Nature’s paintbrush!

Did nature just run out of paint or is there more too these fascinating spotted or white animals we encounter in nature?

Of late I have encountered some fascinating specimens of rarity, more notably in Uganda while on safari. I updated you on the case of the “pink hippo” that we encountered at Chobe Safari lodge….and yes Uganda also has a Chobe; I didn't lose my way and ended up in Botswana. The Uganda version is one of those must see places, especially if you wanted to photograph the rare Rothschild giraffe as the park is home to the remaining 70% of this rare subspecies. 

 Rothschild giraffe outside Chobe Safari lodge in Uganda by John Gibbons

This Chobe lodge is located in Murchison falls national park in Uganda along the Frothing river Nile, and was named after the area. In the local lingo Chobe refers to place without men, referring to old tribal wars that took the men from the area in days long gone. Marasa Africa rebuilt the lodge two years ago once Joseph Kony and his lords residence army was pushed out of the area and Uganda, making this unspoiled area accessible to tourism again. 

While visiting the lodge, we stumbled onto a hippo that was covered in white spots, making it appear pinkish and I was intrigued to hear from the local guides that is was not an isolated case in the park and that they have seen completely pink coloured hippos. This obviously got my attention and I tucked this little titbit away as we proceeded with the trip, determined to find out more.

 Photo - Spotted pink hippo in front of Chobe Safari lodge by Kim Allen

On a Safari to Queen Elizabeth national park in the weeks that followed we took clients on a water Safari down the Kazinga channel.  As we approached a bachelor herd of buffalo on the banks of the channel I noticed that it was a combination of both forest and Cape buffalo, which was new to me in itself. But even more peculiar was the very evident white stripe down the front of the one males face.

Photo - Both forest and cape buffalo found lazing together on the banks of the Kazinga Channel by Corne Schalkwyk.  

That was my first encounter with this buffalo bull, that I now know has been spotted in the area before by guides and the locals estimate that they first noticed him some five years before as a young calf.

On my return to the lodge, I sent some photos off to both Lex Hes and Anton Lategan of EcoTraining in the hopes that my old employers and mentors could shed some light on the curious case of the white faced buffalo.

 Photo - Curious case of the white faced buffalo by Corne Schalkwyk

In the weeks that followed I got some feedback from guides and EcoTraining on abnormalities and colour variations in wild animals. This also opened the door to discussions around possible inbreeding or interbreeding of wild animals and even domestic animals, as Uganda doesn’t have fences surrounding their national parks.

Not only did I learn a lot, it actually made me feel at home in Uganda as this was a normal part our office life at EcoTraining and to be truthful, something I missed in Uganda.

Genetic abnormalities are present in all wildlife. Even birds have white spots that appear to be a linked to albinism or leucism.  This is due to the fact that every animal, from cockroaches to apes makes melanin and can have albinism. Such animals normally fare poorly in the wild and don’t always survive long enough for us to enjoy or see them in the wild, but the occurrence of albinism runs the gamut across the animal kingdom.

Their rate of survival is virtually zero. Predators easily pick them out of a group. Families and social groups can exclude them because to every other member, they look foreign. The specimens we normally see are in captivity as their survival rate increases significantly in captivity.  When it comes to mating, some species fare better than others. The albino peacock attracts females just fine.

 "Pink Hippo" spotted on Safari at Paraa Safari lodge - Photo by Penny Boyd

Albinism derived from the word “white “is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence of the copper-containing enzyme involved in the production of melanin.

While speaking to my friends and co-workers at Marasa Africa and Premier Safaris in Uganda it became apparent that there has been some ongoing sightings of “Pink Hippo’s” in Uganda, Maanan even sent me this amazing photo taken by Penny Boyd of a completely pink hippo that they spotted on a game drive close to Paraa Safari lodge in Murchison falls national park in Uganda prior to me joining the team at Marasa.

The hippo we spotted at Chobe wasn’t an albino as it had dark eyes and some pigmented spots on its body. Therefore it is most likely that this is an example of a leucistic hippo.

 Photo - Another example from Lex Hes - Lex took this photo of a young Impala in South Africa 

 “Leucism is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals and humans. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.” Different to most cases of albinism, leucistic animals generally retain some essence of their normal pigmentation. A partial expression of leucism can be exhibited in the form of an animal having spotted or piebald appearance. The skin appears pink; its coat or fur colour may vary from blond to beige to pure white. Uganda has some great examples of this as the photos have shown.

Leucistic and albino animals are also easily spotted by predators which greatly reduces their chances of survival. Fortunately, hippos are too big for most predators, and this is probably why we spot more of these examples of nature’s sometimes wondering brush.

Given the millions of different shades of colour that we see in nature, it’s no wonder that, once in a while, nature might simply run out of paint. Perhaps this is why pure-white or patched coloured animals leave such a strong impression on us. Some of them look like ghostly spirit animals, especially if encountered at night. Others, like albino whales or apes, are lonely one-in-a-million albinos with striking, unexpected appearances.

As a keen wildlife photographer, it is always exciting to photograph something a little bit different, or out of the ordinary and Uganda delivered on the unusual.

Whether you find them strange, beautiful, abnormal or freakish, I hope you enjoyed this update of Uganda sightings that nature…..just forgot to colour in its normal way.

By Corne Schalkwyk

Photo Credits: Penny Boyd, Lex Hes of EcoTraining, Kim Allen of Chobe Safari lodge, Corne Schalkwyk and John Gibbons 

If you would like some more information related to the update above or Uganda in general please see information below:

Travel to Uganda with Premier Safaris, visit their website at www.premiersafaris.com or contact reservations@premiersafaris.com .

Premier have a great upcoming photographic Safari with Albie Venter (also from EcoTraining) in June called the "Pearl of Africa" Photographic Safari to Uganda – http://www.premiersafaris.com/itineraries/%E2%80%9Cpearl-africa%E2%80%9D-photographic-trip

To learn about the Marasa Africa lodges in Uganda and Kenya, Including Mweya, Paraa and Chobe safari lodges mentioned above visit their website at www.marasa.net

EcoTraining - Nature Guide Training – Reconnecting you to the natural world through educational, exciting and life-changing wilderness experiences - www.ecoTraining.co.za

Also read the original update on the blog: http://travelcorne.blogspot.com/

White Buffalo calf in Kruger - http://blog.africageographic.com/africa-geographic-blog/wildlife/wildlife-and-nature/white-buffalo-calves-in-kruger-area/

Tip for the day - #Wildlifewednesday 

Take a holiday, and travel to the wild as fascinating experiences awaits you. You can always make more money but our untouched wilderness and exploration is fast slipping out of our grasp. 

Lake hopping in Uganda

Encounter the Crater lakes of Uganda 

Uganda can easily be called the “land of lakes” as almost a third of this microcosm of Africa is covered by water. For the water lovers amongst you, this destination in East Africa is pure bliss.

Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, dominates the southern border of the country while Lakes Edward and Albert lie to the west but it doesn't end there.  Other lakes and more spectacularly the crater lakes are dotted around Uganda like the pearls in its spectacular necklace.

A great adventure awaits the traveller to its waters, from white water rafting, which has caught on as a popular tourist activity, especially on the River Nile to boat Safaris and river cruises. One can also try your hand at bungee jumping into the waters of the Nile below. Other popular activities include sport fishing safaris and sailing.

I decided to provide a glimpse into some of these spectacular “pearls”, and went for my favourites the lesser known crater lakes.

These crater lakes are large holes in the ground or a surface caused by an explosion/volcanic eruption.  Lakes located in dormant or extinct volcanoes tend to have fresh water, and the water clarity in such lakes can be exceptional due to the lack of in-flowing streams and sediment.

Several extinct volcanoes of a specifically violent type called the ‘explosion craters’ are found within western Uganda.

 Photo from National Geographic - Queen Elizabeth Crater lakes 

Most of these crater lakes are located in the Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, edged by some of the highest mountains in Africa, including the beautiful Rwenzori mountain chain in Uganda,  the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda and Mitumba Mountains in Eastern Congo (DRC), west of lake Tanganyika.

Personally I prefer to head straight for Queen Elizabeth national park that hosts 5 crater lakes amongst its incredible varied biomes. (Visit Mweya Safari lodge – www.marasa.net) 

Some of my favourite crater Lakes in Uganda.

Lake Bunyonyi

Or also called  “lake of many little birds", is located about 13 kilometres away from Kabale town. This bilharzia free lake, is great for swimming and makes a popular day trip from Kabale. Its also the second deepest lake in Africa at around 900 m deep. The lake is dotted by lots of small islands (29 of them) that gives it a magical almost fairy-tale like feel.

The setting sun painting lake Bunyonyi's waters red in between a myriad of tiny islands Photo Credit Luis Azoy 

Lake Katwe   

This one is a salt lake in Queen Elizabeth national park on route to Mweya Safari lodge. The lake is known throughout Uganda as an area of salt production and indeed has been producing high-quality salt for many years. The first written reports of salt production on Lake Katwe came from first European explorers to Uganda - John Speke in 1863 and Grant James in 1864, who described the product as perfectly pure in colour and state.

More importantly for the tourist visiting Uganda, it’s also known for the flamingos that visit during their migration.

Photo credit:  Evaporation fields, Katwe Salt Lake, Queen Elizabeth NP /Photo Credit: Joshua Wiese

Lake Nkuruba

Lake Nkuruba offers the perfect base to indulge in chimp trekking in the nearby Kibale National Park or to explore one of the world's densest concentrations of volcanic crater lakes. Or for those looking for a few nights rest away from it all. This is a great spot for swimming or for those wanting to spot red tailed monkeys or black and white colobus monkeys that are known to run around the lawns in a very surprising laid back manner.

Photo Credit- Crater Lake, Nkuruba. Photo Credit Shanidov

Lake Kyaninga

Set against a stunning backdrop of the legendary Mountains of the Moon is Kyaninga, or as I refer to it the peaceful lake. For accommodation and plenty of great hikes around the area, you can always book in at the upmarket Kyaninga lodge.

When Englishman Steve Williams first saw the lake on his way to visit the gorillas, there was nothing there aside from unspoilt natural beauty and breath-taking vistas. There aren’t many people who could stand on the rim of an ancient crater lake thousands of miles from home, and have the vision to imagine building a luxury lodge entirely out of timber on that very spot. www.kyaningalodge.com

 Photo credit - Rose & Fitzgerald dairy - also see website link at the end.

Lake Nyinambuga

Situated South of Lake Nkuruba, Lake Nyinambuga is a crater lake and is located in Kabarole District, Western Region, Uganda. The estimate terrain elevation above sea level is 1389 metres

The comfortable and luxurious Ndali Lodge is set on a narrow ridge overlooking this aquamarine coloured lake a 100 metres below. The lodge has stunning all-round views of the mountains to the west, the Rift Valley lakes to the south and the crater lakes to the east and north. www.ndalilodge.com

Lake Nyamusingire

 View from Ndali lodge over Lake Nyinambuga/Photo Credit: Safari-Partners

Lake Nyamusigire

Also commonly written as “Nyamusingiri” is Uganda’s largest crater lake. The lake is situated on the edge of Maramagambo Forest south of Queen Elizabeth National Park. 

Whimsical black-and-white colobus monkeys play in the trees around Jacana Lodge, and baboons are never far away. You can also arrange trails and boat rides with the lodge.

Photo Credit - Sunset over Nyamusigire by Mike Gadd

Photo credit - Jacana-lodge-lake-view

Lake Nyabikere

Lake Nyabikere, which means “LAKE OF FROGS”, is only 13km from Fort Portal on Kamwenge Road, and just 100m off the main road at the edge of Kibale Forest National Park. Swimming is possible. Boat trips on the lake can be organized with local fishermen.

A fisherman on a reed float at Lake Nyabikere/Photo Credit: Rebecca Genevive

Lake Nkugute

This mysterious lake shrouded in myth is located along Mbarara-Kasese highway within the newly-created Rubirizi District, Bunyarugu County. Nkugute which means “swallow” is believed to have been formed 12,000 years. This is evidenced by the existence of hot springs. Much talk about the myth that the lake used to swallow children every year…..as the story goes it would be one boy and one girl every year.

Why head for Queen Elisabeth national park?

If you are interested in water Safaris and crater lakes it’s an ideal spot to include game drives as part of your lake exploration. One of the best spots to use as a home base within the national park is Mweya Safari lodge one of the Marasa Africa properties in Uganda. (www.marasa.net )

The lodge overlooks the Kazinga Channel that links lake Edward with Lake George and it has the greatest density of hippos in Africa, not to mention plentiful crocodile, elephants and water birds.

Queen Elizabeth Park is renowned for its variety of big game and plains wildlife such as buffalo, warthog, leopard and lion. Antelope abound, too, including Ugandan kob, defassa, waterbuck and bushbuck. This park is also fantastic for birding and butterfly viewing. Hardy adventurers can make the 10-mile trek into Kyambura Gorge to see chimpanzees and red-tailed monkeys.

 For more information on Uganda national parks as well as package tours to Uganda and Rwanda contact Premier Safaris at reservations@premiersafaris.com or visit their website at www.premiersafaris.com 

Map of Uganda lakes 

Also read - http://www.roseandfitzgerald.com/travel-diaries-kyaninga-lodge-in-fort-portal-uganda-2/

Marasa Africa Lodges in Uganda and Kenya including Mweya Safari lodge featured here - www.marasa.net 

The Acrobats of the undergrowth “Mousebirds”

In the field, mousebirds are fascinating and entertaining birds to observe, and the more so when we consider that these enigmatic African birds are the sole survivors of a diverse and puzzling lineage.

Mousebird, common name for a family of small birds found only in Africa. The mousebird lives in open woodland and bushy country south of the Sahara.

Mousebirds (order Coliiformes) are one of those puzzling birds for birders in the field. They do not look or act much like any other birds. The mousebirds are a small group of (possibly near passerine) birds, which have no known close affinities to other groups, though might be close to trogons and owls.

They are arboreal and scurry through the leaves much like rodents, in search of berries, fruit and buds. This habit, and their legs, gives rise to the group's English name “mousebirds”. It is a ground bird capable of moving quickly through thick foliage or along the ground by running or hopping.

Mousebirds are social fruit-eaters that acrobatically dangle precariously at odd angles in tight clumps, feet spread wide and long tails often splayed. The six living species are all found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus) is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common.

 In early morning and late afternoon they are often to be found sunning themselves, sitting with their legs well apart and bellies exposed to the sun.

Interested in Birding in East Africa - Contact the experts www.premiersafaris.com 

Photos by C.T Schalkwyk as part of a Premier Safaris Birding Trip in Kenya 

Accommodation at the Aberdares country club and "the Ark" - www.marasa.net or contact Premier Safaris at reservations@premiersafaris.com for full package tours to Kenya or Uganda. 

Meet the sheriff

We tend to concentrate on the big and harries, and forget about the smaller reptiles and birds.

Today I wanted to write about birds and decided to go right for the big boy, the sheriff amongst birds so to speak. This bird is bound to get even the non-birders attention. The Martial Eagle, the largest eagle in Africa and one of the most impressive birds to encounter while on safari.

They are the largest of the African eagles and incredibly powerful, capable of knocking an adult man off his feet. They reputedly have enough power in one foot to break a man's arm. The largest eagle in Africa and one of the largest in the world, the Martial eagle weighs in at almost 6.5 Kg. The upperparts are dark brown with a white belly with black streaks; the legs are white and have very large talons. The immature bird looks quite different from the adult. The adult eagle has a body length of between 78 and 86 cms , a wingspan between 1.9 and 2.6 m

In some areas birds form an important part of the diet, including guineafowl, francolins, bustards, and poultry. Birds as large as a European Stork are recorded to have fallen prey to the Martial Eagle.

Martial Eagles feed on gamebirds, hares, hyraxes, small antelopes, monitor lizards and other medium sized vertebrates. Nests are built invariably in trees, high above ground, but often in the largest tree in the area, growing on a steep hillside or in a gorge, where the bird has a clear sweep off the nest. Martial Eagles form monogamous pairs and they usually mate for life. Pairs tend to breed once every two years and the breeding season correlates with the dry season across their geographic range. Females lay 1 - 2 eggs and incubation takes approximately 45 - 50 days. Between 90 and 100 days after hatching the youngsters are ready to fledge.

They prefer uninhabited stretches of thornbush and savannah found over much of Africa, occurring also in open plains and semi-desert country. It spends much of its time on the wing, and is usually seen soaring about hill slopes, often at a very great height rendering it almost invisible to the naked eye. Early in the morning before it takes to the wing for the day, or in the evening prior to roosting it can be seen perched in trees.

Interesting Facts: Martial Eagles are the only member of the genus Polemaetus.

These photos were taken by Corne Schalkwyk during a visit to Mweya Safari lodge – while on Safari with Premier Safaris in Uganda.

Birding Safaris in Uganda  - Premier Safaris  visit www.premiersafaris.com or email reservations@premiersafaris.com 

To visit the lodge: Mweya Safari lodge is part of the Marasa Africa Group of lodges www.marasa.net 

The band of brothers

Last week, I travelled to Queen Elizabeth national park and more specifically Mweya Safari lodge to visit the Band of brothers.

This charismatic striped mongoose family was made famous by the BBC film about their daily lives and struggles around the lodge.

Banded mongoose much like their distant cousins the meerkats are part of the mongoose family, only twice as heavy if compared to the meerkat.

They are social animals, living in large family groups of up to 20 individuals, although the Mweya family is significantly larger than other families I have encountered at around 70 individuals.  They sleep in a underground network or whatever they can use for the same purpose and during the day they venture out of their dens in search of for food. Their diet consists mainly of scorpions, beetles, lizards, eggs and small mammals.

They forage in groups but unlike the meerkat they don’t use a century to guard the group. They need to be extremely vigilant while they are out in the open so that they aren’t surprised by predators such as birds of prey or jackals. They also stand on their hind legs as they aren’t very tall so they try to seek out the high ground in order to get a better view of their surroundings. The higher the vantage point the better so they will go to impressive lengths to find that perfect lookout post!

These banded brothers are completely wild but over time they have become habituated to humans. They have been used for research for many years and have become part and parcel of the Mweya Safari lodge experience.

If you are patient you can easily gain their trust and get up close and personal with these inquisitive little fellows.  They would even allow some people to touch them although we don’t recommend it.

All the members of the group are related to each other and you can have up to 9 generations in the same family.

The banded mongoose doesn’t have a single dominant pair and interestingly the females are able to time their date of birth to coincide to create a nursery environment. These pups are then raised by the family as a unit.

This family has been part of ongoing research since 1994 providing a fascinating insight into their species and social system.

For those interested in meeting these little fellows, you can always contact “Premier Safaris” at reservations@premiersafaris.com or look for programmes on their website at www.premiersafaris.com

Mweya Safari lodge is part of the Marasa Africa group of lodges in East Africa – www.marasa.net