Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Elephant Surprise at Camp Moremi

It was an unusually quiet night, the August winds that have been blowing for the past 3 days had just settled down in the early evening to a light, calming breeze. Nothing to be heard except for a few frogs harmonising their melodies, this all means that summer is just around the corner us!
Peaceful and serene.

All that changed at around 2am when an elephant’s trumpet ripped through the air, continuing with these frightful screams for at least 10 minutes.

I awoke with a fright and thought the poor thing must’ve been standing in the water and got too close to the electric fence, zapping it into shape.

I’m sure I can hear the buffalo grunting in the distance?
Unsure and knowing that the early morning wake-ups are soon, I drift back off into a deep sleep.
The alarm at 5am jolts me from a deep sleep, I’ve got to get up and get breakfast ready for our eager guests.
There is a smell in the air, what is it, maybe the buffalo?
A mix of excited and sleeping faces at 6.30 for breakfast, what was that noise last night was the question everyone was asking and of course what will we get to see today?

The game drives had not even reached the front gate when it was discovered what that smell was, our pride of 6 females and 2 magnificent males with all 11 cubs of different ages have taken down and killed an elephant, right at the Camp Moremi entrance!!


The lions are eagerly tucking into their breakfast. By 11am the males stomachs are bulging heavily with so much meat, that they can’t even stand. The rest of the day is spent eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping, with an occasional cub looking for some attention.


Not the smell of buffalo, but in fact the smell of death lingered into the evening, with hyena cackles all night long.

When the males roar for all to know that this is indeed his territory it is so loud the floor boards in the main dinning area vibrate!

Everybody was excited to get out this morning and see the hub of activity.
The males are strewn across the road with huge stomachs and no regard to move for anyone, the females gnawing on the leftovers of ribs and the little cubs fighting over the lifeless trunk.
All of this right here on our front door step!

I seriously love my job

Kirsty Grubb Roberts
Camp Moremi Manageress

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