March 2007 Newsletter - Please visit our new website for more information - http://www.campjabulani.com/
Warm Greetings from Camp Jabulani,

With 2007 well under way, we are delighted to present you with our first electronic newsletter of the year.

Elephants of the Season – Jabulani & Limpopo-Kamali

Jabulani is an elephant whose true spirit shines when surrounded by affection and consideration. For 4 years he has enjoyed the status as youngster and namesake of the Camp Jabulani herd.

The birth of Limpopo in August 2006 has had a tremendous impact on all of the elephants in the herd - particularly on Jabulani. Watching the baby at play with him is one of the sweetest pleasures imaginable.

Who could not be moved by the pictures above? The shared affection between the two young pachyderms is obvious!

And now the herd has grown again!

It is with great pride that we announce the arrival of the second baby to the Camp Jabulani family – Klaserie (named after the Klaserie River that runs through the reserve) was born on Friday 23rd February at 22h30.

Baby weighed in at 85kgs (quite a bit heavier than Limpopo) and currently stands 580mm high. Her proud mother (Setombe) is in excellent condition.

With two tiny creatures in the herd, elephant safaris and interactions promise to be memorable and entertaining.

This truly is testament to the quality of the Camp Jabulani operation and the manner in which the elephants are protected and nurtured.

Images of the baby can be found at: www.campjabulani.com/elephants_Klaserie.htm

 

From Rudolf’s stockpot

Who inspires me? I would say chefs such as Ferrau Andria from El Buli in Spain, and Heston Blummenthal from Fat Duck in the UK. They are both known for deconstructive gastronomy – dealing with culinary transformation and the sensory phenomena associated with eating. They imagine new cooking methods and create novel dishes. Both believe that it is not enough to know the principals of cooking – one needs to know how to manipulate and lay the foundation for the cuisine of tomorrow.
At Camp Jabulani my main objective is to serve good, simple food. I believe our gastronomy is the intelligent knowledge of whatever concerns our guests’ nourishment.

I invite you to try a delectable dish at home.

Click here for the recipe of Asparagus wrapped in Puff Pastry with slivers of Gruyere Cheese and Bernaise Sauce. You will not be disappointed!

I would love to hear your feedback, and would be delighted to assist you in this culinary exercise.

Just contact me on mailto:campjabulani@campjabulani.com
What’s been happening in the bush?

2007 has gotten off to a good start. Despite our relatively poor rainfall so far this season, the reserve is looking beautiful with lush green vegetation. Dams and pans still have a fair amount of water. Our guests have enjoyed some excellent sightings.

A few months ago a lioness in our resident pride of lions on the eastern section of the reserve gave birth to an unknown number of cubs in an extremely dense, dry river bed making it inaccessible by land rover. So the waiting game started. Five weeks went by with the occasional sighting of the lionesses - but no cubs. We were starting to wonder if they had not made it. Then one late afternoon in a clearing just above the river bed where we suspected the cubs to be, we found the pride sound asleep in the shade. With them was one beautiful and very curious cub. Although not impossible for a lioness to give birth to a single cub, it is not a common occurrence. She may possibly have lost another one or two to a prowling predator. Nonetheless we are very happy to have another addition to the pride and hope there are many more to come.

We are also delighted that one of our resident leopards (whose one cub was killed by a dominant male lion) has returned to the reserve after fleeing in fear of the safety of her remaining two cubs. Unfortunately she only returned with one seven month old female cub, but both mother and daughter look healthy and are doing well.

Percentage of Camp Jabulani’s guests viewing The Big 5

Buffalo 100%
Rhino 93%
Elephant 100%
Lion 93%
Leopard 32%

We look forward to keeping you updated with news from the bush.
A few of our well known visitors.

We have welcomed a couple of high profile guests over the last few months.

Andrew Hall and his wife Leani visited Camp Jabulani a day after Andrew was selected to represent South Africa in the World Cup Cricket Tournament in the West Indies. Andrew and Leani had the privilege of viewing 7 lions from elephant back!

We wish Andrew and his team a successful world cup – and we hope to seem them at Camp Jabulani again soon.

Limpopo’s head of Nature Conservation, Charles Moleleke, joined us for a few days with his children.



We hope you have enjoyed our newsletter and that you have found the content useful. We would welcome any feedback in terms of suggestions as to how we could improve our electronic communications – please pop an e-mail to michelle@campjabulani.com with thoughts, comments or ideas.

Wishing you success, wealth and buckets of laughter.


The Camp Jabulani Marketing Team


Camp Jabulani offers a French guide

We are delighted to advise that we are now able to offer our French-speaking clients a guide who is fluent in their language.

Should guests wish to be hosted by Benjie, please ensure that we receive this request on confirmation of the reservation to avoid disappointment when the clients arrive with us.

Merci!

The Power of One is Boundless

We were thrilled when Mr & Mrs Suzanne and Rene Woreczek from France adopted Jabulani (the herd’s namesake) after their experience at Camp Jabulani in December.

The Woreczeks pledged an annual “adoption” fee which will go towards Jabulani’s food, medical care and general living expenses. It is a very expensive exercise looking after such massive charges.

It is through the assistance of patrons like Mr & Mrs Woreczek that we are able to ensure that our animals are given the very best care.

For further information of how you can make a difference to the elephants, or to other endangered species, please contact assistance@cheetahcentre.co.za.

Carl and Elsie return to the Camp Jabulani Team

We are delighted to welcome Carl and Elise back to our fold.

As part of the team since the start of the Camp Jabulani journey, they are an integral part of the operation, and one of the reasons why we have gained a reputation for service excellence.

Carl resumes his position as General Manager and together with Elsie, Rudolf and Lazaan welcomes visitors and ensures that their expectations are met and exceeded.


Tying the Knot at Camp Jabulani

There is no experience more unique for a wedding than at Camp Jabulani. We are able to tailor-make an intimate wedding setting for parties of no more than 12, or are able to host larger functions where the bridal party’s guests join them for a feast of fine food and good company in a beautiful environment.

Photographic opportunities are excellent with the Camp Jabulani elephants – the more adventurous bride may also elect to join her groom on the back of one of the beautiful pachyderms who make up the renowned Camp Jabulani herd.

We are able to take care of all details – such as flowers, entertainment, photographer, and stylist.
And the wedding cake that Rudolf whips up is both beautiful and delicious.

Contact us without delay should you or your clients be looking for an out of the ordinary wedding experience – mailto:reservations@campjabulani.com
Please access our new website for detailed information on Camp Jabulani - http://www.campjabulani.com/