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OLD
MONDORO
NEWSLETTER
August 2007
 Greetings from Old Mondoro!
The safari season
is well on the way and promises to be yet another
groundbreaking year with more and more nature lovers
visiting this secluded small camp on the banks of the mighty
Zambezi River. Not only visiting for the wildlife, but to
feel and experience a part of Africa that is so unique and
special, that it makes for a safari that is truly among the
best Africa has to offer.
Old Mondoro
underwent some small improvements this year to make your
stay even more relaxed and comfortable. The dining was
enlarged and sports a new front wooden viewing deck that
makes it more spacious, of course still leaving enough space
for the elephants to pass between the dining tent and the
river (in
 fact, so close that you can touch them!!). Every
tent also has a new small wooden veranda with deck chairs if
you want to sit outside and take in the picturesque views of
the river landscape and to do some game viewing and bird
watching…from the comfort of your tent!
Canoeing
To add to the
best walking you can wish to do inside the park, and the
spectacular albida woodland floodplains with big herds of
elephant and buffalo, you can now explore the islands and
channels in the Mondoro area by canoe. There is no better
way to truly take in the environment than walking or to
silently glide downstream in a canoe observing nature in all
its forms. There are small channels just out of
 camp which
makes it perfect for birding(you might just spot a Ethiopian
Snipe) and viewing the animals grazing the islands and
mainland, and of course the elephants drinking and swimming
the cool Zambezi waters…all with the escarpment hills as
background…bring out the cameras! Our experienced canoe
guide, Levi Faroa, will make your trip a safe and memorable
one with his passion and knowledge of the area.
Walking,
mating lions…and Honeybadgers
Game viewing has
been excellent, both on foot and on the day/night drives. On
a recent morning walk with walking guide Steve, after
listening to the thunderous ro ars of the resident lions
close to camp, the walking party cut the tracks about 1km
north from camp and started on a 3 hour zig- zagging lion
trail…with hearts beating faster than usual!! They found a
mating pair of lions relaxing in the Chakwenga river bed,
when the lions spotted the walkers the lioness got up and
ran towards them, entering the bush about 20m from the
walkers with some defensive growls…hearts now beating even
faster!!…The male trotted up the river bank and watched,
giving the guest a good look at him, a second male appeared
out of the wild sage, also showing that he is indeed king of
the beast… what an experience to see these magnificent cats
on foot after
 tracking and working to find them. Later, on a
night drive we found the same lions, and were fortunate
enough to watch them mating 4 times, right in the open on
top of the Chakwenga plains.
Honeybadgers, one
of the most interesting and rewarding animals to see at Old
Mondoro also made themselves visible during walks on more
than one occasion and the sightings on foot are extra
rewarding, being so engrossed in finding food, the little
devils don’t spot you and it makes for some good behaviour
study.
Kudu bull, a
leopard kill…and lions
Now, this is
bizarre. In the open mahogany woodland about 2km behind camp
3 lions was spotted, 2 males and a lioness. They found an
impala carcass that must have dropped out of a tree were a
leopard have been feeding on it, and were having a tug of
war over who’s getting what from the little remains that was
left. The lioness was in oestrus and the male mating with
her at the time had his hands ( claws and teeth) full in
keeping his food and at the same time keeping his girl from
wondering of with another male… a lot of action indeed (Flehmen
and fighting)!! Not far from there a group of kudus spotted
the lions and a big bull gave the alarm bark, they slowly
walked away from the danger. The lions in the meantime
finished the impala and started walking towards were the
kudus was, about 200m away. They killed a waterbuck the
previous day (this is another story of 2 male lions rolling
in the mud and getting filthy, fighting over waterbuck
meat), then the impala, so they had full bulging stomachs…
all of a sudden all hell broke lose… the two male lions
fired like a arrow out of a bow and within 40m had a
e normous adult kudu bull by the neck, wrestling it down to
the ground in a cloud of dust!!! This all happening mid
morning! Now, why the kudu did not respond after the first
alarm calls, remains a mystery, he was fit, healthy and in
good condition (maybe he was blind to let himself be caught
by two overfed male lions, ha, ha). The two males were later
joined by the lioness and another male for the feast of fine
meat...
For those of you
wondering about the 3 small lion cubs we had in the area at
the start of the season, sad news, they are nowhere to be
seen and we can only speculate that one of the male lions
killed them or hyenas got hold of them.
Wildlife& Game
viewing
We also have a 3
month old leopard cub that was spotted on a morning drive
with a male and female leopard close to the Chakwenga river
bed behind camp. Then we had the Southern Yellowbilled
Hornbill sightings (2), not supposed to be in the park
according to distribution data, but after seeing photo
evidence we can add the species to the bird list. Like the
previous seasons there are good quality sightings of
Sharpe’s Grysbok and Serval on the night drives. Species
like Kudu and Burchell’s Zebra (which are more abundant and
easier to see in the Old Mondoro area of the park) are on
the increase and especially Kudu calves are everywhere to be
seen.
Big herds of elephants (up to a hundred plus) cross
the Jeki plains walking from feeding grounds in the
escarpment to the dambo’s and the Zambezi River to drink,
bath and cool down.
 So far it’s been
a very exciting and busy safari season with a good number of
return guests (friends) in camp, me and Helen really enjoy
seeing great people back in camp after being here for 4
seasons and once more sharing with them the excitement of
their previous and present safaris with us. I’m recovering
very well after my accident (just missing the guiding
terribly) and will be in camp with Helen, helping out until
the end of the season when the Zambezi valley heat will
force - (Yes, I will be leaving against my will!!) me back
to South Africa. Helen and I call Old Mondoro home, so
please come and visit us at the best home in the world…
Regards and best
wishes:
Old Mondoro, the
only bushcamp
in the Lower Zambezi National Park, ZAMBIA
Roelof, Helen &
the OM team!
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