Janice Of The Jungle Spends Day Two At Inverdoorn

Did You Know? - They are rescued and they are fat. They are probably from a circus. To give them exercise, the staff puts their food in a different location each day so they have to move around. The females are also heavy because while they were in captivity they were given hormones. The lions are the only animals in this large enclosure. At one time the staff said they found a deer or antelope in the enclosure that they believe jumped the fence. The lions did not chase it and they cohabited together for awhile before the animal left

Did You Know?

Elephants stomp when they walk.

Elephants sleep standing up.

Sometimes baby elephants lie down to sleep.

Elephants bathe. Sometimes they spray dirt on themselves to get the parasites off. Sometimes they bathe in mud

Elephants live in herds.

They cool off by fanning their ears. This cools the blood in their ears. That blood goes to the rest of their body and cools off the elephant.

They poop 80 pounds in one day.

Did You Know?

Only grown up ladies and their babies live in the herds.

The daddy elephants leave the herd when they are 12 years old.

They fight with their tusks.

They eat grass and bark.

During the wet season they eat things low to the ground.

During the dry season they use their trunk to gather food from trees and bushes.

They suck up water into their trunks and shoot it into their mouths.

Elephants need lots of room to roam and eat. (Some of us think that this must mean they are not happy in the zoo or in the circus.)

They can run 24mph for short distances.

Did You Know? - Disperse Red 9 is a red powder that, when combined with water, will turn into a highly visible purple liquid. That liquid can usually not be washed off with water, soap or alcohol. The infusion device soaks a rhino’s horn under high pressure. Unlike other horns, rhino horns do not have a bony core but consist entirely of keratin. These fibrous scleroproteins are bundled up like very tightly pressed hair, and they form a very tough horn. Thanks to this fibrous anatomy, they can be soaked with the dye from inside without being noticeable from outside.

The liquid dye is not just dye. It is actually a mixture between the bright pink dye and an ectoparasiticide, which normally is used for protecting rhino against ticks. In this case, however, the purpose is not to protect the rhino against ticks but to poison rhino horn consumers. The purpose: Discouraging the (typically) Asian clients to buy the horn and to prevent poaching in the first place. If they consume RRP-treated horn powder, they will heavily suffer from nausea, stomach-ache and diarrhea. The effects are non-lethal but harmful to humans

Did You Know? - These are white rhinos which are fairly rare. There is a father, mother and baby. We had to be very quiet while they passed in front of us. They can't see very well and can become aggressive

Did You Know?

There are three species of zebra: Grevy’s, mountain and plains, the latter of which is by far the most common. The plains zebra is divided into six subspecies; the mountain into two.

Zebras are very fast-moving animals, and can reach speeds of up to 65kmph when galloping across the plains. This is just fast enough to outpace predators such as lions. Foals can run with the herd within a few hours of birth.

A zebra’s stripy coat is thought to disperse more than 70 per cent of incoming heat, preventing the animal from overheating in the African sun.

It's thought that a zebra's stripes serve to help camouflage the animal in long grass, and distract predators. Recent research also shows that a zebra's stripes may have evolved to keep biting insects at bay - the monochrome pattern seems to throw off the visual systems of flies.

A zebra's stripes act like an equine fingerprint - each individual’s pattern is unique. Foals recognise their mothers by the pattern of their stripes, as well as by scent and call.

While Grevy zebra society tends to be fairly open, that of plains and mountain zebras is more tight-knit, with the animals living in harems of up to six breeding females and their young, with a dominant male. Each female has a place in the hierarchy. These groups are so close that if a predator injures one individual, fellow members will circle it and attempt to scare the intruder away with their teeth and hooves.

Like horses, zebras sleep standing up, and usually only when in the safety of a group.

For protection, zebra groups often come together in large herds, regularly mixing with other grazers such as wildebeest. As well as providing more eyes and ears to look out for danger, a large herd is confusing to a predator, making it harder to single out individual prey.

One of the most extraordinary phenomena in the natural world is the annual 1,800-mile migration of millions of zebra, blue wildebeest and other antelope between the Serengeti in Tanzania and Kenya’s Masai Mara in a constant search of food and water.

In Ancient Rome, Grevy’s zebra were trained to pull chariots at Roman circuses under the alias ‘hippotigris’ (‘horse-tiger’).

Did You Know? - Amongst the many features at the game reserve, the cheetah rescue and rehabilitation center is the lodge’s main attraction. Inverdoorn is the only game reserve close to Cape Town offering intimate encounters with cheetahs.*

Passionate about cheetah conservation, Inverdoorn provides guests the opportunity to be charmed by the grace and beauty of Velvet or Iziba, the lodge’s beloved tame cheetahs.

Did You Know?

Do not wear sunglasses or loose clothing that can flap in the wind.
Do not call or whistle at the cheetah.

Did You Know?
The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. They can reach a top speed of around 113 km per hour.

A cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 113 km in just a few seconds.

Cheetahs are extremely fast however they tire quickly and can only keep up their top speed for a few minutes before they are too tired to continue.

Cheetahs are smaller than other members of the big cat family, weighing only 45 – 60 kilograms.

One way to always recognize a cheetah is by the long, black lines which run from the inside of each eye to the mouth. These are usually called “tear lines” and scientists believe they help protect the cheetah’s eyes from the harsh sun and help them to see long distances.

Cheetahs are the only big cat that cannot roar. They can purr though and usually purr most loudly when they are grooming or sitting near other cheetahs.

While lions and leopards usually do their hunting at night, cheetahs hunt for food during the day.

A cheetah has amazing eyesight during the day and can spot prey from 5 km away.

Cheetahs cannot climb trees and have poor night vision.

With their light body weight and blunt claws, cheetahs are not well designed to protect themselves or their prey. When a larger or more aggressive animal approaches a cheetah in the wild, it will give up its catch to avoid a fight.

Cheetahs only need to drink once every three to four days.