Luangwa: Battlefield of Hippo (Part 3)

The buck doesn’t stop at space and territory issues, there’s more than just lack of water for the hippos to be concerned about during the dry season in Luangwa. Their food supply literally withers away too. Most of the dry, caked earth in the dry months in Luangwa has little to no ground cover. Black cotton soils expand and contract in the heat pruning roots and rendering little edible life. So how do 30000 hippos survive? A magic, albeit little recognised, life source afforded by nature– the sausage tree! It is true in many wildlife areas that most creatures stay away from the enormous sausage-like fruit that lie under the tree (thanks to gravity) until they shrivel. But in Luangwa, the sausage tree means life to many but especially the hippos!

Huge, majestic, sausage-laden Kigelia Africana dominate the valley along the river course and adjacent floodplains. With little other cover on the earth, the sausage trees covered in electric green pre-summer flushes and rosy flowers stand out like towering mountains. Although the puku and impala feast on the fallen flowers and yellow baboon snap off the tender shoots, it’s the full grown, massive sausage fruit that the hippo seek. Where one would find the occasional fallen fruit beneath an Okavango based sausage tree, it is a rare occasion to find any such fruit lying about in Luangwa and this is because the hippos devour them with a determined voraciousness. One even spots hippos merely standing beneath the trees waiting for a fortuitous sausage to fall – even during the middle of the day!

Luangwa: Battleground of Hippos (part 2)

With a scarcity of food, an injured hippo is confined to barracks – left to die in the only available moisture he can find, usually the sludge of an abandoned oxbow. Sometimes death only comes days later as predators of all descriptions line up to watch the slow demise, saving their energy for the feast they know is imminent. On one occasion we watched a dying hippo in such a pool for just short of a week. Assuming the lions would move in and “finish him off”, we were surprised to find them lazily watching the scene from the shade of a small tree the following morning and even more surprised to find the geriatric had acquired a companion. This apparently healthy hippo moved into the puddle with the injured bull and during the course of the week and even after the other had died and turned the pond a mucky green, this loner appeared and disappeared.

A number of explanations are possible. Perhaps the second hippo was also a defeated bull with no where else to go and the injured bull was unable to fend him off his turf, or simply too weak to care. A controversial theory proposed in the past is that perhaps hippo, like elephants, endure some kind of kinship bond. The hippo may have been from its own pod, perhaps in a nearby stretch of river or simply recognised a species member in distress. Hippos have been known to behave quite remarkably around dead or dying creatures. Skinner reports a hippo supposedly rescuing an impala…???

The day that heralded the death of the hippo held another surprise. The first at the scene was a lonesome hyena who merely nibbled at the tough skin over the decimated rump. A couple of mouthfuls and he was gone. The next visitors (aside from warthogs, guinea fowl, puku and baboons all who drank from the fowl pond with its dead inhabitant) arrived only during the course of the following night and after a small feed by lion-standards, the male and female duo also departed leaving most of the carcass intact. They seemed to sense the virtue of allowing time to rot and forge away through the thick hide but even once this happened, the putrid carcass was relinquished to the hordes of vultures that patrol Luangwa’s skies. The dry season is vulture-prime time and the feasts are a comic to watch with birds dominating the carcass despite the ton or two of meat, tackling…falling into the mud…!!!

Luangwa - Battlefield of Hippo (Part 1)

The Luangwa Valley stretches like a giant arm along the Eastern part of Zambia. This vast and unforgiving wilderness, partially protected within the confines of the North and South Luangwa National Parks, does not enjoy a brutality-free history but having survived most of the ravages of man’s exploits (all except the rhino!) remains today as one of Africa’s last. A side branch to the renowned Great Rift Valley, the flat-bottomed Luangwa Valley harvests the fertility washed down from her mother feature and with the provision of copious annual summer floods, consequently supports an inordinate abundance and diversity of life. Water gushes down a 200m wide snaking channel, over spilling its meandering banks to replenish numerous oxbow lagoons and watering the adjacent pastures. With so much surface water and the fertility of the Rift’s clay soils, the valley erupts in a summer harvest of incredibly high plant biomass which in turn supports a high biomass of herbivores including 3 endemic species - Crawshay’s zebra, Thornicroft’s giraffe and Cookson’s wildebeest. The valley consequently is alive with predators – lions, leopards, crocodiles.

Uncommon of most African rivers, the Luangwa River respects her political boundaries, rising in the highlands of Zambia’s northern frontier and terminating at the junction with the Zambezi on Zambia’s southern boundary. This spectacular river is home to the largest population of hippos in the world, and the entire ecosystem is dependant on her, the only river in the valley. And this is a vital characteristic of the Luangwa for although it is a fat and snaking river during the summer rains, Luangwa is a place of extreme seasonal contrasts and when the rain ceases, the river shrinks progressively into the dry months, eventually becoming a mere trickle interlinking deeper channels as temperatures soar into October. With the oxbows dried up and all other ephemeral water in the valley gone, creatures journey huge distances to the river for relief from a dementia-inducing time of dust and hardship – now certainly dependent of the only river in the valley. Interestingly, most creatures here exist in a smaller physical form than in the rest of Africa due to the isolated nature of the Valley, hemmed in by escapements formed by ancient tectonic movements and comparatively less fertile tracts of Miombo Woodland that extend beyond the Valley’s limits creating a relative biodiversity vacuum.

For the mega-population of hippos, ancient pig-relatives Hippopotamus amphibious, the Luangwa is patch of real estate extraordinaire! Luangwa houses an estimated 30000 hippos along its 1100km course - the biggest population anywhere in the world and so in the dry months, a shrinking river is not good news! The wide sandy beaches exposed by the retreating water, become a battleground for the hippo. For the top predators – lions and crocodiles - it’s a feast guaranteed!

So spectacular is the size of the Luangwa hippo population that any visitor to the valley can expect to count at least 80-100 individuals at any random point that one should choose to stop and tally. This in itself is remarkable but more so if one considers that the population was almost annihilated before the area was protected. In 1918 a hippo sighting was considered a significant one! But that really is a thing of the past and the numbers are staggeringly obvious when the river is at its lowest in late October into November.

Hippos seem to favour the quiet oxbow refuges and lagoon-flanked stretches of river as it is here that they can easily access the lush grass from the alluvial areas surrounding the floodplains. But after May, these choice habitats are no longer available, shrivelled to chunks of caked-mud in the heat, and with no where else to go, hippos migrate en masse to the deeper pools in the wide river channel. Survival through these times is a severe ordeal. Here they are vulnerable to the scorching sun and to the wrath of the resident bulls, irritated that their turf is being invaded by the competition. The deeper pools amongst exposed sandbanks are prized territories and conflict is the order of the day!

Enormous in size and decked with formidable canine-like tusks and muscular jaws, the hippopotamus is at the best of times a formidable beast, able to snap a 3m crocodile in half given good provocation! Survival instinct sets in among the swollen pods and it’s each to their own - sometimes with brutal consequences like the death of an infant trampled in the crowd! As the water level drops lower and lower, fights erupt in a flurry of water and honking and then fizzle out almost as quickly once dominance is established or space acquired.

But for the bulls, a deep pool in the river is gold to retain females and they have more important work than mediating commotion. For a bull, the fight is for territory and for the females and mating rights that come with that. During the height of the drought, fights spark swiftly between a proprietor of a sought after stretch of river, and any unwary immigrant male, displaced from the dried up lagoons. So fierce are the bull defenders that it’s all or nothing. Most fights are likely to end in the death of one of the combatants or at least the expulsion of the loser. The bizarre and somewhat unnerving honk-roars of hippos in combat ring out through the dry air throughout August, September and October, night and day. Most of the noisy charade seems to be an intimidation tactic – when matters get serious, the noise disappears, the only sounds being the clash and slash of mighty canines locked in confrontation accompanied by spectacular sprays of water and blood streaming from the afflicted combatants’ mouths. Powerful robust jaws supported by abnormally large head and forequarters and sword-like teeth are the fighting weapons of these massive opponents –the rest just tons of stubborn blubber. Characterised by violent head shakes and swift rushes, these scenes are spectacular, the noisy chorus’ indeed intimidating and the results all too often devastating!

Learning to be a Game Ranger - Part 2

A good game ranger needs to develop an intimate knowledge of the workings of the natural environment so field guide training is where I’m headed. This particular job i.e. the hosting of guests on guided safaris, does come with a roofless Land Rover and permission to pursue the ‘big and hairies’ but there is one or two things I must achieve to earn this first: walk the entire reserve road network of close to 300km, unarmed, to develop an orientation of the land, hone my senses and situational awareness in the field and dispose of complacency; master knowledge examinations on all the major naturalist topics including eight hours on ‘The Big Five’; visit the shooting range (more than) a few times to develop accuracy with a .375 Holland and Holland rifle and then take on a charging buffalo on wheels to prove my skill; and demonstrate that in addition to locating the exciting game species, that I can provide a well rounded, engaging experience of the environment to my guests imparting information including plants, birds, insects, reptiles, stars and tracks.

It’s been a three month haul but finally I get my chance to take real guests out into the bush on my own. I arrive on the deck at tea time to meet my allocated group.

‘Hi Mike, I’m Megan’ I say enthusiastically shoving my right hand out to shake his and squeezing firmly to impart confidence. The strawberry jam and cream-covered scone he’s eating looks delicious but I sense Mike and his family are keen to get going so I begrudgingly refrain from serving myself one. After a few polite questions about where this British family have already travelled in South Africa and probing for clues as to their interests and expectations during their two night stay with me, I suggest we head out. Mike looks at me confused.

‘We haven’t met our ranger yet’ he mumbles.

‘Umm… I’m your ranger,’ I reply. As if the shiny boots and freshly pressed khakis weren’t blatantly obvious!

The colour drains from his face momentarily before he makes a quick effort at retort: ‘Oh, I’m sorry…I didn’t realise…’ A brief but uncomfortable silence ensues and then, ‘So how long have you been working here Megan?’

Feeling even more on the spot and not wanting him to know this is in fact my first drive with ‘proper’ guests, I brush the question aside with an eager ‘Why don’t we go and look for that leopard you’re so keen to see!’

On the Land Rover I feel that nagging vulnerability again and questions start racing through my mind. Am I going to be able to find a leopard? Am I going to be able to keep this family entertained for four hours? What if I get lost? What if Mike thinks I’m a real woman-driver? I better drive carefully. But the sun’s going to set in just over an hour, I better hurry up if I’m going to find a leopard.

Just then a magnificent kudu bull steps into the road and turns his head to face our approaching vehicle. I ease to a stop turning the vehicle side-on to afford the guests a comfortable viewing position and to present a less threatening posture towards the kudu. We watch for a few seconds as the kudu stands statuesque. I then whisper a few sentences to my guests drawing their attention to the stripes on his side that break his outline in the thicket habitat where kudu live, the large ears that pick up the smallest of sounds in the dense bush and then the white of his ‘follow-me’ tail upturned as he eventually bounds away from us. Mike and his family seemed awed by the encounter and I relax a bit.

Not too long afterwards the radio crackles to life. One of the other guides has picked up some fresh leopard tracks in the south. At least now I know more or less where to begin my search but not ten minutes later, the unmistakable sound of pressured air escaping from its rubberised confines confirms my worst fears. We have a puncture. I turn to my guests and as confidently as possible say, ‘Technical problem, how about a glass of wine while we attend to the puncture?’

My tracker is suddenly conspicuous by his absence! Thankfully the boys on my ranger training course had insisted I change all the punctures so my skills in this department are especially well practised. Within fifteen minutes the tyre is changed, my tracker makes a miraculous reappearance and I believe I may have won a little respect from Mike! Another fifteen minutes on and my tracker redeems himself with a barely audible mutter: ‘Ingwe’. He’s spotted a leopard.

‘Hold on,’ I call quietly over my shoulder to the guests making a visual check to ensure everyone has seen her and then turning off-road. This is another first. The grass is so long it washes bonnet-high over the vehicle as if we’re swimming through the blades. With some help from my tracker I pre-empt the leopard’s movements and cut ahead so that she walks clean past the front of the vehicle and Mike and family get the perfect view of first one, then two, then three leopards. The female is with her two six month old cubs. Every insecurity I harboured about my first drive instantly dissolves. The bush at coal face, with others’ lives in your hands is a big deal but it’s also a thrilling experience for guest and guide alike.

Mike, his family and I enjoy pan-African cuisine around a raging camp fire sipping wine from crystal glasses and recounting the afternoon’s encounters. I’m relieved when they finally announce at midnight that its time for bed since tea the following morning is at five am. That means a four thirty am start for me as I have to check my vehicle and pack a hot-box before the drive. We’re going to look for rhino in the morning and I feel that twinge of apprehension again. Although the afternoon had been a productive one, I know that it isn’t always going to be so easy.

Whether it’s finding exciting animals for tourists, spending eight hours in the saddle on anti-poaching patrols or mapping alien-plants on exhausting foot-expeditions, I understand, thirteen years down the line, that the efforts of the game ranger are always tempered by the euphoria of being a part of the wilderness. There is something primal about being battered by the elements – being hot and sweaty when the sun’s out, wet when it rains, windswept when the wind blows. Small things matter. Stumbling upon a ripe prickly pear during a Triffid Weed survey, I was so elated by the chance for refreshment that I completely forgot to input this alien’s position on the map. The best White Berry Bush berry’s I’ve tasted were those eaten while I was stranded in a dry riverbed because a herd of buffalo (that we were stalking) had inadvertently surrounded us and separated us from our vehicle. A swim never feels as good as when it’s in the horse-trough and you’re in it, fully clothed, because there was simply no better option except to roll from the horses back into the water after hours in the glorious African sun.

Becoming a game ranger certainly has had its unique set of challenges but the rewards far outweigh the trials! Wouldn’t change a thing!

Learning your trees is easy

Anyone keen to learn thier bushveld trees? African Resource in conjunction with Hospitality Afrika is launching their newest course pretty soon and its a don't miss occassion! Hosted in two locations (one in the Lowveld and one in the Bushveld near Bela Bela). Watch the October edition of Africa Geographic for details or check out the companies websites (to be posted on www.africanresource.co.za soon)

The tree course is designed for people who love the bush and want to know more about it. Trees are notoriously difficult to learn on one's own and the identification guides are often extremely technical. We make learning trees simple and enjoyable - they are all unique and there are simple ways to learn what's what. Not only that, plants are the medicine cabinet to indigenous people who have implicated them in remedies and ceremonies for years. Each tree in the Bushveld has a special value culturally not to mention ecologically. We aim to uncover this overlooked aspect of the bush for the participants. The focus will be on the most commonly encountered species including Jackalberry, Leadwood, Tamboti, Marula, Mopane, Boerbean, Bushwillows, Acacias, etc.

Each participant will get a copy of "Game Ranger in your Backpack" (authored by myself) The book is a naturalist's interpretative guide to the Lowveld and is packed with photographs and easily accessed information to continue the learning process on trees as well as mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and more. The course includes vibrant photographic presentations that will introduce the participants to each tree in detail before we head out into the bush to actually find them. We will then also collect samples and mount these in scapbooks for the participants to have a personal reference to take home.

Kenya: Considering Conservation

Reflecting on my first exposure to the Maasai Mara, I found great satisfaction in an article by Brian Jackman for the Telegraph (UK) and thought I'd share an extract from it as I have the sentiment in common with Brian regarding the future of the Mara and could not have worded it so eloquently myself...

"Kenya: a return to the age of innocence"

…In the wake of December rains, thousands of zebras and wildebeest had moved in from the Loita Hills and the big cats were out in force. In two days at Little Governors’ Camp I saw 30 lions, seven cheetahs and three leopards - and no one else was around. No wonder the BBC chose the Mara when filming its long-running Big at Diary series. But being the predator capital of the planet comes at a price: the reserve has become too popular for its own good and, in normal times when the camps are full, there would have been vehicles all over the place, converging like vultures whenever a cat was located.

A freeze on new lodges inside the reserve has brought some respite; but on the private land outside the reserve, it is a different story. There, on the rangelands of the Greater Mara, a government decision to give away common grazingland has triggered a property free-for-all, with unscrupulous investors buying up 150-acre plots in the hope of making a
quick killing from tourism.

The most outrageous example was an attempt to build a lodge on the rim of Leopard Gorge, an area frequented by generations of Mara leopards including Half-tail and her cubs, seen by millions of viewers on Big Cat Diary. Fortunately, the plan was quashed, but the abandoned buildings are a hideous eyesore in a hitherto pristine wilderness.

Elsewhere, development has continued unchecked. In the past year alone, at least a score of camps has sprung up within easy reach of the reserve’s main gateways, and the effect has been disastrous. At peak times, especially in July and August when the Serengeti wildebeest arrive, more than 8,000 visitors pour into the reserve, all wanting to see what has been called the greatest wildlife show on earth.

Last year, in an attempt to reduce the pressure, the Kenya Tourist Board doubled the park entry fees to discourage the minibus fleets favoured by budget travellers…

…Even so, in other parts of the reserve the congestion continues and the Kenya Wildlife Service admits it has no clear guidelines on how to control it.

Amid all the gloom, one initiative stands out like a beacon of hope, not just for the Mara but also for wildlife all over Africa. Three years ago, at the request of a local Maasai chief, 23,000 acres of pristine savannah on the reserve’s northern border were set aside as a private wildlife sanctuary. The Olare Orok Conservancy consists of 184 plots of freehold land whose owners have agreed to remove their cattle in return for a more generous income generated by high-end eco-tourism.

There are no fences and the savannah inside the conservancy is indistinguishable from the adjoining reserve, with giraffes, elephants and zebras moving freely among scattered flat-topped acacias - only the minibuses are absent.

The deal was brokered by Ron Beaton, a game warden’s son who has spent most of his life in the Mara, and Jake Grieves-Cook , spokesman for the Kenya Tourism Federation and owner of Porini Lion Camp , one of the four low-impact bush camps allowed on the conservancy.

“These private wildlife conservancies are the way forward,” says Grieves-Cook. “They give the Maasai a better income than they could ever earn from cultivation and we are very strict about visitor numbers, with no more than one tourist bed for every 700 acres of conservancy land.”

Wildlife inside the conservancy has also benefited. “We now have two resident lion prides, five leopards and regular cheetah sightings,” says Beaton, “and this all goes down well with our visitors. They enjoy watching lions without jostling minibuses disturbing the peace they have come to enjoy.”

During the dry season, these last unfenced rangelands of the Greater Mara become a vital dispersal area for wildebeest. They form an area bigger than the reserve itself and, without schemes such as the Olare Orok Conservancy, Grieves-Cook believes that the Mara ecosystem cannot survive.

Already, the amount of land available for wildebeest migration has been seriously reduced. The tragedy is that the Mara, which generates more revenue from tourism than anywhere else in East Africa, should have suffered the highest rate of wildlife decline. In the 1980s, 800,000 of the Serengeti’s 1.3 million wildebeest poured into the Mara each year.
Nowadays, fewer than 300,000 make the journey.

Ironically, the trauma of Kenya’s descent into anarchy has given the Mara a breathing space. The collapse of the country’s tourist industry will drive many of the cowboy operators out of business and shut down their camps. When tourism resumes, as it undoubtedly will, perhaps the government will see that privatising wild land, as the Olare Orok Conservancy has done, holds out the best hope for saving its wildlife…

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africaandindianocean/kenya/1000488/Kenya-a-return-to-theage-of-innocence.html

Memories of Mara - Land of Endless Skies