I just spend a wonderful weekend among the animals at South Africa's Madikwe Game Reserve (http://www.madikwe-game-reserve.co.za), about a half-hour drive from Gaborone, Botswana where I'm working this week. I had hoped to go to one of Botswana's outstanding national parks but they are too far from Gaborone when one only has a weekend. This was my first safari in over 20 years and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There is something about Africa that gets into the blood and makes one feel passionate about the continent. Perhaps it is our primeval senses calling us back to Olduvai Gorge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olduvai_Gorge) where anthropologists believe our earliest ancestors lived. Life is basic among the animals with almost all activity driven by the search for food and water, reproduction of the species and survival of the fittest. However, I never get tired of watching the large alpha males as they try to dominate the females and their competitors within the herd. And the mothering instinct of the females is equally interesting as they search for food and try to protect their young from predators.
And when the large male elephants are in musk (or musth) (http://elephant.kulichki.net/elib4.htm), or when the females have young, watch out and keep your distance. Our vehicle was stalked by a large bull elephant, past his prime, who was in full musk and which the females were trying to avoid. (Sort of reminds me of a couple of old guys I know!)
I stayed a great small lodge called Bush House (http://www.bushhouse.co.za) which provided excellent service. And I was extremely fortunate to be the only guest for the weekend which meant that Jacques, a very knowledgeable spotter and driver, became my private guide. He took me on two early morning and two evening game drives, each lasting about 3 hours. With Jacques' intimate knowledge of both the flora and fauna, he was able to get me close to all of Madikwe's major species except for leopard and cheetah, which are loners and always hard to find. Among the species we saw were elephant, lion, white rhino, zebra, giraffe, warthog, cape buffalo, wild dog, gazelle, kudu, wildebeest, hartebeest, gemsbok, impala, ostrich, kori bustard, lots of other birds, etc., etc.
The Bush House watering hole was very popular with elephant during my stay. A herd of about 20 hung around it for several hours on Saturday afternoon and it was most amusing to watch the males maneuver for position and the baby elephants splashing in the water and periodically walking between their mother's legs for milk and security.
There is something about Africa that gets into the blood and makes one feel passionate about the continent. Perhaps it is our primeval senses calling us back to Olduvai Gorge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olduvai_Gorge) where anthropologists believe our earliest ancestors lived. Life is basic among the animals with almost all activity driven by the search for food and water, reproduction of the species and survival of the fittest. However, I never get tired of watching the large alpha males as they try to dominate the females and their competitors within the herd. And the mothering instinct of the females is equally interesting as they search for food and try to protect their young from predators.
And when the large male elephants are in musk (or musth) (http://elephant.kulichki.net/elib4.htm), or when the females have young, watch out and keep your distance. Our vehicle was stalked by a large bull elephant, past his prime, who was in full musk and which the females were trying to avoid. (Sort of reminds me of a couple of old guys I know!)
I stayed a great small lodge called Bush House (http://www.bushhouse.co.za) which provided excellent service. And I was extremely fortunate to be the only guest for the weekend which meant that Jacques, a very knowledgeable spotter and driver, became my private guide. He took me on two early morning and two evening game drives, each lasting about 3 hours. With Jacques' intimate knowledge of both the flora and fauna, he was able to get me close to all of Madikwe's major species except for leopard and cheetah, which are loners and always hard to find. Among the species we saw were elephant, lion, white rhino, zebra, giraffe, warthog, cape buffalo, wild dog, gazelle, kudu, wildebeest, hartebeest, gemsbok, impala, ostrich, kori bustard, lots of other birds, etc., etc.
The Bush House watering hole was very popular with elephant during my stay. A herd of about 20 hung around it for several hours on Saturday afternoon and it was most amusing to watch the males maneuver for position and the baby elephants splashing in the water and periodically walking between their mother's legs for milk and security.
I am not a good photographer but I'll share a few of my pictures anyway:
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| At the Bush House watering hole |
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| Rhino at Madikwe |
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| Fenale lion searching for "slow" food. |
Our family has been very fortunate when it comes to seeing wildlife. Our first safari was in Cameroon's Waza Game Park in 1983. From 1984-87 we lived in Kenya where we visited several of the countries incredible animal reserves (http://www.africaguide.com/country/kenya/parks.htm). Following Kenya we were transferred to Australia where we were able to see all the marsupials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial) as well as the fairy penguin parade on Phillip Island near Melbourne, a very special treat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrOLziHI2Sk&feature=related) . And at home in Utah's Wasatch Mountains, we have moose, bear, mountain lion, wolf and big horn sheep to name a few. Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake is also home to a herd of American buffalo (bison).
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