The sight of a giraffe browsing on the leaves of a majestic acacia tree is synonymous with Africa. Giraffes have a fondness for the tree that is unrivalled by any other, and this fondness results in a fascinating ‘to and fro’ relationship between fauna and flora.
The beautiful acacia tree at dusk.
Most conservationists believe that man should not meddle with the natural order and that we should allow nature to run her course however cruel or grim it seems to be. We agree on the whole, unless a wildlife problem has been created by man (for instance in the case of snaring or being trapped in a fence, in which case it’s justifiable to intervene). Otherwise nature should be left to her own devices. For the most part…
Every rule has an exception, and this is the tale of just such an exception. In the Luanga Valley of Zambia, Norman Carr Safaris came across this remarkable sight of a mother and calf elephant getting horribly stuck in the mud, and Abraham Banda was on hand to capture the rescue process on film.
The Kapani Lagoon is a source of drinking water for the animals of the area, as well as the place to go for a relieving mud bath. Unfortunately though, a young calf was unlucky enough to get stuck in the mud when visiting the lagoon recently. The calf’s cries attracted her mother who rushed to her rescue, only to get stuck in the mud herself. The pair had been there for a day, exhausted and dehydrated, when the Safari group came across them.
The startled animal lovers simply could not stand by and watch them struggle and slowly die. The group contacted the South Luangwa Conservation Society, who agreed that the elephants should be rescued. The following pictures detail just how this amazing feat was achieved.
The herd inspects the mother and daughter.
The struggling left the mother and calf exhausted.
The skilled rescue team bravely slip a rope under the calf.
Slowly but surely, the team begin hauling the calf out.
The terrified calf tries desperately to stay with her mum.
Nearly there! The bulk of the calf is now out of the mud.
The newly freed calf is reluctant to leave mum's side.
The team pull the calf further away from the mud.
The team unwrap the rope and let the calf on her way.
The calf rushes to rejoin the herd who call her from the banks.
Attention now shifts to the much bigger, much heavier mum.
The hard work is starting to show results as mum has two legs out.
The last stretch as the exhausted elephant struggles out.
Success! Mum rushes off to rejoin her herd.
t was extremely heartening for all to see how many local people joined in the efforts to free these two elephants. The cheers of joy, first when the baby ran to his cousin and then when Mum was finally released from the jaws of the sticky, cloying mud were wonderful! Everyone seemed to identify with the mum’s plight – we all saw the incredible emotional bond between the worried herd members and mum and baby.
A big well done to the South Luangwa Conservation Society and also all the Norman Carr Safari staff who bravely fought to make this a happy ending!
Story by: Norman Carr Safaris
Images by: Abraham Banda
A jaw dropping YouTube clip was recently circulated like wild fire on all the major news networks and social media platforms. You must have seen it by now – the guy on a mountain bike who gets slammed into by a flying antelope.
Click to view clip : Red Hartebeest collides with biker
If we sold mountain bikes, helmets, or insurance we’d be focussing on the guy. But this is an African Safari’s blog and so here is a bit more about the antelope (which was unharmed in the accident by the way).
It was a Red Hartebeest, a common species which occurs throughout the grasslands of Southern and East Africa. It is the second fastest antelope in Africa reaching speeds of up to 65 km/h. (The fastest antelope is the Tssesebe) A Red Haartebeest is about 1.5m (5ft) tall and weighs between 120-200kg (265-440lb) The word hartebeest originally comes from the Dutch spreaking Boer settlers who thought it looked like a deer. Hert in Dutch means ‘deer’ and beest is ‘beast’.
Being a common widespread species, and supposedly not threatened, it is a firm favourite in the hunting fraternity. We do not condone hunting AT ALL! Instead we urge you to invest in a good camera and come on a photographic safari. However, if the thrill of mountain biking in the bush appeals to you, it can be arranged. Selected non-Big Five game reserves allow controlled mountain biking trails. For more information contact one of our African Safari Consultants
Now here is a dilemma. We recently had a couple who all in all had a fantastic safari in Botswana and Kruger except for one recurring problem….They proclaimed to not be very interested in birds, but just as luck would have it, they found themselves on game drives with keen birders, or twitchers or bird fundis or whatever other
name you give to people who want to stop, reach for their binoculars, and identify and observe our little feathered friends! Our clients found this boring and frustrating, and would have preferred to have spent the time
tracking the Big Five as opposed to sitting in hushed bird-watching mode.
Now this is a tricky potentially explosive situation! And as a safari operator, I have given a solution some thought.
Firstly, serious birders would let us know that they are looking for a specialist birding trip and we would arrange a birding guide and exclusive use of the safari vehicle accordingly. Fanatical birders can be quite weird and potentially intimidating! They are known to travel vast distances in extreme conditions to tick off a sought-after rare species. Dinner table conversation will be exclusively about birds and brag stories about which SBB (small brown bird) was spotted where. They are a mixed bag of humans, coming from all walks of life but will definately have a pair of super-binoculars hanging around their neck at all times.
In this particular case, the other guests on the game vehicle were most likely just keen birders who love seeing the animals, but who have seen their share of lazy lions lying in the shade. These folk have probably been on safari a few times and want to learn more about the birds and the trees. It is generally first-time safari goers who aren’t particularly interested in birds and the ‘Little Five’, and who still have a lot to learn about the African bush. For them (and our recent past clients), being on safari with keen birders can be dull and seemingly time wasting. I am tempted to say to these folks ‘sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds and smells of the bush…you never know what might walk out from under a tree off to the left while everyone else has binoculars glued to their faces looking right!!!‘ But in all seriousness, the solution lies in the hands of the safari lodges. Lodge staff and rangers should chat to their guests and get an idea of their interests and then, if possible, assign them to separate safari vehicles so that…birds of a feather can flock together!
African Jacana - his long toes allow him to 'walk on water'
