Day 8: July 1, More Chobe adventures

This morning's drive was through the opposite side of Chobe National Park, and the number of animals was just stunning. The number of safari vehicles was stunning too - we've been spoiled by being the only people around until now. Along the way, we spotted an ostrich (quite rare for this particular ecosystem - they prefer much more open spaces), but she ran away before I could catch her photo. We also spotted a sable antelope - another very rare sighting! The sable are very shy, skittish animals, and haven't been spotted by many groups at all. The guides and Priscilla keep telling us how lucky we are... I hope our luck holds!

Here's what we spotted on the morning drive:

Finally, a clear photo of Cape Buffalo: And a clearer photo of the Southern Ground Hornbill. His little neck pouch was all poofed up, and he was calling the other hornbills from his group that were nearby. By the time we left, his cooing calls had summoned 5 or 6 more to the site. We also caught a few elephants, one of which raised his trunk trying to smell us:Why did the baboon cross the road?... because apparently, everyone else was crossing too...Hippo lumps... funny:And of course, we saw plenty of impalas:

The Gray Go-away-bird - I didn't make that up! The call it makes sounds like it's saying "Go-away!"

Aaah, yes... another butt... this time, of a Black-Backed Jackal. It's a cute butt, don't you think?This time, the elephants were wearing knee-socks.... (and trunk socks?)

Look waaaay over there! Baby giraffes! This is quite rare as well - usually giraffes keep their young very well hidden until they're too big for predators. But we lucked out!

And finally... FINALLY... we found our lion! After a week of following tracks, and hearing about other people who saw them, we spotted our first lion. Of course, she was sleeping... behind a bush... and we couldn't get very close... but if you look very carefully, you can see her head:Here, I'll zoom in for you... this is all we managed to see... about 1/6th of a lion:

In the afternoon, we went out on a cruise on the Chobe River in the hopes of catching sight of game coming down to the water to drink. Since the animals in Chobe are far less shy than in Pafuri, we are able to get much closer to them...
Elephant breeding herd on the riverbank:Baby elephants don't know how to use their trunks to drink until they learn at about 1 year old. Until then, they use their mouths, as you can see in the photo below. This little guy, according to our guide, was about 3 months old:

Requisite cheezy "Beth with elephants" photo:

This poor hippo was in a fight, probably with another hippo for domination in a group. He lost the battle and retired to this mud bog to soothe his wounds. He was alive when we left him, and the guide said that he'd probably spend a few days here, and then move on and be OK. I hope so... poor hippo dude...

We spotted these Water Monitors on the shore, and couldn't figure out what was going on. We eventually realized that the two on the right were mating, and the one on the left was trying to butt in! Kinky little things...

After the cruise was over, we decided to take a quick trip back to a location we'd spotted from the boat where many safari vehicles were hanging around. We didn't know what to expect, but as the saying goes, "If you want to find game on a safari, follow the herds of people." Sure enough, we got our first real look at a Leopard! It never turned to face us, but I got some great shots of (of course) it's butt:

Unlike most of the other butt shots, however, the leopard couldn't care less if we were there or not... he simply ignored us completely. I don't know why this photo cracks me up... I think it's the dude on the left side of the photo:

A couple of Kori Bustards (no, not bAstards, bUstards). These are massively huge birds - I think they're the largest flying birds in Africa, weighing in at about 40 pounds.

Some sort of stork... I forgot to write this one down. Poor thing looks like a normal bird body, but someone stuck a weird bald head on the top...

Since we delayed heading home in order to see the leopard, we were running a bit late. But on the way out of the park, we spotted something quite amazing and exciting... a pack of Wild Dogs were making a kill! We drove furiously after them as they darted after various antelope, and watched as they took down a kudu. It was brutal - these dogs simply rip their prey apart, quickly and voraciously. There was blood all over the place. Thankfully this kudu was killed quickly, but there are tales of dogs that begin eating their prey before they're dead. Here are two of these gorgeous wild dogs standing over the young kudu they just brought down moments before:

Critically endangered, these dogs were hunted nearly to extinction by farmers in nearby villages. The dogs would hunt their cattle, so the locals considered them a nuisance and killed off nearly all of them. There are only a few left in the park, and they are very rare to see, much less watch them make a kill! The guides said that wild dogs hadn't been seen in Chobe for years, and were ecstatic. They were absolutely gorgeous animals, with oversized ears, and mottled colors (each dog has a unique pattern), with long, thin legs for fast chases.

The dogs are further hindered in their re-population by their breeding habits: They don't reproduce very prolifically since only the alpha male and alpha female of the pack are permitted to breed. As a result, the numbers climb very slowly. (By the way, they don't have red faces - this guy is just covered with blood):

Here's a shot of our other vehicle looking on at the scene:

Of course, making a kill means other predators can hear - and smell - the prospect of a meal. This jackal showed up quickly, and started circling around the dogs, figuring out how to approach and get a bite. While the wild dogs are relatively small in the world of large-game predators, they are incredibly vicious, and will kill anything that comes within striking distance... including jackals.

When the dogs felt like the jackal was getting too close, they would chase him off of the kill...This happened several times, and the jackal would slowly circle and approach, and then run away quickly. It was like a yo-yo.... he came back over and over again, playing with his life every time he wandered near:

Eventually, a second jackal came along, and at one point, while the dogs were getting a quick drink (apparently they can't eat without taking water breaks) the carcass was unguarded and the jackals grabbed a piece. It was a close call, though, and the dogs gave them a good chase after they'd snagged their chunk.

We finally headed home, exhausted from the drama, and so excited about seeing so much great game in one day. I can only say that this was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. It's too bad we have to leave Chobe so soon - the game viewing here has been absolutely stunning, and the atmosphere and scenery is breathtaking:

The staff welcomed us back with a traditional meal, and we ate by the fire pit using our hands. We had polenta (easy to eat with your fingers), and steamed spinach (not so easy), and impala kebabs.... yum! After dinner, we enjoyed dancing, stories and singing by the staff:

Here's one of their short stories:

God made the baobab tree and planted it near the water, and the baobab tree complained that it was too wet. So God put the baobab in the plains, and the baobab complained that it was too hot. So God planted it in the desert and the baobab complained that it was too dry. By now, God was tired of listening to the baobab complain, so God picked it up and threw it aside. It landed upside down, with its roots sticking up in the air - and thus it remains today. This is why today, the baobab tree is sometimes called the 'upside down' tree.

I joined in the dancing at one point later in the evening. While I've always loved the rhythm and harmonies of African music, to be surrounded by the voices was so moving and beautiful, I was completely swept up in the moment. It was beautiful. The Botswanean people have been overwhelmingly generous and hospitable to us, and I loathe the idea of having to leave their company.