December 2002

Rhino viewing continued to be good. The only unncertainty for rhinos over the next few months has been the patchy and relatively low rainfall so far this year. Towards the northwestern parts of Mala Mala, rain has been particularly light and both grazing and water supplies are low in quality and quantity.

Towards the central parts of Mala Mala, rains have been better and certain rhinos have been practising what may be termed typical rhino summer behaviour where they stick to a relatively small area of land abundant in both water and food, rotating their grazing as each area previously grazed regrows. Rhinos seem to prefer short grass which is usually of higher quality than that which has been allowed to grow tall and stemmy. However, should the rainfall continue to stay away, rhinos will really have no choice as to what they eat. Of some concern is that midsummer has now passed and as the daylength gets shorter and shorter, so growing conditions can only deteriorate.

November 2002

Rhinos were plentiful during November and although their numbers were to at least some extent influenced by rains, this was not as noticeable as may perhaps have been anticipated.

Almost all properties surrounding Mala Mala, the Kruger National Park included, have burned significant tracts of land. The fresh green grass resulting from this and the rains would be a great attraction to rhinos and it could be expected that these big beasts, particularly the non-territorial animals, would temporarily migrate to such areas. But this definitely did not occur on the scale that it might have.

The rains will of course also freshen up the mud-holes, these so enjoyed by rhinos during the summer when the insect numbers also increase. Rhinos will often spend hours soaking in a pond or rolling in thick clinging mud in order to cool off and of course coat themselves in an insect-proof layer. The dried mud will later be used with sand-paper-like effect to remove any clinging skin parasites.

October 2002

As conditions became drier and drier and waterholes more restricted, so the rhino viewing improved as these animals made their way to watering points to drink. Hot weather for much of the time contributed to this. There were some days when close to 30 different rhinos were encountered. Towards the northeastern parts of Mala Mala, there were regular sightings of a group of as many as 10 rhinos, mostly subadults.

However, all this will no doubt change somewhat after the first rains, when not only other watering holes become available, but the growth on freshly burned areas adjacent to Mala Mala and inside the Kruger National Park lure the rhinos. Conditions should then become, perhaps, more normal.

September 2002

Plenty of rhinos were seen this month, some of them close to the few water-points which continue to function away from the Sand River. Rhino paths are becoming all the more visible as things get drier and drier and more and more rhinos turn to the Sand River for their water supplies. These rhino paths, used by other animals as they develop, are trails formed when animals follow the same route to water on a regular basis. Rhinos seem particularly good at following and forming these paths. Animals from inside the Kruger National Park are, at this stage of the dry season, walking all the way to drink from points in the Sand River.

August 2002

Rhino viewing was again good during August, with some days producing close to two dozen different animals. As conditions dry up, so rhinos are becoming to depend more and more on the Sand River, with animals from as far afield as the adjacent Kruger National Park making the long walk to the Sand River to quench their thirst.

July 2002

Rhino viewing was good this month. Water-holes continue to dry up and those remaining are becoming all the more popular, with rhino sightings around such points quite predictable, even if the animals concerned have made a long trek in and are perhaps afraid of vehicles.

Towards the northeast of the reserve, close to the border with the Kruger National Park where several good points for water still exist, rhinos have been particularly numerous. One group of 9 rhinos, unfortunately rather shy of vehicles, has been seen in this area on a regular basis.

A fine piece of rhino interaction to be witnessed over this game-report period took place when a female rhino approaching the time for mating, was being courted by several bulls. The interaction took place over nearly a week, with the most powerful male chasing off other hopefuls (sometimes with quite alarming vigour) whilst at the same time having to cool his passion after the female, not quite ready for mating, would reject his advances with all sorts of bellows and snorts.

June 2002

Plenty of rhinos were seen this month. Movements have to some extent been influenced by the cooler winter weather, the smaller number of active waterholes away from the Sand River and the declining quality of the grass. But, generally speaking, conditions still seem good and rhinos are hardly restricted by declining resources. As the Sand River becomes more and more important as a water-source, so it can be expected that rhinos will make longer treks towards it, even from beyond Mala Mala's boundaries. These long-distance walks to drink are often conducted during the hours of darkness and with the rhinos following well-worn paths which become more pronounced as the dry season progresses.

May 2002

Whilst rhino viewing was good this month and animals were seen on every day, sightings were not as plentiful as was the case during April, perhaps as a result of the cold snap towards the beginning of May. The few days of low temperatures - which actually produced a few short-lived patches of frost in some of the low-lying areas - would have caused all grass to go brown and dry, denying the rhino any green shoots. A change in general temperature would also influence how rhino move and would perhaps confine them to the more sheltered areas where encounters with them would be less likely.

April 2002

March 2002

Rhino viewing was of fine quality again this month. On one day alone 25 different animals were encountered. There have also been sightings of several very small calves, a couple of these less than a month of age and already very relaxed in the presence of landrovers. All too often it happens that a baby rhino will take fright at the approach of a landrover, head off at speed, closely followed by a mother which would normally be quite indifferent to a vehicles arrival. At the moment there are still plenty of mudwallows, but the quality of the grass is declining and this can be expected to have an influence on the rhinos pattern of movement. Typically, in the middle of summer when grass growth is rapid, rhinos have the luxury of being able to practice rotational grazing, returning to eat the regrowth of areas grazed down only a few days previously. But now that grass is not growing as fast, the rhinos are forced to forage further afield and eat grass of slightly lower quality.

February 2002

Many rhino were seen during February with nearly 30 different animals being encountered on one day alone. Most rhino sightings were in areas of good grass quality - those parts burned during last dry season and on the Mala Mala airstrip which is mowed on a regular basis, this to provide security for the aircraft. Several of the really favoured areas were seen to be attracting big numbers of rhino with up to 9 different animals being encountered in some groups. These big numbers comprised mostly adult females and sub adults which would have posed no threat to whatever bull dominated the particular area. In spite of there being practically no rain this month, mud and waterholes have been in good supply and this too has contributed towards rhino happiness.

January 2002

Rhino viewing remained good during January with regular sightings of the same animals on their current favourite grazing areas. Places such as the Mala Mala airstrip which gets mowed on a regular basis as well as some of the areas which were burned in the latter half of last year were amongst the favoured of the locations and rhinos were seen to be practising 'rotational grazing' within them. White rhino are grazers and typically prefer short green grass. When grass is growing rapidly, it is not uncommon to see them eating only from certain patches and then returning to these when regrowth has produced a new short flush of high quality grass. Later on in the year, when the rate of grass growth slows down, the rhinos are forced to eat from other places too and it can be expected that their grazing behaviour will change again. January was a dry month, but mudholes remained in good supply and rhinos probably had a close to ideal month.

MalaMala Game Reserve, PO Box 55514, Northlands, 2116, South Africa.
Telephone: + 27 11 442 2267 or 0861 SAFARI.
Facsimile: + 27 11 442 2318
e-Mail: reservations@malamala.com

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