Hi all,
It has been a while since we sent
out a Chiawa Newsletter although
we have been posting them as and
when on the website so I hope you
have been keeping up with the
news. This season is incredible –
we are having a wonderful turnout
of new guests and repeat visitors,
such that I do not get back to
Lusaka to keep up with the more
mundane side of running a safari
operation. Thanks to all of you
for your support, and we are
certainly enjoying rising to the
challenge!
Anyway
I’d like to update you on all the
goings on and excitement at Chiawa
over the past month or so. I
cannot recall a more productive
month for leopards – we are seeing
them most days, in daylight and at
night, alone, in pairs, hunting,
sleeping, flirting, feeding,
drinking along the Zambezi, from
walks, from canoes, from boats,
and from the vehicles. In camp, up
trees – just about everywhere and
everyhow!
The night before last on the way
back to our tents we found a huge
male leopard sauntering down the
path and who then simply lay down
in front of the new Superior Tent
ignoring Lynsey, me, Joseph (our
watchman) and the 4 guests who had
decided to turn in at that time.
The leopard then stepped down and
had a good old disdainful sniff at
the dead hyena in the dry
riverbed.
Did I forget to mention the hyena
that had been killed in the middle
of the previous night in front of
camp? We were all awoken to the
mournful bleating that can only
come from a bushbuck or impala
with a large cat attached to its
neck. At the sound of the bleating
it sounded like a whole pack of
hyenas came charging through the
camp, and that were then held at
bay the ferocious growls of a
lion. The next few minutes were
madness in the darkness and an
attack on the ears (& imagination)
– snarling lion, wailing,
shrieking and giggling hyenas, a
prolonged hysterical scream, and
then silence – well, other than a
deep panting. Although we could
see the hyenas dashing back and
forth in the moonlight from our
tents we couldn’t really see what
was going on, until the next
morning where we found a dead
hyena bitten through the throat
and skull. And so you can imagine
the conversation over Chiawa’s
now-famous Rum & Raisin Oatmeal
porridge the next morning.
We
have also been blessed with two
lion cubs that have finally teamed
up with the pride - two future
lionesses which we welcome to the
area and who have already provided
dozens of Chiawa’s guests with
plenty of entertainment. Indeed
the lions have been equally as
cooperative as the leopards and we
have been privileged with some
great sightings – including a
spectacular buffalo kill by one of
the big males in front of our
vehicles. We were fortunate to
have video of the event which
included an impressive retaliatory
attack by some 400 buffalos
charging on the feeding lions. At
one point a lioness and the dead
buffalo were tossed up into the
air by a brave buffalo bull which
pointlessly stampeded into the
frenzy of 9 feeding lions and
scattered them like skittles for a
flash before being sent packing by
some impressive claws and teeth.
On
the smaller side of things we saw
an albino banded mongoose running
with its pack the other day, and a
baboon with identical twins. I
doubt either are commonly reported
sightings!
However perhaps the most unusual
event occurred when Chiawa’s
guests got to assist and
participate in the darting,
immobilising, and treatment of a
young elephant with a very nasty
injury caused by a wire snare
around its front right foot.
Boaz
and his guests reported the
sighting of this unfortunate
elephant and we immediately got
Conservation Lower Zambezi to
respond. It took the best part of
two hours to finally dart the
elephant as it kept being shielded
by some rather aggressive cow
elephants who
made some very convincing charges
on our vehicles before Lea finally
got in a shot.
The
snare was removed, gangrenous
flesh cut away, and the injury was
treated by a strong concoction of
topical and injected antibiotics
whilst the elephant snored away,
literally.
The operation took about thirty
minutes whilst our guests got to
take body temperatures (you don’t
want to know), measure
respiration, pour water on the
animal’s ears for cooling, record
details, hold medicines, and
everything else. The elephant
strolled/limped off once the
antidote had been administered and
we have seen the elephant a few
times since, each time looking
better although we know its leg
will never be the same again. FYI,
wire snares are set by poachers to
obtain
bushmeat however young
elephants, as well as wild dog,
lions, leopards and other
creatures often fall victim to
them too.
Conservation
Lower Zambezi in conjunction
with ZAWA is doing a fine effort
and succeeded in removing about
1200 snares from the Lower
Zambezi, as well as arresting
numerous poachers and confiscating
many firearms in 2003. Although
poaching is suppressed and under
control in the Lower Zambezi, it
is only thanks to the enthusiastic
& effective efforts of CLZ that
this is the case and I ask that
you and your guests support CLZ
with donations of cash or in-kind
if possible, and it is my
privilege that I am Chairman of
this special organisation for the
4th year now. For many
of our guests, especially for
“Debbie the Doctor” from Colorado,
it was a most sad, rewarding and
unusual day!
Francois d’Elbee the photographer
and author was on hand for the
darting exercise and has been with
us for a week taking photos for
the new Chiawa brochure which we
hope to launch at WTM. I think he
has taken some fantastic shots
which will be up on the website
once the brochure is completed.
His wonderful coffee table book on
the Lower Zambezi, The Bush and
Eye, is still available for sale
so please contact us if you need
any copies.
Speaking
of elephants, we have had some up
close experiences with
ele’s
in camp – shaking the umbrella
thorns and then sweeping up the
pods which fall, even those that
fall into the bar area. One
elephant decided to step over the
railings and into the bar to get
his share – a joy for all the
guests who got to see it but a wee
bit close for me and my sanity.
Anyway no guest or part of the bar
was damaged during the feed & so
we are grateful for such small
mercies.
Until next time,
Grant, Lynsey, Jenny, and the
Chiawa team
