ELEPHANT PLAINS  PHOTOS CLICK HERE

NKORHO  FLOOD VIDEO CLICK HERE

sabi sands flood click here

Kruger’s wildlife dodged the flood

440 mm in some area-   17 inches of rain

camps and roads effected in kruger

click here

click here

he last time we had a flood of this magnitude was in 2000 and it is a good thing as the Rivers will be cleared of the silt and life in the bush as we know it will have a beautiful fresh start.

Positive effects of the flood were that previously dry areas were hydrated, while sediments and invasive plants were washed away.

Aquatic species were also afforded the opportunity to recolonise by the unusual conditions.

"Nature has replenished itself.

WHILE the floods of the last few days at the Kruger National Park caught campers by surprise, the animals had already migrated to higher grounds.

Rangers at the wildlife park believed the animals had  sensed the disaster days before it happened and moved to higher areas.

2 examples of animals during floods--

“We flew over the park –  the animals were situated around the higher areas of the park. We saw no carcasses floating on the water during the flight,” David Mabunda, CEO of SANParks,  jan 20-2012

Plenty of studies have shown that some animals can sense major changes in the weather. Worms, for instance, are known to flee rising groundwater.

In areas that experience flooding, snakes will move to higher ground during a flood.

Birds are known to be sensitive to air pressure changes, and often hunker down before a big storm.

Floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters according to ... Regardless of how a flood occurs, the rule for being safe is simple: head for higher ground

TEMBE 06  JAN 2011

observation pit - very small cant stand up in it

verne- radio tec took a snake out of their

i read its used to observe the elephants

Verne

jan 27

verne tec man fixing lights at tembe

Elephant Plains Game Lodge

UP DATE FROM ELEPHANT PLAINS

Hi guys, just a quick update from EP on the recent floods. As you all know, Kruger has been badly affected by heavy rains the past 48 hours. We've had an estimated 400mm of rain thus far. Our guests that needed to check out today were flown out by helicopter and guests that were checking in needed to arrange alternative accommodation.

So far, the rooms and lodge have been unaffected and we are carefully monitoring the situation. The dry Manyeleti riverbed has flooded its banks and are still rising on the open area in front of the lodge. Luckily the open area is much lower than the other side where the lodge is situated, thus forcing the water away from the lodge

. We would like to assure guests of our best intentions at all times. We are currently not planning to evacuate the lodge, but will consider the possibilities every few hours. All the guests that are currently at the lodge are safe and looked after.

jan 18

kruger park  flooding click here

240 mm  is   9.5 inches

karin van der merwe

video  click here

What a day up to now! Had over 240 mm of rains since yesterday... had quite a storm last night, trees fallen over ,roads are washed away, I could not even get to Grave yard Pan or Kudu Corner to take photos. At this moment we are flying out our guests with a helicopter... thank heavens for Hover Dynamics!! When everything is sorted this side and I have a moment I will share some photos. Myself and Cedric were supposed to go on leave tomorrow, but for the first few days of our leave we will book in at Nkorho Bush Lodge... hope the rest of the staff are prepared for 2 very tired, very demanding guests...lol!

All our guests evacuated by helicopter savely. Still having hard rains coming down every now and again but up to now, no crisis! Went down to our drive way at the corner of our open area...our drive way looks like a river!! Will post some photos later on. We are so thankful for coming out of this situation the way we did...thinking of people at other lodges which are having it much worse than we do! To any of the lodges around us, please shout if there is anything we can do, if you need help!! And I also want to thank all my wonderfull staff for all their hard work today... could not have done it without you!!

jan 17 100 mm  or  4 inches  karin said

JAN 18  - NK PAN

jan 17 100 mm  or  4 inches  karin said

jan 15

jan 11

heavy rain - nkroho dam - water over flow cuts hole in dam-

KUDU CORNER  JAN  19 2012

for  TERESA- MY FRIEND  - she loves  their chirping

Corn Cricket, VIDEO  CLICK HERE

INFO CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

golden orb spider

nk pan cam  lens

cam pic krukab

click here

click here

click here from kruger park

march 28

Blue Green Algae top picture

Africam database

• REPTILES
• FROGS
• LOWER INVERTEBRATES
• INSECTS
• SPIDERS & ARCHNIDS
• FISH
  

CLICK HERE

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

SOME  CAM PICS FROM  NK- EP-   TE CAMS

grey tree frog  foam nests

click here

this species deposits fertilized eggs as a foam nest. The female may begin building the foam nest, stop, climb down from her perch, and rehydrate in the pool below. At this point the male usually releases her. She then climbs back up and continues building the foam nest. She may repeat this two to four times. The male that originally was on her back may not be the one that is on her back when she releases 500–1,200 eggs into the foam nest. The female may return to the nest the following night and add more foam but not more eggs to the nest to keep it from dehydrating. Communal nests result from up to 20 females and twice as many males building nests close enough together so that they coalesce. Sperm competition is thought to occur in this species (as in many foam-nesting treefrogs with multiple males spawning with one female). This is further confirmed by the presence of large testes in the males that allows them to produce and shed sperm multiple times throughout the breeding season. After four to six days the developing larvae drop from the nest into the water below.

This foam  is deposited, and eggs may even hatch in the nest and the larvae be released on the next rain, which will destroy the nest

When the rain comes along, after development of 4 to 5  days, the foam drips down, dropping tiny tadpoles into the river or pond below.

oct 01   NK-

Varanus albigularis (Rock monitor, White-throated monitor)

click here

images  click here

info click here

rock monitor cam pic krukab

nk - second one i have seen

k