INGREDIENTS:

100ml Cream
30g White Chocolate

50g Butter
75g White Chocolate

190g Carrot Puree
5 Egg Yolks
65g Ground Almonds
50g Self Raising Flour
30g Walnuts

120g Egg Whites
30g Castor Sugar

METHOD

• Melt the white chocolate and cream, allow to cool then roll in a sausage shape and Freeze
• Cook the carrots and blend to make a smooth puree.
• Melt the white chocolate and butter together.
• In a clean mixing bowl whisk the egg whites and sugar together to form a stiff meringue.
• Combine the carrot puree, egg yolks, almonds, flour and the walnuts.
• Mix the chocolate mixture with the carrot mixture then gently fold in the meringue Mixture.
• In individual moulds lined with grease proof paper, spoon in the cake mixture, slice the Frozen chocolate roll into 1.5 cm disks and press 1 disk into the center of each cake
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 min

Turn out once cooked and serve immediately, serve with white chocolate ice cream and candied hazelnuts

Currently the new lioness is being held in a rehabilitation boma, where she will be able to acclimatize herself to her new environment. Once acclimatized she will be introduced to her new family by capturing the dominant lioness and placing her in a rehabilitation boma next door to her to allow them to get to know each other and bond. Once the two have got to know each other through the boma fence, they will be allowed into the same boma to have physical contact. This is the crucial period for the introduction, as only at this stage will it be evident whether the dominant lioness has accepted the new lioness. Once the two lionesses have spent 5 days together in the boma and demonstrated that they have bonded the two will be released to join the pride. This is an exciting programme for Pumba, and the survival of our white lion pride

In the first two weeks of September Pumba welcomed two Giraffe calves to the reserve; who are doing well to date. One of the Hippopotamus cows is showing signs of being very heavily pregnant so it won’t be long before a new member of the Hippo family can be spotted wallowing in the waters of Lake Cariega. In addition to this it is suspected that the matriarch of the breeding herd of elephant is also pregnant.

With the calving season commencing in November we are expecting a bumper season of new births on the reserve

Furthermore last year’s rhinoceros calves are doing extremely well, growing at a rapid rate and developing into boisterous little individuals. The four lion cubs from the white lion pride are now 8 months old and doing very well.

Our leopard breeding program is also yielding good results with a young 3 year old female and her 4 month old cub in our rehabilitation enclosures, being prepared for release into the reserve.

“Water Lodge welcomes a new GM ”

Pumba Water Lodge has just appointed a new lodge manager – Paula Howarth. Paula has been part of Pumba Private Game Reserve since its inception and she knows how it was built with a lot of passion and enthusiasm from the owners. It is with this same passion and enthusiasm that she intends to run the lodge.

It is also with great excitement that Pumba Water Lodge approaches the summer season. While the winter months were here the Water Lodge did a spring clean with a fresh coat of paint in the rooms, new paint techniques on the walls and newly recovered furniture with glamorous scatter cushions, all of which have added a bit of panache!

“Birds of Prey return to Pumba Private Game Reserve”

Past agricultural practices in the area, resulted in misuse of pesticides and poisons, which saw a drastic decline in raptor numbers. This cycle has done a full circle. Since the reserves inception in July 2004, the Flora in the area has rejuvenated, encouraging an influx of rodents, avifauna and primates, which form the basis of many of the raptors diets. In addition to there being an abundance of prey species on which to prey, the invasive alien flora clearing program has improved the area for better raptor nesting sites to be established. The reserve provides sanctuary to these majestic species of birds, allowing them to seek refuge in an area where they avoid persecution and disturbance.

More than 70 species of diurnal and nocturnal predatory birds – eagles, buzzards, hawks, harriers, falcons and owls – occur in SA as residents, migrants or vagrants. Pumba is home to 55% of this specific class of avifauna, particularly providing protection to three of Africa’s largest raptor species, namely the Martial Eagle (Largest raptor in South Africa), Crowned Eagle and Fish Eagle, all of whom are nesting and breeding successfully on the reserve.

The Pumba ranging department plays an active role in the Birds In Reserves and Bird Atlasing 2 projects, which are run through the University of Cape Town, with specific reference to the Avian Demographic Unit and the Fitzpatrick Institute of Ornithology, all of whom are trying to make a difference in the protection of this vulnerable family.

“Chef’s Corner”

Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank with Sweet Potato Puree

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 6 lamb shanks
• 1 bottle red wine
• 2L good beef or lamb stock
• 2 onions quartered
• 3 carrots split lengthways
• 1 bulb garlic halved
• 3 leeks roughly chopped
• 3 sticks celery roughly chopped
• 2 large springs rosemary
• 4 bayleaves
• 1 tsp black peppersorns
• 200ml redcurrant jelly

Method:

1. Dust shanks in a little seasoned flour and fry till golden brown. Remove from pan. Add vegetables and herbs and fry till light brown.
2. Transfer meat and vegetables into deep roasting dish, pour over wine, stock and jelly, cover with foil. Put into oven on 160 and slowly braise till shanks are soft and tender, about 4 to 5 hours (depending on the size of the shanks).
3. When the shanks are cooked remove from the dish, stain the liquid and reduce by half to make a thick rich sauce. Skim of all the fat.

Sweet Potato Puree:

Ingredients:

• 5 medium size sweet potatoes
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg (optional)

Method:

1. Wrap the potatoes individually in tin foil and bake in oven till soft.
2. Scoop out the soft flesh of the potatoes into a bowl and mash till smooth. Add a good knob of butter and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Optional: add a small pinch of nutmeg into the mash.
4. Serve the shanks on the sweet potato puree with reduced sauce.

The note, usually placed somewhere near the complimentary shampoo, reminds one that water is precious and washing towels unnecessarily is wasteful. So you pick up your towels, feeling satisfied you have helped in some way. But in a time when more tourists are thinking green, is the towel policy – now virtually standard in all lodges – enough? Or do luxury game lodges have to go beyond service levels and style ad incorporate initiatives that offer social and environmental sustainability to stay in the game?
More often now, game lodges boasting good environmental credibility pip the post to those offering the traditional Big Five. And then there are those that offer both.

Pumba Private Game Reserve is one such destination. Situated in the Malaria free Eastern Cape, Pumba aims to offer its guests a 5-star experience, fine dining, luxury accommodation and exciting game viewing which includes “specials” like cheetah, wild dog and white lion. But it also aims to put in place long-term, sustainable initiatives that will benefit the environment and the community.

Since its creation, owners Dale Howarth and Trevor Lombard have endeavored to return the once famed land into its natural state. In conjunction with the Eastern Cape’s Working for Water project, they have started removing invasive species, this in turn increases the levels of water in the Cariega River, that not only benefits the reserve, but also the Eastern Cape. Clearing the invasive species also allows the natural flora to recover and eco-systems to stabilize. Pumba has also started reintroducing animals that previously inhabited the area as well as monitoring the already existing populations. This means that not only are many of the endemic animals protected from possible extinction, but bloodlines can be diversified (especially in the case of Pumba’s pride of breeding white lions).

Although still a young reserve, Pumba is already seeing the benefits of these measures. The reserve has recently embraced the Green Leaf Standard in the management of both Msenge Bush Lodge and Pumba Water Lodge and in 2008 achieved an enviable rating of above 75%.

Many of their big game species are successfully breeding and raising young and as a guest one feels more than comfortable with the environmental footprints they leave by visiting the lodge.

By: Annette Bayne

Thank you to Lin-Marie that arranged this weekend so quickly.
A special thanks to our Game Rangers, Vuyani and Portia, thank you for our game drives. We really learnt allot. It was a wonderful experience seeing the animals so close. To the restaurant staff, thank you for all the divine meals that have been prepared for us. Edward, Stephen, Nandi & Jacques, and thank you for always making sure that we well were looked after. Words cannot convey our gratitude.

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible. It is a memory that will never be forgotten.

Kind Regards

Russell, Lurezia, Kayla & Keegan Moore

Where: This reserve is an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth, and 25km from cultural hotspot Grahamstown. It boasts the Big Five and should be on your top-10 list for a special breakaway.
Put on your boots: Reconnect with nature on a guided bush walk through river courses and Afromontane forests that abound in the area or learn how to distinguish and identify animal tracks on the way. The abundant wildlife guarantees that you’ll spot the Big Five, 21 antelope species
and the African wild dog, as well as other threatened animals. You’ll even be able to see white lions, as part of the Reserve’s white lion rehabilitation programme.
Relax and unwind: There are two luxurious camps to choose from. Msenge Lodge comprises 11 thatch-roofed glass enclosed
chalets, so it feels as though you’re living in the bush. You can also lap up the luxury while watching the hippos wallow in the cool, deep-blue waters of Lake Kariega at Pumba Water Lodge. Its 12 exquisite chalets each open up onto a private deck with a plunge pool and an outdoor shower.
What it costs: From R3 700 per
person sharing.
Find out more: 046 603 2000;
www.pumbagamereserve.co.za

It started with one pure white lion and two lioness with mixed genes – the tawny females were essential to help the white male hunt, as he was not camouflaged enough to hunt successfully.

“They almost glow in the moonlight,” is how Pumba director Dale Howarth describes the pure white lion who arrived on the reserve less than three years ago.

“The were released in August 2006 and the idea was the rehabilitation of three animals who were captive bred to fend totally for themselves.”

The white lion programme has been so successful that Pumba has since seen three litters of cubs and now faces the problem of inbreeding as the cubs will grow up and then mate with their siblings or parents.

The two lionesses that came with Pumba’s first white lion were “split” gene animals, meaning that although they carried the gene they were not pure white themselves. Their cubs, also a paler shade than the average lion, will have their parents’ white lion gene and may, or may not, have white offspring.

“The cubs are between 12 and 18 months old and like their mothers they have split genes which means they are a light sandy colour.

“You will have a kickback every now and again, like at Timbavati, which will produce a pure white cub. However, to prevent inbreeding, we are selling the offspring and in their place, to keep the pride going, we are bringing in a pure white female.”

La Femme readers who have read reports of lion cubs being sold for canned hunting or too zoos can rest assured, says Dale – the seven cubs will go to a good home. “They will not be going to a zoo or a hunting programme.”

It will be a little while before there is a new litter but the introduction of the new lioness will help enrich the gene pool.

And indeed it was, for Melvin was born at the Port Elizabeth Hotel Group’s five-star reserve, not far from Shamwari.

And Pumba director Dale Howarth is a dad with a difference because he was there on April 12 last year when the baby giraffe was born and abandoned.

Its young mother, giving birth for first time, fled shortly after her baby was delivered.

“As he fell, she ran and she never came back. We left it for about three hours and then by 4pm there was a bit of chill in the air,” said Dale, who was faced with an animal dilemma.

The baby giraffe probably would not have lived more than a few hours if it had not been found and Pumba at the time did not have an animal hospital to treat such a case.

“I took the decision to intervene, so I called my friend Johan Joubert from Shamwari and his veterinary nurse popped across and loaded him up and took him to Shamwari.”

Fortunately, although the Eastern Cape’s luxury reserves compete for visitors, their game conservation staff co-operate closely when it comes to helping the animals.

Lacking a mother from which to suckle, Dale’s immediate concern for the baby giraffe was that it would not receive any colostrum, which it should have received through its mother’s milk.

“If they don’t get that, they don’t build up any immunity and he would never have survived. I left Melvin with Johan for three months and then he came back when we built our own hospital boma,” said Dale.

When Dale is at Pumba he feeds the calf two litres of special milk formula.

“They normally suckle for about 14 months and he still has his bottle every morning and every evening. I can call him from anywhere and he will not walk, he will run to me. But he is also so boisterous and naughty because he will run circles around me and chase other people away.
“Our boma is 18 hectares, the size of a small farm and he has full range of his paddock so, as well as his milk, he can graze on the vegetation, like acacia and so on.”
The plan is to rehabilitate Melvin into the wild when he is older – and that means when he is big enough not to fall prey to the reserve’s predators.

“Probably when he gets to about three and a half metres tall, as then the lions won’t hassle him,” says Dale, noting that a large male giraffe can reach 4,5m tall (just for reference,
telephone wires are 4,85m off the ground).

“The fantastic thing is that we have a herd of nine giraffe that come up and visit him every single day so we are hopeful that this will work out,” said Dale.

]]> http://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/media/tall-order-when-it-comes-to-a-special-pet-the-herald-lafemme-17-june-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/media/the-herald-lafemme-17-june-2009/ http://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/media/the-herald-lafemme-17-june-2009/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:12 +0000 pehotels http://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/?p=1060 To celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, La Femme is offering a two-night family weekend for four people at Pumba Private Game Reserve  and one person in the party of four must be a dad. Pumba, one of the most luxurious of the Eastern Cape’s many five-star game reserves set in a malaria-free area, will offer dad and company an amazing weekend. A Green Leaf Environmental Standard award winner at last month’s Tourism Indaba, Pumba has two lodges – Pumba Water Lodge, overlooking Lake Kariega, and Msenge Bush Lodge – which are both compliant with this eco-friendly rating. You are likely to see rhino, giraffe and elephants every day but it is rarer to spot creatures such as the wild dog and hyena on the 6 500 hectare reserve. As for the unique white lion, depending on when you go on your trip, you may see up to four adults, the new white lioness, the original white male and his split-gene lionesses. La Femme’s fantastic prize package at Pumba includes the following:

• Two nights luxury accommodation for four people.
• All meals and selected beverages.
• Four game drives.

All you have to do is get to Pumba – but as it’s only a one-hour drive from Port Elizabeth on the road to Grahamstown, that shouldn’t be too tricky. It’s a tough call to be
eco-friendly when you provide luxuries such as under-floor heating and air-conditioning that traditionally suck energy but Pumba has put a lot of effort into its conservation efforts. Reserve director Dale Howarth is thrilled with the results, particularly as this is the first year Pumba has applied for accreditation. “It’s a new award, the first one was made in 2008 at Indaba, and it encourages the tourism sector to minimise the impact of carbonisation on the environment,” he said. A total of 18 lodges and estates throughout the country now have qualified for a Green Leaf, he said but few had all of their accommodation comply on their first attempt, as Pumba had. “It’s an intricate, complicated process and the auditors are strict, which is good because it gives the award credibility. We’ve done our two lodges and the responsible thing is to do the 58 units in our staff village next if we are serious about meeting the standard.” Water and alien vegetation were two of several key areas audited and “we have a big alien clearing programme,” says Dale.

To stand a chance of winning a stay at Pumba, write into La Femme or send an e-mail, saying who the “dad” is that you would like to win the weekend for.

Do not give us more than 50 words! e-mail: femwin@avusa.co.za, with
PUMBA in the subject field.
Postal entries: La Femme Pumba,
Private Bag X6071, Port Elizabeth
6000.

Make sure you include your name, address and contact phone numbers. The cut-off for entries is 9am on Friday, June 26, and the winner will be notified shortly thereafter.

Gillian McAinsh
LE FEM Editor

Alright I’ll admit it. I have never been particularly partial to the idea of going to game farms and here I was about to embark on a visit to Pumba Game Lodge, overlooking the Kariega Lake in a malaria-free valley just Southwest of Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. It was with a feeling of uncertainty that I packed the family into the family saloon and off we set on a sunny Friday afternoon.

After some confusion as to which turnoff we were supposed to take we found ourselves parked at the entrance to what looked to be a lovely setting indeed. After driving a few more kilometers along a meandering gravel road, stopping every so often to let various game, grudgingly move out of the way, we arrived at the main lodge and were soon being ushered down to our lodgings for the night. Of course, ‘lodgings’ is probably not a suitable work for the opulent luxury we found ourselves in and I was soon standing on our expansive deck, overlooking the lake, with an ice-cold frostie in my hand. Our unit had two separate bedrooms, one either side of the main lounge area, and the main bedroom had a large Jacuzzi smack-bang in the middle of it. Belinda even managed to get in there the next morning but, er, that’s an article for a different magazine perhaps? I also decided to sample the ‘open-air’ shower outside, just to be one with nature an’ all, and while I was doing just that, I noticed a lady strolling about inside our bungalow, pottering about doing this and that. I quickly aborted the rest of my shower, covered the family jewels, and went inside again to grab a towel and regain some dignity. She seemed more surprised than I though, so all was well.

After dressing I toddled up to the main lodge again to join the rest of the family and we went to where our game ranger Jonathan was waiting to take us all on a game drive. Since I was going to go up the runway in progress with Dale rather we bade each other farewell and Belinda, Ashleigh and Gavin set off for what turned out to be a fascinating few hours with Jonathan. He apparently manages to get the vehicle right in among a herd of placid elephants and these regal creatures then come right up to the vehicle to inspect its human cargo. I must admit I was then glad I hadn’t gone but the family apparently loved it. I was just pleased those elephants weren’t in the mood to sample my children right then but apparently they don’t do that often.

I in the meantime had been picked up by Dale and went bouncing all the way up the mountain to have a look at the runway they are building there. Well it looks like they have chosen a perfect spot for it and when they are finished it will be able to accept aircraft up to Kings Airs, and possibly larger. The runway will still be a few months in the building though and it is my intention to go in there with a Baron or similar when the runway is ready for testing. The idea is to encourage pilots to use Pumba as a holiday destination and even just a stopover on longer journeys, and of course provide the necessary infrastructure to allow charter operators to include Pumba on their list of destinations.

Pumba is of course a mere 50nm from Port Elizabeth as an Arrow flies (geddit geddit …..a Piper Arrow) so most light aircraft will take a mere 30 minutes or so maximum to get there and of course the bigger aircraft will get there in double-quick time so, catching Scareways down to PE and then chartering a flight to Pumba won’t break the bank either. This fantastic destination really is just a chip and a putt from anywhere in South Africa and offers everything the bigger, more well-known lodges do, and more I believe.

The evening we sat out on the open deck having a delicious supper, with Gavin telling us all about the game drive he had enjoyed so much. So much in fact that, early the next morning, he was again riding with another group on another game drive with Jonathan, while we lazed in bed, before strolling up for a fantastic breakfast.

All to soon it was time to get back into the family car and head on home. It was with some sadness that we bade farewell to our fantastic hosts and a couple of hours later it was all just a memory, but a darn good one!

BELINDA’S VIEW

We recently had the pleasure of being invited for a one-night stay at the ever popular, and most charming, Pumba Water Lodge in the Eastern Cape, which is a luxury 5-star, Big Five Game Reserve overlooking Lake Kariega, about an hours drive form PE. There are in fact two luxury 5-star lodges on the property with the other being the Msenge Bush Lodge, which includes a Health Spa.

When we arrived we were warmly met and given a refreshing drink before being escorted to our room. It was fairly rushed in that we wanted to be on time for the game drive at 3.30pm so there wasn’t much time to ooh and aah over the magnificent chalet that was designated to us. With the Editor having had the Jetstream strapped to his butt all morning he wasn’t all that keen to still go for a game drive, however our two kids and I weren’t going to miss it for the world. We met out front again and were introduced to our dashing Game Ranger, Jonathan, to whom our 10-year old son took an instant liking. He was fortunate enough to sit upfront with him and ask a million of questions. Jono seemed to be used to all the questions though and gladly answered each and every one of them, what an expert Ranger he seemed to be. We had a couple from the UK, and one from Germany with us in the Landover and they seemed to be in awe of the essence of Africa giving them the chance to experience the various species of wild animals, as well as birds. Pumba Private Game Reserve stretches over an area of 6 000 hectares, which makes it the 3rd largest privately owned Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. Pumba Reserve was conceived by born and bred PE blokes being game rancher Dale Howarth and Hotelier Trevor Lombard, which then led to the creation of the reserve in 2004.

After the game drive we then met in the lounge area for some sundowners and a scrumptious meal before heading back to our chalet. Pumba offers 12 luxury thatched chalets. Ours was magnificently furnished and equipped to world class standards, so ultimately luxurious, with air conditioning, floor heating, heated towel rails, Jacuzzi, outdoor showers (if you want to be one with nature), and even our own private pool out on the wooden deck.

With Gavin having enjoyed the game drive so much he decided to go on the early morning drive with Jono and luckily for him he saw a few more animals that weren’t seen during our afternoon drive the day before. Once Gavin got back we had a hearty breakfast and then bade farewell to all and headed back home.

Those of you who want to experience the closeness of nature and yet not be completely without your usual comforts should really consider an away weekend to Pumba. Why not consider an African dream wedding this is the perfect venue for you to share your special day with family and friends.

We hope to visit Pumba later in the year but in an aircraft this time so that we can land on their currently under construction airstrip. We will then be able to give you the co-ordinates, location, elevation and length and general comments on landing there, and whether animals need to be cleared from the runway etc.