Wildlife Updates

When we came downstairs in the morning it was obvious that there had been an intruder during the night. Scattered about on the stairs and across the carpet were banana peels, and the fruit bowl was empty. A hurried appraisal of the contents of the house failed to show anything, other than the fruit, that was missing. I breathed a sigh of relief and began wondering who the visitor might be.

In celebration of National Birding Day today we would like to share some information on a rarely spotted bird that was recently photographed at Kariega Game Reserve by our headranger Jason Friend. The Barred Owlet is known for it's scattered and isolated populations, and their occurrence in the Eastern Cape is particularly intriguing.

Here on the Eastern Cape coast the weather may be cold and wet and the wind have a bite in it, but warming the heart are the bright, often fiery red or yellow blossoms of the aloes. In all there are 125 species of aloe in South Africa, of which about ten may be seen in and around the Kariega Game Reserve.

Thandi's progression back into normal rhino society has been set back by a facial injury that will require surgical intervention.

As a 9000 hectare private game park, Kariega Game Reserve must engage in continuous conservation management in order to ensure healthy and abundant wildlife populations. At Kariega, game capture and release is a big part of wildlife managament, as is acquiring new game for genetic diversity.

One of the four new lion cubs recently born on Kariega Game Reserve, with mom. This image was uploaded by our great ranger and talented photographer Brendon Jennings with the caption "My first sighting of the new lion cubs on the reserve - what an unforgettable moment!"