of the sightings of this herd of buffaloes, lions were eyeing them out.

February 2003

The drought conditions have started to hit the large herd of buffaloes. There was hardly a day when these animals were not on Mala Mala and when they wanted to leave, they simply could not - there was just nowhere to go. By the end of February, the northern parts of the Sand River were literally the only areas within the buffalo's range which seemed to be able to offer them both food and water.
With the fiery hot conditions being experienced too, the buffaloes were drinking twice a day, once in the morning and then again during the late afternoons. The grazing of the buffaloes seemed to be almost purely restricted to the cool hours of darkness.
The buffaloes are now essentially using the riverine resource which they seem to prefer to keep until later in the year, when the temporary waterholes away from the river are dry and they simply have no choice but to head towards the river. But now this situation already exists, so what the buffaloes are going to do in the 'real' dry season, goodness knows.
The restricted movements of the buffaloes naturally attracted the attentions of lions and the large cats were sorely tempted. But the buffaloes have remained in good condition and are still difficult prey for the lions. On several occasions lions were sent fleeing when the buffaloes turned on them.
But perhaps more buffaloes are actually being lost than is generally seen and this applies mostly to this year's crop of calves. Whilst calving continues at pace - and at least one birth was witnessed this month - calves are also being abandoned by their mothers. For each abandoned calf seen, several are probably never noticed and these will be gobbled up by the predators.
All the large herd of buffaloes can do now is hope for the best. Good late season rains will not really save them since the growing season is more or less coming to an end. But at least it will give them a few months of grace. If this does not happen, it will be a very bleak dry season for the buffaloes.

The small herd of buffaloes in the south of the reserve seemed to have a mostly trouble-free month, except towards the end when several of the bulls left the group and at least one calf was killed by lions. The loss of even just one youngster from this herd of mostly male buffaloes means the loss of a significant portion of this particular crop of calves. At one time there were at least three small calves in the herd.
Just why the herd size suddenly reduced is not certain, but perhaps after calving when the females came into season, the one or two dominant bulls became so aggressive that the subservient ones are forced to leave, at least until the mating season is over. But what the loss of bulls means of course is a more tempting target for lions, and this is surely what was seen happening with the small herd of buffaloes towards the end of this month.

Lions were also found eating a female buffalo in the general area where the small herd of buffaloes wanders, but whether this buffalo cow was from the small herd or whether it was a lone cow which had been seen in this area from time to time, is not certain.

Of the buffaloes on Mala Mala, the small herd of buffaloes is the group least likely to be hit by the drought, so they certainly do not need to do anything else which will make it easy for the lions to target them.

All in all, the buffaloes of the area had a bad February; they have found their freedom of movement severely curtailed and conditions suggest that things will get worse.

January 2003

January was hot and dry and the buffaloes of the large herd probably started to feel the pinch towards the end of the month. During the early phases of this game-report-period, there were still some drinking points suitable for hundreds of buffaloes and situated away from the Sand River and the buffaloes certainly made use of these, entering into the adjacent Kruger National Park at times, no doubt to make use of the fresh grass on the section of land which was burned in August last year. But with exceptionally hot days and no rain to speak of, not only has grass growth been negligible, but waterholes usually full at this time of year are empty and, by mid-month, the Sand River remained the only real place with sufficient water for the buffaloes. Towards the beginning of January the buffaloes headed north over the Mala Mala boundary to areas where they usually spend much time. But these areas, even though many of them have artificial watering points, probably have very little grass owing to veld burning in the late dry season and a great scarcity of rains, this particularly so in the northwestern parts of Mala Mala and beyond, and the buffaloes soon came streaming back, heading directly down to the Sand River opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp.

So, by months end, the buffaloes were in a corner: the Sand River or nowhere. Just what will happen over the next few months can only be guessed at. Even if good rains occur later on, the growing season is fast ending as the day-length gets shorter and shorter and the sunshine less intense.

But so far the buffaloes remain in good condition and the lions respectful of them. Early on in the month one of the West Street Male lions was seen to chase after the buffalo of the large herd and grab hold of one of the young calves trailing behind. But so quick were the others to respond that the male lion was chased off before any real harm was done. Mid-month saw the buffaloes once more enter the Kruger National Park and head towards the burned areas. But this stay was only for a few days; they were soon back on Mala Mala, but way down in the south of the reserve, perhaps further south than they have been recorded over the last 10 years and lions were following them. The buffaloes abandoned at least one new-born calf during this flight south and west from the Kruger National Park, but then turned north again and were soon back in more familiar territory with the lions hanging back respectfully.

There were several other attempts on the buffaloes by lions, but each resulted in the lions retreating. Towards January's end, the large herd of buffaloes walked towards 12 lions, 7 or these youngsters and in the ensuing fracas three of the younger lions were forced to climb a tree as the angry buffaloes tried to catch them. In the end the buffaloes headed off and the lions stayed behind to lick their wounds, even if these were only inflicted on their pride.

Calving is still going strong, but one wonders just how many youngsters have already been abandoned; for every one seen, how many are not? And if the water and food situation continues to get worse, what will happen in the next few months?

In the south of the reserve, the small herd of buffaloes also provided some good viewing after staying away for the first two weeks of the game-report-period, this following the incident last month when lions were seen eyeing them out. But this month they seemed to have a pretty restful stay on the reserve, as usual restricting themselves to the general environs of the Sand River towards the southeastern parts of the reserve.

There were several incidents this month when lone female buffaloes were found, well away from herds. To the south of the reserve, a nervous female buffalo has been seen several times over the last few weeks and although she has often been quite close to where the small herd of buffaloes have been grazing, she has made no effort to join them. On another occasion, lions killed a female buffalo near the central-eastern parts of Mala Mala, many kilometres from where any buffalo herds were known to be grazing. And then, fairly early on during this game-report-period, a single buffalo cow was found with her newborn calf opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp, again, many miles from where buffalo herds were known to be at the time.

Another strange item of buffalo behaviour witnessed twice this month was the eating of weaver bird nests by buffaloes. The basket-like nests were overhanging a waterhole from which the buffaloes were drinking when the buffaloes reached up for them and then ate them after ripping them from the tree. Some of the buffaloes actually made small jumps to gain access to the nests. The weavers were still using the nests.