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The Timbavati Telegraph

Volume 9 - September 2020

"Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be"

Featured image captured by Dr Graeme Naylor

Hi Subscribers,

Spring is here! Despite the bush appearing brown and monotoned, there is a bit of colour and life popping up beneath the dry leaf litter. The Knobthorn trees are flowering and the bees and bugs are happy once again.

We have had yet another busy month with reserve activities as well as community engagement. It has been so wonderful to be able to give back to the Timbavati lodge staff and so humbling to see their appreciation of the food parcels which were kindly donated by Hlokomela and The Timbavati Foundation.

With South Africa currently placed on level 1, we hope that more traveling feet will pass through our gates and into this special place. If you have not booked your trip yet, why not consider the Timbavati as your next destination choice. Some of our lodges are still offering amazing specials!

Thank you to those who have visited us and please do come again. Brian Jackman rightfully says, “Everything in Africa bites. But the safari bug is worst of all.”. Once you have been bitten, it is in the bloodstream for life. Especially the Timbavati bug ;-)

Remember to tell your friends & family to subscribe to our Timbavati Telegraph by simply going onto our new and improved website at www.timbavati.co.za and wait for the pop up, alternatively see the News page and sign up there.

Ecological & Conservation Matters

Aerial Census 2020:

With crystal clear blue skies above and a wild wilderness below, the Timbavati sure showed us her beauty this past weekend as we completed our annual aerial census animal counts for 2020.

Lovely big herds of elephants and general plains game were counted. Special sightings of the Giraffe lion pride, a few spotted kitties and even the elusive black rhino!

The aerial census is an essential tool to assist in the management of a protected area. Even though the reserve is within an open system, animal numbers need to be known to ensure a balance is kept between fauna and flora.

Elephant Calf Snare Removal:

On the 26th of September, our conservation team sprang into action after Makanyi Lodge reported a sighting of an elephant calf with a snare around its neck. Within a few minutes, permission was granted by Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency (MTPA), veterinarians were organised and the TPNR team was on their way to save this little elephant. Thankfully, the snare was removed and the little elephant calf was reunited with its herd snare free.

Our heroes of the day:
*Dr. Joel Alves, for saving yet another life here in the Timbavati and surrounds.
*Wild Wonderful World for covering the costs of this intervention. We are unbelievably thankful for your generosity.
*Makanyi Lodge for not only reporting this incident but keeping a watchful eye while waiting for the team to come out.
*Last but not least our conservation team, your love for protecting our wildlife is inspiring. Thank you.

What an amazing and successful day!
📸 credits to Makanyi Lodge

Security Matters

Avoca Gate Upgrade
With the donations received for our Canine Rangers campaign as well as from the Miles for Mammals run done by Grant Murphy of Kings Camp, we are putting the funds to good use by upgrading the Avoca Gate along the Orpen road which will soon be fit for a king and his trusty companions. Two secure dog runs are being built which will be completely leopard proof to ensure our canine heroes are kept safe from harm.

Great work by our Timbavati technical team!

Fund Raising Campaigns:
Our campaigns are still active and making a huge contribution to our operations on the ground. Any humble donation toward these two campaigns will not only support our dedicated field rangers but help them be fighting fit to protect our wildlife.

A big thank you to everyone who has donated thus far. You can see from our newsletters that we are making every cent count.

Your humble donations make the difference!

Active Campaigns:

Giving Greens -
By donating to Giving Greens, you can assist in supporting the overall health of our Field Rangers who work tirelessly to keep our wildlife protected. Click the support and donate button to read more about this campaign

Canine heroes -
The Timbavati Private Nature Reserve has five highly skilled and trained working dogs. Help us keep these heroes active in the fight against wildlife poaching. Click the support and donate button to read more about this campaign.

Community Matters

Santa Shoebox Project 2020

For the past eight years, following an initiative from the @Kids2Kids Trust, Klaserie’s Eco Children has distributed Santa Shoebox gift boxes to the most disadvantaged children in the surrounding rural areas, making their Christmas season much happier.

This year the Timbavati Foundation will be teaming up with Eco Children to assist in fundraising and supporting this incredible initiative because we know many children won’t receive any gifts due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If we could kindly ask for you to share our message, or even contribute in any small way. Kindly see our banking detail on the banner image.

If you are wanting to understand a bit more about the initiative, do look at the Santa Shoebox website - https://santashoebox.org.za/ or their Facebook page Santa Shoebox Project

Let us share some joy!
Need more info? Do connect with us: foundation@timbavati.co.za

Women's Wellness Centre @ Nourish

September saw the Timbavati Foundation break ground at Nourish Eco Village. This is a very exciting new project which aims to support local women and girls from the surrounding communities and give them a safe haven to go to. Once phase 1 of the building is complete, the Timbavati Foundation together with Nourish will be promoting & providing eco-friendly washable sanitary towels to school girls to ensure that their futures are not disrupted by their natural flows.

Be sure to follow our progress and stay tuned and connected for phase 2!

Netted Garden Upgrades:

Growing Greens Programme -

Our TF Mother Hub is at a stage of pushing out organic seedlings for our neighbouring schools! How exciting! All the hard work and waiting over the past few months are paying off!

Neighbouring schools Chayiwe Primary School and Berrette Primary School were rewarded for their efforts in their school gardens with some fresh organic seedlings straight from our mother hub!

Did you know that for as little as R30.00 you are able to help us purchase a packet of vegetable seeds?
Contact us today to support! Foundation@timbavati.co.za

TPNR Lodge Staff & Community Food Support:

Growing Greens Progamme - What an exciting week it has been for us! So wonderful to get back out into the school environment and educate the young learners of Chayiwe Primary School about the importance of becoming self-sufficient through growing organic vegetable gardens.

In addition to the food drive, 30 bags of nutrient-rich oranges donated by Hlokomela and partners, handed out by the Timbavati Foundation and the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve yesterday to neighbouring community organisations (SAME Children's Centre, Futuro Hospitality School and Jabulani Creche) as a show of support and thanks for their efforts during this pandemic.

Thank you again Hlokomela!
We are proud to work hand in hand with such a world-class organisation!

Winter Warmers Campaign 2020:

The last of our Winter Warmers campaign and together with Nourish and Happiness Lubisi, 100 blankets were provided to 100 vulnerable community members within the Acornhoek RDP areas.

Once again a huge thank you to every single person who donated to this very worthy cause. We hope you will consider to support us again on this come next winter time!

Please consider supporting the Timbavati Foundation?
Any humble contribution makes a difference in the lives of many.

Lodge Matters

The White Lions visit the Timbavati

It has been so wonderful having the Birmingham pride visit the central Timbavati in September, bringing about much excitement for our guides and guests.

Check out Tanda Tula's social media feeds to see more!

https://www.tandatula.com/blog/posts/wandering-in-pictures
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFTqntAAQ1w/

Kings Camp

In life, a balance in everything is required. The African Elephant being keystone species which means they have an important role in ensuring that the savanna biome maintains its balance between woody and grass species. Without this balance, its threshold would be tipped and those dependent on this unique habitat would slowly disappear.

We may be lost in the motions of life at times, take the time to stop and appreciate what you have and what our beautiful country has to offer.

Here in the wilderness of the Timbavati, we are extremely fortunate to be an open system within the Greater Kruger landscape. Visiting one of our lodges ensures true bush getaway experiences and opportunities to reconnect, rebalance and remember your love for wildlife.

A spectacular photograph captured of elephants in motion by talented Cathan Moore of Kings Camp Lodge. View and like their page to follow their activity

If you have this bug, it's for life! Especially a Timbavati bug.

#Repost @makanyilodge
• • • • • •
“Everything in Africa bites. But the safari bug is worst of all.” - Brian Jackman.
Let us know in the comments below if you have visited Makanyi Lodge and if the safari bug bit you!

A pretty decent way to get some quiet time! Another gorgeous Timbavati lodge!

#Repost @kings_camp
• • • • • •
Socially-Distanced Dining in Style! At Kings Camp, dining set-ups for all meals have been carefully considered. In our airy communal dining room and thatched boma area, tables are spaced at least 2 metres apart. And for the ultimate private dining experience, guests are welcome to eat dinner under the stars on the verandah of their suites.

Beautiful opportunities await.

#Repost @motswari_private
• • • • • •
Motswari Private Game Reserve

Motswari offers you the opportunity to experience the elusive leopard up close and personal. Our expert guides and trackers will spend many hours on the ground trying to find you these unbelievably beautiful predators.

Social Media Matters

#Celebrated Days

World Rhino Day - 22nd September

#WorldRhinoDay is a day that brings awareness and celebration of the five remaining rhinoceros species on planet earth. For us, we celebrate our rhinos and those who aim to protect them.

Despite the plight of rhinos losing their lives through poaching, we know that we have dedicated people within conservation, be it our field rangers who act as rhino guardians or our brave men and women behind the scenes who mobilize resources, connect the dots and bring justice to wildlife. Let us not forget about those who educate and inspire our people, such as our guides & educators, about understanding the importance of wildlife safe havens such as the Timbavati.

📸credits - Chad Cocking, Tanda Tula.

#MotivationalMondays

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