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Kwando and Selinda trip report, June 6-15, 2017


modleski

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Our last morning on safari before heading to Victoria Falls for a few days. A lioness (mother of the little cubs, we're told) leads a lion back to the pride.

 

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And THEN: a cross between a waterbuck and a red lechwe:

 

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And, finally, one of our very favorite sights. A baby elephant tries to use its trunk to drink:

 

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Then gradually leans over and puts its mouth into the water:

 

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Thank you all for your comments and encouragement!

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madaboutcheetah

Thanks for taking the time and effort for writing this @modleski - Much appreciated!!! and enjoyed every bit of it ....... 

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michael-ibk

You really had so many wonderful sigthings, such a fantastic trip! I enjoyed reading this a lot, thank you for sharing.

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I just loved this report because I've stayed at Little Kwara twice, and Lagoon no less than 3 times. Next year I'll be staying at Selinda Explorer's Camp which as one would imagine I'm tremendously excited about.

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Thanks so much @madaboutcheetah and @michael-ibk and @Geoff and @optig. Now, if we wanted to go on another safari, are there places you would recommend where we would see sightings as good as these (that aren't way more expensive)? We wonder if we haven't had an optimal experience, and might be better off letting this be the adventure of a lifetime.  We can't afford to be adventurers like you guys and go a lot. At most we could go perhaps another time or two. Have a fabulous time at Selinda Explorer's Camp, @optig.

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Love the third dog picture (portrait) in post #50. What an expression!

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madaboutcheetah
2 hours ago, modleski said:

Thanks so much @madaboutcheetah and @michael-ibk and @Geoff and @optig. Now, if we wanted to go on another safari, are there places you would recommend where we would see sightings as good as these (that aren't way more expensive)? We wonder if we haven't had an optimal experience, and might be better off letting this be the adventure of a lifetime.  We can't afford to be adventurers like you guys and go a lot. At most we could go perhaps another time or two. Have a fabulous time at Selinda Explorer's Camp, @optig.

 

The Great Migration is a can't miss if you haven't seen it yet - Great Plains have amazing camps in Kenya.  (Or) you could opt to catch the migration in Tanzania.  Lots of options there!

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On 7/21/2017 at 0:11 PM, madaboutcheetah said:

The Great Migration is a can't miss if you haven't seen it yet - Great Plains have amazing camps in Kenya.  (Or) you could opt to catch the migration in Tanzania.  Lots of options there!

 

@modleski I agree with the above. If you don't mind sharing sightings with a crowd then the Mara / Serengeti could produce excellent sightings.

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  • 2 weeks later...
vikramghanekar

Superb trip report! Really enjoyed the pictures. @modleski There are so many places to go, but I would tend to agree that The Great Migration has to be seen. Masai Mara is not too expensive and can provide some fantastic game viewing. Very different from what you have experienced in Botswana. Another favourite of mine is Mana Pools, Zimababwe. The ability to walk upto big game (elephants, lions) is unmatched. If you want leopards, there's no better place than South Luangwa, Zambia.

Don't let this be just one experience of a lifetime. Make them all experiences of a lifetime.

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Thanks for the advice, @madaboutcheetah, @Geoff, @vikramghanekar. The thing is although I know that Great Migration is supposed to be wondrous, The thing is, we really are reluctant to be part of the huge crowds. I've been checking out your reports on South Luangwa and Mana Pools.

 

Selinda Explorers Camp aside, the Great Plains camps tend to be out of our price range.

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@modleski

Thank you for a great report - I really enjoyed your photos - and the video of the dogs towards the end. Beautiful animals.

You will enjoy your next safari - wherever it is!

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That wild dog attack on the hyena is really chilling.  Such sounds!  I also like how your guide suggested the other hyenas would not be coming but would be hiding.  I would too if I were a hyena.  Great greeting clip too!  Dogs loomed large for you!

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Thanks, @Atravelynn. Our guide was Tom, and he had a great sense of humor. My favorite during the trip, though I loved them all.

As to the wild dogs, it's true--if you were only going by our experience, you'd never know how endangered wild dogs really are!

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A bit late, but have enjoyed reading your report and your photographs are very good. to see wild dog on your first trip out from camp must have been a thrill. For your next trip see if you can do a stopover as some airlines do not charge extra. 

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Thank you for a great report.

Very nice video of the dogs. I believe that if the Dog to Hyena ratio is 4:1 the dogs will win and vice versa.

Below a few pictures from Kwando Lebala 2005 with Dogs and Hyenas fighting over a Wild Dog kill. The Dogs had already eaten most of the Impala by the time the Hyenas arrived.

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PS  The fourth picture appears in the July 2017 sightings report from Kwando:D

 

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More wild dogs and hyena. Like an action movie.  You made the Kwando sightings report!?  Congrats.

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@Atravelynn, Yes we were there. It was the first sighting Kwando mentioned for the month of June!

 

@mvecht Love the pictures of the dogs with hyena. Your hyena looks quite persistent, though, no? One (or more, I can't remember) of our guides said that in the hierarchy of predators wild dogs rank below hyenas. Is that your understanding? Of course, it depends on the numbers: the pack of dogs we saw scared off the hyena, though it was seen a bit later hanging around near the leopard, possibly injured.

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madaboutcheetah
1 hour ago, modleski said:

@Atravelynn, Yes we were there. It was the first sighting Kwando mentioned for the month of June!

 

@mvecht Love the pictures of the dogs with hyena. Your hyena looks quite persistent, though, no? One (or more, I can't remember) of our guides said that in the hierarchy of predators wild dogs rank below hyenas. Is that your understanding? Of course, it depends on the numbers: the pack of dogs we saw scared off the hyena, though it was seen a bit later hanging around near the leopard, possibly injured.

 

One time at Lebala, the dogs chased a Hyena under our vehicle ......... We had invited the new Camp manager on that particular drive as we wanted her to have a feel for the area - she was in the last row and completely freaked out!!! 

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@modleski

 

I have seen articles where the hierachy of African predators was shown as follows

Lion, Hyena, Wild Dog, Leopard, Cheetah.

In the scene above more Hyenas arrived and the dogs left, but there was basically nothing left to fight about.

In the evening the Dogs took down another Impala. The Hyenas took over the kill two minutes later as in this case the numbers were in favour of the Hyenas.

The Dogs left the kill without a fight.

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On 8/27/2017 at 11:05 AM, mvecht said:

 

I have seen articles where the hierachy of African predators was shown as follows

Lion, Hyena, Wild Dog, Leopard, Cheetah.

In the scene above more Hyenas arrived and the dogs left, but there was basically nothing left to fight about.

In the evening the Dogs took down another Impala. The Hyenas took over the kill two minutes later as in this case the numbers were in favour of the Hyenas.

The Dogs left the kill without a fight.

That's so interesting. I never would have thought hyenas would be so high or leopards so low. Maybe because the leopard is solitary and those above hunt in packs?

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you!!! Fantastic report!

decided to go to these 3 camps and hopefully Duba expedition June 2019 beard a lot

on this report and a few others' TRs!

fantastic help here!  

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@modleskiYour photos & videos are lovely! 

Did you go out on the canoe at all at SEC?

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