WorldWideWonders 62

BOTSWANA MOREMIMOREMI MEMORIESMEMORIES

AA briefbrief butbut enchantingenchanting triptrip toto thethe WildlifeWildlife ReserveReserve sprawlingsprawling atat thethe wetlandwetland doorstepdoorstep ofof thethe fabledfabled OkavangoOkavango deltadelta 63

African elephant Loxodonta africana in a typical semi-flooded Moremi environment. On the title page, adult female and baby hippo Hippopothamus amphibius. 64

TEXT BY ANDREA FERRARI PHOTOS BY ANDREA AND ANTONELLA FERRARI

oremi Game Reserve is a buffalo, Angolan giraffe, black rhinoceros, protectedM area in Botswana on the eastern lion, elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, side of the Okavango Delta. It was cheetah, hyena, jackal, impala, and red designated as a Game Reserve, rather than lechwe. Cape wild dogs have been the a National Park, when it was created. This subject of a project run in the area since designation meant that the BaSarwa or 1989. The Reserve offers the opportunity to Bushmen that lived there were allowed to explore not only in 4x4's but on foot and stay in the reserve. We briefly visited it on by mokoro - a dug-out canoe. Game our way to Chobe National Park. viewing is at its peak from July to October, when seasonal pans dry up and the wildlife Moremi Game Reserve is just under 5,000 concentrates on the permanent water. From square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) in extent, October until the start of the rains in late covering much of the eastern side of the November or early December, the weather Okavango Delta, combining permanent can be extremely hot. Malaria is prevalent water with drier areas and creating some throughout the Reserve and it is strongly startling contrasts. Here one can experience recommended that visitors should take excellent views of savannah game as well precautions before, during and after a visit. as bird-watching on the lagoons. There are The Reserve itself has very few lodges and also thickly wooded areas, which are home only four areas set-aside for camping, but to the Cape wild dog Lycaon pictus pictus there are a number of relatively affordable and leopard. To the northeast lies the lodges on the outskirts of the Reserve. Chobe National Park which borders the Moremi Game Reserve. Only about 30% Roads in Moremi Game Reserve change of the reserve is mainland, with the bulk dramatically depending upon the season being within the Okavango Delta itself. and the water level of the Delta. When the flood waters are high some of the roads are Although not one of the largest Parks, waterlogged, while exposed sandy areas Moremi presents insights and views even are much harder to navigate during the hot for the most experienced of travelers. Its summer months. habitats are surprisingly diverse, combining mopane woodland and acacia forests, Starting April 2019, poaching has sadly floodplains and lagoons. It is home to risen at an alarming rate in the Reserve. nearly 500 species of bird (from water Organised poaching rings slaughtered 46 birds to forest dwellers), and a vast array of rhinos in 10 months, representing almost other species of wildlife including Cape 10% of Botswana's 500 rhinos. .

Southern red-billed hornbill Tockus rufirostris. 65

Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus, a large, heavy-bodied antelope which favours wetlands and wooded areas. 66

African lion Panthera leo. 67

A typical water-snail eater, the African openbill Anastomus lamelligerus. 68

Little bee-eater Merops pusillus. Spur-winged goose Plectropterus gambensis. 69

Wattled crane Bugeranus carunculatus, a beautiful but rarely encountered species. 70

Striped or Le Vaillant's cuckoo Oxylophus levaillantii. 71

Adult bull hippo Hippopotamus amphibius, arguably Africa’s most dangerous large animal. 72

Green-backed heron Butorides striatus. 73

Adult hippo Hippopotamus amphibius showing dominance. 74

African lioness Panthera leo. 75

African elephant Loxodonta africana caked in mud. 76

African grey hornbill Tockus nasutus. African darter Anhinga rufa. 77

African elephants and hippos sharing the same pools and small, meandering watercourses - a typical Moremi habitat scene. 78

African fish eagle Haliaeetus vocifer. Tawny eagle Aquila rapax. 79

Mother and baby hippo Hippopotamus amphibius grazing in the open at twilight. 80

Dwarf mongoose Helogale parvula in anthill den. Goliath heron Ardea goliath. 81

Adult hippos Hippopotamus amphibius are extremely powerful and easily angered animals, with bulls always vying for dominance. 82

Arrow-marked babbler Turdoides jardineii. Rufous-bellied heron Ardeola rufiventris. 83

Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus. 84

Red-billed teal Anas erythrorhyncha. 85

Spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta. Red lechwe Kobus leche sub.leche. 86

Burchell's Starling Lamprotornis australis. 87

Bull African elephant Loxodonta africana. 88

African openbill Anastomus lamelligerus. Burchell's Starling Lamprotornis australis. 89

Red lechwe Kobus leche sub. leche, a robust-bodied antelope species beautifully adapted to wetland and semi-flooded habitats.