Renewal, transformation & life at Umlani - Page 18

The banquet is held in aid of the schools "Reach Across" community education programme.

Marco Schiess, owner of Umlani Bushcamp, says "Ian Player has been an inspiration to me all my life, my association with the Wilderness Leadership School has formed the principles by which we run Umlani. It is a great honour for me to be certified by the Wilderness Foundation as the Green Leaf standard is everything that Umlani stands for".

A black rhino bull brought in from Swaziland last year has been seen on the Keer-Keer and Umlani properties in February 2010. There are still constant sightings of black rhino on Birmingham, which is very positive and shows that within the next few years black rhino will be a more common sight in Timbavati.

The month started with a bang with three cheetahs successfully killing two impala right in front of our game viewers. It was quite a surprise to all who witnessed it as initially the cheetah were just lounging around completely disinterested in the herd of impala grazing in the distance. We were fortunate
enough to watch the cheetah in full speed as they chased, turning at the slightest change in direction of the chosen impala, and caught their prey..

Once again we have been having fantastic game sightings in the beautifully thick summer vegetation. 2011 started with plentiful rains which has brought out the best in the bush, with every tree species in full bloom providing perfect roosts and nesting sites for our resident and summer visiting bird species. The Nhlaralumi River was been in partial flow throughout January and February attracting many game species and thus providing us phenomenal deck viewing