Savute Safari Lodge - Elephants In Abundance

JULY 21/2008
SAVUTE SAFARI LODGE

With winter upon us the landscape has taken on a yellow hue as the grass dries up and breaks down and the leaves crackle and fall. The dry conditions mean that more and more elephants are finding their way to the waterholes at Savute Safari Lodge.

At brunch time yesterday guests counted on more than 20 elephants muscling in for water. Some of the males confronted their rivals with a trumpet sound and a swat of their trunks. It was only under the night sky, at 10p.m, that the breeding herd trundled down the hill to the water. Tiny elephants stuck close to their mothers and waded into the water, their mothers drinking their fill as well.

Missing though was a little elephant that caught our attention a few days ago. He had no trunk, only a stump of a conical nose where his trunk should be. We watched him ease up to the waterhole, extended his right back leg straight out, then tip his whole body forward to the water so he could drink. You could call it elephant ballet or elephant yoga, considering the grace shown by the bulky little fellow. Manager Obie Magunga said he thinks it’s the same one who came through a couple of years ago as a baby. It hasn’t grown much because he eats only what he can gather on the ground.

The odds of survival cannot be good for a little elephant without a trunk, an elephant born a misfit. But this little guy was adapting-with grace-and was keeping pace with the group. He was doing his part to fit in. I, for one, am pulling for him to survive another winter and beyond.

- MARIA HENSON - Desert & Delta Safaris Volunteer

Chobe Game Lodge – Latest Wildlife Sightings

Buffalos moving in to drink at sunset

Chobe in winter time will at first glance strike one as a very dry and harsh environment with cold mornings, mild afternoons and dry and dusty skies. But these factors contribute to the intensity and striking beauty of the area. The dusty skies for instance causes some of the most spectacular sunsets one could ever wish to see. And the dryness is part of an age old cycle of wet and dry seasons that govern this part of Africa. Part of the uniqueness of Chobe National Park is that it lies within one of the largest expanses of wilderness left in Africa, allowing animals to still follow the migration and movement patterns dictated to them by these climatic cycles of wet and dry. We are currently moving into the heart of the dry months, and the river has become the focal point of the regions’ wildlife movement. The river will now hold them captive for the rest of the dry season, forcing them into competition with each other for food and living space as if the onslaught of predators and disease wasn’t challenging enough. Only the very fit and healthy will live to see the next rains.

Apart from the usual large herbivores like buffalos and elephants, antelope species that normally prefer to avoid the crowds like tsessebe, roan and sable antelope as well as eland, have quietly moved in and have become a common sight as they nervously move in to drink and then try to vanish back into the miombo woodlands.

A group of male giraffes on their way to a mineral lick

Shadowing these herds, enjoying a time of absolute plenty, are the regions apex predators – the lions. They were relatively easy to find on our game activities as they simply moved up and down the river front targeting the buffalo herds especially. Apart from our usual pride we’ve also spotted a nomadic trio, two young males and a female being especially active between Chobe Game Lodge and the village of Kasane, but making very sure they do not meet the main pride. The Chobe pride itself seems to have a new addition in their ranks – a female was spotted with a cub that couldn’t be more than a few days old on the Water Cart loop. When the cubs are still young the mothers tend to hide them well so we will only later be able to confirm if indeed she has only one cub.
Leopard taking a break after a hard days’ work

Leopard sightings were also predictably common. They compete directly with lions for the same prey species, but cannot face up to lions which would be superior both physically and numerically in direct confrontations. We have noticed in previous seasons that the predominantly nocturnal leopards seem to adapt their behaviour to avoid confrontations with lions, by being more active during hours of daylight. This behaviour favours us greatly when it comes to sightings.

Pregnant alpha female

The wilds’ wide wanderers, wild dogs have also graced us with their presence on a frequent basis. We had a pack of 6 moving in and hope they will settle down for a while since the alpha female is heavily pregnant. Wild dogs roam over great distances in their hunting and only settle down to den when they have pups. This pack is the same group we were seeing over the Christmas/New Year period. Wild dogs have unique individual coat markings, making them easy to identify individually. The most striking pack member of this group is an individual with a very distinctive black and white banded tail.

Winter is never the best time for reptile activity but we had a great view of a large python as it crossed the road. It was probably just going out to sun itself a bit.

Pythons are the only protected reptile species in Botswana

Apart from that there were no other snake sightings recorded around the Lodge. Along the river banks crocodiles and monitor lizards were common; the water monitor lizards in the image below were seen mating near the boat station of the Lodge. Water monitors lay their eggs inside active termite mounds, digging their way in with their strong claws. After laying the eggs the female leaves the mound and the termites will close the damaged parts she left in an effort to protect the colony against intrusions by other predators. Monitor lizard eggs are well protected inside the mound as the termites keep the temperature and humidity levels constant – just right for the eggs to incubate. The eggs will take 9 to 10 months to incubate.

Mating monitors

We are incredibly privileged to be at the centre of all the action here at Chobe Game Lodge. No words or pictures could ever fully describe in full the wonder nature is playing off right outside our doorstep. We will however try to keep you up to date in following posts on this blog site as the exciting dry season has now only really commenced.

Regards,

The Chobe Game Lodge Guides Team

Written by:

Wouter Theron
Environmentalist
Chobe Game Lodge

Desert and Delta Safaris – Responsible Tourism Practices are about Action and Results.

(SUMMARISED BY DESERT AND DELTA SAFARIS FROM A 82 PAGE IMPACT ASSESMENT REPORT BY THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION WITH PERMISSION)

International Labour Organization (ILO) HIV/AIDS Workplace Education Program in Botswana

ILO with the financial support of the United States Department of Labour is assisting the Department of Labour and Social Security (Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs) to implement an HIV/AIDS Workplace Education program in selected enterprises from four industries. The project started in 2004 with the aim of contributing to the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the world of work, the enhancement of work place protection and the reduction of its adverse consequences on social, labour and economic development. Initially the project targeted thirteen enterprises from four industries as follows: Textile: Construction: Tourism & Hospitality: Wholesalers/Retailers:

The project’s main objectives are:

To reduce HIV/AIDS risk behaviours among targeted workers
To reduce level of employment related discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS (EXTRACTS)

1. The proportion of employees who were aware of specific HIV/AIDS related services was consistently higher among the Desert and Delta Safaris employees when compared to their counterparts in other workplaces involved in the study

2. The proportion of employees stating being aware of HIV prevention materials was consistently higher for Desert and Delta employees for brochures, books and information sheets

3. The proportion of employees who mentioned the existence of HIV prevention education was consistently higher for Desert and Delta Safaris for all types of HIV prevention education mentioned except for informal discussions.

4. Significant differences were evident by name of workplaces with Desert and Delta Safaris having the highest proportion (56.9%) of employees who received some HIV/AIDS training, which was led by an expert or peer counsellor

5. What is apparently substantiated is the relatively consistent high proportion among employees of Desert and Delta who receive HIV/AIDS related services at their workplace.

6. 96.1% of those from the Desert and Delta Safaris indicating that their workplace HIV/AIDS education does reach all of the employees. There were twice as likely to mention that HIV/AIDS does reach all of the employees

7. Desert and delta Safaris employees consistently show a higher level of HIV/AIDS service uptake at their workplaces when compared to their counterparts in other workplaces.

8. A strong association was established indicating that 96.2% of the Desert and Delta Safari employees mentioned that their employer had an HIV/AIDS policy or guideline

9. Another component mentioned by more than three quarters of the employees was dialogue between management and workers.

10. Amongst all the HIV/AIDS components mentioned, there was a relatively higher proportion of Desert and Delta Safaris employees mentioning the existences of activities in line with policy compared to employees from other workplaces involved in the study.

11. The impact assessment indicates a ten fold upsurge of awareness of HIV/AIDS policies by employees However in almost all workplaces involved, a majority of employees were not aware of such policies except for Desert and Delta Safaris employees.

12. Desert and Delta Safaris demonstrated a high level of awareness of both the policy and the program on HIV/AIDS among staff and probably should be used as a yardstick for HIV/AIDS policy and program implementation.

Statement by Desert and Delta Safaris – Desert and Delta Safaris is committed to continual implementation of our Staff Wellness Policies and Programs and are furthermore committed to extensions of these to our business suppliers and the communities directly impacted by our business practises and those of our staff in general. We believe that Responsible Tourism practices need to impact and benefit all our staff and the general community at large. Desert and Delta Safaris remains committed to the Botswana Government’s Vision 2016 objectives which include a multidimensional and proactive approach to addressing the pandemic of HIV and AIDS in our country.

Desert and Delta Safaris - Agent Feedback

Feedback Submitted by Alan Fagen - USA Based Travel Agent, who arranged and led a private group to Botswana in June 2008.

"We had a fabulous trip in Botswana with great thanks to all the Desert & Delta staff, with special thanks to the managers of Savute, Okavango, & Moremi.

The Fagen Group was quite astounded by the wonderful and unique experiences they had as your guests for the six days in June. Two of our group had special physical & dietary needs, and they were met totally & completely. They and I are so grateful for the super service.

We all had high expectations, and those expectations were more than fulfilled by everyone. I want to thank Desert & Delta Safaris for providing us with the friendliest & most competent staff I have experienced as a travel agent of 30 years.

The accommodations were fabulous. They were clean, comfortable, and inviting. I know I didn't want to leave any of the camps. The food was great. My thanks go the chefs and the staff for providing so many delicious and well-prepared meals.

And the greatest part of our experiences was the game drives. Each guide was fabulous. At Savute Safari Lodge, extra special thanks go to Kobus & Judy & Energy, our guide/tracker. At Camp Okavango, special thanks go to MC & Michelle & Robert, our tracker/guide. Camp Moremi was fabulous, too with extra special thanks to Kirsty & Launce, and the extraordinary tracker/guide - Mod.

It was an incredible trip throughout. I look forward to sending many more clients to visit your camps. It was an experience that no one of our 11 people will every forget. The memories will last us a lifetime, and I have the photographs to prove it.

P.S. Would you please forward my comments to the Desert & Delta staff of the 3 camps as well as the owners & staff of your offices? I would like everyone to know how much we all loved our trip and appreciated the fantastic service.

Thanks so much, Alan Fagen"

Savute Safari Lodge - Ongoing Wild Dog Action

JULY 17/2008
SAVUTE SAFARI LODGE

The clatter of leaves caught Lodge Manager Obie Magunga’s attention during his break at 6pm last night. When he went outside to investigate, he saw it all happen in a flash: a female wild dog nailed an impala.

I was walking back to a manager’s house from Room 2 when Obie called out:”Did you see the kill?” I hadn’t but a few more steps toward Obie and I would have landed right on the impala, which was stretched out on a bed of leaves as if sleeping. Obie and I moved around to crouch under a branch and watch what might happen next. “She’s gone to get the other dogs,” he said, and he was right. Soon a parade of wild dogs dashed in front of Obie’s house in the dry channel in front of the lodge. Obie figured the dogs would circle back to find their downed prey.

We knew the guests would be arriving soon from their afternoon game drives. We rushed to send word to the guides. As the moon was rising, we led guides and guests to the scene. Just as Obie predicted, the dogs had closed in and were tearing into their meal. One of the guides counted 7 dogs, but it was hard to count them because they were frenetic in their rush to gorge themselves on the fresh meat.

The guests stood no more than 10 metres away, with their cameras flashing, and the flashes gave the dog’s eyes an eerie, chilling glow. One guest later remarked she could not feel “joy” in watching the scene, but she acknowledged that she felt awe at being close to a natural event rarely witnessed by humans in such close proximity. It is thought that only about 5,500 of these endangered animals that can be found in Africa today, with Botswana regarded as home to the largest population. This morning two bloodstains remained where the impala had lain. The hyenas came in the night to carry away the bones, Obie said. And not far from the site, a leopard in the moonlight sought its own meal in a tree nearby. Obie saw the leopard tracking the guinea fowl, sending the birds into a raucous clatter, an alarm sound that can signal a hunt is under way and, as he saw with the dogs, can portend the kill.

With many thanks -MARIA HENSON, Desert & Delta Safaris Volunteer

Camp Moremi - Exciting Lion Activity

CAMP MOREMI - July 2008

The delta is going through a lot of noticeable changes at the moment. Winter has set in, and the evenings and early mornings are getting considerably colder. The flood water from further north is also now pushing through, causing the plains to slowly fill up and the crossings to getting considerably deeper.

Along with these environmental changes comes an ever diverse and exciting array of wildlife. We have had so much game activity in the Camp Moremi area, and a lot of it seems to be happening on our doorstep.

This morning we were notified by the Earth-Touch film crew that the resident Xakanaka lion pride had killed a buffalo not far from Camp Moremi. This was great news because for the past week the pride had been moving in areas further north of Dead Tree Island. This is an inaccessible area, but an area that the buffalo move through, therefore the reason the pride had been out of sight for the past week.

The Xakanaxa lions are a very exciting and dynamic pride. There are two males, seven females, and eleven cubs of different ages. It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to watch these lions interact and play with each other. They are very calm creatures and are never too bothered by our presence when watching them.

This morning the Camp Moremi game drive vehicles went out to see the pride and their kill which they had brought down at sunrise, a few hours before we got to them. The experience was a real eye opener for most of the guests. The females chewed away and tore at the flesh of the carcass in a determined and hurried manner, while the cubs climbed on top of each other, and the carcass, tearing off any amount of flesh their little teeth could saw through.

The males lay in the morning sunshine until the rest of the pride had eaten. They then took their turn to tear off large hunks of meat from the quickly diminishing carcass.
The pride ate the carcass throughout the day, occasionally strolling with their heavy bellies almost touching the ground down to Jesse’s Pools for a much needed drink.

Toward the end of the day the spine, skull and pelvis were all that was left of the buffalo. The adults lay on their backs in the dusk sunshine with swollen, achingly full stomachs while the cubs tried their luck at suckling from the uncooperative and tired females. Some of the cubs even harassed the sleepy males for some attention, but didn’t succeed to any great degree.

It was an amazing opportunity to be able to watch the interactions and personalities of the pride, One could never get tired of watching these beautiful and powerful creatures.

Mod, the Camp Moremi guide enjoying this sighting with guests.

This article was submitted by Kirsty Roberts - Camp Moremi Manager

The Leopards of Savute Safari Lodge

If ever there has been such a thing as month of the Leopard, June in Savute will definitely come out tops. The Leopards have come into the area at full force. We are encountering these majestic cats on a regular basis, both on game drives and in camp. This month we had more Leopard sightings than Lions! A very rare occurrence indeed, especially if we see that there are more than double the amount of Lions than Leopards in the area.

We had a total of 14 recorded Leopard sightings on game drives and more than 10 sightings in and around Savute Safari Lodge. While seeing Leopards on game drives is awesome, finding them in and around camp is really a something special.

Early in the evening we regularly hear the Leopards grunting away in the area, especially to the northern part of the camp. We had a very careful look at both the Leopards themselves and their tracks in the area to try and estimate the amount of individuals in the area. Leopards are usually solitary animals, and seldom tolerate another Leopard in the area.

Early evening on the 20th Sanet and I went over to our homes on the northern side of camp. In the middle of the track we found a young female leopard, propably around 6 months old. That same evening a larger adult female came to drink at the waterhole just after dinner. On the 24th a large male came to visit at our houses. He was patrolling the fence along the camp boundary and making frequent detours into the camp to investigate our houses, and he eventually caught a guineafowl in the tree right next to my house. Due to these sightings we calculated that we had one adult female, one adult male and a juvenile female in the area.

Last night Sanet was at her house and again heard a leopard right at her house. She decided to try and get some video footage of the leopard as it sounded very close. You can imagine her surprise when she saw a female leopard with a young cub playing on the lawn next to her house. The cub was running at the mother, jumping all over her, attacking her tail and stalking her. An amazing sighting indeed! As the mother noticed Sanet through the window, she came closer to the house, investigating this odd creature watching her through the window.

I have wondered many times: who is watching who in the wilderness of Savute.

Submitted by Kobus Lubbe - Savute Safari Lodge Manager

Savute Safari Lodge - Wilddogs in Camp – Again!

Well, when you think you have seen it all, then one day would come to surprise you again. After my last article on this subject, things have become even more exciting. On the 29th of June Sanet was busy in the kitchen at around 18:20. Suddenly there was a big crash on the southern side of the Kitchen. An Impala had jumped into the window, smashing the glass and ripping the mesh on the outside. After the crash the Impala stood up and dashed to the waterhole in front of the lodge. Sanet came outside to see what caused the Impala to get such a fright. To her surprise, she saw a group of six Wilddogs disappearing around the corner of the bar, heading towards the waterhole in front of the lodge.

As the guides took the clients towards their rooms they observed a movement in the bushes right next to the lawn in front of the main building. A Kudu cow took refuge in the bushes, less than 2 metres away from the path. With both Wilddogs and Loepards hunting in camp, the Kudu decided rather to risk the presence of humans, than face all the predators in the area. At 23:00, when I switched the generator off, she was still standing on the same spot, terrified of all the funny movements and sounds.

Gwist, one of our guides, walked from the kitchen to the office after taking the clients to their rooms, a movement under one of the vehicles that was parked in front of the lodge attracted his attention. He shined with the spotlight underneath the vehicle, seeing a large male Leopard lying under the engine, presumably attracted by the warmth.

When I came to the front area at around 18:45, I could hear a large animal walking in the leaves in front of me. I stopped and scanned the path in front of me. A large female leopard was casually strolling along the path right in front of me.

When I arrived at the lodge, Sanet and I went down to the waterhole to see if the Dogs were still around. Six of the pack of seven were lying at the small waterhole to the south of the deck. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a movement. Quickly I shined the spotlight to see what it was. A young female Leopard was standing on the deck, less than 15 metres away from us. Quietly she turned away, crossing the porch of room number 7, much to the entertainment of the guests inside as she made her way towards the waterhole.

The dogs departed from camp and at about 19:30, we could hear the hyaenas and the dogs squabbling over a carcass, just outside camp. It seems as if there are only six dogs hunting at the moment, presumably the heavy pregnant female that we observed last week has given birth and is staying with the pups while the rest of the pack is out hunting. Needless to say, we are all on full alert at the moment, not even walking out of our rooms without spotlight and camera poised, ready to capture the action.

We cannot wait for the Alpha Female to come out of hiding with the pups. Who knows, maybe the Savute pack is getting back to full strength, and sighting of these highly endangered predators will hopefully become more common.
As I am writing this, (around 16:00 on 1 July) I can hear a group of Lions roaring just to the north of the camp. I wonder what tonight will bring …

Submitted by Kobus Lubbe - Savute Safari Lodge Manager

Khamaga Village - The Community Adds To The Leroo La Tau Experience

Maun, Botswana
June 25, 2008

Just a two-hour drive from here is a land where hundreds of zebra run wild and romp and splash in a water hole outside the Leroo La Tau Lodge. I spent a couple of nights there this week, my final time as a volunteer with Desert and Delta Safaris.

Another camp was on the site, which Desert and Delta Safaris bought and completely overhauled to build thatched-roof bungalows that line an outcropping overlooking the sandy channel. I could sit on my balcony in the Leopard chalet overlooking the vast scene of zebra play and kudu curiosity. Or I could just stay in what struck me as a “safari modernist” room and inspect the animals from the glass walls of the bedroom and bath. From my bed I watched the sun rise over the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, which Leroo La Tau borders. It has its own character, this (officially) 10-day-old lodge, and I would never grow bored watching the water hole to discover which animals might turn up.

In the distance at 5 a.m. I heard the bellowing roars of lions, a sound I will miss when I return to city life. But I never saw the lions on this quick trip, although their tracks were around. (Leroo La Tau means footsteps of the lion.)

I had a short excursion one day to Khamaga, a village of traditional round houses and cattle about 6 kilometers from the lodge. Guests travel through this village on the way to the camp, and there is some early common hope among Desert and Delta Safaris and the village that tourists eventually might be able to visit the place more formally to meet residents of Botswana (known as Batswana) and learn about their culture and traditions.

I, for one, hope that works out. I visited the Khumaga Primary School, where there are nine classes and 225 students from ages six through 16. “BEWARE AIDS KILLS” is the first thing you see when you come to the gate of the schoolyard. The letters are formed from old soda cans.

The school has a traditional dance troupe in need of some new leather skirts for girls, jackal-skinned pants for boys and rattling ankle wear for all. A teacher, Mrs. G. Tshube, assured me it is quite a talented group.

Maybe it can happen that visitors will be exposed through the schoolchildren to the traditional songs and dance of the Batswana. In my time at the other Desert and Delta Safaris camps, it was a delight anytime staff members gathered as the camp choir and decided to sing and dance around the fire. But the camps were far from villages, so it wasn’t possible to see how people lived day to day in rural Botswana villages. Khumaga would offer a different perspective.

When I arrived at Khumaga Primary School, the children had finished their lessons and were all sitting on the floor of a classroom watching a movie. It struck me as funny. They were watching “Anaconda,” which is about, you can guess, a giant killer snake. I had to laugh at the children grimacing at a movie snake when they could walk a short distance and happen across any number of snakes that send me leaping higher than an acrobat. I noticed that on the chalkboard was an assignment in which students were to write a composition about their own encounters with snakes. (I’ve written a few of those myself.) I wish I could read the finished papers, because I’m sure they would be more hair-raising than anything Hollywood could produce.

My great moment with the children came when I opened my MacBook and turned on the Photo Booth program. It allows the kids to see themselves in “stretch” or “light tunnel” or “comic book” or “thermal ray” mode, to name just a few. Mrs. Tshube said she had never seen some of the quiet students laugh and talk so much as when they gathered round to watch themselves on my computer screen.

It works like a carnival house of mirrors. In other words, the children could have extremely fat heads and eyeballs if I put it in “bulge” mode. I shot a couple of photos with the software program so you can see the happy faces of Khamaga kids. I won’t be forgetting them or their laughter anytime soon! My hope is that someday other guests to Leroo La Tau will meet them as well.

Maria Henson - Volunteer, DDS