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How time fliesHow time fliesHow time fliesHow time flies

Almost a year and a half has past since the decision was made to remove the Rhino from the reserve. It was a difficult decision but without a doubt the correct one. The latest reports indicate that over 300 Rhino have already been poached in South Africa this year. 668 rhino lost their lives to poaching in 2012. The warden of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park in Mozambique announced that poachers have wiped out the last known Rhino in Mozambique. At the latest wildlife meeting held in the area, figures of only 3000 Rhino in Kruger were mentioned. A quick calculation can be done to see that the poaching rate far outweighs the possible birth rate and the fears that Kruger National Park faces the possibility of no longer having any Rhino is a massive concern and a very sad thought. The Rhino’s future is looking dismal. Whenever we pass a dried up rhino mid-den our emotions vary between sadness and anger. It would be a wonderful and historic day if all the madness had to stop, and Lissataba could once again have these amazing animals roaming the reserve.

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :

• Vegetation Corner

• Camera Traps

• Security

• Vegetation

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Lissataba Looking Good 1

Monthly safari 2

Maatla Primary 3

Security 4

Easter Fun 7

Security 6

Vegetation Report 7

Classified 8

Y O U R M O N T H L Y S A F A R I

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Barbara Adair (site 2) has been inundated with snakes around her home of late. On the first day, there was a vine snake just outside her window. The following day, a snake entered her bathroom. By the time we came down to remove the creature, it had already left. Barbara’s description sounded like the snake was likely to be a cobra. On the third day, a Brown House Snake was removed from her kitchen area. A Boomslang was removed from the bungalows at the clubhouse and two Mozambique spitting cobras also removed from the clubhouse area. Heron Dam is teaming with life – a large crocodile has been seen on a number of occasions and recently there has been a sighting of a hippo in Heron Dam too. Over the Easter Weekend, Mike Milford and his family (site 54), said they had ‘the sighting of their lives’, as they spent time with 15 giraffe on the old airstrip.

On the 27th March, Donovan noticed a drag mark across the Main Road. He followed the drag mark into the bush and found the carcass of a young zebra foal. A camera trap was placed there and we managed to get some amazing shots of a big male leopard feeding. The male has since been identified as ‘Male 6’, which adds to the Lissataba leopard database.

Bruce and Pippa (site 20) witnessed an incredible site at both Giraffe and Jackalbessie Dams. The electric blue dragon-flies, Swamp Bluets, (pictured) were swarming the dams in their hundreds. Dragonflies and damselflies (Order: Odonata) live a hemime-tabolic life cycle. This is also known as incomplete metamorphosis and so called as there is no pupa stage. The young dragonflies look like miniature replicas of the adults. Dragonflies and damselflies also have a nymphal stage that exploits very different resources and habitat types from the adults. Little is known about the swarming behaviour of dragonflies but it is often attributed to; a mass emergence of nymphs metamorphosing to adults; feed-ing; or breeding. I think the picture shows why these individuals decided to get together.

C o m m u n i t y O u t r e a c h

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Some of the items that get donated from homeowners, such as men’s and women’s clothes and some advanced learning books, may not be suitable to give to Maatla. With this in mind, we have given some donations to a woman called Fia Lööf, who works on the Bavaria fruit farm estate. Fia has helped to set up a ‘Toy Library’ for the children of the farm and deals with all aspects of community involvement and is well connected in this area. What Fia herself cannot make use of, she will pass on to other worthy causes. In particular, some of the clothes will go to Hlokomela, which is a charity working specifically for AIDS/HIV awareness in the Hoed-spruit area. Hlokomela seeks to contribute to the reduction of HIV prevalence and the impact of AIDS among commercial farm workers and their families through an integrated programme of prevention, treatment and care. After talking to Fia about last years painting project at Maatla Primary, Fia was inspired to give the children’s crèche on Bavaria Fruit Farm a face-lift! They are currently looking for donations to help with this — if you can sponsor some paints or help in any way, it will be greatly appreciated. A HUGE thanks for all of the donations made – whether they go to Maatla, Bavaria, our staff, or to Hlokomela, they are going to people less fortunate than ourselves and are always so greatly received. Please keep them coming!

Maatla The students of Maatla Primary have visited Lissataba. An integral part for any child’s learning is to add a practical aspect to the theoretical. With this in mind, each child planted a bean seed and hopefully they will grow before that group visits again. Planting the seeds incorporated the 4 abiotic factors that they had learnt in the lesson – soil, water, air and sun. As the seeds grow, the small plants

can then be used to help explain photosynthesis and the importance of looking after plants. Donations Through the brethren of Corona Lodge (a Masonic Lodge in the district of South Africa North, English Constitution), organized by Bertie and Martie Krone from site 27, a donation of R10, 000 was made to equip Maatla Primary School. The school has now given us a wish list of how they would like the donated money spent which is being managed by Joeleen and Beth. The funds will also be used to make the outside of the school a

more colourful and playful environment. Painting hopscotch’s, a number board and alphabet board are just a few projects we have lined up. Watch this space for when we will be doing this – come and get involved and help us paint! Other donations from homeown-ers include stationery and clothes for the crèche. They have been taken to Maatla Primary and were well received—Thank you. Education Corner Some of the donated stationery has remained at Lissataba, in the new ‘education corner’ of the clubhouse. The aim is to make a colourful learning space for the children from Maatla Primary School when they come to visit. A place where they can have their lessons but also then have a chance to ‘get creative’ and do some colouring and drawing. This space is also available for the children of Lissataba homeowners – a nice space to read, draw and have fun. Gorutha Centre Toy Library With the success of the work done at Maatla Primary School, we have broadened our community involvement horizons.

S E C U R I T Y

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While the past few weeks have been quiet on the security front, one can never totally relax. Sean and the anti-poaching team have been hard at work with the team doing night shifts from 6pm –6am over the full moon period as this is when the main activity seems to take place. During one of the fence patrols the team alerted Sean to some tracks that had entered the reserve. A sweep of the area was done and this resulted in finding 14 freshly set snares just below the shock box in the housing section. The snares were closed as not to catch any animals and an ambush was set up but non of the poachers returned. One of the camera traps were set up on the Lissataba Phuza Moya boundary as Leopard tracks were seen on the road, Beth went out to collect the camera and found it was not there but did however see unfamiliar foot prints on the road. The anti-poaching team responded, the area was searched and another 40 snares were found. On further investigation it looks as if the poachers came from across the river set the snares and on the way out saw the camera and fearing that they had been caught on camera broke the lock and removed it. A few days later a second camera was stolen and evidence was found of how a rock was used to smash the lock of the cable securing the camera to a tree. Tracks of three poachers were found and followed from the cattle grid to the Phuza Moya cut line were the tracks were lost as they entered thick bush. All the reserves in the area are in communication with each other should any security incident occur. Last week I was contacted by the manager from Umhlafumsi (across from the river pump) to inform me that they had had some poaching activity on their reserve as well as reports of a house breaking on the reserve next to theirs. The reserve opposite Phuza Moya recently had two buffalo poached from within the holding camp, four poachers were caught and arrested. If you do see anybody who is not in uniform on the reserve or if you hear any dogs on the reserve please contact the office or reserve cell phone immediately in order for us to respond to the threat.

RAINFALL ON LISSATABARAINFALL ON LISSATABARAINFALL ON LISSATABARAINFALL ON LISSATABA The reserve received some good rainfall. The below averages were recorded compared to 2012. Feb 2012 0.00mm Feb 2013 19.13mm March 2012 22.75mm March 2013 23.75mm April 2012 3.5mm April 2013 94.25mm

Manfred Zitzer (site 17) sadly passed away on the morning of the 19th March 2013. Manfred and Renate have been part of the Lissataba family for many years and Manfred will be missed by many people that had the opportunity of meeting him. To the family and friends of the Zitzer's we wish you all the strength and good thoughts for the time ahead.

A N O T H E R S A D F A R E W E L L

D I R T Y W A T E R

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Dear fellow shareholders, Following one of the reports we gave at our last AGM with regard to the difficulty we are having with the supply of "dirty” water. We now have an even greater problem, in that one of our dirty water storage tanks has ruptured and collapsed as a result of old age. This has caused a lot of headaches in pumping to our dams, and with the supply of dirty water to the few households that have had access to water their gardens. As the management team we have looked at all the possibilities open to us with the limited budget at our disposable to try and continue this service, but regret to inform all shareholders that dirty water can no longer be pumped to houses. We trust and hope you understand and support us in this decision. Kind regards, Mike Milford

Please note when watering your garden with clean water, the litres used will be added to your quarterly water account.

Pretorius Kop has for many years been a special place to enjoy a bush braai or a sundowner on Lissataba. With its stunning views over the bush it has been enjoyed by many owners. During Mike Milford's last visit to the reserve Mike and Margie spent an afternoon varnishing the chairs and made a new table top for the table under the thatch. It is a great improvement. You can now be assured that you will no longer have any spilt drinks at Pretorius Kop. Thank you Mike and Margie.

P R E T O R I U S K O P

F R I D G E S F O R Y O U R S T A F F

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A while back after doing an inspection of the staff village, we noticed the staff fridges desperately needed to be upgraded. An email was circulated asking owners for cash donations or any unused fridges that they might have lying around. Once again in true Lissataba style the response was overwhelming. The plan was to allow two staff members to share a fridge. Due to the overwhelming generosity, each staff member has their own fridge in their rooms. Four brand new fridges were also purchased from the funds received. Thank you for the generous donations it goes along way. We guarantee you, the staff are truly grateful.

There is nothing better than sitting on the deck with a well deserved beverage, listening to the bush sounds, waiting for the Hippo or Hyaena calls welcoming you back to Lissataba when all you can hear is the annoying “Tzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” of mosquitoes around you. The Mozzie Trap really does the job. We tested it and the next morning found 36 mosquitoes inside the unit. The Mozzie Trap can be purchased from the office. For more info please contact the office.

P E A C E F U L L N I G H T S A T L A S T

As usual, the Easter weekend was busy on the farm, with 24 houses occupied. The annual 15km cycle ride had a record turn out of 21 riders. The route was beautiful, going past Koppie Dam, Giraffe Dam and Jackal-bessie Dam. The route incorporated parts of the Hippo Trail. A big thank you to Gary and Sean from site 42 for marking out the route. In first place, with a fantastic

time of 43 minutes and 13 seconds, was Sean from site 42. In second and third place were Garry Mitchell from site 42 (46m58s) and Shawn van der Meulen from site 21 (59m35s) respectively. Once the main competitors crossed the finish line, it was great to see so many people wait for the rest of the riders to come through and wish them well. Especially to congratulate two young girls, aged 5, from site 22, who finished the ride – what a great feat!

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E a s t e r F u n & G a m e s

The Hippo Trail Walk also had a good turn out. Many people took the opportunity to learn more about the bush as they went, picking up a copy of the new educational pamphlet from the office before the walk. The treasure hunt went well, with the children frantically searching for clues along the walk in order to get their prize at the end. The educational walk and the treasure hunt are here to stay, so if you missed the Easter weekend and are keen to do the trail, just drop into the office for more information on your next visit.

The Kids Corner was also a great success. Although we only had a few children join in, a lot of fun was had. The children had a chance to get creative by painting eggs, colouring and drawing. Once all hands, t-shirts (and some faces) were successfully covered in paint, the kids enjoyed playing in the sand by the pool – digging holes and generally just getting dirtier. All evidence of dirt and paint was then washed off with a dip in the pool, just in time to be sent back to Mom and Dad.

Every year Lissataba and Phuza Moya have a vegetation survey carried out across both reserves. These surveys play an important role in assisting us to make decisions as to what game needs to be removed or added if required, which areas need to be focused on for rehabilitation and the general condition of the veld. The survey takes into consideration the game count from previous years and gives us an indication of the various feeding classes and on which classes we need to concentrate. The feeding classes are broken up into the following categories: Low selective grazers (Bush pig, Hippo, White rhino and Zebra) High selective grazers (Blue Wildebeest, Waterbuck) Mixed feeders (Eland, Impala, Nyala, Warthog) Browsers (Bushbuck, Grey duiker, Giraffe, Steenbok, Kudu) The suggested stocking ratio for the feeding classes are: Low selective grazers 25% at present we are at 16% High selective grazers 30% at present we are at 24% Mixed feeders 25% at present we are at 32% Browsers 20% at present we are at 29% The decline in percentage in the Low selective grazers is due to the removal of the Rhino and it has there-fore been decided not to remove any Zebra this year in order to let their numbers increase and assist with getting the required percentage. The mixed feeders are above average and this year a number of Impala will be removed to assist in this class as well as a number of Waterbuck as the number far out number the wildebeest in the same class. The veld condition has also shown steady improvement across both reserves aver the past three years with the following percentages being recorded Phuza Moya 2011— 20.17% 2012— 19.84% 2013– 24.99% Lissataba 2011— 30% 2012— 39.1% 2013— 51.44%

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V E G E T A T I O N C O R N E R

B U S H T H I N N I N G P R O J E C T

The bush thinning project is well underway and although it is a very slow process the results can been seen immediately. Not only are we opening up areas that have bush encroachment but we are also supplying the surplus wood to the ladies from the local community who are doing the work. In the areas that have been cut there is slight re-growth and this will again be cut and sprayed with herbicide. Some of the excess wood is kept by the reserve and cut up into fire wood that is for sale to home owners at R470-00 per bakkie load delivered to you house. The below map indicates the proposed areas to be thinned over the next 5 years. The yellow borders indicate the areas to be cleared. The whites borders indicate the areas which have been thinned to date.

The Giraffe population on Lissataba and Phuza Moya to date has never been studied or monitored on any basis. As Giraffe do not form established herds but rather have temporary associations determining population size, identifying individuals based on herds is not possible. Due to the above a photographic data base determining individuals will be established. This will involve a point and shoot method of data collection which will be conducted by photographing individuals while identifying unique spot patterns on their necks as well as recording their location and overall condition. Our goal is to gather data on giraffe numbers, sex, birth rate and determine which areas within Lissataba and Phuza Moya are the most important for the giraffe and ensure these areas are protected. The data will be mapped and recorded onto individual profile data sheets providing us with an invaluable framework for future giraffe research and management. This is a non-invasive and inexpensive project which does not require further training in any field. All that is needed is a vehicle, camera and a computer. DATA COLLECTION PROCESS:DATA COLLECTION PROCESS:DATA COLLECTION PROCESS:DATA COLLECTION PROCESS: The giraffe to be photographed on the left hand side including stomach and neck. Information: date, time, and location to be recorded onto a data sheet while in the field. CONCLUSION:CONCLUSION:CONCLUSION:CONCLUSION: This project will allow for management to track and document the movements, births and mortality rates of our giraffe population. Thus helping us determine population trends and allowing for informed management decisions to be taken to better manage the species as well as the surrounding habitat on the two reserves. It will also assist in bettering future conservation efforts as well as any future research based on the two reserves which may involve giraffe and their preferred habitat.

GET INVOLVED:GET INVOLVED:GET INVOLVED:GET INVOLVED: Get involved with the project by sending your photos of the left side of animals to the office – please try and note the sex of the animal, location seen and number of individuals in the group. It is amazing to see differences between individuals, when you really begin to look. The different size and shapes of the patches on each individual are like a human fingerprint. We look forward to receiving your photos.

REFERENCES:REFERENCES:REFERENCES:REFERENCES:

Wild Nature Institute

www.wildnatureinstitute.org

Giraffe conservation foundation

www.giraffeconservation.org

Monique Rossi

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E X C I T I N G N E W P R O J E C T — G I R A F F E I . D .

SITES FOR SALESITES FOR SALESITES FOR SALESITES FOR SALE

Site 1 Open Site Site 19 Open Site Site 20 Share for sale Site 25 Built site Site 26 Built Site Site 31 Built Site Site 34 Open site Site 43 Built Site

C L A S S I F I E D S

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LISSATABA IN THE 21ST CENTURYLISSATABA IN THE 21ST CENTURYLISSATABA IN THE 21ST CENTURYLISSATABA IN THE 21ST CENTURY We have started a Lissataba Face book page, which aims to update homeowners with the latest goings-on on the reserve, including photos and sightings.

To keep updated, search for ‘Lissataba Private Game Reserve’ in the search bar on Face book and ‘Like’ the page.

Site 31 Site 31 Site 31 Site 31 has a Toyota Hilux game viewer for sale, extra large body good running condition, R35000-00. They also have a Land rover game viewer for sale.

Best regards, Donovan, Joeleen Best regards, Donovan, Joeleen Best regards, Donovan, Joeleen Best regards, Donovan, Joeleen and teamand teamand teamand team

BUSH WALKS AND SURVIVAL NIGHTBUSH WALKS AND SURVIVAL NIGHTBUSH WALKS AND SURVIVAL NIGHTBUSH WALKS AND SURVIVAL NIGHT Fancy something different on your next Lissataba visit? Join Beth for an educational bush walk and learn about the ins and outs about the bush. Or try out our survival night. An afternoon walk followed by a night sleeping under the stars. We will learn about survival techniques and bush knowledge as we try to use bush resources where possible. Contact the office for more information or to book for your next visit.

CONTRACTORS and VISITORSCONTRACTORS and VISITORSCONTRACTORS and VISITORSCONTRACTORS and VISITORS

Please remember to inform the office, should you be expecting contractors or visi-tors to come onto the reserve. For security reasons, we cannot let anyone onto the property without prior permission from an owner. By being notified in advance, we can authorize entry immediately and not keep contractors or visitors waiting at the gate whilst we call an owner for permission.

AGMAGMAGMAGM————15 JUNE 2013 15 JUNE 2013 15 JUNE 2013 15 JUNE 2013

“ If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a great chance of “ If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a great chance of “ If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a great chance of “ If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a great chance of being a prophet” Isaac Bashevis Singerbeing a prophet” Isaac Bashevis Singerbeing a prophet” Isaac Bashevis Singerbeing a prophet” Isaac Bashevis Singer