I hope that you are fabulously well and have had a wonderful weekend and are now ready for the week ahead. Here in the Valley, it’s all systems go as we are frantically packing up Luangwa River Camp before the onset of the rains! So, for this week I shall be leaving you in the very capable hands of Mark Van Zuydam, head guide at John’s Camp in Mana Pools who coincidentally just finished packing up John’s Camp after an amazing season. Over to you Mark for some Zimbabwean news…
“The start to our season had been an unusual one, with the late rains of 2021 the inland pans held water for longer meaning a later arrival of animals onto the flood plain. The hippos were not complaining though and could be seen wallowing in the cool waters, while the oxpeckers had a field day keeping the hippos tick-and-parasite-free.
But when the rest of the animals finally arrived, they did so with a vengeance! We had more ‘just born’ baby elephants than you could shake a stick at, with their ever-attentive mother’s, aunties and cousins in attendance making for some interesting interactions. Our large bulls were also in form, but they remained aloof of the general hoopla of the herds, except for Boswell (one of Mana’s legends) who fell in love… or should I say in lust. For about 2 weeks he moped and followed his lady friend around, I am told his romantic interlude was a success, and hopefully the world will greet another young Boswell soon. Our bulls who stand on their back feet must not rest on their laurels though as I have noticed a younger generation that is also standing to reach into trees… and will soon be stealing the spotlight from Boswell and the like.
Speaking of trees, we had some great leopard sightings despite their elusiveness! I even managed to get a few snaps!
Painted dogs (wild dogs) have kept us all amused with the antics they get up to, we watched with great amusement as 2 dogs ran up to a buffalo, got the poor thing to chase them, ran away from it, then came back and repeated the process a few more times! We had to laugh as we could see that this was done for the sheer devilry and amusement of it. I managed to get a video of this amusing interaction: Playful wild dogs and buffalo.
Another time we watched a pack take down a baby impala not far from John’s Camp. It brought new meaning to the term ‘fresh veal’!
Hyenas are ever present and when not following other predators around are hunting and killing themselves, we have seen two such kills on impala.
Large prides of lions kept us in awe throughout the season and were seen often when out on game drives and walks.
Well known photographer Dana Allen came down for a few days and got some fantastic shots of the camp and wildlife including some great shots of us out on safari with guests! The wildlife really was really obliging when it came to pictures!
Birding in Mana Pools is always exceptional and throughout the season we were treated to everything from an assortment of kingfishers, storks, raptors as well as vultures. During one game drive we watched some Marabou storks (a.k.a undertaker birds) fight over some freshly caught catfish. Here’s another brief video capturing the antics: Lunch with the Undertakers.
Unfortunately for them, an African Fish Eagle spotted them squabbling and took advantage of the situation, snatching their lunch from them before they could react.
Sadly, for those of us that enjoy watching game and being in Mana Pools, the rains have arrived, and the large herds of eland and others have begun to disperse back into the escarpment as water and vegetation becomes available to them there. We managed to pack up the camp despite an incredibly heavy storm that threw us a real curve ball at the end… There’s never a dull moment in the bush!
We all await the adventures that the 2023 season will certainly bring. Till then, take care and we hope to see you next year at John’s Camp!”
Thanks for the round up Mark, sounds like it was a very eventful season, and we are looking forward to what 2023 has in store! Well, that’s it for this Monday, I will be back next week with more stories from the African wilderness!