Okavango ramblings - of Pula, Stumpy and a Boma

[graceland]

Have to agree with @@marg on the NON-interest some people show on Safari. I've been in camps where they want to wait to go out after breakfast "for a while", or just once the entire day - OR just stay in and read.

 

Thats their choice naturally, but camps need to find a way to put "like" with "like" esp. as with @@Kitsafari just being there a week. it would have challenged my politeness to say the least. Good thing the mgr understood and sent you ahead!

 

Other than that your leopard is gorgeous! Am truly sad the cubs are not able to survive.

[SafariChick]

@@Kitsafari how lovely that you saw Pula - I love the photos of her, especially of her eyelashes! I also didn't see Legedema. How very sad about the loss of all the cubs.

[pault]

Yeh! Kit got her leopard. There will be streams of them now. And the owl!

 

And no more talk about the report being too long for a short trip. I think you are being too brief if anything. Discuss smells, the wheelnuts, seat covers, shape of napkins, chandeliers, or all aspects of the weather if you like - it's all good. Bad, would be wrapping up too quickly.

 

You probably bite your lip too much, but I know it is a diffciult situation, especially as they do have as much right as you! I have sometimes found sharing vehciles at camps where things are "negotiable" and "at your own pace" like this can be a bit stressful. Seems like Mombo management tried hard, but I always think it's the nature of the beast with a "name" camp like that - makes me think of a couple of places in Tanzania and Kenya .... but even though we were not staying anywhere in Mombo class, I've never had such a high level of incompatibility witrh others in camp as I did in Botswana (based on such a small sample that it means nothing, but I love to mouth off anyway!)

[TonyQ]

@@Kitsafari

I like the detail!

And you can never have too many leopard pictures (especially such good ones!)

I am very pleased you got to see one.

[Kitsafari]

@@Peter Connan @@marg @@graceland thanks so much for coming along with me on my revisit. i was really sad that the cubs didn't survive. The guides had thought that with the success of bringing up Pula and Maru, Legaderma might have drawn on that experience to have more success in other cubs. but sadly they still don't understand why she is failing to keep her cubs alive.

 

It could be that new males are coming into the area, and they are killing the new cubs in order to mate with the females.

[Kitsafari]

@@Kitsafari how lovely that you saw Pula - I love the photos of her, especially of her eyelashes! I also didn't see Legedema. How very sad about the loss of all the cubs.

 

she's stunning!

[Kitsafari]

Yeh! Kit got her leopard. There will be streams of them now. And the owl!

 

And no more talk about the report being too long for a short trip. I think you are being too brief if anything. Discuss smells, the wheelnuts, seat covers, shape of napkins, chandeliers, or all aspects of the weather if you like - it's all good. Bad, would be wrapping up too quickly.

 

You probably bite your lip too much, but I know it is a diffciult situation, especially as they do have as much right as you! I have sometimes found sharing vehciles at camps where things are "negotiable" and "at your own pace" like this can be a bit stressful. Seems like Mombo management tried hard, but I always think it's the nature of the beast with a "name" camp like that - makes me think of a couple of places in Tanzania and Kenya .... but even though we were not staying anywhere in Mombo class, I've never had such a high level of incompatibility witrh others in camp as I did in Botswana (based on such a small sample that it means nothing, but I love to mouth off anyway!)

 

 

hahaha! yes i'm too polite to push my way, but i did voice my concerns and the managers did take care of my interests so i was very happy to leave it in their hands. heh heh, if you have Bibi with you, everyone will certainly fall into line.....

[Kitsafari]

The LM staff springs a surprise on us. We are brought to a “treehouse” for lunch that overlooks a stream. They’ve hired 2 hippos to pose in the stream right in front of the double-storey treehouse. A group of impalas are to our left, and right on cue, a red lechwe dashes in front of the treehouse. To our left, a herd of elephants make their way to the stream behind us, and a while later a bunch of baboons slowly and noisily make their way to the thicket of trees. Two African fish eagles pose for us in the distance. All the wildlife unfolding right before us as we tuck into BBQ sausages and meats. Amazing staging by the staff, more for the benefit of the Americans but I’m not complaining. You can’t ask for more than that!

Mombo treehouse lunch

 

 

2 hippos peacefully going about their way

 

making their way to the stream in a single file

 

 

a very scenic and idyllic surrounding

 

such a loving couple.

 

baboons enjoying their figs

 

washing hands prior to lunch - they think of everything!

[Kitsafari]

we have quiet but lovely game drives. Mombo has beautiful landscapes, especially in the green/rainy season. the red date palm trees made a perfect foil against the shorter mopane trees and tall green grasses. we see all creatures great and small, many repeats of species but each with their own character and story. here are some of them:

 

baby ele

 

 

 

there are so many ponds that sprung up because of the rains, and each will have a single, or in this case, duo hippos luxuriating in it during the day. probably, it has been grazing in the night and runs to the nearest pond when the day heats up.

 

hmmm not sure which bird this is - i had scribbled thickme, but i bet that is way off the correct name....

 

three-banded clover

 

one-horned impala

 

a new breed of buffalo in Mombo

 

a shrike, i think....pse correct me if i'm wrong

 

African hoopoe - it looks like a woodpecker to me

 

the ubiquitious LBR

 

 

freeloader...

 

lovely landscape - still makes me feel relaxed and serene just looking at it....

 

2 baby hyenas that wandered far from their den - rather dangerous for them to be moving on their own looking for their mother.

 

a very curious adult kudu staring at us while we stopped to check the tire (really checked the tire this time)

 

another hoopoe with an insect

[Tdgraves]

your last hoopoe looks rather like a crested barbet

 

your "thickme" not "thick, me?" is a thick-knee (or dikkop) and your skrike is a magpie shrike

[Kitsafari]

your last hoopoe looks rather like a crested barbet

 

your "thickme" not "thick, me?" is a thick-knee (or dikkop) and your skrike is a magpie shrike

thick-me am certainly dense! especially where birds are concerned but thanks for educating me.

 

aha - i saw a new species (for me) in the barbet and i didn't even know it! thanks for correcting me.

[Peter Connan]

For your interest, the Hoopoo is not a woodpecker, but the crested Barbett is. If you saw one, you probably heard it too, they are very vocal and the call is a pretty distinctive (although boring) krrrrrrrrr sound.

 

The three-banded bird is a plover, not a clover. But it is also often known as a courser.

[graceland]

@@Peter Connan @@marg @@graceland thanks so much for coming along with me on my revisit. i was really sad that the cubs didn't survive. The guides had thought that with the success of bringing up Pula and Maru, Legaderma might have drawn on that experience to have more success in other cubs. but sadly they still don't understand why she is failing to keep her cubs alive.

 

It could be that new males are coming into the area, and they are killing the new cubs in order to mate with the females.

I find it so sad to think the males are killing the cubs. When we were in Bots, they told us a new male lion coming into the area killed cubs so he could mate with the female. I guess I thought it just the lions; and did not realize all cats could conceive of this.

 

Breaks my heart for the mothers and cubs. The leopard is a beauty.

 

You treehouse lunch was amazing.Love the ellies. As many times as I've been to camps, I've never had a special 'out in the bush' ~ well except for our all day drives which are always special to me-- just being us and the guide. I can see the guests you are speaking of..haha...I am an American (and proud of it) but do try to bust out and meet new folks from around the world when in a camp; esp if they have been on many safaris and share great stories. I admit to avoiding Americans at times esp. if they are in a group.

 

Sometimes people just don't have the manners to think of others. I always wish the camps would give out a safari etiquette sheet....like..BE ON TIME; Be CONSIDERATE of fellow pax, LISTEN to your guide, DON't aggravate the animals..on and on....But there are always those that would not care.

 

 

Not to get off track...really enjoying the ride along with you.

[Kitsafari]

[quote name="Kitsafari"

 

oh dear, first off, i have to apologise. my vehicle mates at Mombo were really nice friendly people. we had long and friendly chats during meals, and took time to find out about each other. the ladies took care to make sure that I didn't dine separately and invited me to join them for dinner, which I did. it was just that our interests didn't converge, and i can understand that they wanted to do a safari just to see what it was all about. all i wanted to rush out there as fast as I can but that is the impatient me. I had use the term the Americans to identify them, but now i realise it might have been a bad choice of a term. i'm so sorry, i didn't intend to offend anyone. i also met some lovely Americans at VUmbura who love the wildlife, especially one lady who's there with her husband every year and wouldn't miss a game drive. we have also met wonderful Americans on cruises who made our trips so much more enjoyable.

 

but thanks to all who've been so understanding.

 

i'm sorry about the drips and drabs being dished out in the report. all my pix are on the office pc, and i can only upload in between free time at work, and secretly too! shhh.....

Edited March 27, 2014 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

This trip report is very enjoyable reading and viewing. Did Tsile say anything about hyena poop? There was to be a discussion as to why it is white. And, maybe I am jumping ahead but are the three cheetahs (mother and two youngsters) still in the area?

 

Some people go to Africa because it is on their bucket list. They are unprepared and not overly interested in what they see only to check it off the list. I once asked a woman who had gone to Kenya and Tanzania about the trip and the first thing that she mentioned was rose petals in the bath tub! I could not believe it. She did not get it. Lucky us. We love it all...the game drives, the sightings, the people and the surroundings.

 

Hi @@marg, sorry i missed this. no, we didn't see any hyena poop. didn't realise it would be white - could it be all the bones they eat? i know hyaena's milk is one of the most nutritious because of all the calcium they take from the bones they eat.

 

the cheetahs were seen in vumbura - and Cilas said they haven't seen cheetahs in that concession for nearly 2 years. we didn't see any in Mombo either.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

i remember during one afternoon drive, we hear an elephant trumpet and we move towards that direction. Tsile points to a ridge ahead, and we see a mother ele and her baby. the mother looks very agitated, flapping her ears and trumpeting loudly. the hillside is precariously filled with trees and long grasses, and Tsile decides we won't go to investigate as we may get stuck with a very angry and upset mother elephant obviously ready to strike out. his best guess is a predator came to close to them and she is protecting her child. I accept his choice - Tsile's top priority is to protect us, and knowing he makes that kind of choice, while it may upset some for the lost chance of seeing what is agitating the elephant, increases my trust and confidence in him as a guide.

 

The first night I am at LM, they host a talk on Wilderness Safaris’ latest scheme to translocate rhinos from south Africa. Mombo tries to hold talks occasionally to help fill the evenings for guests. The talk is repeated at the main Mombo camp 2 nights later, with Graham giving an overview of Okavango Delta as well. After the wildly successful first attempts, the number of rhinos has doubled, but the black rhinos are taking longer to breed. Poster’s passion and commitment to the rhinos is infectious, and his deep devotion to the rhinos is really touching. Bob, one of the Americans, says he is convinced and mentions he may write out a check for them before he leaves. I do hope he carries out his suggestion. I'll talk about this in a separate thread.

 

My campmates are scheduled to leave for Livingstone in the late morning on my second full day. They skip what would have been their last morning drive and with no new arrivals due on that day, I have three game drives all on my own and I get the LM all to myself! Woohoo! Yippee! Wow, what a treat!

 

Mombo is located on the northwestern part of Chief’s Island. It shares the island with Chief’s camp, part of the Sanctuary group, which is slightly south of Mombo. The Mombo concession lies inside the Moremi Game Reserve. Game drives are not allowed after 7pm for anti-poaching reasons. To avoid too many vehicles crowding any sightings, both Mombo and Chief’s camp have come to an unofficial and “gentleman’s agreement” that they will not cross over into each other’s territories except for an overlap in the middle where there is a dense forest area. In fact, now I recall, in most of the game drives, we never came across another vehicle, even those from the main camp. It is as if we had the entire Mombo area all to ourselves. It is the same in Vumbura as well, so private and remote.

 

Now on our own, Tsile is under no pressure to show big predators or live action shows. He brings me to the south area. This is the area of rhinos. The rhinos were released in Chief’s island in the south side, and it is here where a lot of them settled. But the thick forests and no off-road driving makes it difficult to find them. The rains have softened the grounds, and the tall grasses make it hard to see where the firm ground is, so Tsile is not keen to take any risk to get stuck in the mud. It’s a very tranquil place. The trees are tall, the wild sage spreads out, the tall grasses sway in the breeze. The oldest baobab tree on the island is here – about 2,000 years old. Tsile and I enjoy the serenity of the “countryside” as he calls it. But no rhinos appear, nor do we get any predators. There are huge herds of impalas, including a pair of young urns practicing their sparring skills, and giraffes and zebras. and often the different groups will hang around each other. it is heartwarming to see them interact with each other.

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

 

Lone wildebeest accompanied by, i think, a cattle egret

 

a Kudu family - mummy, juvenile stag and baby

 

i think this is the red date palm tree, giving the Mombo area a very oasis-like ambience

 

Kudus and impalas and baboons

 

 

 

a silhoutte of ducks and egyptian geese

 

 

hitching a ride on mum in the setting sun

 

 

adult male baboon

 

hippo running away from us

 

 

dusk

 

Just as we are racing back to LM on my last afternoon drive, we come up against 3 of the 5 male lions we had seen the morning before. it is at a different area from where we had seen them, i can't remember the distance but Tsile says it is a long way off from the floodplains. I forgot to add that where we had seen the 5 lions at the floodplains, the area is now a vast plains covered with long grasses. when the floods arrive from Angola, that entire area will be covered with water. it will be awesome to see it then. but now, the lions are at their preferred positions - horizontal - same as when we left them the day before....we can't stay long with them, it is 20 mins to 7pm and we still have a long way to camp. so we stay for about 5 mins and we are off. sweet dreams, lions.

 

 

[Kitsafari]

As we drive around the south area on my last day of full game drives, looking without success for rhinos, we stumble across Stumpy. Tsile is understated in his delight to see him. he stops about 3m away from him.

 

Stumpy’s a big boy elephant. He’s happily munching at the acacia leaves. Tsile knows him well. Stumpy, so called because he’s missing part of a tail, is 40+ years old, and used to hang out at Mombo camp. He would come close to the camp decks for the sweet leaves of the trees that shade all the tents. Tsile says he’s touched him once and Stumpy didn’t react to the touch although he knew about it. He is that calm around humans.Stumpy hasn't been to the camp for a long time, and Tsile guesses it's because he's found sweeter leaves further south.

 

We spend a long time with Stumpy, just enjoying his positive energy and vibe. He turns from the brush and moves to the vehicle. He’s about 1.5 metres from my side of the car, towering above me. I am worried for a minute but that passes as he looks kindly at us. i can see him thinking of how to get around us. No flaring of the trunk or flapping of the ears. He’s calm and relaxed. He moves to the front of the vehicle, then rests his tusks on a branch and get a good scratch before continuing munching on the grasses. What an honour and privilege to be so close to the giants. It is the experience of the day. I love being so close to the giant, especially since not all elephants are so relaxed around humans. May Stumpy have a long long and happy life ahead of him. and now for some Stumpy-fest.

 

 

5-legged Stumpy

 

chomping acacia branches

 

then grasses

 

such long eyelashes

 

walking towards me

 

then gently goes around the vehicle

 

resting his tusk on a branch and gets a scratch

 

 

Edited March 28, 2014 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

 

Comments about spraying DDT removed at request of ex-member. 

 

@@Safaridude i didn't see any of the tsetse traps in vumbura or Mombo, unless they were very well hidden.

 

after i read your comment, i did a little search and it seems Botswana have not completely given up on using DDT. i agree - very dangerous thing to use with adverse long-term effect.

 

this link shows they were still dependent on DDT in 2011: : http://www.factfish.com/statistic-country/botswana/hexachlorobenzene%20and%20ddt,%20import%20weight

 

in 2012, there was a story in theafricareport.com that Ethiopia was going to sell surplus DDT to botswana but it wasn't clear if the latter ultimately acquired it. but there are reports that Botswana had turned to mosquito nets to address the problem but when malaria cases spiked in 1988, the government returned to DDT to address the problem.

 

This article here gives a good background:

http://globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/content/ghg/country-briefings/africa/Botswana2013.pdf

Edited December 17, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Soukous]

@@Kitsafari, did your lone wildebeest in post #96 have just 1 horn?

[graceland]

Loved the Stumpy shots...an elies' eyes up close are a gift.

 

Great you had LM and Tslie to your self, no rush and a chance to enjoy the vastness of the landscape with no one else around.

 

Wonderful journey; so enjoying being a seatmate!

 

(PS ..did not mean to imply because your campmates were from my country they would not be friendly, enjoyable..I meant some people go on safari just to casually enjoy the experience, as opposed to others (me- keep me out all day) and mixing the two at times does not work in a vehicle )

 

Did you get any shots of the camp itself? Reason I ask is a Mgr at Duma Tau mentioned to me they never had time to close the camp for upgrades as they were always full..was wondering in the past year if anything had changed.

 

Looks like a lovely area of Botswana...a fav in Green Season!

Edited March 28, 2014 by graceland

[Kitsafari]

@@Kitsafari, did your lone wildebeest in post #96 have just 1 horn?

good spotting. yes he has only one horn.

[Kitsafari]

@@graceland shots of the camp coming up soon. at LM, the managers did mention that they are planning to do an upgrade to the 3 tents as there is going to be a quiet period coming up soon - i suspect in april - may when the floods start coming in. i hope they do minimal upgrade to retain the restful ambiance.

 

and i would welcome you as my vehicle mate in a heartbeat anytime anywhere!

Edited March 28, 2014 by Kitsafari

[TonyQ]

Lots of great pictures - green is beautiful

The Stumpyfest was very enjoyable!

[AKR1]

Great report. Really enjoying your narration and pictures. I have not been to Mombo but the concession in your pictures reminds me Duba Plains just a few miles away. Duba remains the single most beautiful concession I have experienced on safari so Mombo looks great.