New Year’s day in Chobe National Park
Every new year, to wind down from the Holiday hustle and bustle, nothing seems better than to relax by taking a casual drive through Chobe National Park. This year it was no different, except for the unusual surprise when I hit the waterfront… crowded along the floodplains were thousands of elephants! (read about elephant populations and download maps on EWB’s downloads page)
Thousands of elephants relishing the fresh grasses in Chobe
Chobe has quite the reputation for elephant numbers along the waterfront drive, however the reputation was built due to the days of the dry season when water is limited elsewhere, but certainly not during the rainy, wet season, when some days one is hard-pressed to find any elephants at all. So, I certainly did not expect to see such a spectacle. I sat for many hours under the shade of a tree, watching as the elephants grazed on the fresh grass shoots and gleefully playing in the mud. What kept me captivated for a while, was 10 fairly large elephant bulls in the distance, slowly vying for the affection of one female in estrous. Her family herd was riled and were making a ruckus, circling her as if to protect her from the bulls. She finally grew tired of the whole event and led her herd off into the distance and then finally off the floodplains and into the hidden safety of the thick shrubs. (Later as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of the bull that had won her approval, with her!)
Giraffe bulls... sharing is better than fighting
I decided it was time to move on myself. I didn’t need to drive very far into the park because the abundance of wildlife was all within an hour’s distance from the Sedudu entrance gate. The park is lush and full of vitality, glistening from the combination of rain’s dew and the sun’s rays peeking from building, bellowing clouds. The wildlife seemed satisfied and content as they carried on with their daily routines of browsing, grooming and nursing their young. And I was completely happy just sitting and watching them. To view more EWB photos, see our Gallery!
Baboons sifting the grounds for only the finest
I watched baboon troops sift through the ground vegetation, choosing only the finest of weeds, flowers and roots to eat; Giraffe wandered about half-lazily attempting neck rallies to claim dominance only to stop and share the woolly-caper bushes; Warthog families on their knees snorting at the ground and rolling in pools of mud; Impala nurseries, 50 or more strong, guarded by a few adults under the shade of thick bushes; monitor lizards on the hunt for eggs; and Kudu bulls strolling slowly through the knobbley-combretum, resting with a full view of the riverfront below.
Monitor lizard on the hunt
Kudu bull finding relief with a scratch of his back
But, the highlight of the day was when I had to scramble to make the 7pm gate closing time and came across a pack of 15 wild dogs on the road! They didn’t seem to have a care in the world that myself and 3 other vehicles were there. They were casually laying in the road, while the older pups were teasing and licking the adults to get up. When they did start to move, they crossed paths with an elephant herd. The elephants became completely irritated… trumpeting, threatening the dogs, while making a protective circle around their young. Another elephant herd came crashing through the trees, to aid them in their distress, completely ignoring me in their path. It was quite a spectacle! Unfortunately, I could not attain any decent photos, as it was getting dark and I was trying to maneuver to get out of the way of it all! However, I left the park elated and realized any stress that may have been held within me over the hubbub of the Holidays had all been washed away by the excitement and enthusiasm!
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Tags: africa, botswana, chobe, conservation, elephants, research
