Arrie's Blog

 

January 2011  –  We’ve got lots to look forward to this year as our Wildlife & Cultural Centre continues to grow and flourish. Our big cats are now firmly established in their new homes – they've had more than their fair share of excitement and new beginnings recently.
 
The cats that moved house in November last year have been doing really well. We've been monitoring them closely to ensure that there are no issues and they are all clearly loving the extra space moving on to their big cat islands has given them. Jessie and Mapimpan have really come into their own. Mapimpan has become really very vocal as he roars at the two males who are now his neighbours. The two males themselves have shown a lot of interest in Mapimpan; they sit and watch him intently when they are more alert in the mornings and late afternoons.
 
Being neighbours has really provided them with increased mental stimulation, which is very good for their wellbeing. Remember, animals in captive bred situations can get bored very easily if they have no mental stimulus, so this competitive behaviour is very healthy for all of them! The roar of the lions from Entabeni Safari Conservancy has also been keeping them all on their toes. They immediately start roaring and marking their scent when the noise comes over. It certainly shows us they are very happy with their situation, which at the end of the day is all we want.
 
In other news, our Kiddies Touch Farm is progressing. We'll keep you all posted on when that opens. And work on our Reptile Sanctuary will hopefully start soon. 2011 is definitely a year of development and moving forward at Legend Wildlife & Cultural Centre! 

 

September 2010 - It's been quite a month at the Centre as we released some of our rehabilitated animals and plough head on with our plans for completing our innovative

Big Cat islands. Yes, we're well on our way to having four completed islands in the very near future. The construction team have been busy moving all the dirt off the allocated pieces of land. We've also made a very special island for our resident cheetah and have created a termite hill under a tree for them. These creatures like to jump into low tree branches to protect themselves from other predators so their new island will be perfect for them. The final step will be to put the fencing in then we can start moving them. At five to six hectares each, our islands are going to give our resident Big Cats more than the normal amount of land you would find at other Centres.
 
You might remember the sick python we found who needed taking care of during the winter months as she was so malnourished? Well, she gained lots of weight with us under the care of our resident Snake Man Riaan and I'm delighted to report that she has now been released back into the wild. Riaan has been very busy rehabilitating another snake recently, which was brought to us from a neighbouring town. The snake had blow torch injuries and had been found in a scrap yard. Fortunately we were able to get a temporary permit for the snake to stay with us until she got better. We washed her wounds and treated her with antiseptic. Her wounds cleared nicely and we were able to release her too.
 
Finally, our little cubs are growing fast. They are almost weaned now, suckling just once a day. Normally they will suckle until they are between four and seven months. We think they are three female cubs. Their mum, Precious, is doing very well. She spends a lot of time “chatting” to Mapimpan and Jess, and the cubs are now joining in the fun. It's very lovely to watch them all together.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19th June - Mapimpan, Jess, Precious and our cubs will be the talk of Brazil when our guests return home with the hundreds of photographs they have taken this week of our resident lions. Naturally, the tours of our Centre have been a huge hit with our football fans from Brazil and they have been desperate to meet our resident big cats, who have been putting on quite a show for these guests. The tours take in our white lion cubs before the guests then have an opportunity to meet Mapimpan and Jess, as well as Precious and her three cubs, who have now moved into one of our lion enclosures to protect the cubs from the big males on the lion island. Guests are then transported by safari vehicle to see our innovative big cat islands – including the cheetah. To round off their visit, they then have an opportunity to enjoy tea and cake in our Farmyard Tea Garden. What a great day out!

 

7th May - We've some good news to report this week as our rescued python continues to make very good progress in our care. We've been busy feeding her medicine to kill the intestinal parasites she acquired as a result of being stressed through malnutrition – remember she was in terrible condition when she was found - and I'm thrilled to tell you that she has also now had two meals of rats and mice as she gets her strength back. Funnily enough she waits until we've turned our backs and we're not watching before she actually gets down to eating her food!

We've actually decided to keep her in our care now until after the winter has passed here in South Africa because although she's on the mend, she's still extremely thin.

Pythons generally lose a lot of condition anyway during winter because they aren't as active as they are in the sumer months and they don't really hunt and it will be another three months before this snake is active enough to hunt for herself.
 
So we will continue to monitor her progress and the heating pad in her cage will ensure that she keeps warm and active.
 
Just remember that wild snakes such as this python must not be kept as pets because they do not do well in captivity and what's more, you cannot keep any indigenous snakes without a permit. 
9th April  - Our resident bachelor buffalo is lonely no more. Old “One Eyed Jack”, as we call him, now has not one but three girlfriends keeping him company in his private camp. As you can imagine, he's one blissful buffalo ...
 
One Eyed Jack has a special place in my heart as he was the first bull we introduced to our Centre to start our disease-free breeding program. However, he lost his No 1 ranking when another male fought him for dominance of the herd and Jack lost.
 
Now Jack may be one beast of an animal – an adult male can weigh anything between 600 and 800 kg and I think Jack weighs even more than that – but even he didn't have the strength to maintain his dominance. Unfortunately he also lost one eye and one horn in that fight. But remember, buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals there are.
 
So Jack, who is now more than 10-years-old, has been alone ever since, but we know that buffalo like to be in herds which is why this week we brought in three cows to live with him.  No doubt it won't be long before there's some “little Jacks” running around the veld.
 
New Mum Precious was reunited with the other lions recently while we did a spot of cleaning at the birthing hut.
The problem was, she had so much fun with Lucky, Danny and Penny that we had to bribe her to come back to her cubs!
Precious couldn't get into the main lion island quick enough when we opened that gate. She ran off across the island to join the others and they played together for about 45 minutes while we cleaned and tidied the birthing hut. (And although we didn't touch the cubs because we don't want to interfere with nature, it did give us an opportunity to have a closer look at them!)
When it was time for Precious to return to Motherhood we had to encourage her back to the other side of the fence with a piece of meat. Fortunately that did the trick.

Still, it won't be long now before Precious and her three little cubs join the rest of the island pride … 

 

 

26th March 2010 - I'VE been bursting with pride since our tawny lioness gave birth to her first set of cubs. What a wonderful Mother she makes!

She's watchful, attentive and turns her head at every sound those three little balls of fur make. And boy, do they make some sounds …
If they're not screeching, they're squawking as they crawl about the floor of the birthing hut where they've been living since their birth two-weeks-ago. One of them is really starting to lift his feet off the ground as he tries to walk. They've certainly got plenty to say for themselves.
 
Their Mum Precious is a first-time Mum and a 27-month-old tawny lioness. She lives on one of our innovative lion islands and she recently gave birth to the island's latest residents. The night before their birth, the island's other lions – a male and female white lion and the cubs' tawny dad, Lucky – took up their positions at the fence-line separating Precious from the rest of the pride. And they stayed there all night, even when the heavens opened and the rains came. The next morning, at about 7 o'clock, Precious gave birth to three beautiful tawny cubs. She immediately took to feeding them and washing them and I'm delighted to say that we didn't have to intervene once. It's not uncommon for a lioness to abandon her first set of cubs and simply walk away; and of course there can be complications at the birth. But Precious has really taken to Motherhood.
 

She delivered her cubs safely and she's kept a watchful eye over them ever since. Let's face it, I don't think anyone can deny the love in this Mother's eyes …

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12th March 2010 - I can hardly keep track of how quickly we're growing here at Legend Golf & Safari Resort Wildlife and Cultural Centre. Our magnificent new 460-seater boma is now available for large functions. It's the latest function venue here at our resort and, if I say so myself, it is something very unique and very special. It is quite a size, covering 750 square metres, and it will seat large groups of visitors. What makes it really special is that the boma will offer our guests and residents a very traditional African dining experience out in the bush. It is sheltered by a thatched roof, giving a real sense of warmth in the boma, but you will still get that feeling of dining outdoors. I will be making sure I'm one of the first to sit down and enjoy a real African feast there. I hope you will be able to join me!

On the animal-front we're all playing the waiting game here at the Centre. Our Mum-to-be Precious has now been moved to her own private quarters away from the rest of the pride while she waits to give birth to her first set of cubs. As you can imagine we're all extremely excited as we count down the days to the big event. Thanks to our camera we'll be keeping you posted as things happen over the next few days. Watch this space …

26th February 2010 - I'VE rescued lion cubs and hand-raised them in my house. I've even taken a lead-free lion for walks with me. But I've never had an opportunity to be present at their birth – until now …  

For thanks to a revolutionary spy cam installed in our on-site maternity ward, I'll be there to see Precious the lioness give birth to her first set of cubs.
 
Precious is 27-months-old and one of the big cats we inherited here at the Centre. She lives on one of our lion islands with Lucky, the tawny male, who is father to her unborn cubs, and our resident white lion pride. And I'm thrilled to say Precious is due to give birth any day now.
 
What's even more exciting for me is that I will be there to support Precious throughout the big event. Nobody ever gets to see a lioness give birth because no-one yet has had the courage to crawl up to a lioness with her young!
 
But thanks to a company called Riso Africa we now have a camera fitted in the roof of our maternity ward which means we can learn more about the birthing process of these big cats and exactly how a lioness raises her cubs in those critical first few weeks.
 
It also gives us the opportunity to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the birth. Unfortunately there can be complications and it's not uncommon for lionesses to abandon their first set of cubs and simply walk away.
 
What we want to see is Precious deliver the cubs safely and raise them as her own on the island without any human intervention. That way these cubs will potentially be released into the wild.
But if there are difficulties it means we can intervene and potentially save their lives. And if she does walk away and abandon them, we will of course take them into hand raise them.
 
Riso Africa donated the camera after they came to visit us at Legend Wildlife & Cultural Centre. They were so impressed with the conservation work we are carrying out that they asked if they could get involved.
I've already moved Precious into the birthing hut so now it's a matter of waiting. It's designed to mimic the birthing process in the wild as normally the lioness will leave the pride in the wild and travel kilometers away to give birth to her cubs. She only returns six to eight weeks later to introduce them to the rest of the pride.
If Precious had the cubs on the island they would be killed by the other males. This way we are giving them every fighting chance to survive.

4th February 2010 - We’ve had a roaring good week here at the Wildlife and Cultural Centre as myself and the other – more fearsome – residents welcomed two new predators into our midst.

Not that the two cuddly balls of white fur who arrived on Wednesday look anything like the deadly big cats they will eventually grow into. These adorable white lion cubs who have taken up residence in Little Mapimpan's old enclosure, not far from the Tea Garden, are already looking quite at home.

All eyes – cats' and human - were on the crate as I arrived back at the centre at 9.30am, having travelled through the night to pick up and bring home our new additions.
 
The cubs are both about 10-weeks-old and a male and a female, although they're not brother and sister. The male was hand-reared and as you'll see from our pictures, he's quite photogenic!
The female is much more feisty, although that's probably because she was partly hand-reared when her mother abandoned her. 

These first few weeks are going to be particularly important as they get used to their new surroundings as well as their handlers. At the moment I'm trying to let them settle in so I'm not allowing them too many visitors at this stage.

 
For myself, I want to have a strong relationship with them so I'll be spending four to five hours a day with them to allow them to get to know me. During that time I go into their cage and I literally wait for them to come to me. That way they don't think I'm a threat.
 
It's the same principle as horse whispering; you wait until the animal is comfortable enough to come to you, not the other way round.
 
Already the male is quite happy to come to me and allow me to stroke him.
The female's still quite skittish, but then she's had little human contact. Saying that, as soon as I sit down on the ground she is quickly more confident because there's less of a height difference between us. I know though that within a couple of weeks she won't be recognisable from the spirited young lady she is now and she'll be much more comfortable around me. I'm secretly hoping that I will be able to take them out for “walks” with me, just like I used to do with Mapimpan before he moved on.
 
The cubs will stay in the enclosure for the next couple of months – and I'm sure we're going to have lots of fun watching them grow - but my plan for them, as with all of our lions, is to eventually return them to the wild. First up we'll introduce the white lion gene into the Big 5 Entabeni Safari Conservancy here, then into the wild.
 
15th January 2010 - Now I've no interest whatsoever in hearing about botox and breast implants but when they told me Legend Wildlife and Cultural Centre was going to receive a face lift I was all ears. No longer will we be all fingers and thumbs as we tackle the electrified gate when we welcome guests into our corner of the resort. Our brand new, eye-catching signage, thatched entrance and remote controlled gate – complete with our own security guard to greet our visitors – is quite the business. We've also got our new prices in place: R40 for adults; R20 for children under 12 and little ones under six years old go free. When you see what our ever expanding centre has got to offer I'm sure you'll agree it's a bargain.

You'll be pleased to hear that the relationship between little Mapimpan and Jessie continues to go from strength to strength as these new house mates get to know each other and become more affectionate with each other. It's been quite a steep learning curve for Mapimpan as he gradually gets to grips with the fact that he's a lion and not a human; remember, until very recently he'd had no contact whatsoever with any other felines. But there's no aggression now between them and Mapimpan is no longer scared of her. Jessie is definitely giving Mapimpan the eye! It will be another 18 months before Mapimpan is sexually mature and ready to breed with Jessie but the signs at this stage are promising and their relationship is definitely blossoming.

December, November, October - It’s been three months of hard toil – but my dream of being able to view and photograph rare animals unhindered by fences has finally been realized. Two of the Predator Centre islands have been completed. 

So, the legendary white lions, and their tawny compatriots have a new home – a five hectare island surrounded by a six-metre deep dry moat and electrified horizontal fencing – basically an enclosure without fences.  
 
Moving the two cheetah to their new home presented some challenges – but I am delighted with their progress and they have responded well to their new environment. We will be monitoring them over the next two or three years to see how they adapt and will ultimately release them into the Entabeni Safari Conservancy.
 
Now, for a heart-warming update on Mapimpan. He has been placed in an enclosure with Jessie, a white lioness, 10 months older than himself. Let me tell you, his first physical interaction with another lion, in the form of a very robust welcome, was a rude awakening, but the two now appear to be getting on famously. With Mapimpan growing every day, the dynamics are sure to take on a different dimension in the coming months!
 
I’m pleased that my dream to have the first self-sustaining white lion breeding den in natural surroundings is taking shape – but I have even bigger plans. I want to start to introduce small cats in the form of Karakul, Serval, African Wild Cat and, if possible, the Black-Footed Cat as well as three more centres in the form of a Reptile, Raptor and Antelope Centre.

July, June - We have sold seven buffalo, but not easy getting them out. Have you ever tried to catch a buffalo? Few people have but it's not the easiest thing in the world and I needed a good sit down and relax with my pipe after that! I even had time for a round of golf or two this month but the swing's not what it used to be. Must get up to play the Extreme 19th as so many people are raving about it everytime I go to the clubhouse.

It won't be long now before our first island is ready to take the lions. That will be a big day for everyone here and we can't wait to see them roaming outside their cage.

Two male cheetah have arrived and are being housed in our wild boma before they are transferred to an island. So there's a great deal to prepare and make sure the animals are safe and secure when they are released.

May - Work continues to on our new entrance and I can't wait to have that finished and ready for the guests who are already desperate to see out white lions, not-so-little Mapimpan and our other rare and endangered species. Still waiting for the permits for the WIld Dogs - one of Africa's most misunderstood creatures. But such a beautiful and wild animal - they are aptly named.

And I think we may have just sold a few of our 50 buffalo to help another resevre and also to help us save some more endangered animals.

 

Little Mapimpan White Lion CubWe've lots to celebrate at the centre this month (April).

Little Mapimpan – which means “little baby” in the old African tongue Shangaan - had a roaring good day as he celebrated his first birthday.

Our innovate lion islands are also almost complete and ready for our big cats to move on to.

He was left for dead at three-days-old after a violent attack by a wild male lion. Fortunately he was spotted lying on the side of a track on our 22,000 hectare Big 5 Entabeni Safari Conservancy by a green keeper after the male attacked his mother and her four young cubs to protect his bloodline.

Mapimpan was very sick when he was brought to me. He was full of wounds. I didn't think he would pull through. I remember the vet saying it would be a miracle if we could get him to take 200ml of milk in the first 24 hours, which is what he needed. 

But he's a survivor. He really wanted to live. He grabbed that bottle and drank 350ml straight down.

At first he lived in my home. His playmate was Lulu, my dachshund dog.

He had a box next to my bed to sleep in. When he thought I was asleep he would climb on to the bed and curl up next to me!

Today he lives alongside our five teenage lions, three of which are orphaned white lions, although I still take him out for walks in the veld. 

I've raised six lions but Mapimpan is special. He literally grew up in my home and, although my aim is to see him living back in the wild, with his own pride, there will always be a bond between us. We will never forget each other.

We're getting ready to move the rest of our young lions from the teenage enclosure to our new lion islands. 

The islands are deep, dry moats dug around an expansive piece of land with a specially designed electric fence constructed on their borders.  

The islands will reduce the lions' sense of captivity and allow to roam without the treat of territorial retribution from the the reserve's current wild pride. 

Mapimpan will move into the teenage enclosures with one of the white lion females. It's my goal to introduce the white lion gene into our Conservancy with Mapimpan's help. We will mate with one of the females to establish a white lion pride.

 

 

 

 

 

Old “One Eyed Jack”, as we call him, now has not one but three girlfriends keeping him company in his private camp.
As you can imagine, he's one blissful buffalo ...
One Eyed Jack has a special place in my heart as he was the first bull we introduced to our Centre to start our disease-free breeding program. However, he lost his No 1 ranking when another male fought him for dominance of the herd and Jack lost.
Now Jack may be one beast of an animal – an adult male can weigh anything between 600 and 800 kg and I think Jack weighs even more than that – but even he didn't have the strength to maintain his dominance. Unfortunately he also lost one eye and one horn in that fight. But remember, buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals there are.
So Jack, who is now more than 10-years-old, has been alone ever since, but we know that buffalo like to be in herds which is why this week we brought in three cows to live with him.
No doubt it won't be long before there's some “little Jacks” running around the veld.
 
New Mum Precious was reunited with the other lions recently while we did a spot of cleaning at the birthing hut.
The problem was, she had so much fun with Lucky, Danny and Penny that we had to bribe her to come back to her cubs!
Precious couldn't get into the main lion island quick enough when we opened that gate. She ran off across the island to join the others and they played together for about 45 minutes while we cleaned and tidied the birthing hut. (And although we didn't touch the cubs because we don't want to interfere with nature, it did give us an opportunity to have a closer look at them!)
When it was time for Precious to return to Motherhood we had to encourage her back to the other side of the fence with a piece of meat. Fortunately that did the trick.
Still, it won't be long now before Precious and her three little cubs join the rest of the island pride …