The Chiefs Cattle Dying From Drought

For so many of the animals in the Makgadikgadi area, the rains came too late. Skeletons. Dried skin on whitened bones with teeth bared in gruesome grins, lying in rippled wind-blown sand. The zebra and wildebeest migration left the Boteti area as soon as storms, to the distant north, dropped their precious cargo of rain on the pans.

The erratic rain wasnt enough to keep the cattle away from Meno A Kwenas water hole, and the chiefs water pumps are not working. All day, we would chase them away, until they learned to come in peace at night. Death by lions was worth the risk of death by thirst. A couple of cows were found dead and partially eaten near the water hole lions. The cattle were looking particularly thin and weak, the new grass seedlings just werent growing fast enough for them to survive, it was too late.

Five of the chiefs cattle died in the space of a couple of weeks. Otomilwe, who Ive hired to chase cattle away from the water hole, ran down to the riverbed to stop a large herd of cattle drinking. As he approached them, a new mother collapsed, she was just too weak to leave with the rest of the herd. Her newborn calf rested in the shade a few metres away, hungry. Zebra & Wildebeest Migration Heading To The Pans.

Annett, from Hanover, came to camp for a few days. She works for a tour operator that sends clients from Germany to Southern Africa. I decided to go look for the migration. We packed a picnic lunch, tables, chairs and cold box full of ice cold drinks, it was stinking hot. By 9 am we were in the middle of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the open grassland stretched as far as the horizon, and beyond. All around us were hundreds of zebra, wildebeest and dozens of oryx, or gemsbok. A lone hartebeest and her calf ran off to disappear in the shimmering haze. The sight was fantastic, surreal. I was particularly thrilled, as often we would drive for hours looking for them in the six or seven thousand square km making up the Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pan National Parks. We drove straight to the area they happened to be in. Must have rained recently as there were some small pans holding water. I was surprised there werent any springbok to be seen at all the whole day we drove through the national park. Perhaps, in an indirect sort of way, seeing not one other vehicle in the park the whole day is the reason the park is under-utilised and therefore the springbok of no use, alive, to the communities living around the park.

Fence Re-alignment At Meno A Kwena Again!

As I have said in the past, I will not be 100% secure with the fence including Meno A Kwena into the national park until the wire has been strung, and there is a gate through the fence to camp. Well, the property under dispute a short distance from Meno A Kwena has finally been approved and will be included into the NP. This, after the woodland has been bulldozed in front of the property, and poles sunk two km beyond! I spoke to Frank Potts, the owner of the property, the other day. Both he and I were told by wildlife officials the property was going to be included, all the while, the poles were still being sunk right in front of the property and beyond.

I told the fence people about it and they said they hadnt received any instructions and were carrying on as per the plan. What a waste of time, and especially of valuable riverine woodland on the bank of the Boteti.

First Brown Hyena Sighting At Meno A Kwena.

Earlier in November, Dave Luck came to stay for four days, he needed a quiet place to go through his digital photographs and to catalogue them on his laptop. No phones, no Maun parties, no television, no distractions, is what he needed. There were a couple of distractions though. The lions have been hanging around the water hole most evenings and killing the odd zebra that didnt leave with the rest of the migration. The lions are still very jumpy with people, and take cover every time we put the spotlight on them at night. While having supper I heard them talking to each other and went to have a look, no lions in sight. As I searched the riverbed looking for the, give away, reflected eyes, I saw a familiar shape so briefly, I had to make doubly sure it was what I thought it was. Brown hyena! It nervously skulked behind a bush whenever the light shone on it, and then I got a good long view as it nosed an old lion kill, a zebra, and then lost its nerve and bolted away into the thick bush. Dave, a specialist guide with Wilderness Safaris was very impressed, as are all guides when faced with rare sightings.

I hoped the hyena was going to be okay, the lions were about, and would certainly have killed the hyena had they caught it. The only brown hyena Ive seen at camp prior to this was dead, shot in the head and chest, and had come to the water hole for a drink, where it finally died. Must have been raiding a cattle post in the area. It is unusual to be in an area with both brown and spotted hyenas, the camps location on the Boteti Riverbed, in the middle of the Kalahari wilderness.

After the hyena excitement, we sat down to a cold supper! Two mouthfuls later, we heard the familiar panic cries of a zebra as a herd stampeded away sounding the alarm. Spotlight in hand, and running across the sandy beach to the edge, saw what we were hearing, a lion had a young zebra firmly gripped in an immobilising hold while others ran off to escape the intrusive light. The remaining lion obviously loosened her grip, hesitating because of the light and her fear of humans, giving the zebra the second it needed to break free to run fast as it could to escape, I switched off the light. The zebra got away. The lions may have got it after a second attempt as we found the remains of a lion meal in the national park the next morning.

A Prides View Of The Boteti.

Since the migration left us in mid-October when the fist rains broke, the remaining resident wildlife has been the only activity at the water hole. Kudu, impala, warthog come to drink in the day, and at night the predators include lion, brown hyena, spotted hyena, jackal and leopard, havent seen leopard recently, but their tracks are evident every morning. So we are thrilled to see the unusual nocturnal visitors at night.

Flo and Paul, a bush pilot based in Maun, and his parents out on holiday from England were in camp and one evening we had a visit from the Meno A Kwena lions.

I saw their eyes reflecting in the spotlight beam way off in the distance in the park, we couldnt make them out without binoculars.

Anyhow, we jumped in the car to go find them and get a better view. Without any way of getting the vehicle up the steep bank we had to accept defeat, ah well, Pat and Sylvia will see lions at the next camp on their Botswana safari. We drove back to camp and everyone went to bed.

Taryn and I were blowing lanterns out when we heard the deep growl. Lions right behind camp! We jumped in the car and called the others, who were already in their beds. We drove behind camp along the fence poles heading towards the riverbed. Just over the bank a front-end loader was parked, one of the machines used in the fence construction. The lions were lying around the machine watching it like it might suddenly come to life. As we approached, the lions bolted for the cliff, a favourite place in the area. It is a section of the steep riverbank where they have access up and down into the riverbed. It is quite unusual in Botswana to see lions on cliffs. Botswana has got to be one of the flattest countries there is. Once on the cliff they relaxed and settled down to watch us, some played, and another had found something of interest in one of the holes in the cliff. And then something interesting happened, actually it was scary.

I switched off the spotlight to get our eyes used to the darkness, the stars were brilliant, and the white cliffs seemed to move out of the darkness and into view. I thought of getting out to have a pee behind the car. Something made me switch the light on. I did. Not twenty yards in front of the car were two lions crouched low with eyes riveted on us. They turned and bounded up the cliff with surprising ease like they were mountain goats. A shot of adrenaline flowed through my veins at the thought of how quietly, how quickly they came to the car in the cover of darkness. Such unexpected behaviour when seeing how afraid of the spotlight they are. Another shot of adrenaline at the thought, I thought, of getting out of the car for my last pee!

Crocs, Dead Or Alive!

On the subject of ultimate African predators, Adrian Dandridge arrived in camp in November with Kennedy, a Kiwi National Geographic writer on assignment in the Okavango area. It was obvious the Kiwi was starved of dangerous wildlife on that far off island. We drove down river to show Kennedy the hippo pools, and seeing two large crocodiles lying sunning next to a pool stopped so he could get some photographs. Kennedy wasnt happy having the pool between him and the crocs so he walked around to their bank. It seemed he could touch them he was so close. Surely they werent alive? Never question a crocs health; they havent been around 190 million years for nothing! The reptiles looked dead until I focused strong binoculars on their eyes the living dead. We eventually had to shout to stop Kennedy poking a croc eye for confirmation.

Getting Ready For The Onslaught Next Year.

The fence guys told me about some lions that had died after being trapped in the new fence to the north. Apparently the fence had separated a pride, one of them was stuck in the cruel square wire mesh. The lion couldnt free itself and died of thirst and or exposure in the hot sun perhaps. Another had been trapped nearby, and as a wildlife department vehicle approached, went berserk, and was shot by the wildlife scouts. A third lion died but I dont know the details, dont want to know.

It is a fact that when the fence has been strung with the square meshed veld span wire, many animals are going to be trapped, killed and separated from other group members, to cause unacceptable loss of life and disturbance to natural behaviour.

Sure, in time, one hopes wildlife will become accustomed to the altered state of the environment, and adapt without long-term negative effect.

The area has already had its unfair share of wildlife depletion as a result of fences, particularly the Central Kalahari Game Reserve fences, to the southwest, blocking the way for water-dependant animals on their dry season migration to the Boteti. The figures showing wildlife population declines over the years are shocking. This new fence is no exception.

Unless this rainy season is exceptionally good, the next dry season will be disastrous for the wildlife in the Makgadikgadi areas. Add to this, 50% of the available surface water in the Boteti Riverbed will be lost to the wildlife. The pressure on the environment on both sides of the fence will massive. Livestock will no longer have access to the grazing inside the national park.

In preparation for the fence, and return of wildlife to the Boteti, a critical part of the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans ecotome, in the dry season will be necessary. I believe.

A number of problems need consideration

More wildlife, especially the water-dependant zebra and wildebeest, will be demanding more water in fewer areas. Just Meno A Kwena and the Leroo La Tau sections of the river will be accessible for drinking. Is alternative water going to be made available in the national park?

Can Meno A Kwena and Leroo La Tau sustain the demands on water?

Can the Boteti recharge rate sustain the water that is required for pumping into water holes for wildlife?

What of the wildlife trapped on the wrong side of the fence? Has DWNP made any consideration for this? What is the wildlife management utilisation plan for the area west of the Boteti?

For the development of tourism in the NP once the fence is up, has any consideration been made for the importance of predators to be on the right side of the fence? For example, what of the Meno A Kwena pride if they are all trapped outside the fence? What of elephants trapped outside? Are there plans to chase wildlife into the park, as there will be the need to herd livestock out?

How regularly will the fence be patrolled? Will the patrols be equipped and have the expertise to deal with wildlife trapped or injured as a result of the fence? Will there be the facilities to deal with immobilising wildlife and reintroducing them into the national park?

The added pressure on wildlife will undoubtedly incur lost baby zebras as has happened in the past at Leroo La Tau. They successfully reared many infant zebras that have been rehabilitated into the wild as adults. We at Meno A Kwena will need the know-how and authorisation to do the same.

As there will be large concentrations of wildlife against the fence in the areas where there are safari camps and lodges, the operators should be approached to help with these fence issues. I am prepared to do whatever I can to help with these problems. We need to make contingent plans now before the next dry season.

Monty Python In The Kitchen.

Taryn has been teaching Kebofilwe how to cook the new and creative meals weve been serving this season. Taryn and I had been in town for a couple of days, returning to camp to the news there was a BIG snake in the kitchen. The staff had seen the tracks in the sand. I looked under the kitchen counter where its warm and cosy, a flicking tongue gave the small pythons hideout away. Weve seen it before, a few months ago, in the very same spot. I explained to the staff that it isnt poisonous and wont harm anyone if they leave it alone. Looking at their wide eyes and hands poised to cover them, I still worried for the safety of this beautiful gentle creature. Gentle unless youre a rat, or frog. Kebofilwe reluctantly came into the kitchen to help prepare supper, the meal did take a lot longer to prepare - understandably.

Later that night I was keeping vigil on the water hole hoping to see the leopard, calling repeatedly in the riverbed. Every time I returned to the kitchen the python was in a different place, obviously hunting the raiding rodents. It was like hide and seek, I would have to look carefully for each new hiding place, the four-foot snake froze, wherever or whatever it was doing, every time I approached it. Next morning there were tracks in the sand and I havent seen Monty Monty Python again since. Im sure we will see it again.

Wild Dogs On The Front Line.

I had been lying in the tent just before dawn, listening to the gentle rain on canvas thinking how wonderful it was to be raining again. I would extend the warm dry cosiness of bed a little longer; perhaps it will suddenly pour down in which case its pointless getting up.

DAVID, DAVID! Wild dogs are at the water hole! In a second, Brightons voice and words shattered the lazy rainy morning lie in. I was five minutes ahead of Taryn and out the tent to see 16 wild dogs at the water hole. The sight was surreal. Was I dreaming? The rainy mist cloaked the valley in soft dawn light, low clouds sailed so close I could feel their fresh coolness, while Africas most endangered, and most successful of all hunters, played excitedly in the water hole. It seemed like moments before they fell in step behind the leader and were off into the national park opposite camp. Play and a drink turned into something a little more serious, the hunt was on, and that required stealth tactics, they vanished into the mist.

I really hope the wild dog researchers get a tracking collar onto one of the pack members before the fence goes up. If they are trapped on the wrong side, they risk getting killed by the livestock owners. That would be a terrible loss to the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, and Africas wild dog population. I call Tiko, the research leader, every time we see the dogs and will endeavour to help get a collar onto one of the dogs. Trouble is, they move such vast distances in a very short time.

The Truth About Christmas

Talking about long distances, short time, Christmas is just around the corner, again! Taryn has a fascinating book called Strange Stories, Amazing Facts, and Ive been spending a lot of free time there. I found some amazing facts about Christmas and New Year

Christmas and Easter, although the greatest festivals in the Christian calendar, are celebrated with customs which originated hundreds of years before Christ was born.

Even the dates owe more to Pagan practices than to the birth and resurrection of Jesus. It was not until the 4th century that 25 December was fixed arbitrarily as the anniversary of the nativity because the Pagan festivals from which so many Christmas customs spring were held around that time.

25 December was not called Christmas until the 9th century. Until then it had been the Midwinter Feast, a combination of the Norse Yule Festival and the Roman Saturnalia, both of which took place in late December.

The seven days of Roman junketing were an occasion for exchanging presents one of the Pagan customs that was gladly incorporated into Christmas. Even the sternest advocates of the new faith could not eradicate the notion that Saturnalia was a time for merrymaking. The Romans used to switch roles with their slaves, who were encouraged to elect their own king for the holiday. He would preside over a great banquet, at which the master would wait on him and his fellow servants. The unfortunate slave kings, after their brief exaltation, were taken to the amphitheatre and put to death.
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