CAMP & SAFARI AWARENESS NOTICE

CAMP & SAFARI AWARENESS NOTICE

After a few suggestions to put this on my website so people could prepare themselves for their safaris before they left home, I finally decided perhaps it was a good idea. I had thought it might put people off coming to Africa’s deepest darkest secrets! I am sure it will help those people going on safari for the first time to prepare themselves for it.

The idea of this notice displayed in each guest tent is to help people get their heads around the concept of being aware, rather than afraid in the bush. Fear is our most dangerous emotion and so the more we know the more we feel safe, and therefore the more we enjoy and appreciate.

“A Warm Welcome to Meno A Kwena Tented Camp

It is a pleasure to have you stay with us, and we are here to make your stay as comfortable and safe as we possibly can. Our origins are in mobile safari outfitting based on the original safaris carried out in East Africa. Meno A Kwena Tented Camp is evolving from the pure mobile safari outfit to incorporate the permanent safari camp concept without completely losing the authentic safari atmosphere.

We, are not just about wildlife experiences, we put a lot of emphasis on the safari experience, the camp, staff, guides, hosts, and the rural community living in close proximity of the camp. It is very important you know how the camp operates considering the novelty of bucket showers, no electricity, and cooking on open fires. And the safety factor is a priority and so we constantly remind you to be aware.

PLEASE read this notice on your arrival, it will help you help us make sure your experience is safe, comfortable, and unforgettable. We will go through everything with you verbally and remain sensitive to your every move, every whim.

SAFETY AWARENESS

Awareness of our surroundings is key, to both the enjoyment and safety of safari. Don’t be afraid, don’t be worried, be careful of your imagination taking control of your awareness. Be aware is better than beware!

 

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You have noticed the thorn and pole fence around the tents, the traditional African method of keeping them, and their livestock safe from predators at night when asleep. This is effective but not guaranteed, please make sure the gate poles are closed and remain aware despite this predator proofing. The design is also good for snake avoidance as they can escape to the safety of cover in the thorny branches without you knowing they are there. Snakes are extremely shy, they are sensitive to vibrations in the ground (footsteps), and have no reason to want to waste venom on something they cannot eat, unless absolutely necessary for self-preservation. It takes up to three days for snakes to replace their venom so they don’t want to waste it.

All wild creatures can be dangerous, from the smallest insect to the elephant, mostly because of self-preservation. Man is the most feared living being on the planet, for all the reasons. It is very unlikely wildlife is going to be moving around the camp when people are up and about. Avoid confrontations by being aware of your every step, what could be ahead, and behind. We do encourage more than one person walking along the pathways to and from the tents at night.

Most confrontations occur when a mammal cannot escape. Cornered, animals with very young offspring, injured or sick, or just surprised within the flight/fright distance acceptable to individual species and situations. Never run, watch your feet and ahead, talk while walking, sing if you like, always use a fully charged torch (flashlight) at night. When leaving the tent in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, wake your tent partner and talk for a minute or two before opening the zip. Check around the outside area with the torch before leaving the tent. Talking or singing as you slowly approach the bathroom will help.

Creepy crawlies are generally most active at night and in the summer. But always be aware of snakes, spiders etc being disturbed and on the move in the coldest of winter nights. Always shake shoes, towels, clothes before using them. It is advisable to not keep clothes and shoes on the floor, having said that, still check before putting them on. Creepy crawlies can climb as well as they crawl.

In the unlikely event of a confrontation remain calm and in control. Its not always a good idea to run or make sudden moves. Basically react in a way to show the animal that you are not a threat to its life and or young. Running away can trigger hunting behaviour and most animals can run faster than a human. The safest place in camp is zipped up in your tent. The closest thing to a tent in nature is the termite mound. I honestly believe, from personal experiences, and those of others, that animals do not treat a tent as if it were inhabited. A termite mound is solid, so a tent must be solid. If anything, whatever it is the animal can smell, hear, must be on the other side of the tent, never inside it. And therefore is unlikely to attempt to break into it, though quite capably. I have watched lions, hyaenas and leopards cautiously sniffing around tents without once attempting to enter. And there was dried meat in the tent! When sleeping in your tent at night, make sure the zip is firmly closed. The gauze windows are as much of a screen as the canvas walls so keep them open if you like.

Never have food in your tents. Meat will attract carnivores, sweets and biscuits attract rodents and squirrels. Monkeys will try everything. Yes we have a resident vervet monkey family that so far have not become habituated nor a problem, and we don’t want to encourage it. Ends up with us having to shoot them, and you don’t want to be responsible for that do you now? Leave all food of any sort locked up in the kitchen.

Other dangers perhaps not even considered are tent gye ropes, thorny bushes, springhare and aardvark holes, falling off the cliff, tree branches above tents breaking, bucket shower ropes breaking, paraffin lanterns causing fire, choking, allergies. It is essential we know about all allergies, if any.

 

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The Boteti Rock plunge pool is there for your comfort, it is not a swimming pool, and please do not jump into it. Boteti rock can make you bleed. Please take it easy when using it, especially children must be with an adult when swimming. Check there are no crocodiles in it! You just never know.

And most important …BE AWARE!

WATER AWARENESS

The Boteti River stopped flowing in the mid 1990s. Since then the water table has dropped below the riverbed to approximately 2 metres. Beyond both riverbanks the water is salty and very deep. The fresh water in the Boteti is recharged by the Okavango when it enters the Boteti near Maun. Hydrologists tell me the water is limited should the Boteti not receive water and that’s quite possible. So water is extremely precious in the area.

 

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I am assisting the Botswana Government with the supply of water for the park’s wildlife as they are under resourced. In the height of the dry season thousands of animals, mostly the zebra migration relies on our water supply and this is a full time effort. At times the animals are drinking as fast as we pump putting a lot of pressure on the supply and the stress on wildlife.

The camp water reticulation is designed around the authentic safari camp where we don’t have water on tap though we do have flush loos for your comfort. The water jugs and canvas basins help us maintain comforts and conserve water. A bucket shower is more than enough for one person if you switch it on and off between soaping up. Most couples manage one bucket for the two of them, and it’s very romantic! Please let us know whenever you want a shower and the housekeeping staff will fill the bucket for you. Please appreciate we cannot do showers too late at night.

When using the loos be aware of birds and squirrels falling in as they try and get a drink. Keep the loo seat and cover down after use. Please also notify us if the loo is not working properly and if it is leaking. We cannot afford to waste water. Remember that the Meno A Kwena waterhole is the only water supply for wildlife in the western Makgadikgadi Pans NP and so there is a lot of demand for water, even in the camp at times.

We all drink the water pumped out of the riverbed, but as you are not used to it, please drink bottled water. The pumped water is clean and safe for bathing and washing as it is filtered through Kalahari sands.

And another thing …BE AWARE!

CULTURAL AWARENESS

It is my commitment to maximise benefits to the rural peoples of the area and so employees are sought from the nearby village and farmlands. All the staff are from the area, they are rural dwellers living simple lives based on pastoralism. These Batswana still maintain strong conservative values built on their culture. They are extremely gentle, unobtrusive in nature and quite shy as a result, especially as they are confronted with a completely new and unknown culture – foreigners and tourism.

 

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Safari tourism is new to the area, it is important to develop it within the constraints of the culture of the people, and so patiently and gently. We are progressing sufficiently and with terrific results. All the staff at Meno A Kwena Tented Camp has been trained here in camp, and is learning to appreciate the importance of wildlife as it creates work opportunities. I encourage other benefits to the community through sourcing building materials, skilled craftspeople, and working with the village primary school where my staff’s children attend.

Unlike most safari camps and lodges in Africa where rural people don’t live in close proximity, as is the case here at Meno A Kwena, I have an open door policy to welcome local visitors to the camp in an attempt to educate and allow a sense of involvement amongst the people who lease their tribal land to us.

The Batswana names of the people are difficult for foreigners to remember and pronounce so don’t worry about it too much. If you refer to ‘Sir’ as ‘Rra’, and ‘Madam’ as ‘Mma’ you will get the response as much as if using their names. ‘Dumela’ is the word used for greetings. So…

“Dumela Mma” “Hello Madam”

“Dumela Rra” “Hello Sir”

“Gosiame!” (Kgo-see-um-mee) “Okay” “Fine” …“Cool!”

Remember …BE AWARE!

WILDLIFE AWARENESS

Besides the safety factor for our guests, it is important to be aware of and respect the wildlife coming for a desperate drink. Understand that visits to the waterhole are the most stressful times of their lives. Predators often take advantage of this concentration of food for them. This is their land, they don’t have much left and so we ought to respect that. The camp’s location at the only waterhole in the area for so many animals and birds puts a lot of pressure on them. It is considerate of us to remain quiet and to not move around within view of the wildlife coming to drink. So please, when on the edge of the riverbank keep voices monotone and avoid moving around too much. Our presence is alarming to them and sound travels further than it would seem.

There is an old tribal law that discourages people from starting uncontrolled fires. The guilty person goes to jail until the grass grows back to the length it was before the fire started! Please be aware that a fire in this area will result in the deaths of many animals, there is no other water close to their grazing ranges. Please be very careful with fires, paraffin lanterns, matches and cigarettes.

 

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Birds are our biggest allies in the survival of our species. They eat most insects that carry disease that kills people. They are also fantastic alarm bells for cats, snakes and raptors. If you hear birds chattering wildly, urgently, it could be that there is something you ought to know about and so take precautions. Your guide will help you with the identification of the various birdcalls. The chattering vervet monkeys roosting in the fig tree in front of camp at night will very likely mean they have seen a cat - lion or leopard. Snorting wildebeest, zebra and kudu are also alarm calls. A trumpeting elephant could mean lion are about.

CONSERVATION AWARENESS

Every guest staying at Meno A Kwena Tented Camp is contributing to wildlife conservation and rural people development projects. Income generated from safaris goes back into the area, out of immediate necessity and for the long term benefits required to secure a future for our wildlife. The camp supports its own initiative – The Meno A Kwena Water For Life Project. The project benefits wildlife as much as the people in the area. It is crucial that wildlife benefits the people directly and not just through government.

 

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Please accept our apologies for the pumps running, at times through the night. This is necessary during the driest times when wildlife pressure is at its most extreme. We don’t have electricity to run quiet pumps and solar power is just not sufficient for the large numbers of animals coming to drink.

The proximity to camp of the new Makgadikgadi Pans National Park fence constructed to stop the wildlife/livestock conflict was the decision of the rural people of the area. I requested that they align it further from the camp but political, social, and cultural issues influenced the final decision. The fence has alleviated the conflict situation between wildlife and livestock but resulted in a new conflict. That of wildlife and fence. And so we are constantly monitoring the effects of the fence on wildlife and occasionally we have to rescue trapped wildlife. It is sometimes traumatic to witness but we do try and help where we can.

Awareness is the first step to conserving wildlife …BE AWARE!

GUEST AWARENESS

Remember that sound travels in the clean clear fresh air of the African bush. The thin canvas walls of the tents don’t muffle those intimate sounds travelling through the clean clear fresh air to the neighbouring tents! That’s why the honeymoon tent is at the end of camp and a slightly larger distance from the rest of the camp! We’ve had a few embarrassingly quiet breakfasts the morning after!

 

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I encourage families at the camp and so ask if the parents would take charge of their offspring and consider others. Children are magnets to predators so they should be disciplined more than normally allowed in the developed ‘nanny’ world anyway. I will personally throw any mischievous child into the lion pit if they don’t do what they are …TOLD! And the parents! Please would parents also respect that the camp is not a playground, it is a place to relax and enjoy the wildlife and nature. I encourage families with children to educate them, and to learn about nature and wildlife. So please, parents, consider that you are responsible for them, and particularly the safety factor. So running around and making a noise goes against all our efforts to be aware of the environment around us in camp.

Thank you very much for reading this and enjoy your stay as much as we do.”

- David Dugmore & Meno A Kwena Tented Camp Staff

OKAVANGO & BOTETI FLOOD

Strange unexpected things are happening to the new Okavango Delta flood sweeping through the already rain saturated flood plains. Our local rains this season were above average in comparison to the last few decades. The Angolan flood waters coming into Botswana are lower than expected after many reports of heavy rains in the catchment area. Last year’s Boteti flood pushed the water sixty kilometres beyond its furthest point, since the mid 1990s, to twenty kilometres from Meno A Kwena.

Despite the surprisingly low recorded water coming from Angola, the combination of last years flood saturated riverbed, and the locally rain filled delta, I am convinced the Boteti will flow beyond Meno A Kwena later this year. I am supposing it will arrive in September. The recent delta flood into the Thamalakane River flowing through Maun was a big surprise as it came from the Gomoti delta river system before the usual Boro River. This means that high delta water levels came from our local rains. I do believe the rains in Angola were later than usual, and so that is still to flow into the Thamalakane River …I expect in July.

I have taken up a new sport, not that I am very sporty, pointless really unless its being productive, like digging a waterhole, or piling rocks on top of water pipes to stop elephants pulling them out the ground. Kayaking! Who’d have believed? I have a fear of drowning. I have a deep respect for hippos. They both kill more people from drowning in Africa than white water rafting in the Zambezi!

John Sandenbergh and I are planning a kayak trip from Maun to Meno A Kwena when the river flows through to there. About a four day trip. And so yes I am in training, finally sorted out the balance thing. That took a little concentration, and a few dunks in the Thamalakane River.

John has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and other mountain peaks, kayaked raging rivers in South Africa, and is now embarking on a new safari company doing kayak safaris in the Okavango Delta. So I need lots of exercise and training to keep up with him down the Boteti River in a few months. I asked John what reaction to expect from hippos as I kayaked through their highway!

“Oh. Um. No problem, huh. Just keep going, hope the river is deep enough …yeah! For them to pass underneath without tipping you over. Good luck, um, David.” Yeah right John …Thanks.

The Maun expatriate population settled along the banks of the river as the villagers took up residence further away from the mosquitoes and crocodiles. On one occasion, in front of the Watson’s house where the hippos hide in tall reeds by day, I did a spectacular tumble.

I heard a voice from their garden, “hey Mike, there’s someone in a kayak on the river, you got an air rifle?” Shaky lacking confidence, I was distracted from my balancing act on the water, learning the hard way to right a kayak in deep water. Ha ha guys!

Daily kayak training had me proficient enough to not capsize any longer. I even handled a kayak/hippo confrontation pretty well, again in front of the Watson’s house. I smelled the gaseous bubbles coming up from the river floor before I saw them, then a subtle hippo ripple amongst the wind ripples caught my eye. I took evasive action into the shallows close to the river bank, same time gauging the distance I would have to run to Bird Safaris’ property wall. The two hippos surfaced, exhaled and snorted. I tapped paddle to kayak to give them a bead on where I was hidden in the reeds. They approached, ears pricked, heads raised, I paddled away as they headed to where I was and made good my escape back to The Bridge Bar for a drink!

There is still a lot of water in the lower Okavango for this time of year. While kayaking the last few months, I have noticed how the river did slow a bit and the levels drop slightly, but it’s rising again and the current is getting stronger. I will let everyone know, what’s happening and then as it nears Meno A Kwena will be keeping a daily record of its speed and volume so we know exactly when to expect it at camp and give you all the fantastic news!

MIGRATION RETURNS

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The zebra and wildebeest migration started returning to Boteti in late May, a little earlier than expected as the saltpans from where they came dried up early despite some very good rains in the Gweta area. The Meno A Kwena lion family won’t complain, they’ve been struggling to find food since the migration left in November last year. A few herds of wildebeest did stay in the Boteti area throughout the summer rains, and the lions killed kudu antelope and anything else they could get their paws on. It’s a time we increase our awareness so they don’t get their claws into us and our guests at camp.

Hattie from The Herbivore Research Project in Moremi had a zebra collared in Moremi Game Reserve during last summer come to drink at Meno A Kwena waterhole this last week. This is good news as it means at least some zebra are using this ancient migratory route between Makgadikgadi Pans and the Okavango Delta. This will encourage others and therefore improve conditions for the whole population, thus increasing the numbers back to the carrying capacity potential one day. A fence between the pans and delta was decommissioned and removed a few years ago when the Makgadikgadi fence was constructed along the Boteti.

The pressure is on the Boteti waterholes and seeps now that the migration is fully concentrated at Meno A Kwena and Kumaga. It’s going to be interesting to see how the thirteen new waterholes created by Department of Wildlife & National Parks will be received by the water dependant migratory wildlife. Certainly, we have seen the riverbed sourced waterholes being utilised at Kumaga. Those away from the riverbed are not as much. This could be because the wildlife is accustomed to the Meno A Kwena and Kumaga areas, with reliable water since the river stopped flowing in the 1990s. It will take some time for them to find the new water locations and so will let you know later in the year. Meanwhile at Meno A Kwena we are pumping almost 24 hours a day getting hundred thousand litres of water to the wildlife demanding everything we can supply.

A lot of people ask if the river flowing through Meno A Kwena will reduce the numbers of wildlife coming to drink in front of camp. No, not really. Due to high steep cliffs, and farming activities along most of the riverbed boundary of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park the wildlife will still concentrate in limited areas at Meno A Kwena and Kumaga. So we will still see the impressively spectacular numbers of animals and birds, in fact the increased water available to wildlife will secure a better future for the migration and gradually increase their numbers over the next years. What we are very excited about is an increase in the variety of wildlife species moving back when the river is flowing. The change to the environment will be dramatically improved in every way.

WATER FOR LIFE PROJECTS

Just to remind you, and to notify newcomers to the Boteti Diaries, we started the Meno A Kwena Water for Life Trust to develop our wildlife conservation and rural community involvement projects. The awareness we have created over the years has generated generous contributions, though never enough, for the enormity of the responsibility we have been dedicated to. Its ongoing and despite the time and energy we put in it must not stop, that’s worse than not starting in the first place. Management and maintenance is extremely important.

So it is with appreciation and thanks to recent contributors – La Tavola magazine subscribers in Switzerland raised a very generous amount of P70 000 to go towards our environmental education project. Mike and Liane of Abendsonne Afrika in Germany donated €900 towards the White Rhino introduction to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park project. Mischa and Hanka who have been very supportive over the years have contributed the funds we need for two fire fighting units to help us secure the grazing in the park. The threat of fire to the zebra and wildebeest population’s survival is a dangerous reality.

The very horny girls can’t contain their flirting, like teenage farmers’ daughters stuck on the farm with a loaded shotgun next to Papa’s bed the last couple years! The two female white rhino that have been wandering around the Boteti for two years manless have a man now! They have been joined by a strapping male, just relocated to the area. He rode in on his mount, Mercedes, from Khama Rhino Sanctuary just a few hours ride away.

The male white rhino was in his boma for just a matter of days before the females came to ‘check out the new talent’. It was decided to release him so he could interact with the females who have established themselves in their new territory. Now its up to them to get a new breeding family started so we will see a new growing population of white rhino spread throughout the Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pans National Parks.

White rhino, or square lipped rhino, as sometimes referred as are extremely territorial. The male takes active steps to stop the female from leaving his territory until they mate when she is in oestrus. They have a gestation of 16 months after which they give birth to one calf. Weaning is at about a year old until which time the calf remains in very close proximity with its mother, usually running ahead of her unlike black rhino calves that run at her side or behind.

I really have to get this diary off, been too long since the last one in March, sorry about that but been really busy here the last few months, its gone crazy here in Botswana’s tourism industry! Good good, its gotta be the most in demand African country to visit, what with all the political strife going on elsewhere. Nothing like that here, and its getting better and better all the time. PULA!

Please note our new reservations email address and to welcome Anita Lindstrom who has taken over our booking system in Maun. Please do not use any other email address for reservations or any info about Kalahari Kavango and Meno A Kwena. Tjitske Post in Kenya is no longer involved with us in any way despite the evidence she wants to be!

Tags: Authentic Safari, Carnivores, Flshlight, Insects, Lanterns, Monkeys, Open Fires, Predators, Safari Awareness, Snakes, Swimming Pool, Tent Zips, Welcome