ECHOES OF A ROAR

SAVUTI - BOTSWANA

By Jinxy

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Take note of the giraffe well blended into the elephant drawing

 

The rock paintings are one of Savuti’s historical heritages and people like this place to witness the wit and talent the san had many years ago. Up here on the Bushman Paintings Rock or Mosarwa as commonly called we see the drawings of elands, Elephants, sable antelope, the African Rock Pythons and Giraffes.

This is a true sign that shows that these species were roaming in this area and the Bushman were hunting them probably. After a nice interpretation of the rock painting we turned to look at the scenery of the channel and the bushes of Savuti though many of us couldn’t help looking. What a great spot to look at this part of the area.

At the moment the area is still looking green from the tree tops the grass is dying from the heat. There is a lot for the animals to eat around the fringes of the channel for both herbivores and carnivores. There is still a balance in the ecosystem and still so not worrying because the channel is still alive. From here the drive was on. Everyone wanted to know how it looked on the other side of the stream and I told my guests that there was only one way to find out; drive on the other side. Rocksan (Game Viewer Landcruiser) was waiting and smiling.

Fifteen minutes after leaving the rock paintings. We bumped into a dust oozing across the round and I first it was the impalas because the rutting season is here. When I looked on the ground I noticed the drag marks and ignored it as it was getting into the bushes, but I was curious.

Later after watching a huge elephant bull, not too far from where we were, something was getting up a tree; it was a leopard hauling a porcupine up a tree. What a great sighting. Two things were tirelessly running through my mind. A leopard is always a sign of good luck traditionally and porcupine is a sighting is a sign of a good day but this one was a dead porcupine but I kept my optimism to myself.

When we got there, the leopard was still panting for breath and I quickly noticed what was going on. He was forced by circumstances to take his prickly meal up a tree and wild dogs were the reason. The Dogs came running through and never bothered to stare at the leopard in the tree and they headed off towards Harvey’s Pans. I told my guests that it was worth following them because we can always come to the leopard later. But we all agreed to stay with the spotted, most loved fellow and not only that; when you see a leopard it always feels like the first time ever, and the fact that it’s a very illusive solitary cat, it’s the best amongst the rest, at least for this morning it was.

We watched as he continued eating his meal, first starting with removing the quills and the dug deeper into the exposed soft areas.

Every one of us was amazed by this sighting. It’s not always that you can find a leopard’s Porcupine kill and being fed on by the actual predator. It was great indeed. About forty five minutes to an hour later we headed off for the wild dogs but when we got there we only found tracks and couldn’t see them. I was sure that there resting somewhere in the  mopane woods and I drove by Qwari hill heading for the Eastern side of the marsh. It’s a combination of the Kalahari Apple leaf bushes, and terminalia trees and grasses of different sorts. It wasn’t that much to enjoy until we came across another predator sighting; another leopard.

It was gently resting not too far from the road and it had a full tummy from the night’s hunts.

What a drive! After a few minutes we were rolling the big wheels again.

 

Just about less than fifteen minutes later the third leopard of the day was in sight and I heard one of the guests say; “ not another leopard”. This leopard was not at ease. It kept on looking in one direction and really was sort of scared. I didn’t care what it was really because the cameras behind me enjoy every bit of the show. After a while I decided to left up my binoculars towards the same direction where this leopard was looking and that’s when I realized what it was that the leopard was looking at with such a worry.

It was very good reason for a lactating mother leopard and she was hiding her cub somewhere. And revealing where the cub was not something that she was willing to do yet, not when these two Wild dogs were in such close proximity. After staying with the leopard we went to say hello to the dogs. They seemed not to know about the leopard nearby and the impalas had started giving alarm calls in the bushes, one big male impala ‘s intention was to kept the enemy in sight and listening to all noise from all directions so that he knew where to drive his herd.

We could see the panic in his eyes and he kept on snorting all the times. After watching the two Wild dogs we drove towards pot-holes and stopped at a stretch point for tea and coffee.

After tea, we drove a little distance and turned back to slowly head back to camp. When we got to where we left the leopard, we only saw tracks and we followed. She suddenly came from the tree and walked in front of us along the road which was heading towards the marsh. Approximately five minutes later the young cub sprang out of the bushes and started playing with the mother. There were several sighs from behind me, the guests were wondering if the cub was eaten by the dogs. We were relieved and one of the guests broke into tears; she was very worried.

I was having goose bumps and I couldn’t believe that this was happening at all. After a little while they disappeared into the bushes and we crossed to the western side of the marsh. It was another predator day in Savuti. Brunch was delicious and the story was about the mother leopard and her cub. While we were having brunch, a herd of Roan antelopes came to take a drink in front of camp. The Savuti area never ceases to amaze me with its wildlife wonders. Every day is completely different and truly unique from another.

 

The afternoon drive was very easy we started with the porcupine kill and the leopard was deep into bushes of the woolly caper-bush trees below and we heard noises like the leopard was vomiting. Ha ha ha who wouldn’t from such a meal really, we headed off to the wild dogs at Harvey’s Pans and this time they were starting to get into the open. “Perfect timing”, one of the guest acclaimed.

Indeed it was.

 

 

 

Some of the members of the pack of twenty one found something on the ground which they started sniffing on and I didn’t know what it was until I saw what they did next. The rolled on it. It was a dung of wild dog prey, probably a small antelope.

 

The hunting Behavior:

Normally when they come across fresh dung, they roll on it to disguise their own scent in cane they come across prey and their up wind. This is done so that their quarry does not smell them but rather think it’s an animal of their own species. Later they drifted off towards giraffes which were watching with great suspicion.

The dogs wouldn’t go for them until we realized that there was more to it. Very young giraffes, about three of them; they were more of what they canines were interested in.

Giraffes galloped away and the wild dogs followed pursued them with great intentions leaving us wondering whether they were going to successful or not. After here we were more into birds and we were getting closer to finding a good spot to watch the sunset and enjoy our gin and tonics, wines and bush snacks.

We came across the magnificent of them all. The Martial Eagle is the strongest of the birds of prey capable of lifting a fully grown Steenbok into the air without a problem. It was up an acacia tree looking at us with big round yellow wide eyes, the pupil were pierced like needle points; no doubt, those eyes saw us while we were a long distance away. After a good while of watching we headed to our sun-down spot. Here, we enjoy the day much more as we watched the comeback of the Red-billed Quelea birds as they flew over small bushes in the horizon, forming an unbelievable and unforgettable scene of all aviations. These little birds are not here all the time, they come here at the end of the rainy season because the seeds from grasses are ripe and fallen off. The main two reasons for these visitors are breeding grounds and availability of food.

 

After having our nice drinks coupled by the spectacular show of the red-billed quelea birds we headed off to camp slowly and surely. As we were about three minutes from camp Chillo the young leopard was by the road side, looked like he just woke from his day dreams and wondering where his hunt was going to start from.

 

Three minutes from camp! You bet we stayed with this young fellow until it was almost dinner time. Actually we could have stayed longer, we kept on been interrupted our rumbling stomach; it was time for “eating safari”; chillo had to do something about his hunger too. We waved goodbye and we pulled into camp. There was nothing to talk about at dinner; normally, you would have questions like how many lions and leopards are there in the area but it seemed many questions were answered. After dinner we were watching stars; most of the constellations of the southern sky were very visible though the moonlight was stronger but we survived it.

This was a safari like no other, SKL Savuti at its second best; believe me the first best of SKL Savuti can double all that I said to my guests and it’s true. Let’s go out there and see what this area can provide.