Greetings from the Chacma family

The Limpopo Province is the proud possessor of South Africa's two largest trees, both of which are baobabs estimated to be well over 2,000 years old.

Presently believed to be the largest tree in the country, the Sagole Baobab lies in the far north of the province, between Tshipise and Pafuri. The Glencoe Baobab is located just outside the town of Hoedspruit. Although the Glencoe Baobab has a stem diameter of 15.9 metres, over five metres larger than that of the Sagole Baobab, its overall size index is smaller than the Sagole tree, making it the second largest tree in the country.

The Glencoe tree is 17m high in comparison to the Sagol's 22m, although their crown diameters are 37m and 38m respectively. Both trees are on their way to becoming prominent tourist attractions in the Limpopo Province. The Limpopo provincial government is drawing up plans to create a picnic site around the Sagole tree and intends to tar the road to the tree.

They have taken advice from a senior forestry scientist with Dwaf, Izak van der Merwe, as to how to protect the baobab from one of the greatest dangers facing popular trees - the trampling feet of tourists.

Van der Merwe explains that the soil around the tree becomes compacted, preventing water from infiltrating the soil, which leads to the tree getting less water than normal. This problem is usually solved by building a boardwalk around the tree. Having inspected a number of trees around the country for Dwaf's Champion Tree project, van der Merwe says that the Glencoe Baobab enjoys a relatively natural state although it is surrounded by agricultural land.

The trees enjoy some international fame, partly thanks to a book about baobabs written by Thomas Pakenham. Several professors from the University of Tokyo, Japan, recently made a pilgrimage to visit Limpopo's magnificent baobabs.

When their tour guide in South Africa, Stuart McMillan, was asked to find out how to get to the trees he was initially not expecting much, as he has seen "hundreds of baobabs". However, a trip to the trees soon changed his mind, and he said it was "a tremendous experience", almost religious in its nature, and well worth the trouble of finding the route to the trees.

African Buffaloes are massive, heavily built and powerful with cattle like appearance.

They can reach weights of up to 800kg with a shoulder height of 1.5metres. Large and heavy horns curve down and outwards, then upwards and inward.

Both sexes have horns with the male developing a more gnarled "boss" as they grow older. They move in large herds, often over 400 strong and most times behind the herd a lion pride can be found. There are smaller bachelor herds in four to five. Occasionally solitary ones live alone and do not associate with the larger breeding herds.

Being a bulk grazer, they are responsible for converting long grasslands into short grassy environments conducive to other browsers with more selective feeding habits.

Sight and hearing are both rather poor, but scent is well developed in buffaloes.

Although quiet for the most part, the animals do communicate.  In mating season they grunt and emit hoarse bellows. A calf in danger will bellow mournfully, bringing herd members running at a gallop to defend it.

Popular trophies for hunters, these large and often dangerous animals are unpredictable and can be deadly if cornered or wounded.

Buffalo are one of the only animals that purposefully circle back onto their own trail to "hunt" the pursuer.

Though often accused of deliberate savagery, they are usually placid if left alone. During the dry season they are the preferred prey of lion. If attacked, the adults form a circle around the young and face outward. By lowering their heads and presenting a solid barrier of sharp horns, it is difficult for predators to seize a calf. This effective group defense even allows blind and crippled members of the herd to survive.

Thus predators do not have a major impact on buffalo herds; it is the old, solitary-living males that are most likely to be taken by lions.

Sometimes it's difficult to determine the age of some species but with Impala it's fairly easy. The horns give a definite indication of the age of a male impala. With the females it's more difficult to determine age. The shape and length of the skull can be used to determine the age of a female and that can only be done after the animal has been shot. That way it is either an old/big female or a young/small female.

Horns begin to show shortly after birth. As the male grows the shape of the horns also change until the male is fully grown. Normally a male and female grows quicker in the first 12 months of their lives than at any time after that. After that the male grows in weight and build faster than the female. The male will weigh 35% heavier than a female when they reach maturity.

It’s time to own the African Adventure!!

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