A male giraffe peeks over the tops of the Mopane trees. Picture by Katherine King.
By Katherine King, Colby College
We have arrived at our first concession, NG18, in Khwai after a long and dusty drive. On our way, we crossed the Mawana veterinary buffalo fence put in place in order to stop the spread of foot and mouth disease between African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Okavango and the domestic cattle of Botswana. As soon as we crossed over the fence we began to see more and more wildlife. The first herbivore that we saw was a single male giraffe on the side of the road who began to run in his awkward and elegant way when we stopped the car. Not too far ahead was a herd of elephants (Loxodonta africana) of many different ages making their way through the Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) forest.
After leap frogging with a school bus that was bringing boarding school children home for a ten-day break to celebrate Botswana Independence Day, we met them as they pulled off the road and alongside a dead adult elephant. The smell was the first sign of the elephant and only grew when we got up close. The carcass was only about 3 days old when we saw it and had not yet been found by any hyenas or vultures. It was amazing to get so close to such a massive and powerful animal, a truly unique opportunity.
Getting up close and personal with a dead elephant on the side of the road.
As we made our way into the windier and bumpier roads of the Khwai Community Trust we saw more elephants, giraffe, impala (Aepyceros melampus), steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) and even another dead elephant. The sun went down as we continued to make our way to Tau Camp and when the night came, so did our very first flat tire of the semester (I have been told there are many more likely to come). Not to worry, though, Kaggie, Sixteen, and Samara expertly changed the tire and had the wheels rolling again in under 15 minutes.
Shortly after, we were rewarded with a magnificent leopard (Panthera pardus) sighting, and after the next turn we took, a pride of lions (Panthera leo). One male and three lionesses sauntered in front of our car with the confidence, unlike the skittish leopard, a clear reminder of the hierarchy that exists among the big cats in Botswana.
Amber scouts for lions on our first practice transect drive.
For the remainder of the drive we saw many African Buffalo eyes staring back at us and the trumpeting of elephants in the dark. At last, we arrive in Tau Camp after a five hour drive made worth it by sighting four of the Big 5 on our first night in the bush, and all of the Big 5 we will be able to see during our time in Botswana. The Big 5 has traditionally been the term for the five most dangerous animals to hunt: the elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and rhino (both the black rhino, Diceros bicornis, and the white rhino, Ceratotherium simum).
After the government of Botswana realized the rhino population was severely endangered in Botswana in 1991, the remaining wild rhinos were gathered and the Khama Rhino Sanctuary was established. In 2002 the first to rhinos were introduced into Moremi Game Reserve and are now monitored 24 hours a day by the Botswana government.