Camp Okavango - An Exciting Walk On Lopis Island

Camp Okavango
Monday July 28th , 2008

This morning we decided to walk on Lopis island. It's a small peaceful island in the Delta with a crown of forest and a round floodplain in the middle. Too many trees for the big herd of buffaloes to visit it for the risk of being ambushed by predators hidden behind thick trees.

So the island is home for a small group of giraffes, a family of kudus, some groups of impalas, a couple of families of warthogs, a big troop of baboons and a family of vervet monkeys. Elephants often pass by to eat the fruits of the jackal berry or the sweet grass in some areas near the channel, then they go. And of course there are great birds of many species: sometimes you can also see the elusive Pel's Fishing owl. All the animals on Lopis are used to the presence of a quiet and very respectful single file of camouflaged humans who come, take pictures and go.

This morning the island appeared completely empty: no antelope, no giraffe. nothing. The birds were screaming on a far side of the island, apparently for no reason.

We proceeded toward the centre of the floodplain finally seeing a tower of 3 giraffes in the distance. The minute we tried to get closer they ran desperately away and when we tried to reach them, they had already crossed the channel to another island. The strangest behaviour ever encountered!

What was happening!!?? We were walking back to the boat slowly and disconsolately when, around a curve on the track, we met 3 marvellous and very active lionesses running in the direction of the giraffes.

Now everything made sense! It was not us the animals were hiding or running away from! We followed the lionesses who were too busy and very annoyed by our presence. They hid in a thick bush for a while, but evidently they didn't have time to loose waiting for us to clear their way. So they ran through the tall grass and we were discretely tailing them walking from termite mound to termite mound in the attempt to get a better look at them and take some pictures. They got annoyed and roared at us. You don't need to study lion language to understand it and the message was clear and loud: - "back off". And this we did. Slowly, regretfully, but also with respect, we obeyed the order and let them go their way.

When we turned back to start the walk to the boat again, it was like having being transported to another island in one second. The lionesses gone, the island was full of life again: kudus, impalas, baboons, monkeys .. all the animals of the island came to greet us in a festival of relief and happiness. They were jumping and looking at us as usual, at safety distance, but evidently not afraid of us. What an experience!!

Sometimes it is more important what you learn than what you see in nature. Seeing predators is always exciting, but understanding animal behaviour from direct experience is a unique lesson that no book can teach you.

Many thanks to the Management and staff of Camp Okavango for this story.