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Savuti Camp - March 2009

16 Apr 2009

Weather and Camp Life
As March draws to a close, the rainy season is clinging on by its slippery fingernails. Normally by now we would have seen the last of the life-giving rains, but still we are seeing build-ups of clouds each afternoon. This of course leads to spectacular sunsets, the sky barred and streaked with orange and pink. It can also of course lead to rain of varying amounts.

It is also no longer true to say that the Savuti Channel bed is flooded. Rather, we should think of it as a river which is flowing again, a more permanent feature of the landscape. The presence of sedges and water lilies tells us that from a botanical point of view this is a longer-term change. Change however is rarely accomplished in a single moment; more often, it is an ongoing process. And so it is with the Savuti Channel. Drop a leaf or a small twig onto the surface of the water, and you can see how quickly it is pushing on towards the Savute Marsh which we expect it to reach later this year.

The level of water as measured on our camp flood gauge has been fluctuating with the local rains, but we are expecting it to rise over the next few months as the annual Linyanti flood surge begins to flow in. Measurements of water flowing from Namibia's Caprivi Strip into Botswana are, as last year, higher than average. True, rates of inflow are slightly less than they were last year - but not by much, and last year all that water was flowing into a dry Channel bed, whereas this year it will be coming on top of what is now effectively a mature river.

A flight over Savuti at this time of year shows that the pans or waterholes in the mopane woodland are starting to dry up and disappear. As this trend continues, we will ultimately arrive at a point whereby the only source of water left to animals in this area will be the Channel. With the competition evaporating, the Savuti Channel will become a true wildlife magnet. This phenomenon is already beginning to take place. A second important development we have noted is that with the Channel waters now swathed in the cloak of (semi-)permanence, the unusual behaviour we have been seeing from many animal species has become more routine. If, that is, anything about the phenomenal Savuti area can ever be described as routine!

A small troop of vervet monkeys has established itself in Savuti Camp, and you have to admire their grasp of the property market in these recessionary times. House prices may be falling everywhere, but the old adage holds true: location, location, location. So what could be better than a stand of massive old fruiting trees alongside the Channel, with the added bonus of the occasional muffin or banana pilfered from the breakfast buffet? Well, you can choose your friends, but not always your neighbours, and to judge by how often recently we have heard the rapid staccato alarm calls of the monkeys, it seems that they are sharing the Camp with their ultimate nemesis: a leopard. The summer vegetation is still so dense however that we have yet to have a sighting of this elusive leopard in the Camp itself, but several of our guests had an unforgettable sighting when they saw a leopard materialise at the base of the bank below the Camp, and swim across to the southern side of the Channel.

We have disproved the notion that cats dislike water many times now. Wet feet and a wet belly are better by far than an empty belly. If all the food is on the other side...

Of course the Savute Channel itself is a great source of food, and one of our young male leopards has been quick to exploit this as he has become an expert catfish hunter.

Often these fish hunt frogs and smaller fish at night, working as a team to try and minimise the chances of any of their prey escaping. They drive their quarry into the banks, and are so intent on the hunt that they don't realise until it's too late that the tables have turned and now they are the prey. By the light of the pale sickle of the new moon, an identical shape slices through the water: the leopard's claw. The hooked fish is soon dispatched and becomes an easy, protein-rich meal for the enterprising big cat.

Mammal Viewing
As the rains stutter and hiss to a halt, many of the Linyanti's most iconic species begin to be seen again in greater numbers. The herds of zebra which have spent the last few months in the seasonally lush grasslands of the Marsh are now beginning the annual trek along the Channel to the Linyanti swamps along the Namibian border. And most noticeably of all, the elephants are back. Although in truth they did not really go away this year - the lure of the Channel was sufficient to keep many of them from wandering off into the mopane woodlands. By night the Camp echoes to the sound of breaking branches and rumbling stomachs as the elephants work on various landscaping projects.

To watch elephants in the Channel is a special pleasure, not just for the sheer beauty and awe of such a scene, but because it also allows us to share in the pleasure that the elephants seem to find in this miraculous vein of water.

Although they are not denning at this time of year, we have been gifted many great sightings of wild dogs over the last few weeks. Change seems to be afoot, and we suspect that several of our larger packs have begun to fragment. This could be a reaction to a seasonal scarcity of game, and certainly we have seen at least one example of kill theft. Only moments after a small pack had brought down an impala, a larger group of dogs appeared, and soon chased the original owners away from their dinner. We have also witnessed dogs going after atypical prey, such as warthogs. These are dangerous quarry for dogs, and this kind of hunting is only rarely seen.

Whereas in the early days of the Channel's renaissance, the dogs were reluctant to cross water, they now seem much more at ease doing so - although they would be wise not to become too casual or complacent, as we are starting to see large crocs further and further along the Channel, and an encounter with one of those toothsome terrors would bring a whole new meaning to "doggy chew".

Perhaps the most serious competition to the dogs in the superstar stakes is the Savuti female and her cubs. This lone lioness is proving to be a born mother, and has now successfully raised her two male cubs to the age of five months. She is very relaxed with vehicles, and her cubs are learning from her. This lack of fear combined with a mischievous curiosity and a level of cuteness that should probably be illegal, has made for some very memorable sightings. The cubs are beyond endearing, with their eyes, feet and heads still out of proportion to their still-spotted bodies. Their feet in particular seem almost more of a hindrance than a help, especially when they have to wade through thick sand. Those same paws however will in a few years' time be pulling down zebras or delivering savage blows to the head of a rival.

Survival of course is never a given in the African bush, and every meal is someone else's demise. Perhaps the saddest moment of this month was when we came across the aftermath of a particularly grisly massacre. We have always had dwarf mongooses around the Camp, and their darting, squeaking presence is always welcome as they alert us to any snakes in the grass. More recently we have also had more thuggish nocturnal hunters around: honey badgers.

Their trajectories must have crossed one night, as we found several mongoose bodies scattered around their den site, with one at least half eaten. The tracks and claw marks showed that a honey badger had dug his way in, and succumbing to blood lust, embarked on something of a feeding frenzy. CSI Savuti managed to piece together the story, and it appears that several of the adult mongooses had died vainly defending their young. Several others were still cowering nearby, seemingly traumatised by the events of the previous night.

The beauty of the African wilderness is unsurpassed on Earth, but the struggle for survival never lets up, even in such idyllic surroundings. It is the beauty however which will remain with you long after you leave Savuti, and which will bring you back again and again. Experiencing the Savuti Channel should carry a health warning: it can be seriously habit-forming!

As usual we will give the last word to the guests who enjoyed Savuti Camp with us during March 2009, and who hopefully will all succumb to the temptation to return soon: