Conservation Update – October 2025

By Dumisani Mtshweni

Hey everyone, here’s the latest plain-English roundup of what’s happening on the farm from a green point of view. Early rains have been a game-changer this year – the grass is loving it, the animals are looking fat and happy, and the flowers are popping early. Let’s dive in.

1. How the Land and Weather Are Doing

The grazing is in great shape thanks to those early showers. Even through the dry winter, our animals stayed in good condition – no skinny ribs here!

It’s still cool in the mornings, but daytime temps are steady compared to last year. September averaged 10–22 °C, October 10–24 °C.

Rainfall surprise: only 10 mm in September, then a solid 70 mm in October (last year we got 66 mm across both months combined). That extra water has kicked everything into high gear.

Wildflower season is here early! Thanks to the rain, we’re already seeing flowers that normally only show up in November–January. Beautiful bonus for the pollinators and the soul.

(Photo 1: Two early-bird flowers stealing the show – proof the veld is happy.)

2. Fighting Invasive Trees (Alien Plant Control)

The farm is still battling blue gum trees – those fast-growing Aussies that drop millions of seeds. If we don’t stay on top of them, they’ll take over.

We spent spent a couple of days spraying 5 % herbicide mix on baby blue gums in the forest next to Tintern (leaf spray method).

We did the same along the road to Cottage 15, but used the cut-stump method with a different 5 % eco-friendly mix.

(Photo 2: Before = jungle of seedlings. After = clean ground, ready for local grass to win.)

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3. Animals and Grass Management

Stopped supplementary feeding was stopped at the end of September – the natural grazing is now good enough. The big animals sailed through winter looking strong.

Zero deaths since the last count – always a win! Springbok numbers are up, and blesbok moms should drop lambs any day now.

Latest game count: 29 October 2025. Full numbers (males/females/juveniles) from 2023 to now are in the table below. Steady, healthy growth across the board.

Date	Blesbok	Springbok	Zebra
Nov 2023	58	59	32
Feb 2024	66	65	40
May 2024	68	67	40
Sep 2024	66	77	40
Oct 2024	67	75	40
Dec 2024	76	73	42
Feb 2025	83	73	47
May 2025	85	67	46
Sep 2025	87	72	46
Oct 2025	85	76	46

4. Fences – Keeping Wildlife Safe

Fences are still solid. Last patrol: 9 October. We replaced three perimeter gates and built a brand-new one where the Witpoort river enters – now opens neatly onto the Steve Vincent trail with a killer view.

5. Fire Management (Or Lack Thereof This Year)

We prepped 71 hectares of firebreaks for controlled burns (Serengeti block + main gate to Crystabel), but the early rains changed plans.

August rain came too soon – burning then would’ve left bare soil for months = erosion risk.

September brought even more rain, and we didn’t want to fry the new flowers and grass clumps. Decision: we’ll roll the burns over to next winter when it’s drier and safer.

6. Erosion Control

Cleared all the roadside drains heading to reception and Cottage 15 – ready for the summer downpours. Gravel roads will get a touch-up soon.

7. Cool Wildlife Sightings & Other Jobs

Summer migrant birds are back! Heard diderick and red-chested cuckoos calling like crazy, and spotted whiskered and white-winged terns over the pans.

New bird on the block: a female knob-billed duck swimming with yellow-billed ducks at Wordsworth dam on 23 October. First time ever recorded here – our bird list just got one species richer!

Crane project still on ice – waiting for Joburg Zoo to send us a pair of wattled cranes for the recovery program.

Spent two days (23–24 Oct) chopping trees off the dam walls at Tintern, Coleridge, and Solitary Reaper. Tree roots can crack the walls, so we keep them clear.

Otter update: both our otter species are definitely snacking on ducklings and coot chicks. Found fresh droppings packed with feathers and almost no crab shell – guilty as charged!

(Photo 3: Otter poop from 15 Sep along Lake Walk – feather city, barely any crab bits.)

That’s the roundup folks – the farm is buzzing, the grass is growing, and the early rain has given nature a proper head start. Let’s keep looking after this special place!