At the end of July last summer, when the archaeological team I had spent the month with had wrapped up their work in Zambia, I joined some of the team for several days of safari in Chobe National Park, in northern Botswana. The park is home to a large concentration of African elephants, about 50,000. The numbers grow during the dry season, when elephants from farther afield migrate to the Linyanti and Chobe Rivers that run through the area, not far from the inland delta of the Okavango and the Kalahari Desert. The park also has large numbers of African buffalo, zebras, various species of antelope, hippos, crocodiles, and numerous other animal and bird species – as well as populations of lions, which are the apex predators. The following photographs are from this trip, taken from both a boat and an open safari vehicle, steered and driven by Kennedy, our guide, who spent the days scouting out corners of wooded uplands, river banks, and floodplains for views of wild animals in their beautiful habitat.
We start the first day on the Chobe river in a small boat, pushing in close to the shore where we can get good views of the large animals on the flood plain. This African elephant (one of two elephant species – the Asian elephant being the second) has just crossed a channel of the Chobe river to get to a large grassy island where its group is feeding. The crossing has left a dark water line across its body. Our guide, Kennedy, nudges the boat in close to this buffalo. The African, or Cape, buffalo is Africa’s only wild cattle species. This one is keeping its eye on a yellow-billed wood stork.This Nile crocodile has a nice riverbank spot for basking in the sun, and perhaps for lunging at prey that might be passing nearby. Basking raises its body temperature. Opening its mouth releases heat from its body.The crocodile has lost one of his lower front teeth, but overall the teeth are looking pretty good!The little hippopotamus in the foreground is about as cute as a hippo can hope to get. We watched this group for a while – they were hanging around above a pond they were using. Some of the bigger ones in the water would occasionally back up to the shore and relieve themselves while spinning their tail around, to spread unmentionables as a way to mark territory. A nice example of the greater Kudu, one of the largest species of antelope. The faint white verticle stripes are characteristic. The horns are impressive, with two and a half twists developing as they grow. The horns of sparring males can get locked together, though, creating a dangerous predicament.Chobe has about 25,000 zebras, each with its own pattern of stripes. When in a herd, the stripes can act as camouflage, making for confusing visuals for some of their color-blind predators.A large group of impala, watchful for predators. They bound away chaotically if they sense danger.A good-sized group of elephants that has crossed over onto the grassy flood plain to eat during the day.Two local folks poling their way along the water’s edge toward the end of the day.A female kudu is backlit by the late afternoon light, showing the interesting ridge of hair down the back of the neck and along the back hump. There’s also a profile of a bird riding the back of the kudu.At the end of the first day we encounter a pride of about a dozen lions, some hidden in the bush, and others on a sandy spot overlooking the Chobe river. The sight attracts several safari vehicles. We sit and watch from about 50 feet away – they didn’t seem to be bothered by our presence.The sunset is a deep orange as we head back to our campsite for the night.At an upland forested site our campsite tents are arranged in a semi-circle around a spot for a campfire surrounded by chairs. At night we could occasionally hear lions calling, and we were warned to look around carefully before leaving our tents to use the latrines.The next morning we leave the campsite early, around 6:00am, setting off to see if we can locate the pride of lions we’d seen the evening before. This was the view as we descended from the upland forest down toward the river and the surrounding floodplain.We located the pride in a spot to which they had moved, and could hear the cries of one or two baby cubs coming from a thicket the group had occupied. After watching a while we follow this group of young males that had set off in search of prey. The young male lions are stalking a group of impala – the group was moving cautiously ahead of the danger they were sensing. This male impala is modeling a nice set of horns, lyre-shaped and strongly ridged.The male lions are being rather casual in their pursuit of the impala. Here they have stopped for a while, right alongside our safari vehicle, giving us a good close-up view. Those seated directly above the lions were a little unnerved. Eventually the group moved off in the direction of the impala, but Kennedy, our guide, didn’t think they were going to be successful – too inexperienced!We have driven down onto the floodplain and meet up with another truck of folks for a break. The guides communicate with each other by radio and report what they’re seeing – a cooperative group.This is a chance to get out of the vehicles in a safe and beautiful spot, for a break of tea and biscuits served from the hood of our truck. The trucks are heavy-duty toyota pickups, with three tiers of seats and a canopy – and low-geared 4-wheel drives for getting through steep and sandy tracks.Our guide, Kennedy. He has many years of experience as a guide in the park, and is constantly challenging us with questions and answers about the wildlife at Chobe. He’s also an avid wildlife photographer, his camera always ready.Down on the floodplain we watch a herd of hundreds of African buffalo filter onto the grassland. Sometimes the large herd rushes down onto the plain in a stampede – a sight we watched once from a bluff above the river.A group of impala grazing on the grassland adjacent to the Chobe River.The impala are now joined by a group of zebra.The impala and zebra are now joined by a group of elephants! A bit like a peaceable kingdom – but no lions here!Nearby, a short distance from the peaceable kingdom scene, a group of giraffe feeds on the upper leaves of a tree. Giraffes, which are 18 feet tall on average, somehow manage to look quite elegant. When they bend down for water, however, they splay their legs – despite their long necks they can’t reach the ground with their legs straight.Both male and female giraffes have horns, which start out as cartilage, but harden into bone – and become covered with hide. The female horns are more delicate, while the male horns can be bald on top from sparring with other males.A close look at a giraffe’s dark splotches – interesting shapes and edges.A group of sable antelope. This group appears to be the southern, or black sable antelope, which is the subspecies with the darkest hides. The ridged swept-back horns of male sable antelopes grow up to 5 feet in length. The females also develop horns, although they are shorter and relatively straight.In the afternoon of our second day Kennedy parks the safari vehicle on a bluff overlooking the Chobe River, just below a magnificent baobob tree. The baobob, typically found in the dry, hot savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, is built to absorb water during the rainy season. The trees are long-lived – up to 2,000+ years.An African fish eagle at the moment it launches off its high perch. The Chobe river in Botswana has one of the largest populations of fish eagles. The white head, neck, and chest are similar to the bald eagle.A split second after it launches from its perch the fish eagle’s wings spread out into a powerful downward thrust. The photo captures the beautiful pattern of feathers – a rust-colored group along the leading edge, surrounded by mostly black. There is a short row of intermediate feathers just beyond the outboard edge of rust feathers – maybe to support the curling of of the longer feathers visible on the lower wing.Toward the end of the second day we stop to watch a troop of baboons that is spread out along the river bank in the late-afternoon sunlight. This family is within the larger troop. A young one grooms his mother; the baby sits within her arms. The male sits apart a bit and shades his eyes from the sun, in a contemplative pose similar to one that any of us could strike. These baboons are apparently known to “slow down at the end of the day and take in the evening” (Siyabona Africa).Here the baby has stood up to see what’s going on. The father is engaging in an interesting gesture – if I knew about baboon behavior I might be able to interpret this position.The baboons appear to be gray-footed chacmas, one of two or three chacma subspecies. Chacmas have long dog-like snouts. This chacma’s eyes convey a sense of thoughtfulness.On our last morning we are back in the boat, and we slide by this waterbuck near the shore of the river. It has interesting forward-sweeping horns, and a white ring on its rump that’s common for this waterbuck subspecies.Our boat also glides by a number of elephants that are happily feeding on the grasses of the lush floodplain, their trunks flailing around.Farther up the river a group of elephants has come down to the water from the upland woods and scrub for a drink. We watch the large group amble up the shore line, and enjoy the behavior of the baby elephants that are being nudged along as they gamely try to stay in line.
