Farewell to NG34 and onto NG41
Susanna Howe
Another exciting week in the Botswana wilderness! The week started on a slow note after saying goodbye to our Sankoyo guides. Without the guides to keep us busy we found another way to stay entertained with a bush pool party in the murky green water including ICE COLD juice, a bag of mexican chile flavored chips, acoustics from Matt and Jacks guitar duo’s and a special visit from Krys (Dog camp researcher) with adorable son, Arun. A great way to start the week!
After hearing lion calls in close proximity all through sunday night, we went to investigate the following morning. Seeing tracks right away we had a brief sighting of a full grown female lioness. Not interested in having us hanging around, we were only able to catch a quick glimpse before she ran off. The excitement continued with another powerpoint from Krys on Spoor counts and identifying predators. We are now all “pros” on how to track animals, identify individuals and the pros and cons of different individuals… or maybe just one step closer to it. Leaving dog camp we took a second look for the male lions we had heard over night and sure enough the 2 large males were taking their afternoon nap under a shady tree about half a kilometer from Dibatana. Completely unfazed by our presence we were able to observe them for a good 30 minutes. The two male lions seemed to be parched, panting heavily in the heat of the day and looking hungry (What’s on the menu tonight?)
The nighttime excitement continued monday night with the presence of an elephant in our camp sight. Usually convinced that I am making up wildlife noises in my sleep, this time I was sure it was real when Sam (my tent mate for the time) shook me awake. We sat quietly, trying to pear out in the darkness, our minds immediately thinking of the lions from the daytime sightings. The rustling grew louder and after hearing the breaking of branches and eventually some loud chewing sounds we confirmed that it was an elephant. We watched (or more listened and imagined) as the elephant creeped closer to Matt’s tents, breaking branches and chewing the whole way before making its way back out to the savannah.
Tuesday rolled around and we celebrated the first birthday of the trip. Sam turned the big 21! (Falling asleep to sounds of elephants, still 20 years old and waking up to more lion roars a year older is an epic start to another year if you ask me!) We were able to sneak off early in the morning to whip up french toast (her favorite breakfast) and hang up a hand decorated birthday sign. Bellies full, we headed out to do our first vegetation survey where we blocked samples of land (1m by 1m squares) and recorded the different species of vegetation observed. Birthday celebrations continued through the afternoon with a relaxing drive around the Gomoti river where Sam was thrilled to spot a python (me on the other hand keeping a safe distance). We returned home to a big dinner complete with a chocolate cake topped with Phoebe’s delicious homemade coffee icing creation. We all went to sleep with extreme sugar highs hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before our last day at Dibatana.
Wednesday rolled right along. We spent our last day in NG34 with a final morning transect drive and a talk from PhD student Nick Jacobson. Nick explained the work he has been conducting in Sankoyo and Shorobe on the Human predator conflict, mainly between livestock and wildlife. He has been conducting interviews with local villagers on their views of the land and the wildlife that surrounds them. On thursday morning we once again packed up the land cruisers and headed back to Island Safari Lodge in Maun.
On friday we had the opportunity to visit Botswana Predator Conservation Trust (BPCT) where Tico McNutt, founder of BPCT, gave a talk on his “Bioboundary” research with Wild dogs and what their goal to find solutions to the dogs dwindling numbers. He explained the technique they are currently establishing, creating boundaries for the dogs using scent marks to keep them within a safe area, away from armed farmers. The idea is to use the dogs territorial personalities to keep them within a protected area by using the dogs waste to create a boundary in which the dogs will believe another pack is present so will stay away from that area. An amazing experience to have, we were not only able to learn more about wildlife monitoring techniques, but see the inside of the organizations lab and a chance to understand the chemistry behind their operations.
Our final day in Maun we took advantage of the wonderful Island Safari pool, internet at local restaurants, and of course enjoyed many many ice cold drinks. After our two weeks of luxury living at Dibatana, however, we are all ready to get back to our camplife. Headed out to Mobabe on sunday, we are eager to meet the 12 new escort guides and explore the concession, NG41.