African Wild Dogs

I am Back at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre after a 4 -day trip to S.Luangwa N.Park in Zambia. Its been an exciting trip and I will try to get something of it into this post.I am a bit rushed as I have just got back and it seems I am off again tomorrow to Kuti (more about that in the next post) so I have to reorganise my kit etc etc.

Near the Malawi-Zambia border

On Friday morning Jim the driver from Lake and Land picks me up from LWC. We drive into the new town, passing government buildings and Dr. Banda’s mausoleum to a very grand hotel where we pick up Lisa and Dale – Australian academics here for the international environmental health conference. Lisa is big and talkative, Dale, ponytailed, slim and quiet, interjecting the occasional well thought remark into Lisa’s flow. We stop at a hostel where we pick up Stuart who , it turns out has lived in Malawi for 40 years, serving as a Franciscan missionary, until his retirement to S.Africa. He is originally from Iowa, USA and today is his 80th birthday. He is also author of a slim volume entitled “Aloes of Malawi” which Jim has at hand. (I don’t learn this all at once of course).This is our little group and I am very pleased with it. The conversation flows easily between us (I discover that Jim is a keen and able Birder) , interspersed by comfortable silences as we make the long drive (287 km) to South Luangwa, arriving at our lodge on the bank of the mighty Luangwa river (a tributary of the Zambezi) in the early afternoon.

After the usual procedures (wet towels, fruit juice, safety briefing, cleaning ladies carrying your luggage on their head – I am spared the last as my bag is so small they let me carry it myself) I have a lovely shower (it’s very hot here) , a quick nap on my very comfortable bed and I head out to the bluff overlooking the river. The rest of the afternoon I watch Hippos and Crocs drifting around and watch birds. Then, as it starts to get dark , an Elephant emerges from the forest across the river, a Pukku antelope (new for me) comes down to drink and an African Skimmer – a bird I have seen pictures of  since childhood – skims over the water. Great stuff and a good start.

I had been hoping that Jim, an excellent birdwatcher, would be guiding us in the park. Not so. We are put together with some other guests in an open safari car and one of the lodge’s guides is in charge. We are a bit of a crowd, but I grab the front seat next to the driver and off we go.  After entering the park we immediately run into Elephants. Further on more game is on the so-called “pans” – large grassy areas, remains of silted up lagoons.

Pukku Antelopes

The landscape, though flat (this is the floodplain of the Luangwa River), is extremely varied. There are pans and water-filled lagoons separated by thick scrub, forests and high grass. We run into a herd of Buffalo in  a thicket. Like the Elephants, the Buffaloes here are smaller than the ones I have seen in East africa. In the wet bits, lagoons and creeks, water birds congregate.  An African Fish-Eagle, unusually on the ground, allows us to approach to within about 20 metres.

We are seeing plenty of things but something is missing. Rogers, the guide, stops briefly at each sighting, we take our photos and he rushes on. It feels as if we are in a hurry to get somewhere, we are constantly on the move and there is no time to savour this beautiful environment. I guess he is looking for Lions and Leopards which every one is supposedly dead keen on seeing. Meanwhile, we are not really seeing anything. It’s frustrating but I don’t feel I can do anything about it – Rogers is pretty set on this course of action and who am I to say what’s best. Besides there are 8 other people in the car, 3 of whom I have known for one day and the others are complete strangers. I hold my peace and try to enjoy the quick stops as we cover more and more ground. Still no Predators but we do see  a nice Kudu buck, Zebras, Wart -Hogs, a Giraffe and plenty more before returning to the lodge for lunch. On paper a good morning but I am really quite disappointed.

I the Afternoon we are split up into two cars, to increase the chances of finding the much-sought after predators. We are back in our small group, still with Rogers who is still in his Gung-ho, maximum mileage mode. Its the same story as the morning, though we do see a pair of Lions (later we even see them mating ). More nice stuff seen at breakneck speed. We return to the lodge in the dark, using a spotlight to disturb the amorous Lions, spot a few Genets and – best animal of the day for me – an Elephant Shrew.

Over dinner I plot strategy for tomorrow with Stuart and Lisa& Dale. Something has to give. We toast Stuart’s 80th and chat about a wide range of stuff. I am a bit irritated by the situation, being in such a fabulous place and not being able to enjoy it properly. Still I have got some great photos and lets see what happens tomorrow.

I have to stop now – time to head back up to the sanctuary ( no internet there) and hopefully I can finish this tomorrow at Kuti. Spoiler – the next day was pretty fantastic so don’t worry!

White-faced Whistling Ducks