Restoring Southern Africa's Wildlife Migrations
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RESTORING SOUTHERN AFRICA’S WILDLIFE MIGRATIONS SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WILDLIFE WORLD THE FIRST PEOPLE OF AFRICA DESERT ADVENTURES 1 FIRST EDITION CONTENTS 12 THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WILDLIFE WORLD And they’re not what you think… 14 KHWAI PRIVATE RESERVE 21 GIN IS THE THING Just add tonic 30 WATER FOR ELEPHANTS An afternoon at the elephant hide with Isaac Tapa 32 MAKGADIKGADI PANS 39 THE FIRST PEOPLE OF AFRICA Richard Holmes goes back to the beginning 44 MAKE WAY FOR THE UNGULATES Restoring southern Africa’s greatest wildlife migrations 46 THE BOTETI RIVER 52 NORTHERN OKAVANGO DELTA 60 GOING MOBILE 64 HOANIB VALLEY 69 GIRAFFES Pippa de Bruyn investigates the tall horses of Namibia 72 AT THE CAMPFIRE WITH… Mwezi Bupilo 74 THE SKELETON COAST 78 ETOSHA HEIGHTS PRIVATE RESERVE 92 DE HOOP NATURE RESERVE 97 HOW DO WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE? 2 33 Magwegqana NG/12 Skeleton Coast NP NG/18 Victoria Falls MAPULA LODGE & UNCHARTED EXPEDITIONS Chobe NP SKYBEDS TULUDI SHIPWRECK HYENA PAN LODGE Etosha NP SABLE ALLEY Moremi SABLE ALLEY, HYENA PAN HOANIB THE JACKAL & HIDE, OKAVANGO DELTA THE JACKAL & HIDE VALLEY CAMP SAFARIHOEK LODGE, SAFARI HOUSE, MAPULA LODGE Maun SKYBEDS, TULUDI & UNCHARTED ETOSHA MOUNTAIN LODGE EXPEDITIONS PLANET BAOBAB Moremi Game Reserve Outjo JACK’S CAMP & MENO Boronyana NAMIBIA JACK’S MIGRATION CAMP Geukha SAN CAMP, CAMP KALAHARI Makgadikgadi Swakopmund Windhoek Kubu Island Walvis Bay Central Kalahari NP Xudum Boro Namib Naukluft NP Matsibe BOTSWANA Gaborone Kruger NP Kgalagadi TP KWESSI DUNE LODGE* Johannesburg Fish River ESWATINI Fish River Canyon NP Vaal River Orange River Natural Selection lodges LESOTHO Durban Mobile safaris Towns and cities SOUTH AFRICA MKAMBATI* National Parks Sardine Run * Coming Soon Cape Town LEKKERWATER BEACH LODGE AT DE HOOP Port Elizabeth 4 5 WELCOME TO THE WILD WORLD OF NATURAL SELECTION Natural Selection is a new(ish!) conservation We bring you closer to Africa. and nature-based tourism company. To us the most important part of a safari is finding that Our portfolio is full of welcoming safari camps and connection to the bush by keeping things simple and quirky mobile safaris in Botswana, Namibia and South enriching. When we step out of our routines typical day Africa and all of them are family-owned. Our focus to day concerns fade into the background, magnificent is on one-of-a- kind, characterful experiences environments humble us and values shift, even if just with people who are passionate, extraordinary slightly... and wholly committed to conservation. We create conservation partnerships. From the beginning, we have been about creating Natural Selection looks for partnerships that help an excellent safari experience that gives back. In fact, us contribute towards conservation. This may be our original model was a non-profit. We soon realised, towards the expansion of wildlife areas, however, that we’d make a much bigger impact or a conversion to wild- life-friendly land use, if we became a commercial safari company... or the upliftment of communities who live alongside wildlife and are committed to wildlife conservation. So, what do we do now? We are committed to minimising our footprint. We put conservation before profit Our newly built camps use local materials, recycled We are extremely proud to be a part of Africa’s materials and renewable energy. As much as possible, conservation solution through the funding of important we want each camp to support local environmental- projects. 1.5% of every booking at a Natural Selection ly-friendly enterprise, to blend into the environmen lodge goes to conservation. That’s not 1.5% of a lodge’s and to carefully manage and minimize waste. profit on a booking, that’s 1.5% of the entire booking, making it the equivalent of 40% of our profit in year one. Our deep commitment to conservation is matched only by our devotion to providing you, our guests, with In addition to creating sustainable funds for important the most unique and extraordinary safari experience conservation projects, each traveller to our camps on the continent. is also shining a light on the importance of wildlife areas. We make sure that every visitor’s trip counts! #safarisofcharacter 66 77 CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS MWEZI BUPILO JEMIMA SARGENT KHUMISO COSMOS DENNIS SIZEMORE PIPPA DE BRUYN RICHARD HOLMES ISAAC TAPA RATHIPANA A guide and conservationist Jemima is an artist and Dennis began his 40 years Pippa has spent the last 20 Although he spends plenty Isaac has been a guide for who spends most of his time illustrator based in Cosmos attained his Diploma of conservation work at the years researching and writing of time at 35,000 feet, Cape over 10 years and revels in in one of the remotest cor- Hoedspruit, Limpopo. in Wildlife Management in University of Montana about India, Southern and East Town is where freelance travel the ecosystems of Botswana. ners of the world, Namibia’s She works with a variety 1998 from Mweka College of following grizzly bears and Africa, publishing several guide writer Richard Holmes calls Whilst his first love is showing Kaokoland, Mwezi’s true pas- of media, from pen and ink African Wildlife Management since then his experiences books and writing for home. When he’s not jetting Natural Selection guests the sion in life is giraffe. When he’s sketches, to watercolour in Tanzania and has worked for on four continents include a variety of magazines and off on assignment, he’s usually beauty of his country, it’s not guiding guests from Hoan- and large, sprawling acrylic the Department of Wildlife fundraising, community newspapers, including unearthing a new foodie find closely followed by his second ib Valley Camp you can be canvases, but her main subject and National Parks in Botswa- engagement, education, and The Telegraph as one of their in South Africa’s ‘Mother City’, – photography. Whether he’s sure to find him, binos in hand, is all things wildlife-related. na for over 30 years. Most of research. As co-founder of destination experts. or waxing up his surfboard looking at animals, landscapes tracking the desert-adapted Jemima’s work can be viewed his work experience entails Round River Conservation for a session at his local break. or flora through the lens, he’s giraffe of the region. on Instagram at Community-Based Natural Studies, Dennis has served If he could go anywhere always happiest in the bush, in Africa on safari, the surrounded by the wilderness @jemimasargentart and she Resource Management and as its executive director since DETAILS he grew up in. can be commissioned to paint Environmental Education, and 1991. He is also a former Okavango Delta would www.naturalselection.travel original artwork to order. he has vast experience work- President of The Wildlands be top of his list… ing with communities and Project and currently school groups – both formally serves as vice president @NaturalSelectionTravel and informally – on matters of of the Taku-Atlin Conservancy #safarisofcharacter environmental conservation. and as a board member of the #naturalselectiontravel Today, he is the Botswana pro- Pax Natura Foundation. gramme director for Round Design : River Conservation. Sue S | Design Editor : Katie Jacholke After spending five years in a remote bush camp in Zambia, Katie moved to Cape Town to continue her safari career in the world of marketing and branding. She now works for Natural Selection, which might not be as wild as Zambia, but is just as exciting! 88 99 BOTSWANA 10 11 OPINION OPINION : The seven wonders of the wildlife world Written by : Peter Allison (and they’re not what you think) Illustrations: Jemima Sargent Whilst big cats are undoubtedly the icons of the African bush and large mammals seemingly dominate the savannah, there’s plenty more out there to shake your binos at on safari. Here, Peter Allison gives us the lowdown on his favourite (and most overlooked) species to spot on a game drive - and there’s not a whisker in sight. 1. Baboons 4. Impalas 6. Warthogs The most conspicuous of animals is often overlooked due to Why doesn’t anyone stop for warthogs more than once? Is it our These primates are ubiquitous enough that they are frequently its abundance. Yet it’s worth asking your guide why are they so obsession with conventional beauty? Drop your prejudices and ignored as you drive, probably looking for the sorts of animal that common. Is it their flexitarian diet? Their parasite removing lower spend some real time with warthogs and I guarantee you’ll fall in might eat them. Yet they can be the most entertaining and even teeth? Liberal approach to breeding? It’s heady stuff. love. Particularly if it’s December when they have their babies - educational species you can observe. The tip is to stop merely they look like little pork sausages with legs and are hysterical when seeing them and start watching them (that is actually true of all they get excited. animals on this list). Baboons have highly complex social lives and at any given time there will be individuals flattering, fighting or fornicating with each other. Their lives are eternal soap operas, but the setting is so much better than anything you’ve seen on television. 7. Hornbills Apart from their well-known and nifty nesting habits, hornbills are 2. Dwarf Mongoose 3. Fork-tailed Drongo characterful birds which often develop mutualistic relationships So much focus is given to Africa’s larger carnivores that this, the Another comedian, the wonderfully named drongo may not be with species like the dwarf mongoose (another reason to watch very smallest of them on the continent, is too frequently ignored. striking of appearance (its plain plumage a shade of black not quite them); or klepto-parasitic relationships with camp managers, For a predator they are quite adorable, but beyond the cuteness is glossy, not quite matte), but their behaviour shows just how clever constantly stealing anything set out for afternoon tea.