Elephant bull in musth
After the picture..... the movie!
An afternoon nap at Camp Mana...
An afternoon nap at Camp Mana...
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Off season prep already started!
The mighty Boswell walks across the Zambezi towards Camp Mana
After an incredible walk (Leopard, Hyaenas, Buffalo, Wild Dog, Eland,Zebra, Waterbuck, Hippo, elephant, Crocodile, Impala) this is what we came home to
I promised to tell the story of yesterday's drama in Camp Mana . . .
During the night there was plenty of lion noise. It sounded like a kill and later like a fight. Before dawn the lions settled-in next to my tent and started roaring (you may have seen the video yesterday). This was our local small pride consisting of an old female with two fully grown cubs (a male & a female). They are special to us because they regularly walk through Camp Mana and are very relaxed. I could see that they were perplexed because they kept looking back and roaring continuously. When they walked-off I noticed that the matriarch was limping. I followed them out across the floodplain until they rested and then I returned to try work out what had happened. Where the lioness had been lying I found a patch of blood & when I reviewed my photos I could see a bad wound on her left rear hock.
I was retracing their tracks when I came upon a sleeping lioness just 10 metres from me. I had heard about a new pride - with cubs, so I returned to camp and drove back. When I arrived the new lioness had left and I saw several lions heading southward into the bush.
Then I found a buffalo carcass that had not been completely eaten and the hyaenas were rapidly arriving. I watched them feeding voraciously for about an hour until even they couldn't eat any more. At this time the vultures began boiling-in and I eventually returned to camp. Later the vultures all arrived at the camp to have a drink of water and sunbath. If I get time, I will take a stroll later & get a photo of what is left of the adult buffalo cow.
At sunset last night the new pride were back and there was an exchange of roaring with our small resident pride.
Considering the evidence, I suspect that our small local pride had killed the buffalo and had then been chased off by the new-comers who are have much greater numbers. In the skirmish our old lady was wounded.
One of the privileges of living in a place like this, is getting to know the
Photographers need constant battery back up!! Well no problem in the Zambezi valley with good winds on a daily basis this wind generator keeps me smiling
Fantastic sighting of a Dickenson's Kestrel ( Falco dickensoni ) drinking at Chitake Springs, Mana Pools