HWANGE IN THE EMERALD SEASON December 2009 to January 2010 Sitting around a waterhole on full moon night eagerly awaiting the arrival of 1 or 12 elephant bulls is something that not all would cherish but for 2 guests and myself as their private guide this is experience is out of this world. Guvalala platform is where we were a year ago to the hour sharing the platform night with at least 30 elephant bulls between 8pm and 4am all spending an average of an hour at the pan. There are many places that one can go on safari but Zimbabwe is a place that once you have been, you will be back. Hwange during the rains is absolutely fantastic, the rich nature of the wildlife contrasting with the emerald green of the lush green vegetation. Like many, Jörg and Heike were back for more adventure, walking, driving, culture, more Hwange! What had made Guvalala so special was after 8 days in Hwange of great wildlife experiences we decided to finish off by sitting at the platform for our last afternoon. The alarm calls of the impala and the bolting zebra told us we were not alone and this was confirmed when a pride of 6 lionesses and 1 male moved into the open positioned for the approaching herds of kudu and impala. The next 2 hours were a great test of patience as predator approached prey in a fashion that would have competed with any military force. Eventually one of the lionesses tried to seal the hunt, missed and scared the antelope and that was it, Kudu 1 - Lions 0 but we had had the thrill of a lifetime. Elephants and lions on foot in the Kennedy and Ngweshla areas, a pair of leopard one evening and various majestic antelope and giraffe had made the previous safari a great success, hence Heike and Jorg’s return. On this night only one bull came to drink at about 1 am staring into the cloudy night after quenching his thirst. We were woken up by the loud howl of a spotted hyena 30 metres from our platform. Later we figured the hyena had been around all night and the stare into darkness that the elephant gave was at this interesting predator. The heavy rains that had been in the area over a few days may have filled up small pans resulting in thirst sustenance for the elephants. Quick coffee and we were off to Shapi checking White Hill Pan en-route. At Shapi we decided to take a little walk which turned out to be exciting and action packed. Various beautiful frogs, praying mantis cocoons and the famous mopane worms were all part of the action in small proportions. I’ve cooked, served, eaten and generously shared Mopane Worms on many occasions but had never photographed them. Needless to say the taste and crispy sensation (which I absolutely love) was surpassed by their beautiful cryptic coat and the challenge in photographing them. Halve an hour with the worms. Then on the wet ground we saw them. Starting with a young male further investigation revealed the tracks of a pride of about 6 large tawny cats. A little chat about the stealth required, ins and outs of tracking cats and we were off. Through sandy and grassy areas the tracks meandered but with the wet ground we were able to stay on them. The track looked more than 6 hours old but we were still eager o follow in the hope that the cats had stopped for a rest or a meal. After 2 hours of tracking we hit a main road where the grass was too tall to see tracks and then we called it quits. We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience of tracking the big cats in some thick scrub. On our way back to Guvalala we decide to check on White hill again to see if anyone had come to the open area for the water. The scene had indeed changed so much in 4 hours that as we approached we found two lionesses lapping on fresh rainwater on the road. Looking at their midday movement we thought they were on their way to White Hill Pan on a hunt. We sit in wait and from here I write my diary of the eventful morning. This is Africa!!! Our patience was tested to the maximum and the lionesses did not show up so we carried on to our platform for lunch. On the afternoon drive we stumbled into a mammal that we had no hope of seeing. This large rhino bull was on a mission, territory marking as he went and walking at great pace. A little briefing to my guests about walking to rhino that even though I was armed in the unlikely event of us being charged by a rhino I would never shoot it and we depended highly on the bushes and termite mounds around us for cover and refuge. I have given this talk many times but have not had to climb a tree yet. We followed the bull observing his behaviour and testing his senses. He was very focused on his testosterone driven activity and took no notice of us at all in the 2 kilometres that we followed him paying no attention to the shuffling of feet and the clicking of camera shutters. Tracking a rhino bull through some semi dense scrub of a true wilderness area is a rare adventure of epic proportions that can only be enjoyed by a few as these animals are facing extinction mainly due to their illegal trade in the iconic horns resulting in them being poached. Rhino populations in Africa outside of South Africa have plummeted from an estimated 70 000 in 1970 to an estimated 5 000 to date. South Africa’ s population of white rhino has grown as a result of farming initiatives by various stake holders maintaining a breeding nuclei which is now being reintroduced to other African Wildernesses. So for us, tracking this rhino for more than half an hour was a sure way to high note out of 2009. The next day we were upgrading from our humble platform accommodation to the civilisation of our tents at Kennedy No 1 camp site. The waterhole at Kennedy 2 had its usual serving of elephant bulls, zebra, impala and a visiting herd of the uncommon Roan Antelope. While we were photographing the elephants an interesting sound was heard. The immediate reaction of the roan confirmed our suspicion. There was a pair of mating lions around and looking at the colour change as the sun dipped towards the horizon, it was only a matter of time before this “honeymoon” couple came down for a drink. It was only a 5 minute wait and a dark mane could be seen in the distance, blowing in the light breeze. When they arrived at the waterhole we had elephants on our left and a honeymoon pair of lions to our right. For those that are not familiar with the intensity of lion mating, they mate once every 15-20 minutes at the one week peak of their mating period and once every 30 minutes on either side of the peak so the drink did not stop them from performing. During mating the lion bites/holds the lioness behind the neck to stop her from turning on him at the time of excitement which like domestic cats, is painful for the female. We witnessed this a few time over the next two days. On our way back to Kennedy 2 we came across another male lion, lethargically sleeping on the road. Our close presence, sound of shutters and voices did not bother him at all as he only half opened his eyes to reassure himself. Beautiful Kennedy!!! Early morning start in the direction of Ngweshla. By the way this was also our intended destination yesterday but we did not make it because of the activity and sightings en route. Such is life on safari. Ngweshla has to be one of the richest spots in a blend of scenic beauty, wildlife, excitement and fulfilment to one soul. Please don’t tell him, but the attendant at Ngweshla campsite will lose his job to me one day as the idea of waking up in this magical area every morning totally appeals to me. This particular morning though Ngweshla was relatively quiet with an open plain emptiness the led me to suspect that there had been some predators hunting the open plains causing the prey animals to take cover in the surrounding forests. The only way to find out was to wait for the afternoon and with this we checked the Manga area, coming across a large breeding herd of elephants taking it easy under some camel thorn acacia trees. We then took a break at Ngweshla waiting for the cooler time of day, better light and to prove our theory. The theory went unproven as no cats turned up in the afternoon. The next morning however we saw 3 lionesses around the Kennedy 2 area, seemingly interested in finding other lions or prey as they were very alert. The left into the bush and their place was replaced an hour later by the mating pair. We also walked following some vulture signs in this area. This walk was not fruitful but the safari was a very successful one.                                     humphreygumpo.com - 2008