Zululand Rhino Reserve – My time as a Safari Guide

The coastal dune forest at Sodwana at dusk.

Sometimes in life things are too good to be true. I experienced a version of this particular platitude earlier this year. During April I applied for what was the perfect job. The job was a field guide based in a reserve close to Mkuze and they were not too worried about my experience. I first traveled to Mkuze in northern Zululand in 2005 and fell in love with the area. I spent some time camping in Mkuze Game Reserve and had my first encounter with the incredible biodiversity of the region. I remember many finding many frogs I had never seen before and insects that I had no idea what they were. Back then my repertoire of species and biodiversity was narrower than it is now, but even then the naturalist in me was patrolling the dark camp for hours at night looking for crawlers. Visiting the region changed something in me and when I was there all those years ago I knew that I was going to be steering my life towards the natural world in some way. I have always thought that if I could get back to the area to work I would be happy. This happened and I got the job at a lodge in Zululand Rhino Reserve, which is very close to Mkuze. 

Thelotornis capensis, aptly named the Twig Snake or Vine Snake.

I went on a very steep learning curve and had to learn the ropes of guiding and the road network as fast as possible. I managed this and with a few bumps along the way I eventually was doing good game drives and getting good feed back. The job was intense and high energy. I would get up 4:15 am everyday and start getting ready. Before my drive I had to be looking sharp, have the vehicle ready (all checks done) and have the coffee station ready for my guests arrival. After a quick coffee we would depart on game drive at about six. After a three hour or so game drive I would have breakfast with my guests and then either wash my car or do another activity. Then at 14:30 I would be back at the lodge to eat quick and begin the preparations for the afternoon/night game drive. The game drive would get back at about seven and then I would still have to host the guests for a while before going back to my room to sleep, usually around ten. I would work like that for three weeks straight.

The Eastern Tiger Snake, Telescopus semiannulatus, a beautiful, nocturnal hunter.

 The Leopard Tortoise, Stigmochelys pardalis.

The job I was doing out there was vehicle based nature guiding. It was a very different job to what I am used to and a nature experience from a vehicle is very different to one on foot. One covers a lot ground, about 25km per drive and the focus is on the bigger animals, such as mammals and birds. The area I was working in was part of the Black Rhino Expansion Project, led by Ezemvelo Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund and other role players. To regularly see these animals, which are suffering so much from human pressure, was a privilege. The Black Rhinoceros is going extinct at a rate, which indicates that it will soon be completely obliterated from our world.

 A beautiful sight, a Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) out in the open. The Zululand Rhino Reserve is playing a role in the preservation of this species.

 Doing this job I learned a lot about people and myself and of course my self in relation to other people. I also learned a lot about the lodge industry, private game reserves, conservation and the role of money in all of it. It is an interesting system and I will definitely be writing about it in detail in the future. I was able to see the workings of the private game reserve as a game farm from the inside. It is a closed system and in many ways it is artificial. That aside, I did have some incredible experiences, I saw some very interesting animals encounters and witnessed magical interactions, I also met some amazing people.

A powerful predator. This female lioness was often seen down in the river bed. This is what tourists want to see.

Impalas are one of the most graceful antelope. Due to the excellent grazing on the reserve these animals were in very good condition.

Another animal under immense human pressure, the White Rhinocerous (Ceratotherium simum).

Birding in the reserve is excellent. The Burchell's Coucal (Centropus burchellii) is abundant in the area.

The Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). These ancient reptiles are not very common in the reserve, but a few of the water bodies have one or two. 

The Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) a truly bizarre looking animal.

The Reed Buck (Redunca arundinum). A beautiful and shy antelope.

Marsh Owl (Asio capensis capensis).

A morning scene with White-backed Vultures (Gyps africanus).

The beautiful Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

The Moon and Venus before sunrise.

One of the most significantexperiences I had while working in Zululand was going scuba diving for the first time. I was fortunate enough to get sponsored to go Sodwana Bay and consider life from the bottom of the ocean. There are such strange organisms under there and it was a life changing experience to see them and swim in that environment. After my first dives in the ocean I took a long walk and sitting on the beach I got thinking about my life and the way it had led me to that singular moment sitting there considering my experiences, I was moved and could see where I am going and I could see that everything that was happening to me in the last two months, a job, doing nature guiding, the money I got, the way I felt in relation to all of it:

The moon has risen. Bright. Reflecting. A dead lump of rock ejected from our world in a distant time. Coldly shining. The shadow of the earth slowly creeps, soon darkness will reign. Vision changes: blue, blackgrey. A calmness pervades everything. The solar system slowly begins to reveal itself.

Mars, our brother. Dying, dead or at rest? Jupiter, strange gas world. Embryonic. Titanic. Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our sun. Sirius, the bright one. Indifferent. Incomprehensible.

"In some remote corner of the sprawling universe, twinkling among the countless solar systems there was once a star on which some clever animals invented knowledge. It was the most arrogant, most mendacious minute in "world history," but it was only a minute. After nature caught its breath a little the star froze and the clever animals had to die."*

Sitting alone in the darkness, nameless and for a moment detached. Desolation emanates from deep inside my brain. For a moment I feel that I have connected on some level with the rest of the universe. I quickly realise the mistake. The sensation is an illusion. I am alone. I am part of a great nothingness.

I have never been born. I have never lived. I have never died. I am born. I live. I will die and I will become nothing as I am now. Nothing changing, nothing staying the same. Eternity becomes physical, the universe – time itself.

The vast emptiness fills my head and makes me drunk. I am alone and I have no problem.

Looking up at the stars, my brain shivered and I could see it was all just a dream.

Soon after that I resigned my job. My future is different now.

Tandy's Sandfrog (Tomopterna tandyi).

Mozambique Rain Frog (Breviceps mossambicus).

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* Nietzche, F. ‘On truth and lie in a nonmoral sense’. In, On Truth and Untruth. Edited by T. Carman. 2007. Harper Perennial: New York. (pg 17–18)

Durban and surrounds: Frogs, frogging and biodiversity

Hycleus mating on a sedge in Ongoye Forest Reserve.

Durban has for sometime been my favourite South African city. It is very hot, the ocean is warm, the people are friendly and the culture is very diverse. These all add to the appeal of Durban, but the greatest attraction of the city for me is the strength with which nature has managed to hold on here. Trees grow everywhere, even on buildings; wooden houses are eaten by beetles and termites: fruit bats can be seen and heard every night flying from tree to tree; geckos and snakes are found nearly everywhere; monkeys still roam suburbia; and the birding is excellent. There are many different habitats and a short drive out of the city can take one to some spectacular places. To give an idea of just how good the birding is in Durban, during a short walk in the Mangrove swamps at the Umgeni river mouth I saw a Palm-nut Vulture and a Black-throated Wattle-eye. In winter one can also see the Spotted Ground Thrush as it migrates to coastal areas from its forest habitats.

Here are some of the animals I have seen during the past week at the house where I stayed in Durban North.

Ant-mimic Jumping Spider (Salticidae).

Juvenile Wahlberg's Snake-eyed Skink (Afroablepharis walbergii). This lizard was tiny, only 1.5cm in length.

I am lucky to have regular opportunities to visit Durban and manage to visit the city at least twice a year. During this most recent visit I was privileged enough to meet up with frog expert Carl Scholms  from uShaka Marine World, to go and look for frogs in some of the local ponds. The first night we went out we visited a pond in the heart of suburbia at Danville. 

 

Rhombic Night Adder (Causus rhombeatus). A major predator of toads and frogs.

Painted Reed Frog (Hyperolius marmoratus marmoratus). Perhaps the most abundant reed frog in Durban.

Tinker Reed Frog (Hyperolius tuberilinguis). The call of these frogs is particularly piercing and literally sounds like a hammer hitting steel.

Greater Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus fornasinii).

Argus Reed Frog (Hyperolius argus). These frogs favour habitats with floating vegetation.

Water Lily Frog (Hyperolius pusilius). These frogs are very small and delicate, their skins are translucent.

Guttural Toad (Amietophrynus gutturalis). This widespread frog is a monster in size when compared to the small reed frogs and leaf-folding frogs it shares its habitat with.

When wading through the water it is incredible how many spiders there are hunting in the reeds and on the water. This fishing spider (Lycosoidea) will eat frogs small enough to overpower.

Frogs don't really get more photogenic than this Natal Tree Frog (Leptopelis natalensis). These frogs have taken well to suburban life where there is indigenous vegetation.

After wading in the pond I felt that I had gone a little frog crazy and not being one to hold back, I decided to make a journey to Ongoye Forest north of Durban to do some birding and maybe find some more frogs. 

One of Ongoye's attractions is the Red Squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) and this species features on its logo. 

Two of the three major habitats at Ongoye, the granite outcrops and the grassland areas.

Ongoye is a unique habitat situated inland on a granite ridge. The exposed granite, grassland areas and forest create a wonderful mix of habitat types and many rare and interesting species can be seen in the area. The area was first proclaimed a protected area in the 1800s by King of the Zulu Kingdom Cetshwayo. Unfortunately my visit was cut short by bad weather and loss of time, but I will visit the place again in the near future for a few days to really explore its biodiversity.

A collage showing two different colour morphs of the Snoring Puddle Frog (Phrynobatrachus natalensis), their eggs and the habitat in the road where these frogs were found. They use these puddles in the road made by vehicles to breed and their eggs and tadpoles develop fast in the warm water.

The next area I visited was inland from Durban, Howick and Lion’s River. Here I met up with nature guide Daniel Marsh and explored Umgeni Valley Nature reserve and Lion’s river.

The gorge cut by the Umgeni River is forested and many birds can be heard calling down below.

Umgeni Valley Nature reserve is a small nature reserve and managed by WESSA (the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa). There are several walking trails through the reserve which frames a gorge cut by the Umgeni River (the Umgeni river flows through Durban before it empties into the Indian Ocean). The nature reserve is incredibly scenic and the big waterfall is one of the main attractions and well worth a visit.

A big pied cricket (Libanasa) found under a rock.

A striking cockroach (Pseudoderopeltis).

Duberria lutrix, the Common Slug-eater is a harmless little snake that preys on snails and slugs. This individual was about to slough - the fluid separating the old skin from the new skin is visible on the eye.

The waterfall in Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve.

Lion's river is in the area known as the Natal Midlands and the wet cool climate is ideal for growing trees - hence plantations take up a lot of the land. Walking in the area, however, reveals spoor of many small antelope and there are a lot of birds. The day I visited the area was very wet and the weather was cool. This created a beautiful atmosphere.

A Wolf Spider (Lycosidae) carrying its young on its back. It is amazing to see all those spiderlings sitting tight together while the mother continues hunting.

The Common River Frog (Amietia angolensis) is widespread in Southern Africa.

A Natal Sand Frog (Tomopterna natalensis).

So far my holiday had been very good in terms of exploring different areas and seeing different animals and plants, but things were about to get better when herpetologist Carl Scholms invited me to go frogging again. This time we were joined by another frog expert Nick Evans and we traveled to a wetland area in Mount Moreland north of the city, close to the King Shaka International Airport. Wading in some nettle invested wetland we saw some really interesting frogs.

Juvenile Pickersgill's Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli). These beautiful little frogs are endangered due to habitat destruction. A lot of the species previous habitat has been destroyed to plant sugar cane plantations. Even something as everyday as sugar has a major environmental impact.

Delicate Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus delicatus).

Water Lily Frog (Hyperolius pusillus).

Greater Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus fornasinii).

The Common Water Snake (Lycodonomorphus rufulus) is a non-venomous snake that preys on frogs and is able to hunt underwater, on land and even climbs up into the reeds.

The KwaZulu Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion melanocephalum) is one of the many Dwarf Chameleons found in South Africa. Each species has a very restricted range and new species are regularly described. At the moment there are about 20 recognised species. This number is subject to change as the taxonomy is resolved.

Juvenile Tinker Reed Frog (Hyperolius tuberilinguis).

During the drive back home we also saw a few interesting animals along the road. Including a scorpion.

Red Toad (Schismaderma carens). These toads are one of my favourite frogs and have a very wide distribution. The individuals in Durban tend to be more grey than red.

Uroplectes scorpion found on the verge of the road.

Dwarf Puddle Frog (Phrynobatrachus mababiensis).

Natal Tree Frog (Leptopelis natalensis).

With a new found enthusiasm for frogs it was an easy choice when deciding what to do for New Year’s Eve. One hundred thirty kilometres North of Durban there is a beautiful nature reserve called Umlalazi Nature Reserve. I have spent a lot of time at this nature reserve and although it is small in comparison to other destinations, it is really special. The reserve boasts dune forests, mangrove swamps, a large wetland area and just outside the reserve is a unique Raffia Palm forest (Raphia australis). The different habitats make this reserve a rewarding place to explore biodiversity.

Walking through the reserve and wading in a few wetland areas revealed some very interesting animals. Below are the highlights.

Sphaerotherium the Pill Millipede is able to completely seal its legs when it curls up. The coastal forest is full of these animals at night where they feed on decaying plant matter.

There must have been over a thousand Tinker Reed Frogs (Hyperolius tuberilinguis) calling in the reeds of the small river which runs through Umlalazi forest.

This is not the type of sign one wants to see when the intention is to wade in the water looking for frogs. Not a warning to take lightly when you consider the amount of people killed by crocodiles in Africa every year.

Greater Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus fornasinii).

Water Lily Frog (Hyperolius pusillus).

Juvenile Pickersgill's Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli). Umlalazi Nature Reserve is an important conservation area for this species.

Tinker Reed Frog (Hyperolius tuberilinguis).

Massive Moth found while walking in the forest. Identification pending.

Longhorn beetle (Mallodon downesi).

One of the 'small five', the Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes).

Automolis Moth.

DOR Rhombic Egg-eater (Dasypeltis scabra). These snakes feed exclusively on bird's eggs.

Raucous Toad (Amietophrynus rangeri).

DOR Herald Snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia). These snakes feed on amphibians and specially adapted to eating toads. They use their relatively large fangs to puncture toads that have inflated themselves with air in defense.

Overall I think that Durban is an incredibly rich region in terms of biodiversity. The amphibian diversity in the area is incredibly high and I don’t think any other South African cities can rival Durban in sites and accessibility in terms of frogging. The city is also very rich in other biota and is the ideal base to explore the region from for any nature lover. There is just so much to see and do here and this is what makes Durban my favourite South African city.