ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive May 2002 Duba Plains Tented Camp April Update, May 5 2002 Duba Plains Tented Camp is located in the Okavango Delta region of northern Botswana. It is noted for having the highest density of lion in Africa and herds of buffaloes in the thousands… As expected the Okavango floodwaters started arriving into the Delta around the 7th of April. However the water's arrival has been much slower than the previous two years. Almost all areas of the concession are still accessible, allowing the guides to drive to all the lion pride territories. With the onset of winter, the collapsed Sycamore Fig tree has been well utilized as fuel for evening fires. April will go down as a month of unusual wildlife sightings. The month began with a sighting of the pregnant cheetah from previous months, now lactating. We suspect her cubs are being kept some kilometers to the north of the camp, in a dryer region. Later in the month we had our first sightings, in more than a year, of aardwolf, sable and wild dog. Whether this indicates of a dryer season or not, remains to be seen, but things are definitely pointing in that direction. It's unlikely these animals will remain here as the floods rise, but hopefully they will return later in the year. Other highlights included several sightings of our relaxed young male leopard and one of an adult male leopard feeding on a baboon, far from the safety of any trees. It appears a female leopard has moved into the immediate area of the camp, as her tracks are seen regularly on the pathways, not to mention the nervous screeching of our resident baboon and monkey troops. Two new six to eight week old hyena pups are being seen at the den. They are extremely relaxed in the presence of vehicles and take great pleasure in investigating the vehicle tires. Just as all the remaining waterholes and channels were drying up and the waterbirds migrating from the area, the flood arrived, rejuvenating the floodplains and bringing a myriad of birds back. With the return of the water, buffalo and elephant herds are spending more time out in the floodplains feeding on the lush, new couch grass. April was another successful month with the lions. A total of 41 pride sightings were had, with an average of 12 lions a day. Slightly down from previous months, but this can be attributed to the shift in territories with the onset of the floods. The Tsaro pride is pushing further into the Pantry prides territory, resulting in the Pantry pride moving their cubs more to the east. Unfortunately we only got to see this pride once this month, but from their recent roarings, it sounds as if they are moving back into an accessible area. We look forward to seeing how many of the 10 cubs have survived this testing time. With the Pantry pride moving further to the east, it has allowed the long absent Old Vumbura pride (2 adult females and 5 x 19 month olds) to show themselves again. On one occasion they were seen picking off a buffalo calf from the back of a large herd. The Skimmer pride continues to push the Tsaro pride to the south and east. The 2 Skimmer subadult males have been seen pressing a long way into the Tsaro pride's area and are definitely building up confidence. The Duba Boys continue to chase them away regularly, only to have them return the very next morning. All 12 of the Skimmer pride are doing well, however, the young cubs are not getting as much food as they should, looking fairly skinny. This is most likely due to the subadult males stealing most of the kills. Fortunately, the next day they had well rounded stomachs after feeding on a buffalo while the Duba Boys saw off the 2 subadult males. As usual, the stars of the month were the Tsaro pride. All 14 lions are extremely fit and well, albeit with a few wounded rear legs. In total 14 buffalo kills were seen and one unfortunate warthog. The lions are focusing on the new born buffalo calves, often catching 3 or 4 in a day. For the first time we are seeing the buffalo numbers being reduced, especially as so many of the calves have been killed. One exceptional sighting saw the Tsaro pride pull down 3 adult buffalo at once, only to be aggressively chased off by the returning herd. All 3 buffalo managed to get to their feet and rejoin the herd. The lions did not give up there, but continued to pursue the herd for another four hours. For a short while they attempted to capture an adult male hippo before heading back to the buffalo again. Several lions are sporting the scars of battles lost, mostly to their back legs where they have been gored by the buffaloes' horns. With the flood rising and the lions establishing their new boundaries, we look forward to an exciting month of May. That's it for another wonderful month on the plains of Duba. Mombo Camp April Update, May 5 2002 Mombo Camp is located with Botswana's Moremi Reserve. The Moremi Reserve is noted by many as being THE premier wildlife viewing location in all of southern Africa. Many traveler's have noted that no trip to Botswana would be complete without staying at Mombo Camp. April at Mombo was a busy yet festive and action packed month! 25 millimeters of rain late n the middle of the month filled up the rapidly drying waterholes. Apart from that all signs have been towards the approaching winter: the baobab trees shedding their leaves, early morning mist hanging over the expectant floodplains, the summer-loving woodland kingfishers have taken their cue and departed for warmer climes, and testosterone-charged impala rams have been running around in circles frantically trying to impress as many females as possible! But the biggest event heralding winter occurred around the 17th of the month - the new floodwaters started pushing in along the main channels after months of travel from their headwaters in Angola's Benguela Plateau. In 3 days the floodplain in front of camp was transformed from a dry expanse into a shimmering blue lake with a myriad of birds following its advance. By all accounts the flood this year will be small, possibly meaning we will still be able to access areas that usually get too flooded. The Delta though is a remarkably dynamic place and only time will tell what paths the waters will follow this year. Wildlife sightings have been amazing: With regards to lions the Steroid Boys have been making regular appearances as well as a whole host of lion cubs from different prides - the Wheatfield Boys have maintained their stronghold on their territory despite incursions by numerous nomads - providing the ideal secure environment for the raising of cubs. On one occasion we witnessed one of them bring down a zebra right in front of camp in the morning in an amazing display of an adult male lion's hunting prowess - not quite as elegant as a lioness but just as effective! But by far the most amazing sighting involved 3 of the major predators in a drama that was played out in broad daylight less than 1 kilometer from camp: the Burned Ebony male, the dominant male leopard, attempted to bring down an adult female wildebeest (an animal probably more than twice his weight). Somehow it all went horribly wrong and the wildebeest managed to gore the leopard and actually impale him on her horns - he was not fatally injured but was completely immobile due to the horn through the skin near his front leg. The wildebeest could also not move since the leopard was just too heavy to pick up and the leopard could not effect the killing bite because of his precarious position! The commotion of course attracted every hyena in the area (if you've ever heard a wildebeest death bleat you'll understand!) By the time we arrived (having also been alerted in typical scavenger fashion!) we found 5 hyenas disemboweling the wildebeest from the rear and the leopard stuck on the front end! The hyenas continually tried to get at the leopard as well to secure a two meals in one deal but were repelled by one paw the leopard had free and his intimidating growls indicating he was very much alive! But the leopard was clearly living on borrowed time and the look in his eyes indicated he knew it! Eventually the hyenas feeding activities killed the wildebeest and they moved the carcass in such a way that the leopard could painfully pull himself off the horn. He sat for a while licking his wounds and growling his disapproval as the 5 hyenas tore into his meal. Suddenly, all the hyenas scattered in unison as a nomadic male lion came tearing out of the bush, fortunately the Burned Ebony male was also able to pick himself up and make haste to the nearest tree. As the nomad began tucking into this unexpected bonanza he too suddenly became very alert, and, entering from stage right we saw the Matata Pride of 7 lions running in - and with them one of the Wheatfield Boys! About 20 meters out the Wheatfield male stopped and stared in disbelief as he saw the strange male standing over the wildebeest carcass! It took a few seconds for this blatant act of territorial disrespect to register before he started chasing the nomad across the floodplain, roaring his annoyance! By this time the pride had settled down and proceeded to enjoy their opportunistic meal. A 30 minute drama that we were very fortunate and privileged to have witnessed! Although we were very concerned, the story ends well for the Burned Ebony male, as he was seen a week later doing his rounds and marking territory seemingly none the worse for wear - although I'm sure he'll think twice before attempting anything on an adult wildebeest again! Drifters Adventours Changes Two Tour Routings, May 5 2002 Drifters' Adventours of Southern Africa have altered the routing of their 30 day Complete Africa Explorer which departs from Johannesburg, South Africa and ends in Nairobi, Kenya. Due to the unstable political situation in Zimbabwe the tour will travel via Botswana to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe as follows: DAY 1 Machete / DAY 2 Nata / DAY 3 Kasane / DAY 4 Victoria Falls DAYS 5-30 as per the normal itinerary Drifters has also altered their 24 day Southern Africa Explorer safari, traveling from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg through Botswana rather than through Zimbabwe as follows: DAYS 20 & 21 Victoria Falls / DAY 22 Nata / DAY 23 as per the itinerary Robin Pope's Safaris Update, May 5 2002 Robin and Jo Pope run one of Zambia's premier safari operations. Please find their latest update below: I'm sitting at my desk on this chilly Monday morning, summarizing what I consider to be newsworthy events over the past week. And yes, it is all about the wonderful weather and lots of wildlife viewing! For instance, word has come through this morning about a sighting of two male leopards and a lion in the bush opposite Nkwali camp. Yesterday I enjoyed a lovely afternoon activity. We boated across the river from the Nkwali bar to a waiting vehicle and drove off into the Park - all very quick and civilized! I was astounded to see so many elephant on one outing - they were dotted all over the plains, large gray mounds looming above the tall grasses, with the occasional flapping of the ear to confirm their identities! Lots of little ones as well! We had sundowners by the lagoon next to the Big Baobab and at least six adult eles came down to the edge to drink, completely unfussed by our presence - in the fading orange light it was all very beautiful! On the same outing we drove up to three redbilled hornbills having a dust bath in the middle of the road, lowering their bodies onto the ground and kicking up a storm of dust. At sunset we saw about six Abdim's storks flying overhead...soon they will head north for the European summer. And seen through the thick bush we saw a large buffalo herd...it sounded like there were hundreds of them with all the branch snapping and synchronized mooing going on! Sighting of the week certainly went to Simon, Shanie, Jill and Bruce on Saturday during a morning walk. As they approached the Katete riverbed they could see two male lion, both fast asleep, one lying with its legs in the air! They stirred awake with the walkers watching from a safe distance. The lions didn't know what was happening...groggy eyed, they looked at the walkers and then skulked off into the grass. Along the way the walkers enjoyed some excellent birding, including the rarely seen purple banded sunbird and a cut-throat finch. In the early evening they also saw a beautiful spotted eagle owl and a spotted dikkop, both uncommonly seen in the area. An excellent day for birding enthusiasts! Chikwenya Camp April Update, May 12 2002 Chikwenya Camp is located on the eastern boundary of Mana Pools National Park in remote northern Zimbabwe. It was one of the highest quality wildlife viewing destinations in all of Africa. Here is the camps report for April 2002: For those familiar with Zimbabwe, April brings clear skies, fantastic visibility, awesome night skies and a slight crisp in the air heralding the beginning of the cool dry season. This year - somebody, somewhere got it all wrong! April turned out to be a typical February with gray skies, low cloud, rain and more rain! Nature responded with trees coming into flower, new grass shoots, active insects and the migratory birds which were scheduled to leave, changed their flight plans and extended their departures times. Overnight, the dry riverbed of the Sapi turned into a brown torrent, extending +/-200 meters from bank to bank with standing waves. Staff of 20 years in this camp confirmed that they had never in their time seen such a spectacular scene and we considered ourselves highly privileged. Slowly the sun came out, the rain stopped, the Sapi River stopped it's torrential five day flow and the Zambezi changed color from chocolate brown to blue/green. As the land started to dry up once more, the animals came out of their hiding places, away from the river, and made their way towards it. Things started looking a lot better during the last half of the month. As this year's rainfall has been unusually low, the animal sightings, have been good. Soon after the deluge, the presence of lions increased, to where on a daily basis, they have been heard calling around the camp and on a couple of occasions seen. Leopards have also been seen, once with cubs and on another occasion crossing the now dry Sapi river bed. One cool early morning, whilst the guests were busy "kick-starting" their busy safari day which could include any one of the six activities on offer, a cheetah crossed the Sapi river in full view of everybody. The hot coffee and rusks were quickly exchanged for the bino's and we all watched as this beautiful and elusive animal cross gracefully in front of the camp. Not three days later the same thing happened but this time a magnificent leopard. Another great sighting for the month was a group of nyala seen near the Sapi River. The stunning animals are only seen in this area and in the South East part of the country. The rest of the month was very busy with all sorts of activities: walking in the dense forest of the Sapi, driving through the breathtaking acacia albida woodland, one of the largest in the world and pontooning the mighty Zambezi in search of the ultimate African Sunset. Canoeing the same river provides more excitement as the hippos and crocodiles add an element of adrenaline to this alternative adventure. Undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments of the month was watching the close proximity of five of our neighboring planets at sunset. The position of Mercury, Venus, and Mars could be seen as they changed on a daily basis. For those guests which find fishing a great challenge or the perfect way to relax, the morning and afternoon trips have been incredibly productive, large Bream being caught and served for as starters the same day. The biggest Tiger Fish caught this month was a 12.5 Lbs., not only did it fight all the way into the boat, but it created a topic of conversation for the next two days! Rather than set off for a siesta after our open air bunch some of our guests opt to rather spend a few hours in one of our many platforms spread around the concession. The quietness and the stillness allowing you to observe nature at it's best. And so in this Garden of Eden, the hours become days, which in turn changed into weeks and before you knew, the busy month of April came to an end. Robin Pope Zambia Update, May 12 2002 Robin Pope is one of Zambia's leading safari operators. Here is their latest update: Kevin and his team of bridge-builders managed to successfully finish their mission at the Kauluzi River last week and now the Tena Tena Camp and Nsefu Camp building program is well under way (without any vehicles getting stuck in the river and hampering the process)! Wildlife viewing at Tena Tena leapt into action well before camp opening with Daudi's report of a middle-of-the-night lion kill RIGHT in camp, and rather inconveniently between Daudi's tent and the toilet block! A puku was killed by a small pride and the grizzly sounds kept all the camp builders wide awake for several hours. Poor Daudi was stranded in his tent, unable to pay the toilet block a quick visit! An outstanding (if not inconvenient) start to the Tena Tena season! Shanie's parents departed Nkwali the other day having recorded 173 sightings of different species of bird...in one week!! Amongst others they saw Twinspoted-Widowfinch, Purplebanded-Sunbird, cut-throat finch and an Ayres eagle. For these birding enthusiasts, their safari could not have been better and they were quite pleased with themselves to have such a high bird sighting tally. This week has also seen most guests walking at every opportunity - the ground is quite dry now so areas available for treading on foot are opening up very quickly. In fact there have been so many requests for walking that we have had to bring in another scout to cope with the demand! I'm not surprised of course - the mornings are so beautiful that you do just want to get out of your chalet at sunrise and go for a lovely long walk in the bush! Apart from the birding and walking we have enjoyed excellent lion sightings this week. Most drives have encountered lion and one of the most interesting was a sighting by Simon and guests out on the Chichele plains. Six females from the Chichele pride had recently killed an impala. The interesting thing about it was that the pride and their kill were down in a waterlogged gully. It was as though the lion were hiding in the gully and that was how they snatched the unknowing impala! These gullies around the Park still contain lots of very muddy water...and the pride with impala kill resembled alien figures dipped in chocolate! The mud was just dripping off the lion and the kill....you couldn't see any animal fur or flesh except for the big yellow eyes of the lion as they devoured the impala. Quite spooky. During a drive behind Nkwali Camp on Robin's private land we saw six species of mammal in one sighting - giraffe, zebra, elephant, baboon, puku and impala. The ele's have returned to Nkwali with 3 big bulls wandering through each day and night plus a breeding herd came up to the lagoon 2 mornings ago. I often hear the sounds of the bulls moving through camp late at night but last night I slept through it. Now, as I sit typing away, there is a very fresh pile of elephant dung just outside my office window. Oh how lovely it is to breath in that fresh whiff of the African bush in the morning! US Government Lifts Zimbabwe Travel Warning, May 19 2002 The US government announced on Monday, May 13, 2002 that it had lifted a warning against traveling to Zimbabwe. Lufthansa to Double Flights Between South Africa and Germany, May 19 2002 Lufthansa announced plans to double the number of flights between South Africa and Germany from October 27, 2002. This will see an increase in the airline's schedule from seven to 14 flights a week. Lufthansa currently operates a regular daily flight from Frankfurt, via Johannesburg and on to Cape Town. The airline will in October operate a further daily flight from Munich to Johannesburg. Lufthansa general manager for southern and eastern Africa Miguel de Jorge said South Africa had been identified as a market with potential growth in tourism. Namibian Ambassador visits Cheetahs in USA, May 19 2002 Namibia's Ambassador to the United States, Leonard Lipumbu, was recently shown four cheetahs donated by Namibia to the United States at a special ceremony in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati held the event to express its gratitude to Namibia. The city was chosen to receive four of 10 orphaned cheetahs given to the United States last year as a gift from Namibian President Sam Nujoma. The cheetahs went to the zoos off-site breeding facility and were the first Namibian cheetahs in the US in 30 years. In an official proclamation presented to Ambassador Lipumbu, the Hamilton County stated its appreciation and pride to be part of the effort to save the cheetah and to make more people aware of the importance of saving endangered species. Ambassador Lipumbu said he was delighted to see the cheetahs in their new spacious home and the wonderful care they were receiving. These animals would have died if the Cheetah Conservation Fund had not cared for them in Namibia, he said. The Cincinnati Zoo has a long commitment to cheetah conservation. In 1974 it was one of the first zoos in America to successfully breed cheetahs. It has formed strong partnerships with the people of Namibia, and the Cheetah Conservation Fund has worked with Cincinnati Zoo on many joint projects as well as on environmental exchange projects. Ndutu Safari Lodge April / May Update, May 19 2002 Ndutu is located on the border of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. Here is their April / early May update: April is one of the most beautiful months of the year at Ndutu! Officially it is now "Low Season" and the buzz of tourists has slowed down, the plains surrounding Ndutu are full of animals, there are flowers everywhere, the light is beautiful offering great opportunities for photography…and there is peace and quiet.. The weather, though, has been unpredictable and different from most other areas in Tanzania, where there are reports of flooding and bridges collapsing, main roads blocked or closed and some nasty accidents…whereas here in Ndutu the rains have mostly circumvented the area… with showers on the other side of Lake Ndutu but not at the Lodge! We hope that the rains will continue a while into May, so we can fill our water tanks to the brim, before the dry season starts. The April skies can be majestic - with towering thunderheads and violent lightening storms - to be followed by bright sunshine…and a very special 'treat', if one ventures out on an early morning drive. These are the mornings of misty dawns when thick fog, or even better, ground mist covers the plains and woodlands, shrouding the trees and vegetation. Once the sun breaks through, delicate works of art - intricate and beautifully woven spiderwebs of all shapes and sizes- become visible. They adorn the Serengeti grasses and bushes with silver strings of pearls, a wondrous sight! On the animal front, most noticeable absentees have been the elephants. They seem to have scattered in all directions and only sporadically does a lone male visit the Lodge. The giraffes, on the other hand, have been around in numbers, and a delightful group of youngsters continue to roam around near the Airstrip, looked after by a few females. They are quite approachable and guests have been able to get good close-ups of these beautiful and elegant creatures! I suppose the highlight of this month occurred during three days of controlled chaos, when the wildebeest gathered in and around the Big Marsh. Because of the rather unusual and locally dry weather conditions, the animals massed in the woodlands and the Marsh provided the water! An unforgettable wildlife spectacle unfolded with vast herds trekking to and fro and in long lines, often passing each other in different directions to drink in the Marsh. And, while calves searched for their mothers, and mothers looked for their calves, males were sparring and showing off! It was pandemonium! On the fourth day in the morning there was only a flattened, muddy swamp left with the sudden silence broken by the bleating of a few calves, lost and alone, and as it turned out, an easy and welcome prey for the resident leopard, cheetah and some hyenas. Finally, having lost Horatio the Hippo (who had to give up the Ndutu waterhole to daily visiting herds of elephants in February/March) and, rumour has it, returned to Lake Masek, we can now introduce our two new temporary residents: Mu and Hanga! Well-known Kenya artist Kioko creates all kinds of animals from scrap metal and nuts, bolts and left-over bits and pieces. "Muhanga" is the kiswahili word for "Aardvark" and these are two of a kind. It turned out to be quite a struggle to get Hanga out here. Firstly, she had the opportunity to fly in by Cessna Caravan, but despite the 10-seater plane being almost empty her considerable girth prevented her from traveling in style. In the end she had to contend with a lift in a 10 ton lorry whilst Mu traveled in state by Landrover….and they now are happy amidst the aloes in front of the Lodge, their coats turning a beautiful rusty red after the recent rains! Full of zest, they face the dining room and their cheerful presence brings a smile to our visitors' faces. Chitabe Camp Fire, May 26 2002 Chitabe Camp, located in Botswana's Okavango Delta, experienced a fire which burned one of the rooms and the main area. Apparently the fire was started by grass collectors, collecting grass in the Okavango to the north east of the camp. They started a veld fire somehow and this fire spread rapidly across a huge area many, many miles and towards the camp. The fire jumped the massive firebreak. Wilderness Safaris are not sure when they can get Chitabe back up and fully operational. They have a full building team in the Okavango finishing off a other work and will move them into Chitabe immediately to start repairing the damage. Robin Pope's Zambia Update, May 26 2002 Robin Pope is one of Zambia's leading safari operators. Here is their weekly update: Nsefu Camp has recently reopened. We have had two leopard sighting in three days - not a bad start! On one night drive guests saw a spotted eagle owl, a Pel's fishing owl and a leopard in the Nsefu sector. As if to herald the new season and acknowledge the return of all camp staff, a rather large male lion walked past the bar on pre-opening night whilst all the staff were assembled! He was about 50 meters away - and he walked very casually by in the dark. So far Nsefu is upholding its name for close encounters!!! With regards to the guides Jason will be backed up by one of our most enthusiastic and spirited guides, Mr. Jacob Shawa. This will be Jacob's fourth season with us. He is famous for the huge amount of knowledge he has stored away and is only too happy to be bouncing around the Park sharing it all with his guests. Paul Ngoma, who guided at Nkwali last year, will be based at Nsefu this year. Paul also has many years behind him as a guide in the Valley. The Nsefu sector is just lovely at the moment - the bush is still green, the lagoons are full and teeming with life. Wildlife is starting to concentrate already - Simon saw a few buffalo herds over the past couple of days. Nkwali has had excellent lion sightings this week with the Chichele pride very active. Over the past two days they killed two zebra and on both occasions were seen feeding on the carcass. Some guests had a truly bone-chilling but TOTALLY exciting experience recently when they came across a pride of 5 lion. They all gave out a territorial pride call in unison! The sound filled the air - you could simply feel it - and made the wildlife viewing vehicle vibrate! How brilliant! Zimbabwe Tourism Drops, May 26 2002 Recent tourism figures showed that from 1996 to 2002, tourism arrivals to Zimbabwe fell from 2.4 million per annum to 1.7 million per annum. Much of this can be attributed to the governments land grab policy and violence associated with the June 2001 parliamentary elections and the March 2002 Presidential elections which are now over. US Travel Executives to Market Zimbabwe as Africa's Leading Destination, May 26 2002 After a two week tour of Zimbabwe a team of American travel industry leaders has undertaken to aggressively market Zimbabwe as Africa's single best tourist destination. Despite negative perceptions about the country due to widespread publicity surrounding the recent parliamentary and Presidential elections, the chairman of the 11-member delegation Mr. John Smith said: "What is most important is the excitement we are going to take back from having been here. We came with an open mind. We were overwhelmed with the reception we received and were impressed with the country. Zimbabwe is proving to be Africa's paradise. Our goal is to sell Zimbabwe as a sole destination. This is truly a world class destination." Mr. Smith said Zimbabwe would be a key issue at a tour operators' convention in Florida in September this year when the American Travel Bureau would honestly and truthfully sell its Zimbabwean experience. While in Zimbabwe, the team visited by air and road, 31 properties, attractions and sites to have first hand experience on what Zimbabwe offers. Although it will take time before tourism regains its former status as a major foreign currency earner, one of Zimbabwe's three tourism ambassadors in America, Dr. James Kamushikiri, said: " Don't give up. We have the best product." State Department Drops Zimbabwe Travel Warning, May 26 2002 On May 14 2002 the US State Department dropped its Zimbabwe travel warning. It replaced the April 2002 warning against travel to Zimbabwe with the following public announcement: This Public Announcement alerts American citizens to the situation in Zimbabwe following that country's March 2002 presidential election. This Public Announcement supersedes the one issued for Zimbabwe on April 2, 2002, and will expire on August 1, 2002. U.S. citizens in Zimbabwe should be aware of continuing conditions that could adversely affect their personal security. The political, social, economic, and security situation in Zimbabwe remains fluid. American citizens should avoid public demonstrations or large gatherings and refrain from taking pictures or videos of political events of any kind. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
