TRIP REPORT: I Speak of Africa… (Botswana 22 June – 7 July 2006)
Jul 29th, 2006, 03:08 PM
#22
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,558
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Julian,
What a great writer you are...(Star Trek experience I hear?)
Your story has me on the edge of my chair. Can't wait to hear if you did the sleep out in the hide, wow! Just thinking about it gives me chills.
Also eager to read about your heli ride in Mombo, I LOVE heli rides!
Did the whining kid cross paths with you in any of the camps? Funny what you said about "advert birth control", that works the same with me!
Keep it coming...photos too!!!!
Carla
What a great writer you are...(Star Trek experience I hear?)
Your story has me on the edge of my chair. Can't wait to hear if you did the sleep out in the hide, wow! Just thinking about it gives me chills.
Also eager to read about your heli ride in Mombo, I LOVE heli rides!
Did the whining kid cross paths with you in any of the camps? Funny what you said about "advert birth control", that works the same with me!
Keep it coming...photos too!!!!
Carla
Jul 29th, 2006, 03:22 PM
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Carla,
The secret is out...a long time ago in another lifetime I did write for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But don't worry, there's nothing fictional about this trip report!
Thankfully the brat did not cross paths with me again...every time I encounter a kid like this one I'm reminded exactly why I've chosen a child-free life. I pity whomever had to share a camp with him.
Yes, we did do the sleep out in the hide - hopefully it will make it into the next instalment...
Cheers,
Julian
The secret is out...a long time ago in another lifetime I did write for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But don't worry, there's nothing fictional about this trip report!
Thankfully the brat did not cross paths with me again...every time I encounter a kid like this one I'm reminded exactly why I've chosen a child-free life. I pity whomever had to share a camp with him.
Yes, we did do the sleep out in the hide - hopefully it will make it into the next instalment...
Cheers,
Julian
Jul 29th, 2006, 04:18 PM
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JUNE 25: LINYANTI (SAVUTI CAMP)
The morning dawned at a crisp 7C – pretty chilly, though not quite as cold as Duma Tau last year. We were the first ones up, and we had the fire to ourselves as the staff set up breakfast, which contained an unexpected treat – in addition to the usual Wilderness porridge, I was able to get two poached eggs. Yet another reason Savuti is now one of my favourite camps!
A lioness had been sighted near the hide where we would be spending the night so we swung out that way. When we saw her beside the water hole I thought she was sleeping curled up in the grass, as I’ve seen leopards do at times. But then she moved, and it became clear that she wasn’t sleeping – she was badly injured, with fresh gashes on her flanks, belly, and haunches. The grass beneath her was stained with red, and she looked as if she was in serious pain – her movements over-careful, her eyes half-shut.
Kane believed that she had most likely been injured while defending her cubs from two new males who have moved into the area from Selinda. She was a member of a pride of four lionesses with a number of young cubs; one of the sisters has cubs so young that she has yet to introduce them to the pride, whilst the other three have cubs around a year old, still too young to avoid being killed in a takeover. We’d seen one of the sisters and some of the cubs last night.
Another vehicle located a dead lioness nearby, and it appeared that she too had been attacked by other lions. No dead cubs were found, so it appeared that they had managed to escape. There was no sign of the third sister or the sister with the small cubs. Autumn was quite upset by seeing the wounded lioness, and whilst I know that this is part of the natural cycle of lion society, I couldn’t help but hope that the carefree cubs we had seen last night were safe.
After that sobering encounter, we had a fairly quiet drive – plenty of good plains game but no further predator encounters. One highlight was tracking down some ground hornbills by their distinctive booming ‘oom’ calls – I’m not a birder by any means, but I’ve always found ground hornbills quite striking in their black and crimson plumage, and I got some good shots of them.
On the way back we passed the hide again, where we saw that the lioness had retreated to the shade of a small tree. She still looked like she was in a lot of pain, however, and her shift in position revealed an additional wound on her throat. Kane said that it was unlikely that she would last the night.
When we arrived back in camp for a hearty brunch everyone was talking about the wounded lioness and the inevitable battle royale shaping up between the pride males and the intruders. After brunch one of the managers was waiting to talk to us. We wouldn’t be going to the hide tonight after all – the presence of the wounded lioness made it too dangerous. Though disappointing, this was perfectly understandable – in addition to the lioness herself, her presence could attract other predators. Autumn, who had originally been a bit hesitant about doing the sleep-out, had since become a complete convert to the idea, and I think she was more disappointed than I was.
So instead of packing for the hide, we relaxed in camp. I braved our outdoor shower and found that it wasn’t nearly as chilly as I had feared. We spent some time relaxing in the lounge and watching the animals come to drink at the water hole – no ellies, but we did see some zebra and impala. I also took the opportunity to perform what would become a daily ritual, cleaning the dust off my lenses and downloading the previous evening’s and this morning’s photos to my Epson P-4000.
For our afternoon drive we decided to head out to an area where the Savuti Boys had been spending a lot of their time recently – cheetahs are Autumn’s favourite cats. They weren’t in residence when we arrived, but we did see a rather surreal mixed 'herd' of ostrich and giraffe, as well as several black-backed jackals. As we looped back towards camp, Kane stopped in what appeared to be the middle of no where. He’d ‘spotted’ something in the grass – the Savuti Boys!
The Savuti Boys are big, strong male cheetahs, but I’m always surprised by how frail cheetahs look compared to other big cats. Compared to leopards and lions they look so delicate, with their long lean runner’s build. The light was perfect, and I got some wonderful shots of the brothers in the golden grass under the setting sun. It was one of my best cheetah sightings to date.
While watching the cheetahs, we got a call – another group had spotted the wild dogs! Unfortunately, the sun was sinking fast, and Kane knew that there was no way we could get to that part of the reserve before nightfall – I’ve tried to follow wild dogs at twilight before, and it’s almost impossible to keep up with them. It was agonising knowing they were out there and not to be heading towards the sighting – but Kane was right: within about five minutes the sun had set and the dogs had vanished into the bush.
On the way back to camp we had excellent sightings of two lesser bushbabies, including one which leapt from the road into a tree – I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on the ground before. Our bat-eared neighbours were also in residence.
Autumn had been on safari for over two weeks by this point, and the early mornings were starting to catch up with her – she decided to skip dinner and go to bed early. I turned in pretty soon after dinner as well. I was writing in my journal at around 1030 when I heard a trumpeting, groaning racket erupt outside – maybe there would be ellies at the woodpile in the morning after all…
The morning dawned at a crisp 7C – pretty chilly, though not quite as cold as Duma Tau last year. We were the first ones up, and we had the fire to ourselves as the staff set up breakfast, which contained an unexpected treat – in addition to the usual Wilderness porridge, I was able to get two poached eggs. Yet another reason Savuti is now one of my favourite camps!
A lioness had been sighted near the hide where we would be spending the night so we swung out that way. When we saw her beside the water hole I thought she was sleeping curled up in the grass, as I’ve seen leopards do at times. But then she moved, and it became clear that she wasn’t sleeping – she was badly injured, with fresh gashes on her flanks, belly, and haunches. The grass beneath her was stained with red, and she looked as if she was in serious pain – her movements over-careful, her eyes half-shut.
Kane believed that she had most likely been injured while defending her cubs from two new males who have moved into the area from Selinda. She was a member of a pride of four lionesses with a number of young cubs; one of the sisters has cubs so young that she has yet to introduce them to the pride, whilst the other three have cubs around a year old, still too young to avoid being killed in a takeover. We’d seen one of the sisters and some of the cubs last night.
Another vehicle located a dead lioness nearby, and it appeared that she too had been attacked by other lions. No dead cubs were found, so it appeared that they had managed to escape. There was no sign of the third sister or the sister with the small cubs. Autumn was quite upset by seeing the wounded lioness, and whilst I know that this is part of the natural cycle of lion society, I couldn’t help but hope that the carefree cubs we had seen last night were safe.
After that sobering encounter, we had a fairly quiet drive – plenty of good plains game but no further predator encounters. One highlight was tracking down some ground hornbills by their distinctive booming ‘oom’ calls – I’m not a birder by any means, but I’ve always found ground hornbills quite striking in their black and crimson plumage, and I got some good shots of them.
On the way back we passed the hide again, where we saw that the lioness had retreated to the shade of a small tree. She still looked like she was in a lot of pain, however, and her shift in position revealed an additional wound on her throat. Kane said that it was unlikely that she would last the night.
When we arrived back in camp for a hearty brunch everyone was talking about the wounded lioness and the inevitable battle royale shaping up between the pride males and the intruders. After brunch one of the managers was waiting to talk to us. We wouldn’t be going to the hide tonight after all – the presence of the wounded lioness made it too dangerous. Though disappointing, this was perfectly understandable – in addition to the lioness herself, her presence could attract other predators. Autumn, who had originally been a bit hesitant about doing the sleep-out, had since become a complete convert to the idea, and I think she was more disappointed than I was.
So instead of packing for the hide, we relaxed in camp. I braved our outdoor shower and found that it wasn’t nearly as chilly as I had feared. We spent some time relaxing in the lounge and watching the animals come to drink at the water hole – no ellies, but we did see some zebra and impala. I also took the opportunity to perform what would become a daily ritual, cleaning the dust off my lenses and downloading the previous evening’s and this morning’s photos to my Epson P-4000.
For our afternoon drive we decided to head out to an area where the Savuti Boys had been spending a lot of their time recently – cheetahs are Autumn’s favourite cats. They weren’t in residence when we arrived, but we did see a rather surreal mixed 'herd' of ostrich and giraffe, as well as several black-backed jackals. As we looped back towards camp, Kane stopped in what appeared to be the middle of no where. He’d ‘spotted’ something in the grass – the Savuti Boys!
The Savuti Boys are big, strong male cheetahs, but I’m always surprised by how frail cheetahs look compared to other big cats. Compared to leopards and lions they look so delicate, with their long lean runner’s build. The light was perfect, and I got some wonderful shots of the brothers in the golden grass under the setting sun. It was one of my best cheetah sightings to date.
While watching the cheetahs, we got a call – another group had spotted the wild dogs! Unfortunately, the sun was sinking fast, and Kane knew that there was no way we could get to that part of the reserve before nightfall – I’ve tried to follow wild dogs at twilight before, and it’s almost impossible to keep up with them. It was agonising knowing they were out there and not to be heading towards the sighting – but Kane was right: within about five minutes the sun had set and the dogs had vanished into the bush.
On the way back to camp we had excellent sightings of two lesser bushbabies, including one which leapt from the road into a tree – I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on the ground before. Our bat-eared neighbours were also in residence.
Autumn had been on safari for over two weeks by this point, and the early mornings were starting to catch up with her – she decided to skip dinner and go to bed early. I turned in pretty soon after dinner as well. I was writing in my journal at around 1030 when I heard a trumpeting, groaning racket erupt outside – maybe there would be ellies at the woodpile in the morning after all…
Jul 30th, 2006, 02:39 AM
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JUNE 26: LINYANTI (SAVUTI CAMP)
Amazingly enough, Autumn managed to somehow sleep through last night’s elephantine dispute – apparently they were down by the woodpile, though they’d left by the time we got up. I love listening to the sounds of the bush, and I wonder what it’s like when the big herds are in residence during the dry season.
Shortly after leaving camp, we found the Savuti Boys again in the bed of the channel, resting in the tall grass before getting up to stretch their legs and mark their territory. Again, the dawn light was perfect – this has definitely been my best trip for cheetah sightings. Autumn was really chuffed.
Unfortunately, we drew a blank on the dogs again, though we did have fun listening to Kane call them – ‘Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!’ It sounded pretty realistic to me – if I was a wild dog I would have come over to investigate. He was pretty sure that they were denning somewhere in the south of the reserve, near the border with Selinda – last year they had denned on the Selinda side, so there was a chance that they were denning there again.
One of the guides had returned to check on the lioness last night, and this morning we found out that she had died around sundown – at least she hadn’t suffered long. We stopped near the hide, where she was laying on her side under a different bush – her wounds were much more visible than they had been yesterday, with a severe gouge on her flank and what looked like an amateur tracheotomy visible on her throat. Kane got out of the vehicle for a closer inspection, concluding that the neck wound had most likely been the cause of death.
She was a magnificent cat in the prime of life, and it was sad to see her laying so still in the morning sun. Death has a stillness sleep cannot mimic. Her eyes were half-open, but their amber depths had lost their gleam. Her coat still shone golden in the sun, but already the circle of life was turning – the scavengers had begun their work.
On the way back to camp we got a call from the managers – now that the wounded lioness was no longer a factor, the sleep-out was an option for tonight. Autumn really wanted to do it, and it sounded good to me providing that the smell from the dead lioness didn’t become overwhelming – I didn’t particularly want eau de dead lion to become my new signature scent.
We met with the managers when we got back to camp, and laid out the plan for the sleep-out. Normally we would do a bush dinner over a campfire near the hide, but with the dead lioness nearby and the likelihood of scavengers in the neighbourhood this was cancelled in favour of joining the boma dinner in camp. After the boma dinner we would head out to the hide. However, we would get to have a campfire breakfast in the bush.
Since we would be returning to camp for dinner, we were able to pack relatively light. One thing we should have done was to ask about the provision of hot water, towels, etc – we packed as if neither would be available, when we should have known better…this was Wilderness after all, not some budget camping outfit. But I did pick up a great tip from Autum about these Oil of Olay disposable facecloths – just add water and rub, and they lather up nicely. These would be great for airports and for other places where you want to wash your face after a long trip. Autumn also pre-packed for her departure tomorrow – she was headed out to Victoria Falls, where she would be staying at Tongabezi and Sindabezi.
We had a great time together, and we were already making plans for another trip together in 2008. I knew that she had really been looking forward to this trip, and it made me sad that she wasn’t seeing Botswana at its best – the odd weather had really played havoc with the game-viewing, both here in Savuti and at Lebala, where she had stayed just before coming here (though she did have superb viewing of some intense lion-buffalo interaction at Duba Plains).
I really wanted her to enjoy the sort of game-viewing I’ve always experienced in Botswana, so I invited her to join me at Mombo for a few days instead of going to Vic Falls. She was highly tempted, but in the end decided to stick to her plan to go to the Falls.
After packing, and going through the daily ritual of shower followed by lens cleaning and CF card downloading, we went to the Savuti shop. We’d stopped in yesterday to look for fleeces, but the cold weather meant that they were sold out – not a fleece in sight, though more were on the way. We both bought fleece hats though, and Autumn bought a really nice cotton jumper. I’d asked Jackie, the manager who runs the shop, to radio Mombo to see if they any fleeces – if they didn’t I planned to buy a jumper, as I’d found that I hadn’t packed enough warm clothes (there are definite drawbacks to being a one-bag traveller). It turned out that Mombo had a plentiful supply of fleeces, so I decided to wait.
We hung around the lounge, writing in our journals and reading. Autumn wanted to buy a copy of Running Wild (Tico McNutt’s great book on wild dogs) but the shop was out of those as well – they’re probably really popular. I recommended that she visit the Exclusive Books branch in Hyde Park during her Joburg layover – hopefully they would have a copy there. This is a wonderful book, but almost impossible to buy outside Southern Africa.
We made one last try for the dogs on the evening drive, but had no joy. I’ve been fortunate enough to see dogs an all of my trips thus far (no mean feat as I normally travel in June, not the best time for dog sightings) so while I was disappointed it wasn’t too bad – but I felt terrible for Autumn, who had now spent a week in the Linyanti (four nights at Lebala and three at Savuti) without seeing hide nor hair of a single wild dog. It only goes to show that you can never predict wildife, and makes every sighting you have even more special. We assuaged our disappointment by sketching out The Ultimate Wild Dog Itinerary for 2008.
As we drove back from the south of the reserve, we saw a giraffe drinking from the channel (a first for both of us, though we didn’t manage to get any decent photos as the light was coming in from the wrong angle). I was surprised by how fast the giraffe was able to get up and down – for some reason I thought it would take a lot longer than it did, though it probably felt like an eternity from the giraffe’s standpoint. The other giraffes in the herd acted as lookouts while one of them drank.
I heard a call come in over the radio that a leopard had been spotted (rosetted?) nearby. Kane said that the leopard was in a tree, so as we drew close I started scanning for that familiar rosetted coat. No leopard. Then Kane stopped the vehicle and told us to look up – and there they were, not one but two little leopard cubs. They were only about two months old, and somehow I’d gotten the impression that we were looking for an adult leopard so I was surprised by how tiny they were – about the size of a large domestic cat. Their eyes had started to go amber rather than blue, and their coats had started to show the striking adult pattern rather than the darker, densely spotted baby coat. They gazed curiously down on us, first peeking shyly out from behind their enormous fuzzy paws and then, deciding we weren’t of great interest, dropping off to sleep. I took a rather excessive number of pictures as the sun set – for some reason leopards tend to bring out the latent paparazzo in me. Seeing such tiny cubs was very special, and more than made up for missing the dogs.
The leopards alone would have made the evening for me, but there was more to come. We saw our bat-eared neighbours and their children hunting together in their field near camp – Autumn loves these little guys, and I can see why. Their huge ears and little pointed noses give them a comical expression, and it was great fun to watch them as they hunted insects in the grass.
On arriving back in camp we did a bit of final packing and went for dinner. We really wanted to get out to the hide early to have some time there before we went to sleep, and it was a bit dismaying to learn that the staff cultural event was scheduled for tonight. We considered skipping it (the management had explained the situation to the staff so no one would have been offended) but in the end we decided to stay. I’m really glad that we did, as it turned out to be the best cultural event I’ve experienced in any camp.
It wasn’t as slick and professional as some I’ve seen at other camps, but it was much more genuine. The enthusiasm was palpable, and there were some very unusual narrative songs that included some great acting – one was a song about a healer curing a sick woman, and one was a very funny and slightly rude song about flirtation which involved one of the guides trying to tickle the women’s bottoms with a feather duster while they danced away from him. Canius, another guide who acted as master of ceremonies, had a kudu horn trumpet that had a tendency to make inappropriate noises at the funniest moments.
After the show we went into the boma for a traditional meal – and it was a very traditional meal, with the men sitting on chairs and the women sitting on cushions. Canius told us a bit about the history of the kgotla, and nominated one of the guests as chief for the night. The food was very traditional as well (shredded pounded beef, traditionally served to honoured guests; miniature squashes; maize meal) and we ate with our hands (not, it has to be said, my favourite method of eating, though one of the staff did come around with an ewer of water to wash our hands in). I was lucky enough to sit next to Canius during the meal – it turned out that the songs were each from a different tribe, and staff members from each tribe chose and choreographed their own song. He asked for feedback, and the one suggestion I had was to provide translations of the lyrics – the music is beautiful, but a better understanding of the narrative would add another dimension.
Rather than waiting for dessert, Autumn and I decided to leave early to go out to the hide. After a quick stop in our tent to brush our teeth and wash our faces, we left the friendly voices and firelight behind and headed out into the African night.
Amazingly enough, Autumn managed to somehow sleep through last night’s elephantine dispute – apparently they were down by the woodpile, though they’d left by the time we got up. I love listening to the sounds of the bush, and I wonder what it’s like when the big herds are in residence during the dry season.
Shortly after leaving camp, we found the Savuti Boys again in the bed of the channel, resting in the tall grass before getting up to stretch their legs and mark their territory. Again, the dawn light was perfect – this has definitely been my best trip for cheetah sightings. Autumn was really chuffed.
Unfortunately, we drew a blank on the dogs again, though we did have fun listening to Kane call them – ‘Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!’ It sounded pretty realistic to me – if I was a wild dog I would have come over to investigate. He was pretty sure that they were denning somewhere in the south of the reserve, near the border with Selinda – last year they had denned on the Selinda side, so there was a chance that they were denning there again.
One of the guides had returned to check on the lioness last night, and this morning we found out that she had died around sundown – at least she hadn’t suffered long. We stopped near the hide, where she was laying on her side under a different bush – her wounds were much more visible than they had been yesterday, with a severe gouge on her flank and what looked like an amateur tracheotomy visible on her throat. Kane got out of the vehicle for a closer inspection, concluding that the neck wound had most likely been the cause of death.
She was a magnificent cat in the prime of life, and it was sad to see her laying so still in the morning sun. Death has a stillness sleep cannot mimic. Her eyes were half-open, but their amber depths had lost their gleam. Her coat still shone golden in the sun, but already the circle of life was turning – the scavengers had begun their work.
On the way back to camp we got a call from the managers – now that the wounded lioness was no longer a factor, the sleep-out was an option for tonight. Autumn really wanted to do it, and it sounded good to me providing that the smell from the dead lioness didn’t become overwhelming – I didn’t particularly want eau de dead lion to become my new signature scent.
We met with the managers when we got back to camp, and laid out the plan for the sleep-out. Normally we would do a bush dinner over a campfire near the hide, but with the dead lioness nearby and the likelihood of scavengers in the neighbourhood this was cancelled in favour of joining the boma dinner in camp. After the boma dinner we would head out to the hide. However, we would get to have a campfire breakfast in the bush.
Since we would be returning to camp for dinner, we were able to pack relatively light. One thing we should have done was to ask about the provision of hot water, towels, etc – we packed as if neither would be available, when we should have known better…this was Wilderness after all, not some budget camping outfit. But I did pick up a great tip from Autum about these Oil of Olay disposable facecloths – just add water and rub, and they lather up nicely. These would be great for airports and for other places where you want to wash your face after a long trip. Autumn also pre-packed for her departure tomorrow – she was headed out to Victoria Falls, where she would be staying at Tongabezi and Sindabezi.
We had a great time together, and we were already making plans for another trip together in 2008. I knew that she had really been looking forward to this trip, and it made me sad that she wasn’t seeing Botswana at its best – the odd weather had really played havoc with the game-viewing, both here in Savuti and at Lebala, where she had stayed just before coming here (though she did have superb viewing of some intense lion-buffalo interaction at Duba Plains).
I really wanted her to enjoy the sort of game-viewing I’ve always experienced in Botswana, so I invited her to join me at Mombo for a few days instead of going to Vic Falls. She was highly tempted, but in the end decided to stick to her plan to go to the Falls.
After packing, and going through the daily ritual of shower followed by lens cleaning and CF card downloading, we went to the Savuti shop. We’d stopped in yesterday to look for fleeces, but the cold weather meant that they were sold out – not a fleece in sight, though more were on the way. We both bought fleece hats though, and Autumn bought a really nice cotton jumper. I’d asked Jackie, the manager who runs the shop, to radio Mombo to see if they any fleeces – if they didn’t I planned to buy a jumper, as I’d found that I hadn’t packed enough warm clothes (there are definite drawbacks to being a one-bag traveller). It turned out that Mombo had a plentiful supply of fleeces, so I decided to wait.
We hung around the lounge, writing in our journals and reading. Autumn wanted to buy a copy of Running Wild (Tico McNutt’s great book on wild dogs) but the shop was out of those as well – they’re probably really popular. I recommended that she visit the Exclusive Books branch in Hyde Park during her Joburg layover – hopefully they would have a copy there. This is a wonderful book, but almost impossible to buy outside Southern Africa.
We made one last try for the dogs on the evening drive, but had no joy. I’ve been fortunate enough to see dogs an all of my trips thus far (no mean feat as I normally travel in June, not the best time for dog sightings) so while I was disappointed it wasn’t too bad – but I felt terrible for Autumn, who had now spent a week in the Linyanti (four nights at Lebala and three at Savuti) without seeing hide nor hair of a single wild dog. It only goes to show that you can never predict wildife, and makes every sighting you have even more special. We assuaged our disappointment by sketching out The Ultimate Wild Dog Itinerary for 2008.
As we drove back from the south of the reserve, we saw a giraffe drinking from the channel (a first for both of us, though we didn’t manage to get any decent photos as the light was coming in from the wrong angle). I was surprised by how fast the giraffe was able to get up and down – for some reason I thought it would take a lot longer than it did, though it probably felt like an eternity from the giraffe’s standpoint. The other giraffes in the herd acted as lookouts while one of them drank.
I heard a call come in over the radio that a leopard had been spotted (rosetted?) nearby. Kane said that the leopard was in a tree, so as we drew close I started scanning for that familiar rosetted coat. No leopard. Then Kane stopped the vehicle and told us to look up – and there they were, not one but two little leopard cubs. They were only about two months old, and somehow I’d gotten the impression that we were looking for an adult leopard so I was surprised by how tiny they were – about the size of a large domestic cat. Their eyes had started to go amber rather than blue, and their coats had started to show the striking adult pattern rather than the darker, densely spotted baby coat. They gazed curiously down on us, first peeking shyly out from behind their enormous fuzzy paws and then, deciding we weren’t of great interest, dropping off to sleep. I took a rather excessive number of pictures as the sun set – for some reason leopards tend to bring out the latent paparazzo in me. Seeing such tiny cubs was very special, and more than made up for missing the dogs.
The leopards alone would have made the evening for me, but there was more to come. We saw our bat-eared neighbours and their children hunting together in their field near camp – Autumn loves these little guys, and I can see why. Their huge ears and little pointed noses give them a comical expression, and it was great fun to watch them as they hunted insects in the grass.
On arriving back in camp we did a bit of final packing and went for dinner. We really wanted to get out to the hide early to have some time there before we went to sleep, and it was a bit dismaying to learn that the staff cultural event was scheduled for tonight. We considered skipping it (the management had explained the situation to the staff so no one would have been offended) but in the end we decided to stay. I’m really glad that we did, as it turned out to be the best cultural event I’ve experienced in any camp.
It wasn’t as slick and professional as some I’ve seen at other camps, but it was much more genuine. The enthusiasm was palpable, and there were some very unusual narrative songs that included some great acting – one was a song about a healer curing a sick woman, and one was a very funny and slightly rude song about flirtation which involved one of the guides trying to tickle the women’s bottoms with a feather duster while they danced away from him. Canius, another guide who acted as master of ceremonies, had a kudu horn trumpet that had a tendency to make inappropriate noises at the funniest moments.
After the show we went into the boma for a traditional meal – and it was a very traditional meal, with the men sitting on chairs and the women sitting on cushions. Canius told us a bit about the history of the kgotla, and nominated one of the guests as chief for the night. The food was very traditional as well (shredded pounded beef, traditionally served to honoured guests; miniature squashes; maize meal) and we ate with our hands (not, it has to be said, my favourite method of eating, though one of the staff did come around with an ewer of water to wash our hands in). I was lucky enough to sit next to Canius during the meal – it turned out that the songs were each from a different tribe, and staff members from each tribe chose and choreographed their own song. He asked for feedback, and the one suggestion I had was to provide translations of the lyrics – the music is beautiful, but a better understanding of the narrative would add another dimension.
Rather than waiting for dessert, Autumn and I decided to leave early to go out to the hide. After a quick stop in our tent to brush our teeth and wash our faces, we left the friendly voices and firelight behind and headed out into the African night.
Jul 30th, 2006, 07:46 AM
#31
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,916
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Julian, very interesting report, and particularly revealing story about the lions -- while we generally view them as the top of the food chain, their lives can be brutal.
When I was in Kafunta, I witnessed a battle between a pride of lions and a buffalo, which ended with the lions devouring the buffalo. But the buffalo had inflicted a mortal wound on one of the juvenile lions, whose head and skeleton we located the next day. It had been picked clean by scavengers, and when we arrived, was covered with vultures. The head, though, was left untouched.
Michael
When I was in Kafunta, I witnessed a battle between a pride of lions and a buffalo, which ended with the lions devouring the buffalo. But the buffalo had inflicted a mortal wound on one of the juvenile lions, whose head and skeleton we located the next day. It had been picked clean by scavengers, and when we arrived, was covered with vultures. The head, though, was left untouched.
Michael
Jul 30th, 2006, 07:54 AM
#32
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,558
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh Julian, this is terrific. A first for me...crying while reading a Fodors thread. The lioness saga got to me, I just keep thinking of her trying to protect her babies and then seeing her like you did that am is heartwrenching.
But then I perked back up after your leopard cub sighting, what a thrill!
That's cool that you found someone to share your experience with BUT she TD'd
Mombo???
But then I perked back up after your leopard cub sighting, what a thrill!
That's cool that you found someone to share your experience with BUT she TD'd
Mombo???
Jul 30th, 2006, 09:42 AM
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello everyone,
Thanks for your feedback. Autumn and I also found the story of the lionesses heartbreaking -- you know it has to happen, but that doesn't make it easy to watch. We couldn't make ourselves go and see the other dead lioness though there was sure to be some interesting scavenger activity in progress.
Cheers,
Julian
Thanks for your feedback. Autumn and I also found the story of the lionesses heartbreaking -- you know it has to happen, but that doesn't make it easy to watch. We couldn't make ourselves go and see the other dead lioness though there was sure to be some interesting scavenger activity in progress.
Cheers,
Julian
Jul 30th, 2006, 11:58 AM
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JUNE 26: LINYANTI (SAVUTI CAMP), Continued:
By this point I’ve logged a lot of hours on night drives in both South Africa and Botswana, and I knew that in reality this was no different than the drive we had done before dinner. But knowing that didn’t stop it from feeling very different – there seemed to be an element of risk that hadn’t been there before. Maybe it was knowing that everyone else was in camp and we would be on our own if something happened. Maybe it was the fact that seeing what had happened to the lionesses had once again underlined that this was a wild, untamed place where death is part of life. Or maybe it was the simple fact of rebelling against all the instincts that had kept our primitive ancestors alive and abandoning the fire for the unknown dark.
The night seemed more alive than it normally did on a night drive (or maybe it was my imagination which was more lively than usual). Kane had the spotlight on like on a normal night drive, and we saw the bat-eared foxes and an African wild cat, and startled some ellies who did not take kindly to this sudden bright intrusion into their evening foraging.
When we reached the hide we got a faint whiff (though only that) of eau de dead lioness. Kane slowed down and swept the area with particular attention as the carcass might have attracted scavengers, but we didn’t see anything.
Kane drove the vehicle around to the back of the hide where the stairs were located. Unlike the front, which is very open, the back was surrounded by some thicker bush. There were lanterns in place leading up to the hide, and he lit those and led us upstairs.
I’ve seen pictures of the sleep-out set up at Chitabe (in the Wilderness brochures) so I had some idea of what to expect, but it was still surprising to see how civilised everything was. There were mattresses covered with individual mosquito nets and furnished with sleeping bags and fleece blankets. There were fluffy towels (hand and face sized) as well as Doom, Peaceful Sleep, and a mosquito coil, not that any mosquitoes were likely to bother us in the dead of winter. There was also a separate sleeping area for Kane. Downstairs, there was a very civilised bush loo, a director’s chair with a wooden toilet seat set over a long drop where ‘flushing’ was accomplished with a scoop of dirt.
Kane built a fire downstairs in front of the hide, where we sat and had some after-dinner drinks. We glimpsed eyes up near where the dead lioness lay – probably a hyaena.
We were more tired than we had expected, so we went to bed soon afterwards. As a house office (medical resident), I learned to live by the maxim ‘Eat when you can, sleep when you can, and pee when you can, as you never know when you’ll get another chance.’ With that in mind, I made sure to use the loo before we went to bed. This was probably the most nerve-wracking part of the experience – peeing in the bush in the dark whilst hearing unknown animals (probably just inoffensive creatures like impala) moving around nearby, and knowing there was probably a hyaena in the vicinity.
The lanterns were set down low, and we settled down to sleep. Actually getting into the beds was a bit of a faff – the mosquito nets were pinned a bit too securely under the mattresses. Great for bite prevention, but not so great when attempting to wriggle one’s way inside. Once inside, I remembered why I had never liked sleeping bags in my scouting days – they’re rather claustrophobic. Autumn recommended unzipping the bag and using it as a blanket, which worked much better.
Even a tent blocks some of the smaller night sounds, but here in the open air we were treated to a full nocturnal chorus, carried on the crisp night air. We fell asleep listening to the sounds of an African night – what could be better than that?
By this point I’ve logged a lot of hours on night drives in both South Africa and Botswana, and I knew that in reality this was no different than the drive we had done before dinner. But knowing that didn’t stop it from feeling very different – there seemed to be an element of risk that hadn’t been there before. Maybe it was knowing that everyone else was in camp and we would be on our own if something happened. Maybe it was the fact that seeing what had happened to the lionesses had once again underlined that this was a wild, untamed place where death is part of life. Or maybe it was the simple fact of rebelling against all the instincts that had kept our primitive ancestors alive and abandoning the fire for the unknown dark.
The night seemed more alive than it normally did on a night drive (or maybe it was my imagination which was more lively than usual). Kane had the spotlight on like on a normal night drive, and we saw the bat-eared foxes and an African wild cat, and startled some ellies who did not take kindly to this sudden bright intrusion into their evening foraging.
When we reached the hide we got a faint whiff (though only that) of eau de dead lioness. Kane slowed down and swept the area with particular attention as the carcass might have attracted scavengers, but we didn’t see anything.
Kane drove the vehicle around to the back of the hide where the stairs were located. Unlike the front, which is very open, the back was surrounded by some thicker bush. There were lanterns in place leading up to the hide, and he lit those and led us upstairs.
I’ve seen pictures of the sleep-out set up at Chitabe (in the Wilderness brochures) so I had some idea of what to expect, but it was still surprising to see how civilised everything was. There were mattresses covered with individual mosquito nets and furnished with sleeping bags and fleece blankets. There were fluffy towels (hand and face sized) as well as Doom, Peaceful Sleep, and a mosquito coil, not that any mosquitoes were likely to bother us in the dead of winter. There was also a separate sleeping area for Kane. Downstairs, there was a very civilised bush loo, a director’s chair with a wooden toilet seat set over a long drop where ‘flushing’ was accomplished with a scoop of dirt.
Kane built a fire downstairs in front of the hide, where we sat and had some after-dinner drinks. We glimpsed eyes up near where the dead lioness lay – probably a hyaena.
We were more tired than we had expected, so we went to bed soon afterwards. As a house office (medical resident), I learned to live by the maxim ‘Eat when you can, sleep when you can, and pee when you can, as you never know when you’ll get another chance.’ With that in mind, I made sure to use the loo before we went to bed. This was probably the most nerve-wracking part of the experience – peeing in the bush in the dark whilst hearing unknown animals (probably just inoffensive creatures like impala) moving around nearby, and knowing there was probably a hyaena in the vicinity.
The lanterns were set down low, and we settled down to sleep. Actually getting into the beds was a bit of a faff – the mosquito nets were pinned a bit too securely under the mattresses. Great for bite prevention, but not so great when attempting to wriggle one’s way inside. Once inside, I remembered why I had never liked sleeping bags in my scouting days – they’re rather claustrophobic. Autumn recommended unzipping the bag and using it as a blanket, which worked much better.
Even a tent blocks some of the smaller night sounds, but here in the open air we were treated to a full nocturnal chorus, carried on the crisp night air. We fell asleep listening to the sounds of an African night – what could be better than that?
Jul 30th, 2006, 08:49 PM
#38
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's great news about more competition for Air Botswana in 2007. They've managed to alter two of my three Botswana itineraries.
The leopard cubs would be highlight of a whole trip!
Your lack of luck with the dogs this time underscores how tricky it can be to see them, even if you have planned well.
I loved your account of your sleep out and bet it will encourage others to try it. The "full nocturnal chorus" is a perfect way to describe the sounds from the hide.
The sad situation with the lioness must have been hard to witness. We all know that goes on, but few of us have a front row seat to it.
When you have the specs on your Ultimate Wild Dog Itinerary, you'll have to share them.
The leopard cubs would be highlight of a whole trip!
Your lack of luck with the dogs this time underscores how tricky it can be to see them, even if you have planned well.
I loved your account of your sleep out and bet it will encourage others to try it. The "full nocturnal chorus" is a perfect way to describe the sounds from the hide.
The sad situation with the lioness must have been hard to witness. We all know that goes on, but few of us have a front row seat to it.
When you have the specs on your Ultimate Wild Dog Itinerary, you'll have to share them.
Jul 30th, 2006, 09:08 PM
#39
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 421
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Julian great report. We were at Duma Tau June 25 to 27 and saw one of the dead lionesses on June 26th. It really affected the guides and made us all sad. We probably passed each other as we saw the 2 cheetahs and the leopard cubs as well. We were very lucky in seeing wild dog on our first game drive at Duma Tau which was in the late afternoon of June 25th. Four dogs were hunting an impala. My trip report is under Back from Botswana and Zambia.
Jul 30th, 2006, 09:44 PM
#40
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As I was reading about the leopard cubs, I was thinking, "Suddenly everyone is seeing leopard cubs."
That was your report, Raeland, I was recalling. Turns out, it was the <u>same</u> leopard cubs.
As for the many African Wildcats, I was told that the abundant rain meant more rodents and therefore more wildcats.
The bat earred fox family must have been a wonderful sighting, Julian..
How fortunate you both saw the cheetah brothers as well as the baby leopards.
That was your report, Raeland, I was recalling. Turns out, it was the <u>same</u> leopard cubs.
As for the many African Wildcats, I was told that the abundant rain meant more rodents and therefore more wildcats.
The bat earred fox family must have been a wonderful sighting, Julian..
How fortunate you both saw the cheetah brothers as well as the baby leopards.
