Savute Safari Lodge - Secretive Genets

Savute Safari Lodge
Sunday, April 27, 2008

Guests had just begun to gather at the bar Saturday night when lodge manager Kobus Lubbe jumped up from his chair and rushed toward the lawn to investigate a strange noise. He scanned the roof of the bar/lobby common area, then rushed back to announce what he had seen: the kittens of a common large-spotted genet were at the apex of the roof, under the eaves.

Lodge manager Obie Magunga grabbed a torch, and we all hurried out into the night to look up at the starry sky. Nestled in the eaves, their faces squeezed into the opening, two kittens peered down at us, crying for their mother. They sounded a noise between a “peep” and a high-pitched, squeaky mew. By any measure the cries were demanding and loud from such tiny creatures.

Chris and Tilde Stuart’s “Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa” says genets have long, slender bodies and tails -- and short legs. The common large-spotted genet has large spots that are usually rusty in color and legs that are paler than those of their small-spotted kin. Its habitat is chiefly restricted to the eastern areas of Southern Africa, where it ranges throughout the night.

At least one ranges quite comfortably across Savute camp. In the past two weeks, a common large-spotted genet popped its head into theoffice as if to check out what was going on, not unlike a house cat or a curious tourist, then moved on to the bar. Guests reported a genet carrying a python in its mouth walking past one bungalow near the channel. The Desert and Delta Safaris managing director saw a mother with kittens in her mouth climbing a tree. And I saw one scurrying along the fence on the way to Room 10 at bedtime.

Perhaps it was the same genet in all of the sightings, the mother of the kittens, of which there were four, maybe five. The guests Saturday night watched in delight as two kittens scampered and cried in a tree near the bar, waiting for their mother and separated from their siblings under the roof. Mother genet appeared, as if by magic, to slip across the lawn in cover of darkness and up into the tree. With her mouth she grabbed a kitten and headed off toward the brunch deck. She came back, climbing along branches through the treetops, to grab another kitten, astonishing the guests by her stealth.

Obie soon discovered what must have made the mother hurry – and worry. An eagle owl surveyed the area from a branch above the brunch deck. Several of us wished we could run to the kitten hanging on at a nearby tree trunk and pet and comfort it. But we hung back, letting the mother do her job.

After dinner we pointed the torch upwards again, hoping to see the kittens in the eaves of roof, but the mother genet had secreted them away – from us, and, we hope on this fine night, the eagle owl.

--Maria Henson
Volunteer, Desert and Delta Safaris

Recent Traveller Feedback - Camp Moremi and Camp Okavango

Herewith recent feedback from travellers, Rosemary and Alan Reid, who visited Camp Moremi and Camp Okavango:











My name is Rosemary Reid and my husband, Alan, and I were fortunate enough to take your Jewels of Botswana trip from 27-31 March 2008.

We really enjoyed our time at Camp Moremi where Kirsty and Lance were wonderful hosts and we were just so lucky to have the undivided attention of our guide, Mod, who was articulate, funny and able to show us things in the Delta we would never have seen. Even his tracking skills left us amazed. My husband was on crutches and required individual attention which was kindly and generously given.

We then moved on to Camp Okavango where again we were shown the utmost care and attention by MC, Michelle, Ref and Gabbs. Alan was not very mobile at this stage, but it was never too much trouble for MC and Michelle to come to our tent and assist him to other parts of the camp. We were unable to get about as much, so that little camp became our haven and we so enjoyed the fact that we were at all times considered for any activities available. We felt we were in a very special place surrounded by very special people.

You are very fortunate to have people such as these running your camps, the size of which encourages intimacy and relaxation. We met some really great people and our trip came up to our expectations in every way.

This email is really just to thank those wonderful people who were so good to us. We are now back in Tasmania, Australia, and have lots of great memories.

Thank you

Alan and Rosemary Reid

Images Top of the Aritcle: Camp Moremi vehicle and Alan and Rosemary on Safari in Moremi Game Reserve

Images at Foot of Artice: Camp Okavango Management and Rosemary Reid enjoying a mokoro excursion in the Okavango Delta.

Recent Agent Feedback - Chobe Savanna Lodge

Good afternoon All,

Just wanted to extend our warmest thanks for your hospitality at Chobe Savanna Lodge on Friday 18 April ’08. It was such a welcome surprise after a busy day of site inspections and numerous transfers in mini buses, land rovers and water taxis, to arrive at such an oasis. We had a welcome committee waiting on the jetty and a selection of teas, coffees, cakes and sandwiches at reception to make us all feel at home immediately. Although on the go the whole day, we did not want to miss the sunset and the staff happily obliged in organizing a quick sundowners “cruise” + drinks so that we could get the full experience and take some memorable photos (have attached one for you).
Dinner was delicious and set us up for a very comfortable nights sleep in our suites (loved the views, especially of the sunrise in the morning).

All in all a very special experience that was enjoyed by everybody and we look forward to telling our clients all about it.

Best regards
Carolyn + New Frontiers Team

Lions and Wild Dogs at Savute Safari Lodge

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Savute Safari Lodge, Botswana

At 6 a.m. Savute guides Energy and Gee shouted to each other for an alert. A lion had roared. Dogs were barking. The chase was on – right at the camp.

When I jumped out of bed and found my glasses to peer outside, it was 6:04 a.m. It took a moment for me to adjust to the light at dawn, and when I did I saw that right outside Room 7, slightly beyond the closest water hole, two female lions were feasting on what turned out to be an impala that Energy said had been stolen from a pack of wild dogs. The wild dogs were circling, seven in all, although one seemed to prefer standing lookout on a knoll near the central water hole. They wanted their kill – THEIR breakfast – back from the bush interlopers.
For the next 40 minutes, guests gathered at the outdoor brunch area to lean out over the railings and watch the scene to their left. From the expanse of windows in Room 7, it was a straight-on panorama worthy of a National Geographic movie screen. The lions stretched out on their bellies and chomped loudly on their meal, guarding it with ferocity. The wild dogs were jittery; they closed in by a half-circle formation only to jump back when the lions roared. Even a simple twitch of a lion’s tail sent them darting off, only to try again. If nothing else, they were persistent. They came close at times to the lions, but the lions always scared them away. One lion rose nonchalantly, with her share of the meat in her mouth, and walked over to a bush a few meters away and tucked herself into the shade. The lion in the open kept eating, her face a bloody mess. Vultures flew in to prepare for scraps diving. Still, the dogs persisted. A couple of them sped close to the Room 7 deck, on the other side of the electric fence. As if to show who was boss, the lioness in the open eventually picked up her part of the meal and paraded off past Room 9 and beyond, dangling the impala from her mouth like a wet rag. The dogs gave up but not before stopping at the central water hole of Savute to take a drink. Nice photo op.
A game drive after this display of nature’s drama seemed unnecessary. How could anything top this morning’s sunrise starter? Savute guides set out with their guests, however, to give it a try.

--Maria Henson
volunteer with Desert & Delta Safaris

Environmental report from Chobe Game Lodge - March / April 2008

Chobe Game Lodge's Environmentalist, Wouter Theron, reports on the happenings at Chobe Game Lodge over the past month as follows:

March marked the changeover between the dry and wet seasons in 2008 for Chobe. We measured a total 96.5mm in total for the month with the heaviest shower falling on the 1st when we measured 34mm. Most of the rain came in the form of loose showers lasting no more than 10 or 20 minutes. The change between wet and dry happened very abruptly around the 18th, with the first 2 weeks still hot and humid and the latter part of the month relatively cool and dry. After the last rain falling on the 18th one could definitely feel the chill of the oncoming winter more and more every morning.

The Chobe River came down in its annual flood and reached its peak levels around the 10th. It did come up rather high but nowhere near the levels of the 2007 season.

New Males in Chobe Lion Pride:

Our local pride of lions has been without any pride males for quite a long time now. We recently had 2 new males moving into the area, and it looks like they have decided to stay. They have mostly been seen in the vicinity of the pride but not really with them, so we assume that they haven’t really been accepted yet. Male lions normally meet with quite a bit of resistance when they take over new prides as the females are reluctant to accept strange males.

The absence of any pride males meant that we very seldom heard any roaring at night over the last 6 months or so. Due to the absence of any pride males one could only very infrequently hear the females roar, as a form of contact call when they were separated. Pride males tend to be very vocal since they roar as one of their ways to advertise their presence on their territory. Having new males in the area now means that we have the signature sound of an African night back again at Chobe – the King of the Beasts roaring at night!

The new males are still relative young, probably not much more than about 4 ½ years in age. The guides reported that they are very shy and secretive and often aggressive towards the vehicles as well. Their shyness definitely faded away rather quickly, and they paid a visit to Chobe Game Lodge on a number of occasions. On the picture below one of them can be seen checking if Mario, our Maintenance Manager, is at the office yet. The picture is courtesy of Field Guide Modibu.

During the 1st week of the month the big cats were very active in the Sedudu Valley area. At the end of February a big elephant died in that area, and the lions quickly moved in to feed on the nearly 5 tons of free meat. On the morning of the 3rd some of our guides were watching a few of the lions as they were taking a break from a hard nights’ feeding, when a luckless impala stumbled across the sleeping lions. They quickly killed it but were too full to actually eat it and left it for the vultures. 3 days later another impala’s luck ran out near the elephant carcass, this time the lions opted to feed on the fresh and tender impala – rather than the by now rather ripe elephant. Within the same week, as if they were not satisfied with the amount of elephant meat they’ve already consumed, the pride killed a baby elephant near the Sedudu Pan. They didn’t stick around too long however, leaving most of the elephant meat untouched. It would seem they were a bit tired of elephant meat after all. From here the pride moved west to Kabulabula where there is always an abundance of old male buffalos. They quickly tracked down and killed one of the grumpy old men, but were never able to finish it – a big male elephant chased them off the carcass. Payback for killing his family and friends! Before the lions could get back to the carcass, it was claimed by the waiting vultures and later a few hyenas joined in as well.

Other Sightings:

Our leopard sightings were a bit few and far in between as can be expected this time of year with the dense undergrowth. This doesn’t mean these elusive cats were not active; we did record quite a few sightings and also had a female very active in the vicinity of the Lodge.

We were also excited to record a sighting of and even a photograph (albeit not a great one) of a caracal, one of the smaller members of the cat family. Caracals are solitary cats and are very effective and agile hunters of smaller animals like guinea fowl and rodents and even prey up to the size of steenbok and young impalas. They are regarded as vermin in some parts of South Africa, but are not often seen in Chobe. This is due to the fact that they are most active at night, making this sighting of one in broad daylight even more special.

The show belonged to the smaller members of our Chobe Animal Family during March with regards to excitement. We had some fun and games with snakes as is normally the case in March. With the hot humid weather they are normally very active, and we’ve had large numbers of them around as they got flushed out of the floodplains of the Caprivi by the rising floodwaters. They were also trying to fatten up for the cold dry winter ahead of them, making them more active and conspicuous. Some of the customers we’ve had to remove from the Lodge grounds included Spotted Bush Snakes, Puff Adder, Olive Grass Snakes and Boomslang. The most exciting encounter happened on the 13th (good thing it wasn’t a Friday), when we had an Anchieta’s Cobra that entered the greenhouse at the workshop area. He caught a nice fat squirrel inside the greenhouse, and when he tried to make good his escape through the diamond mesh of the greenhouse he got stuck right at the bulge in his body where the squirrel was.

Of course that meant he wasn’t a very happy cobra and it also meant we had to get up close and personal with him to try and get him out. Mario had to push his body out from inside the green house while pulling the diamond mesh up. Wherever possible we never kill snakes if they enter the Lodge grounds, even the venomous species. We are inside their habitat after all, so we normally capture them and release them away from the Lodge. The cobra was eventually captured quite successfully and released a long way from the Lodge in the park.

The catch and release policy with regards to snakes is not applied to any extent by the troop of banded mongoose that inhabit the area around Chobe Game Lodge. These little guys normally sleep in burrows they excavate at various places around the Lodge area. On the evening of the 25th their sleeping burrow happened to be at one of the management houses. At around 20:00 Rodney Gerrard, our accountant, and his family heard the mongooses going wild – a big African Rock Python of just less than 2m was trying to help himself to a dinner of mongoose pups down in the burrow. The brave little mongooses wasn’t going to let that happen without putting up a stiff fight though, and within a few minutes the fight was over and they left the big python behind for dead. It was severely mauled and we presumed it was dead when we removed it from the Gerrards’ home, but on our return in the morning to take pictures it was gone. It might have just been down for the count after its mongoose encounter, or its’ been dragged off and eaten by a scavenger during the night.

Birdlife:

We are lucky enough to have a pair of Schalow’s Turacos take residence at the Lodge. These birds are quite secretive and prefer to stay high in the canopies of the bigger Brown Ivory trees in the gardens. They are heard often but rarely seen. Below is a picture taken on one of the rare occasions when they present themselves for viewing.

Schalows’ Turaco

Other notable sightings were that of the Black Crowned Night Heron; a rare species active around watercourses at night, Lizard Buzzard, Collared Sunbirds, and also Three Banded Plovers – another mostly nocturnal species.

The above was just some highlights of wildlife news happening in Chobe. Every day brings something new and interesting out here in the bush and we will keep you posted on our sightings and experiences in May as well.

Leroo La Tau - Why this is going to be a great safari destination.

Yesterday, 03 April 2008, two of our Reservations Consultants, Cindy and Nadia, from our Johannesburg office had the opportunity to accompany Bernie, our Operations Director, to Leroo La Tau on a routine visit to inspect the building of the new Leroo La Tau.

During their short visit, Bernie took them for a quick drive around the area near the lodge and this is what they saw:

Upon arrival at the lodge, they walked to the viweing deck and drinking at the waterhole in front of the lodge was this beautiful Giraffe.

They then drove down towards the Boteti River bed - this is a view from the River bed back up towards the lodge site:

A short drive from there and around the bend in the river, they came across two White Rhino:

About 100 meters away from these two Rhino, they encountered a pride of four Lions - a male, a female and two cubs. Heading back to the Lodge, as it was starting to get dark, they found another Male Lion on a kill:

All of the above encountered within a short period of time and this done without even seriously looking for game.

Feedback from Bernie and his team is that Leroo La Tau construction is well underway and the results thus far are very satisfying. As far as the building is concerned, all the main structures for the 12 chalets have been completed and most of the thatching and raised decks for the chalets are near completion. All the glass fronted, timber and thatched roofed chalets will look out over the Makgadikgadi National Park and raised on the high banks of the Boteti River.

The wooden decking in front of the main lodge building as well as the new viewing deck and sunken fireplace are also heading towards completion.

Leroo La Tau will soon be one of Botswana's greatest safari destinations!

Passport and Visa Requirements for Travel to Botswana

All visitors entering Botswana must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months, except those with United Nations Convention travel documents. Visitors must also have outgoing travel documents and sufficient funds to finance their visit to Botswana.

BOTSWANA’s Department of Customs and Immigration has introduced legislation stating that visitors requiring visas to enter the country will no longer be able to purchase them at the Port of Entry and will now have to pre-arrange visas. Visas can be arranged with the Botswana High Commission and in countries where Botswana is not represented, may be obtained from the British High Commission.

For further information, and to enquire about visa requirements please contact the relevant Botswana High Commission as follws: http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/embassies_and_consulates.html