By Lauren Berkley, of University of Vermont
We’re about halfway through the program here in Botswana. We’ve spent a little over a week now camping in the village of Mababe, and everyone is settling into the routine of being in the field well. In particular, we’ve driven some very exciting herbivore transects since we’ve been here. The usual suspects have been spotted out and about the Okavango Delta: elephants, hippos, giraffes, impala, and kudu. The elephants in particular have been quite “cheeky,” as our instructor Samara likes to put it, and getting very close to our cars.
A large bull elephant that was very curious about our Land Cruiser, Lucy, on Sunday, October 28.
A baby elephant munching on some Mopane next to the road on Saturday, October 27th.
While the large herbivores of this region are always exciting to witness, this week was a certifiable predator parade. Nearly every student on the program had an amazing opportunistic predator sighting over the past few days. On Tuesday, October 23 I had the great luck of seeing an African Black-Footed Cat. These are very rare to see in the Delta because they’re adapted to very arid climates, so it was an exciting sighting indeed. They look like an adorable mix of a small fox and a cat wearing black socks. Surprisingly, these little predators are actually extremely deadly with a success ratio of hunting drastically higher than that of lions or leopards. Sadly, I was unable to get a picture because the individual was running and I didn’t have my camera out. Since being here I’ve learned if you want to get really lucky, leave your camera behind. The best things happen when you’re least expecting them.
The alpha female investigating the car on Wednesday, October 24th. Photo by Jack Templeton.
However, some students were very lucky this week and saw African wild dogs even with their cameras out and ready. The spontaneous rain storms we had last week gave us some cooler and cloudier mornings, which led this elusive species to spend more time exposed on the main road we take on our way to transects.
Two members of the pack play fighting in the road on Wednesday, October 24th. Photo by Jack Templeton.
While I was not one of the few that saw the wild dogs, I did have the immense fortune of seeing three male lions on Sunday, October 28. When myself, Caroline Galliani, and our instructors, Samara and Dix, arrived at our transect we heard a male lion contact calling (calling out for another lion). We continuously heard him calling until Dix finally spotted the individual laying in the shade of a Mopane shrub. We noticed he had a very patchy mane though he was certainly a full grown male. Samara explained that lion’s manes are very susceptible to stress. This poor guy was probably exiled from his pride by a dominant male. As we continued along the transect, we discovered who he was calling out to: two other enormous male lions. These two individuals were brothers who formed a coalition. Some male predators like lions and cheetahs form coalitions, usually comprised of brothers, that hunt together. The dominant one in the coalition will mate with females, which benefits the non-mating brother in that the individuals are so genetically similar that their genetic information is still being spread. We returned to the spot where they were resting after our transect so that we could get a closer look. The brothers were panting heavily and appeared as though they had just recently eaten as their bellies were swollen and they were unbothered by our car.
Two hot and sleepy brothers.
Overall, you never know what to expect here. Whether it’s large herbivores or graceful predators outside your car window, you’re never bored. Every day there is the potential of seeing something new, especially if you leave your camera behind.
The dominant male in the coalition.