The
radio crackles in a Zimbabwe language (Shona). Our driver and guide,
Mayeso, says, “A cheetah had been spotted by another guide.
It’s a ways from here. We’ll have to drive quickly. Do
you want to go?” Hell yes. So we race through the Hwange
Forest Reserve on narrow dirt roads.
There
are six of us in a Landcruiser 4x4 safari vehicle, high off the
ground, with three rows of seats. The cooing of Cape Turtle Doves
surrounds us. Elephants have been active in the area, pulling down
small trees to eat
the leaves. Up ahead, there is a medium-sized branch blocking the
road. Mayeso tries to clear the tree limb, but it is moving under the
roof of the Landcruiser supported by roll bars. So Jeff, in the
front row, leans out of the side of the vehicle, grabs the branch and
pushes it upwards. Mayeso slowly pulls forward and the it
starts to scrap along the top of the roof. I grab the limb
and keep holding it up. It
scrapes over the
roof. We clear it and we’re off again.
There
is a maze of dirt roads, all unmarked. The main roads are sandy and
grass free. The side roads are narrower with either a row of grass
between tracks or covered with grass, because it’s the rainy
season. Mayeso
suddenly turns onto one of these narrower roads. There is more
chatter on the radio updating the cheetah’s location.
After
about 20 minutes, we head off-road into a grassy area with a
large water hole. I see a
few safari
vehicles ahead. They have located the cheetah, which is moving
through the grass.
I quickly take some photos and keep watching in fascination. Mayeso
tells us that the last group he guided didn’t see any cats
during the their three day visit and that seeing a cheetah is rare.
The
radio crackles again. A lion pride has been spotted nearby. We
reluctantly leave the cheetah and drive to that location. Again, a
few safari vehicles are already there. A male lion is resting in
the grass next to three lionesses. Seven lion cubs are standing on a
nearby rock. Mayeso tells us that the three lionesses are likely
sisters that babysit each other’s cubs when they are out
hunting. Lions are nocturnal hunters with excellent night vision.
During the day they sleep in the open if it’s not too hot or
under trees if it is.
Male
lions guard a large territory against intrusion by other males. They
mature by around age six and maintain their territory until they are
challenged, usually around age ten, when they are weakened by age.
They mate with all lionesses in their territory. Once the male is
defeated by a challenger, the new male will kill any young cubs
that are not his.
Off
in the distance, we see a dust cloud, so we head that way. Their is a
large mixed herd of zebras,
impalas and wildebeest. Because they are all grazers and prey, they
congregate in larger
groups for protection.
A young impala springs
into the air,
strengthening its legs, practicing for later escape from predators.
Baboons on the periphery run through fallen tree limbs and groom each
other.
It’s
nearly day’s end, so we head
to another water hole to have drinks and enjoy the sunset.
Dragonflies hover over the water, then dive to snatch insects,
creating myriad of small circles on the
water surface. The sky gets more orange, a beautiful sunset. In the
dark we head back to camp, using a spotlight to locate nocturnal
animals, such as
as springhare and jackal. An
amazing day.
The
plan for the next day is to head into Hwange National Park. Our
guide and driver is Sam. The forest reserve we are passing through
serves as a buffer, and is managed for conservation and ecotourism. The
reserve is a mosaic of trees and bushes with grassy undergrowth
and open savannah. We pass a herd of elephants with a large male
tusker, other adult males
and females and young. After a year of drought, the rains came in
November through January, providing lots of vegetation for elephants
to eat. The herd is busy pulling down trees to eat leaves and tear
off bark from
trees for fiber.
Tne
radio crackles, this time with an English voice. African
wild dogs have killed an
impala and are
feeding on the
carcass. Sam says, its a bit away.
Do
we want to go?” 100 percent. Seeing African
wild dogs is rare and
opportunity knocks.
So once again, we race through the
forest. I have to lean in
sometimes to
avoid getting hit by branches. There’s
a lot of chatter, helping Sam figures
out how to get to the location. A few wrong turns and a very bumpy
ride off-road through brush. Socool. And then
we come upon the site. To me it feels like finding a needle in a
haystack, but the guides know this forest well.
The
adult males have already had their fill and the younger ones are busy
cleaning the carcass. There is
no
growling, just a feeding frenzy. We keep our distance, but close
enough to take lots of photos. Wild dogs is a misnomer. They are
actually more closely related to wolfs. It takes at least four dogs
to pull down an impala. This pack is much bigger.
Because
of this unexpected
but kick-ass diversion, we don’t
leave for Hwange National Park until
late
morning.Hwange
National Park is huge, over 5,000 square miles, almost all savannah,
in westmost Zimbabwe. It was established in the 90s to assist in the
recovery of threatened species. Numerous water wells have been
drilled to keep water holes full and the savannah grassy. This is not
a concern during tne rainy season,
but is critical during the dry season, particularly August through
October, when animals and
plants aremost stressed.
Most
of the wildlife activity is aroundwater
holes. Dikas,
Kudus andTsessebees,
different species of antelope, hang out nearby, with hippopotamus and
crocodiles in the water.
February
is mating season for birds. Males birds are in their colorful
plumages, courting to attract females and chasing away male
competitors. The lilac-breasted roller has a light green cap, a brown
back with blue on the front of the wings and purple on the back of
the wings. The knob-tailed duck has a black knob on its beak only
during breeding season. The gray-crowned crane has long golden brown
feathers on its head. These are only a few of the colorful birds not
seen in North America, not to mention raptors such as the Tawny
Eagle, the African Snake Eagle and the Dark-Chanting Goshawk.
We
arrive back at bush camp late afternoon and are greeted by at least
50 elephants in the grassy area and large watering hole we can view
from camp. Other elephants keep coming down from the surrounding
forest hillsides. Many elephants are laying on the water. Others are
rolling in mud puddles and in the dirt. Young elephants are
frolicking in the water. Lots of trumpeting.
After
dinner, the elephants have departed, replaced by hundreds of Cape
Buffalo. Snorting sounds abound. Sleeping on a mattress surrounded by
mosquito netting, I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound
of elephant rumbling
