Gallery - Askari

Askari Gallery

The team working on killing off some alien plant '

The team working on killing off some alien plant 'Prickly pears' this morning

When the journey to sleep out gets delayed! Many o

When the journey to sleep out gets delayed! Many of you will recognise where we were for this sighting

Some fantastic female cheetah sightings this week.

Some fantastic female cheetah sightings this week. Starting with female 'Rae' in buffalo camp who we found with an impala kill and then a different female in the open system who we watched doing some scent marking. Thanks Julie for the photo

The team had the most incredible visit to the Krug

The team had the most incredible visit to the Kruger National Park this week....almost too much to mention in one post! From wild dog to spotted hyaena, elephants and buffaloes to Brown-headed parrots, Kori bustards, Saddle-billed stork AND Giant eagle-owl chicks! Simply unbeatable

Plenty of lion sightings at the moment. We don't h

Plenty of lion sightings at the moment. We don't have to go far to find one... the end of the driveway will do

An excellent haul of old farming wire collected fr

An excellent haul of old farming wire collected from Pidwa east this week. Great work team 🤗

Yesterday was a great day for our cheetahs.... not

Yesterday was a great day for our cheetahs.... not so good if you were an impala though! Both Luca and Rae made an impala kill for themselves for breakfast. Thank you @belgiantraveler for the fantastic photo

Yesterday started with a successful morning river

Yesterday started with a successful morning river walk to tackle alien 'Mimosa' plants. Later in the day, this lioness watched on as we drove back and forward across the 4x4 course 🤣🤣. On the way home we had to deal with the traffic jam that was 4 more lions blocking the road!

This week the team enjoyed a fantastic cruise aboa

This week the team enjoyed a fantastic cruise aboard 'Kambaku' along the Olifants River. A beautiful morning filled with birds, crocodiles, hippo and this incredible elephant sighting

🐆Cheetah update🐆 📸@eds_wildlife_photogra

🐆Cheetah update🐆

📸@eds_wildlife_photography

Today is female cheetah Rae’s 3rd birthday! And so we thought it was the perfect time for a long over-due cheetah update. This photo depicts a VERY exciting scene, female cheetah Rae and male cheetah Luca are sitting together! It has been a long, long road with many challenges along the way, but this is the most exciting development that we could hope for since introducing 4 captive-bred cheetah onto Pidwa 1 year ago.

Starting with the males, we are very sad to share the news that unfortunately it is only Luca still with us. Shortly after a recent duiker meal, we noticed that Rocco was looking a bit weak and walking with a bit of a wobble. We immediately called the vet who darted him and found a large hole within his gum. It is thought to have been made by either a piece of horn or bone getting stuck. Despite operating and treating the wound, sadly Rocco did not survive. While this was a devastating outcome, we, and the team from ‘Running wild’ are so glad that he had the opportunity to live a wild life until the end.

Meanwhile, female Rumi found herself on a neighbouring property and, after a case of mistaken identity, was unknowingly relocated to a different reserve. To avoid the same situation for sister Rae, we took the decision to move her to our Buffalo camp.

Just a few weeks later the team arrived, during a routine monitoring session, to find this amazing scene…..Rae and Luca together! Both cats were very relaxed with no sign of aggression. This was fantastic news as meetings can often result in aggression, with males sometimes even killing females. The lack of aggression from Rae may also mean she was receptive to Luca’s interest. Female cheetah won’t fall pregnant until 3 years old; and successfully raising a litter may even require them being closer to 4 years. So, although it is very early days, this is a fantastic start and the coming weeks and months will be such an interesting time. Both Luca and Rae are really living the wild life now. Sustaining themselves with kills and with the opportunity to mate and contribute to the next generation of wild cheetah. Watch this space

A fantastic afternoon for both the team and birds

A fantastic afternoon for both the team and birds of prey yesterday. Our African hawk eagle nest has hatched a chick! And we also spotted a pale morph Wahlbergs eagle. This was just a few metres from the known nest which has been used the past few years so we believe it to be the same individual. Welcome back 🤗, it's great to have you. In between all our bird spotting, the team soaked up some wilderness views

A beautiful 'Purple crested turaco' capture

A beautiful 'Purple crested turaco' capture

This morning it was the male lions we found. This

This morning it was the male lions we found. This boy and one other are the new kids on the block

📸 @belgiantraveler It's been an incredible star

📸 @belgiantraveler
It's been an incredible start for our new team. The Askari pride were just up the road to welcome them on their first drive 🦁. Lions just happen to be easier to photograph than the brown hyaena and honey badgers also seen! Thanks for the fantastic photo Nathan

The sun is up and we are so excited to collect our

The sun is up and we are so excited to collect our new team of volunteers today #askariwcp

#worldelephantday

#worldelephantday

#worldlionday

So many fantastic sightings of the Askari pride re

So many fantastic sightings of the Askari pride recently

Early mornings are always very exciting here at As

Early mornings are always very exciting here at Askari but theres’ only been a few that has started out with this much excitement and adrenaline as experienced by this month’s volunteer group.

In this video you can see the action that was sparked when the Askari pride consisting of 9 individuals (8 females & 1 young male) met two larger male strangers from a different pride. The action started the evening before when the two new males made a kudu kill in the Askari Pride territory right on Askari camps doorstep. The two older males were met by the Askari pride first thing yesterday morning while still feeding. Our team was lucky enough to have already been in place outside the gate to catch all the action.

The older males can be heard and seen giving a fair warning forcing the Askari pride to back off…

After a lot of growling and back and forth without the Askari pride moving away the two larger males decided to leave the remainder of their kill, tuck their tales and make a run for it.

The Askari pride followed close behind and forced the two males Southward, which is where we lost sight of them and continued following the Askari pride back to the house where they finished off what was still left of the kudu.

The extremely powerful noises during the interaction left most of us speechless and was a first for all…

📷 @audthebelge WOW 🤩 thank you so much to o

📷 @audthebelge
WOW 🤩 thank you so much to our awesome volunteer and photographer Audrey Fanjoy for sharing this incredible photo of the Askari pride during her stay last month. They sure look like one formidable force!! Simply stunning. Keen for more? Check out http://www.audfanjoyphotography.com

Our current Askari team has had a busy orientation

Our current Askari team has had a busy orientation week consisting of a few lectures and introduction to different aspects of the bush.

Other activities consisted of cleaning our nyala breeding camps, killing alien plant species and learning more about fences and the role they play in animal management. We also had the opportunity to visit the very educational Timbavati museum where we got a closer look at many of the species we come across on a daily basis.

Depending on where you are in their distribution r

Depending on where you are in their distribution range, Aardvark may be one of the most illusive animals in the bushveld. The Askari group “Baby Bush Squad” managed to place their camera trap in the exact place where this aardvark passed a few minutes before midnight.

These secretive animals are amongst the top predators of termites and ants and may consume as many as 50 000 in one evening. They do this through digging and making use of their extremely adaptable 30cm tongue. Their very large and hard nails are their greatest defense and when threatened they’ll flee and dig a hole that is big enough to hide their 65kg body in, in a matter of minutes.

They are considered one of the fastest digging animals in the world and there is a story of 32 men with shovels trying to unearth an aardvark with no success as they didn’t even get close.

This video was the closest many of us has come to them but great to know that they are around while we’re fast asleep.

Last week the team worked with Dr Pete Rogers and

Last week the team worked with Dr Pete Rogers and breeding manager Andrew to move some Sable antelope and treat an injured buffalo.

17 sable were darted and removed from the breeding camps and taken to Langa langa. There they were placed in the boma to settle and by the next morning had already met the 8 on the outside who we hope will show them the ropes.

The buffalo had suffered puncture wounds in his rump caused by the horn of another buffalo. The wound was cleaned and maggots removed and antibiotics administered.

The Askari team was lucky enough to encounter 3 of

The Askari team was lucky enough to encounter 3 of the big 5 (elephant, leopard and buffalo) during our Olifants boat cruise yesterday morning. We were just as fortunate to encounter many other rare and not so frequently seen species. Amongst them was the very special White-back night heron, African python, two incredibly colorful water monitors and a Nile Crocodile so close it slid underneath our boat.

There was a first for many and we were happy to call this one of our more successful town trips yet.

📷@audthebelge A perfect photo from one of our

📷@audthebelge
A perfect photo from one of our very own photographers, Audrey Fanjoy. She captured this Burchell's zebra on the move while on a herbivore monitoring drive.

While out on a monitoring drive checking up on che

While out on a monitoring drive checking up on cheetah sisters Rumi and Rae the Askari team was lucky enough to encounter the Askari pride on the move.

Currently in charge of the Northern territory is the Askari pride consisting of 2 adult females and their younger offspring consisting of 1 male and 6 females. As the pride currently moves around without any adult males, tensions are high to see which of the more dominant Southern males will move North to try and claim a new pride.
#askariwcp

Video credit: Audrey Fanjoy

The cold, dry winter days with minimal rain produc

The cold, dry winter days with minimal rain produces the near perfect substrate for tracking animals moving at all different hours of both day and night.
Over the last few weeks many interesting tracks and signs have been found and here you can see our current volunteer group setting up different camera traps in the hopes of catching a few of these elusive animals in their tracks...
Stay tuned to see what we capture. #askariwcp

Monday morning and it has already been a fantastic

Monday morning and it has already been a fantastic start to the week for our female cheetah and the best news following their release last week. Breeding manager Andrew has found both girls this morning and sent some photos through, each one has their own kill! They actually already split up on day 1 of release but this is not a surprise as females are solitary and they are well past the independence age.

Rumi has a duiker breakfast which is actually her 1st ever confirmed SOLO kill. Rae went a little bigger and has a kudu...her 2nd confirmed kudu kill! Awesome work girls 💪🏻😍

It was a big day for our cheetah today, both boys

It was a big day for our cheetah today, both boys and girls! All have had their challenges since release last year, but with a helping hand and plenty of determination we are ready to try again. Both sets of cats have been back in a holding boma and were released to the wild again this morning. Although it feels a little like we're back at the start, we have learnt so much....as have the cheetah! Fingers crossed for round 2.

Males Rocco & Luca have been treated for a fungal skin infection. It is thought that the wet and humid conditions of the season exacerbated the fungus which is underlying in all cheetah but surfaces if they fall under stress or become immuno-suppressed. A few months of antibiotics and skin baths have seen them through their treatment and their skin has healed nicely.

Female 'Rumi' also suffered an unusual problem, and needed an operation to remove a huge mass of hair from her stomach. When the river flooded, and we couldn't reach her to help with feeding, it seems like she may have scavenged to survive. This led to a hair build up and blockage which had to be removed surgically. Although 'Rae' has remained wild this whole time, we have rejoined her with sister Rumi for the re-release.

A few months later and today, the team released everyone into the wild again. We will now spend time monitoring them and keep you posted with their progress

An old memory today from many years ago at Askari

An old memory today from many years ago at Askari when we were re-wilding 'Safiya' the caracal and she scared this elephant into charging at us on one of our bush walks! Maybe there's some truth to the saying that elephants are afraid of mice!

Askari is back in action and getting our hands dir

Askari is back in action and getting our hands dirty once again...
Here you can see our current volunteer Emmanuelle having the wonderful opportunity of joining the Askari team as we reunite our two cheetah sisters (Rumi and Rae) after an almost 2 month separation. As many of you might already know Rumi returned to the cheetah boma on Langa after her operation and recovery time while her sister remained on the reserve and seemed to have had some trouble of her own without her sister.
Both cheetah girls are looking great and working towards full strength before their release back into the Langa open system in a few days time. #askariwcp

When we're fast asleep.....and the bush comes to l

When we're fast asleep.....and the bush comes to life! Some camera trap captures

A very Happy Mother's Day from our pride to yours

A very Happy Mother's Day from our pride to yours ❤

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