There are two packs of wild dogs that make use of the area around DumaTau and Savuti Camp. One is called the Zibadianja Pack (named after the local name for a large lagoon that forms the source of the Savute Channel). The other is known as the Linyanti Pack. Both packs denned successfully during the 2011 season, with the Zib Pack bringing 13 pups out of a den near Selinda Camp, far to the west, and the Linyanti Pack emerging slightly earlier from their den (east of DumaTau) with 10 pups.

This is always a period that we watch with interest in order to measure the levels of mortality in the vulnerable young pups. The Linyanti Pack lost one pup soon after moving away from the den in early August, leaving nine healthy youngsters for the pack to look after. The Zib Pack also lost a single pup by the time they left the den, leaving 12 youngsters remaining.

After this post-denning period, both packs moved towards the productive hunting grounds of the Savute Channel in the Linyanti Concession. Wild dog packs are territorial, and defend their hunting territories fiercely against other dog packs. The Savute Channel, at a depth deep enough to deter crossing especially with young pups, lay between the two packs though, and by September both packs were hunting along the length of the channel, on opposite sides. It was during this month however that two dogs from the Linyanti Pack, including the alpha female, disappeared. The cause of the disappearance was unknown to us, but as her pups had finished suckling this did not have a direct impact on their survival, although the alpha female was obviously an important dog in her pack. The loss reduced the Linyanti pack to nine adults and the nine remaining pups.

For several days in early October after this disappearance the two dog packs were opposite one another on the Savute Channel and finally the tension became too much. The larger Zib Pack crossed to the north bank, and attacked the waiting Linyanti Pack in a savage territorial fight. After the fight, the dogs were scattered for several days. The cost of the fight was high, with two adult dogs from the Zib Pack dead or missing, leaving the pack ten adults strong. All twelve pups survived unscathed.

The Linyanti Pack appeared to have lost the fight, and moved to the east – which means that we have not been able to observe these animals since the clash, and do not yet have a clear idea of any adult mortalities -  all their pups have survived however.

Since the clash, the Zib Pack has suffered further mortalities, losing two pups to lion attacks. This really puts into stark relief just how finely balanced wild dog survival is. It is not all bad news for the dogs however, as both packs still have a high percentage of their pups remaining alive after six months, and each day that the pups survive sees them bigger, stronger, faster and more likely to make it to adulthood.

During the early part of the year the water flowed into the top of the marsh but then around August the annual inundation increased the volume of water and turned the area into a wetland paradise. I remember guiding a small group of people in late August of 1980 and parking on the edge of the marsh looking out, with the woodland behind us dominated by camelthorn acacias. It was spectacular – if one turned 360 degrees looking through binoculars, there were two huge herds of buffalo, a pride of 27 lion, a pack of wild dog, zebra, giraffe, warthog, impala, sable, tsessebe, wildebeest, waterfowl and, walking off the marsh towards us, a honey badger.

We thought it would be like this forever but we were wrong.

The dry period began in 1982 and the channel started to dry up, retreating from the marsh and working its way back to the lagoon at Zibadianja. It took some time; the channel had dried up as far as the park boundary by 1985 and over the course of the next seven or eight years dried up to about 17km from the lagoon at Zibadianja. This would be about where the hide is found at Dish Pan. The very dry years in the late 90s caused the process to speed up until 1999, when the actual lagoon at Zibadianja dried up – Mike Slogrove, an ex-warden of Chobe Park, drove a land cruiser across the dry base of the lagoon that year. From then things slowly got wetter and water movement up the channel started in 2008. The channel flowed past the old Lloyds Camp, now Savute Elephant Camp, on 9th January 2010 and into the marsh. I went back for the first time in many years and found a herd of elephant drinking at the old Presidents Camp in July of that year.

The time in this area over the whole of the 30-year cycle has been inspirational for me. I remember how depressed I was when Zibadianja dried up juxtaposed with the elation of seeing elephant drink again in the channel at Presidents Camp. Left on its own, Africa heals itself.

We arrived at the pan and at first could see nothing, but once the engine was switched off, a rustle in the leaves about 100 metres away caught our attention. A flick of a tail gave the game away, and revealed a furry bundle of wild dog puppies, collapsed in a heap under a fallen log. As we made our way towards them, we realised that less than 10 metres away were two adults, sprawled in the shade and obviously keeping their distance from the wriggling youngsters. Only then was the magic of their camouflage revealed – they appeared as if out of nowhere, their dappled brown, black and white coats perfectly blending in with the sand and mopane shrub. In total, there were nine puppies and seven adults – ominously, the alpha female was absent, and the guides have confirmed that she has not been seen with this pack for a while.

The dogs slept peacefully for about an hour until, inevitably, the puppies became restless and one by one began to stir, waking each other up with nuzzles, ear-chewing and pouncing. We knew it would not be long before they would ruin their parents’ snooze, and sure enough they erupted from underneath the fallen log and launched themselves at the various adults spread about the place. There then ensued an incredible 20 minutes of excited reunion, the puppies squealing and throwing themselves on each other and on the disgruntled adults. We were on the edge of our seats ready to follow as they prepared to run as a pack, but they allowed us a truly spectacular few minutes just to watch them play and re-group after their long siesta. Then, just as suddenly as they had woken up, the leader made a beeline for the road, and was followed by the rest of the pack, with us close behind. They ran through the mopane, occasionally pausing for pep talks amongst themselves and yelps of encouragement, before cruising through the long grass next to the vehicle. Then, without warning, they turned north into the mopane and we were left in silence, desperately trying not to lose sight of them, but once again reminded of their brilliant camouflage. We felt privileged to have been allowed into their world for those few, blissful hours.

Photographs taken by Jemima Middleton.

On 18 August 2011 at the SADC Summit in Luanda, Angola, the presidents of Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola signed a treaty which has resulted in the formal creation of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). This really is a major step in conservation efforts throughout Africa, as this will create a conservation area which will cover over 444 000 km² (an area comparable in size to Sweden).

By signing this treaty, the five partner states aim to ensure that the natural resources they share across their international borders along the Kavango and Zambezi River basins are conserved and managed responsibly and sustainably for present and future generations. Tourism development throughout the TFCA will be used as a major driving factor to improve the livelihoods of the people which live within and around the TFCA.

As mentioned, the KAZA TFCA is situated in the Kavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge, and will include 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas. Most notably the area will include the Okavango Delta (the largest Ramsar Site in the world) and Victoria Falls (World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World).

KAZA TFCA is home to approximately two million people who will not be required to resettle outside TFCA boundaries. Rather, the KAZA TFCA authorities hope to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people residing within the TFCA by routing development, tourism and conservation projects to them in line with the KAZA TFCA objectives. Through cultural tourism, the TFCA authorities aim to celebrate and nourish the rich cultural diversity within the area, allowing communities across borders to share their age-old knowledge and symbolic traditions with each other and the world at large.

For more information on this ground-breaking project, please visit
www.peaceparks.org

The Linyanti Concession is renowned for its enormous elephant population and fantastic game viewing. Leopard, lion, wild dog and cheetah have provided guests with fantastic photographic opportunities as well as the mass of general game that frequents the surroundings of the Linyanti River. It’s not always the big and hairies that provide excitement in such a natural wonderland though!

One Sunday evening, Jemima and I hopped into a game viewer for a relaxing game drive to explore the beauty of this fabulous part of the world. Waterbuck, impala and the odd elephant created a very peaceful start to a leisurely late afternoon. The tranquillity was suddenly broken when we saw an adult squirrel running for its life across the road, followed closely by a slender mongoose.

The two species grappled and in the dust and noise the entwined bodies seemed as if they were fighting each other. What soon became apparent was that the mongoose was in fact hunting the squirrel. The adult squirrel managed to escape the jaws of the mongoose for a second and bolted for the safety of the nearest tree. A two-metre-high fever berry was not the best choice as the mongoose did not hesitate, pursuing its quarry with lightning speed.

The squirrel reached the top of the fever berry tree and with its pursuer close on its tail, had no other choice but to jump. The mongoose, now committed to the chase, leaped from the tree and grabbed the squirrel as it hit the ground. In a second, the sly predator had the squirrel by the throat and although the squirrel put up a good attempt to fend off its attacker, it was not long before the struggling victim’s body was lifeless. The mongoose then dragged its prey under a dead log and proceeded to feed on its prize.

The slender mongoose’s usual diet consists mostly of fruit, insects, lizards, snakes, amphibians, birds, spiders and mice. They have been recorded hunting prey such as francolins, scrub hares and even large venomous snakes. Truly a feisty little critter!

Callum Sargent

After the butterfly’s had settled, I realised, like every other year- this is a tour and not a race and it is for a good cause with a great bunch of people in the most amazing areas for mountain biking. Suddenly the constraints of an office job and city living become evident and I couldn’t wait to get back into the bush on the saddle and riding along elephant pathways carved through the landscape by countless generations of the magnificent pachyderms.

Finally the morning of the 4 August had arrived, and I am up at a dark and cold hour in Johannesburg making sure I have packed everything which I could possibly need – oh, let’s make sure for the tenth time I have my passport as we will be zigzagging across three border crossing between South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Everything looks good, lets begin the 550km drive to Pont Drift border post. It was almost as my car new exactly where it was going and arrived at the parking area 12 km’s away from the border post on its own accord. Along the way I drove past a number of familiar faces who were returning to do the tour again, some for the six time in a row.

Once I arrived at the parking area at Halcyon (a De Beers property at Venetia), I was enthusiastically greeted by a bunch of guys who I rode with last year, immediately the jokes and chirps started flowing about a certain leader that got his group ‘ temporarily misplaced’ the previous year. From here, we rode along the tar road to the border post as a group once again, reliving our amazing 2010 tour.

When we arrived at Pont Drift, the border formalities went very smooth until we had to cross the Limpopo River, which was flowing strongly, very unusual for this time of year. Albeit, a number of crocodiles were spotted lurking in the murky waters, so if you were not driving through the river in a Land Rover, the next option would be to catch the cable cart across the river, an exciting experience in its own. Once across the river in one piece and after another smooth border formality greeted by smiles from the border officials, we were off towards our first nights camp which was a three km cycle away.

Immediately everyone goes into ‘guide mode’ scanning the bush for any movement or unusual shade of colour, the ground for any fresh tracks and peddling all at the same time. Once the novelty had worn off, we arrived at the Limpopo Valley Airfield (LVA), our first camp. I know the scale of the event, but every year, upon arriving at the first camp, the sheer size and magnitude of the event, from an infra-structure and logistical point of view, hits me like a Botswana heat wave.

Once I set my bike to rest on the bike rack, the rest of the afternoon was spent preparing my ride bag, making sure my satellite phone was charged, my GPS settings were correct, I have the basics in my first aid kit and the myriad of other bike components were in my bag. After putting on my ‘group leader’ t-shirt which read ‘group 11 cyclist leader’, I set out to try and meet some of my group by the mess tent. It is amazing how many familiar faces there were, everyone very happy to catch up and share a laugh. After meeting most of my team members and trying to perform a quick analysis of their cycling ability based on physical appearance, we sat down as a group at the dinner table and ate like a team. Dinner was followed by the opening ceremony and safety briefing, reminding everyone that we were in a wilderness area amongst large concentrations of wild animals, Tuli being home to around 1200 elephant.

It was now time to get a good nights sleep, or try to, amongst the nocturnal calls of the many snorers.

Day 1 – LVA to Kgotla Camp (approx. 68 km)
Five AM arrived quickly, rising to a very crisp morning and busy hustle of cyclists running around, performing last minute preparations, filling their bottles with all kinds of energy potions, pumping up their tires, eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and applying layers of sunscreen to any exposed skin areas. The first group set off as the sun was breaking the eastern horizon. My group was due to depart into the wilderness at 07.20 as there was a 10 minute gap between each group. It was time for me and my back-up guide to break the ice and give a safety briefing. After this serious matter was done and everyone was convinced they were ready, we set off into the cold morning chill. By this stage it was easy to follow the fresh tracks of the groups in front of us set in Botswana’s sandy soils. Occasionally there would be an orange marker in a tree to confirm that we were following the correct trail, and not those of rogue cyclists laying confusing trails for us. Our group was 19 people in total, consisting of a couple of small groups of friends. By maintaining constant radio contact with my back-up guide, we quickly set the correct pace, ensuring our group was kept in a neat single file line on the single trail.

We quickly encountered large numbers of general game, all gazing at us, confused without a doubt about these strange objects moving around the bush. Within the first 30 minutes we had encountered impala, giraffe, blue wildebeest, black-backed jackal , zebra and a herd of eland at close quarters running right across our path about 40 metres in front. Charged up by our luck and by the whole experience of riding in such a pristine area we covered some distance quickly. By the tea stop, it had warmed up rapidly and the layers of brightly coloured cycling apparel had been shed. A number of fines had been issued by the group for those who decided to have a roll or two while trying to cycle across the dry river crossings.

The rest of the day was characterised by flowing single track, short sandy river crossings and an amazing rocky section at the end of the day, about three km’s from Kgotla Camp.  We arrived in camp at around 13.30 which allowed us the luxury of time to enjoy this scenic camp.

Day 2 – Kgotla to Maramani Camp, Zimbabwe (approx. 83 km)
For those of us who have returned this year, we were mentally prepared for a long day as on previous years, the second day was the toughest and longest day of the tour. This year, cut-off times were put into place to ensure all cyclist groups were in camp before nightfall. The plan was to head off in a north easterly direction and cross through an informal border crossing into some communal lands in Zimbabwe, so passports were essential!

Only about 5 km’s into the ride, we came across a group that had stopped. One of their cyclists had a very bad fall. In my group, there were two surgeons, so we stopped to have a look and unfortunately for the fallen cyclist, he had shattered and dislocated both of his elbows. The medical team was on it and the battered cyclist was promptly flown out back into South Africa.

This was a stark reminder to us all of the potential hazards of mountain biking. Some technical riding followed and we got through with only minor falls. By midday it was very hot under the blazing sun and some of the riders were working very hard on the pedals and gulping down lots of water. All of a sudden, I picked up some movement in the bush in front of us. We stopped to have a closer look, and to our enjoyment, it was a breeding herd of elephant making their way to a small puddle of surface water nearby. The wind was swirling, so we decided to wait a few minutes, enjoy the sighting from a safe distance and let the herd move off. After about 15 minutes, we decided to move cautiously. As the sun was directly overhead, it was getting tough to follow the bike tracks, and we did encounter the rogue tracks mentioned earlier, so we had to follow the GPS track closely. We arrived at the brunch stop, which was along the Shashe River as well as the natural border between Botswana and Zimbabwe. After brunch, we had to cross the dry river bed and head towards a small table, which was the informal border. Most people pushed their bikes for the 800 metre stint of thick sand while the insane few tried to ride across.

After we got our passports stamped and completed an arrival form, we were off again, with roughly 30 km’s of communal land riding left for the day, we picked up the pace as the riding was all on dirt roads. The route took us right past a shabeen, and no encouragement was needed for the cyclists to wash their dusty throats with a cold beer. From here the ride went through some scenic sandstone formations and led us straight to camp, which was an incredibly scenic camp on the Limpopo River bed. Our group had done very well, considering we had few technical issues and did not get lost…much, we were the fifth group to arrive. It was clear that some groups had fallen victim to the heat, distance and technical issues, as there was one group who hadn’t even arrived at the brunch stop when we had arrived at camp.

Day 3 – Maramani Camp to Kuduland Camp (approx. 70 km)
A curve ball was thrown at the cyclist this year, as for the tour veterans, we were used to having a short easy day after the tough second day. This was not the case, but I really enjoyed the route, which included some amazingly scenic areas that were dotted with beautiful sandstone outcrops and formations. It was great to ride some totally new areas, and I am sure that most of the returning cyclists would agree. Once again, our group done well and had luck on the technical side of things, allowing us to arrive at camp by around 15.00 and enjoy the lovely camp. My personal highlight for the day, was riding along the confines of the Mutshilashokwe Dam – a truly beautiful piece of Zimbabwe.

Day 4 – Kuduland Camp to Mapungubwe Camp, South Africa (approx. 65 km)

At this stage, some were feeling the aches and pains of riding over 200 km’s upon waking up. It was a very cold morning, and all were keen to get going in an attempt to warm the tight muscles. The first few km’s took us past the Mutshilashokwe Dam again for a second look at the beauty. Shortly after passing the dam, we suffered our first real flat tire, which is quite impressive in my books, considering the abundance of thorns we had ridden through. It became very hot once again and the thought of arriving at the end began to excite many.

After covering some painfully sandy terrain along the Limpopo River, we arrived at another informal border, leading us across the river and back into South Africa. Some took this opportunity to cool off in the shallows of the river. Once we regrouped on the other side in Mapangubwe, we had around 12km to go to the end, and what a fantastic 12 km’s it was. We had our second elephant encounter, as six bulls crossed the road in front of us. From here, we had to tackle two short, but cheeky climbs until we crossed into camp, thus ending another magic and successful Tour de Tuli!

This was another great tour, which really had some very special moments and riding experiences that have become expected of the tour. This was the biggest single departure in the history of the event, which no doubt raised much needed funding for the Children in the Wilderness program.

Date:  19 November 2010

Observers:  Moss (Guide), Grant and Rodney Woodrow, Steve and Melissa Wittul

Photographers: Steve and Melissa Wittul

On a still and overcast morning at Mombo recently, Camp Guide Moss and his guests came upon the Maporota Pride. They soon realised that this pride of 22 lions had some new additions to the family as they saw four tiny lion cubs that probably had just been introduced by their mother to the pride for the very first time.

As seen by the adjoining pictures, the tiny cubs’ eyes had just opened (usually occurring any time from 3-11 days) and they are estimated at being approximately two weeks old - as they only start walking at that age.

The whole pride took great interest in the tiny cubs and greeted them with playful antics. However, sometimes these antics, which may seem playful to the other lions and elder cubs, were a bit rough on the newcomers whose alarm squeals warned their doting aunts and uncles to try ‘play nice’.

Having 22 other family members to look out for them, these cubs were welcomed into one of the most successful prides in the Okavango Delta and are sure to entertain guests in the coming months.

Location: DumaTau Camp, Linyanti Concession, Botswana.

Date: 28 October 2010

Observer: Mocks and Juliet Lemon

Photographer: Juliet Lemon

On a recent game drive from DumaTau Camp in northern Botswana we come across the Savuti Pride of lions, which consists of two sub-adult males, both approximately two years old, and an adult female which is their mother.

Whilst watching the pride, one of the young males started chewing on an acacia thorn tree branch.

Young lions are inquisitive by nature and have been observed playing with and chewing many things such as fallen branches, twigs, tortoise shells and even elephant dung. Lions of all ages have also on occasion seen eating grass thought to be ingested as an aid to help settle upset stomachs.

What made this sighting particularly unusual is that it is uncommon to see a lion chewing on a branch covered in thorns. As the photograph clearly shows, the youngster was clearly finding a mouth full of thorns distinctly unappetising!

Sometimes you don’t need to go on a game drive at Mombo – the action can happen virtually in the camp … in the blink of an eye.

High tea was cut short after a sharp-eyed observer noticed that there was activity out on the floodplain in front of camp – the Mporota Pride had killed! The guides rushed out there to have a closer look, and found the pride had savaged a warthog. It was nowhere near enough meat for a pride nearly two dozen strong. The male grabbed his share, and violently defended it, batting and biting a cub so fiercely that we wondered if it would survive the attack. Fortunately, a few minutes later the youngster dazedly got to its feet and wandered away from danger.

This is the second kill this pride has made near the camp. A few days ago a giraffe was caught quite near Tent 1- although we are not sure if it was the Mporota Pride itself that made the kill, as the Breakaway Pride was also in the area. We saw the male fighting with one female, then chasing her off with two lionesses in hot pursuit. She was possibly one of the Breakaway lions trying to slip, unnoticed, onto the carcass. The male chased her about 200m, and then the females in the rear started roaring – laying claim to kill. What a truly magnificent sound!

Photographs by Tsile Tsile and Ryan Green