Wild Dogs in Chobe

Morning game drives leave the Lodge promptly at 6 am. The air is cool and crisp with the sky a pale pink as the sun begins to rise. Dry grass and stunted trees extend in all directions as far as the eye can see in this national park.

We hadn't gone far from the Lodge on our first game drive when our guide stopped for us to watch a pack of wild dogs next to the road.

Bea said that wild dogs are endangered and hadn't been seen in Chobe since February. The dogs milled around our vehicles and seemed quite unconcerned by our proximity. The camouflage provided by their patterned coats is amazing!

 

We had some more excitement when our 4-wheel drive vehicle developed a flat tire. Another guide from the Lodge stopped to help Bea change it, but the women didn't want any of the guests to help. 

 



As far as we can tell, proper maintenance is a problem everywhere in Africa--well, we consider it an issue but it doesn't seem that Africans do. Neither hydraulic jack worked, and a manual jack was bolted to the back of the vehicle but the bolt had bent and was very difficult to remove. You can see that the soil in this part of Africa is very sandy. Lynne is standing in the "road" to work the jack. Soon we were back in action looking for more animals!

Elephants at Chobe National Park in Botswana

African elephants have the most beautiful large ears. The elephants in Chobe either paid no attention to us at all or sometimes seemed to enjoy watching us as much as we enjoyed watching them!

 

 

When elephants lean against trees or chew branches, they can really devastate an area. Now I understand why Chobe Game Lodge where we stayed had an electric wire approximately 6 feet high from the ground to prevent elephants from wandering onto the property.

 

This mother and baby were near the river and were part of a much larger herd. The elephants enjoyed mud baths and spraying themselves with water in the hot afternoon sun.

 

The baby elephant laying on the ground here had been attacked by hyenas and our guide said it would probably die from its injuries before the day was over. She said the adult elephants would stay with it and keep it company until it died. During the short time that we watched, the adult elephants took turns stroking the baby gently with their trunks and even tried to help it stand. Elephants are very loyal to their herd and mourn the loss of any member. Seeing them in their natural habitat was an experience we will never forget.