Ebb and Flow, ebb and flow in SLNP

[Kitsafari]

 

 

 

[Safaridude]

Wow. SIMPLY INCREDIBLE.

[Kitsafari]

 

[Kitsafari]

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

 

 

[Kitsafari]

It is a sombre group at the sundowner. even Alec the guide is shaken. Alec offers me a double shot of something strong. But being a non-alcohol drinker, I settle for lemonade. But my heart is sad. Everyone thinks I cried in shock or in sympathy for the buffalo. My heart cries for the lion.

 

I think he's a goner. I'll be surprised if he's still alive tomorrow morning. the fight seems to have drained whatever's left. But he is a warrior, doing only what he knows best, relentlessly battling for his territory and fighting for his food.

 

a tractor passes by. Derek is sending the tractor to scoop out the drowned buffalo to move it about 1km away. No one knows why the lion doesn't want to eat it. perhaps it is in the water and the lion instinctively does not want to stay in the water.

 

That night the hyenas take over. there must be a huge group of them. I hear them giggling, whooping and in between, the lion roars as the hyena screams. they wake me up several times, and by 4am+ i hear another hyena running past our chalet. but i don't hear the lion, and wonder if the hyenas finished him off.

 

since i am awake I wash up. I can hear the staff member outside filling up the hot bucket at our chalet and the two next to us. as I finish up washing, i hear sounds of what sounds like an vehicle engine. grrrrr. grrrrr. then suddenly Alec's voice rings out - Guys, stay in your room. Do not come out. Stay indoors. he repeats it and i yell OK. what is happening?

 

we stay indoors for some 2 hours. breakfast and game drive are going to be late. perhaps it is the elephant returning to crash the chalet.

 

after what seemed a long time, we are fetched by Alec for breakfast. Z&M, our vehicle mates look dishevelled and shaken. Z looks as if she has been crying.

 

Far from fading away, the lion had gone to the deck in front of their chalet during the night, shifting the chairs and table. Z&M has the last chalet, right next to the waterhole. then the lion managed to kill an impala. he had dragged the impala to a metre away from where the bathroom walls are. they could hear every crunch of the bone, and the tearing of the meat as the famished lion tore into his food in the dark hours of the morning.

 

the staff didn't know anything as Z&M didn't use the emergency horn for fear of alerting the lion. so they had huddled up in the bed, terrified. the staff only knew about it when they walked close to the chalet and the lion let out loud growls. those were the "vehicle sounds" i thought i heard.

 

the Shenton staff is contacted and Derek calls Zawa on the fate of the lion. The lion had become unpredictable and too wild, and had crossed into the no-go zone into the camp grounds. the options are to shoot to kill, or dart it and move it far away. there is huge danger of darting him; the lion is so weak and thin and seriously ill that he may not survive the powerful tranquilliser. a dose of that can put a human to sleep permanently.

In my heart I hope they will choose the darting, as it will still give the lion one last chance to survive. They choose the latter, and SLCP and ZCP are called to relocate the lion to Kapanda Lagoon, I think 20-30km to the west.

 

We go for our morning drive and return at 10.30am. We all want to be there when the darting is done, and we want to have seen the sleeping lion. The darting goes smoothly, and they bring the Mangy Lion out on the truck. He’s asleep, breathing fast. The half eaten impala will be with him so that he can have ready food when he awakes.

 

 

a long wait for the lion to be darted

 

[Kitsafari]

And then he's gone. Kapanda Lagoon still has water and will draw in the prey. It will dry up in 2 weeks' time that gives the lion 2 weeks to get well. Either that or he will have to walk in the hot unbearable heat to return to the Mwamba waterhole. Either way, I think he will not survive that long, but a small hope continues to burn in me that he will find the will to live.

 

That evening we drive to the baobab forest and Kapanda Lagoon is along the way. On the way back we turn into the haunted forest and arrive at the lagoon. Pieter the ranger is with us and he was with the lion when he was relocatd. He points out the shadow of a lion. The lion sits up and takes a few steps to the dead impala, then lies over it, hopefully continuing his meal. That reassures us. Then we leave him, the shadow hunching over his kill in the growing darkness.

 

Two days later they find him dead. In his death, the mangy lion took with him the drowned buffalo, the impala, George the hippo and the female buffalo that fought and won so valiantly but finally succumbed to her injuries and infection.

 

Why am I spending so much time talking about the lion? Isn’t it just another normal chapter in the animal kingdom? you seldom get a chance to see the inner workings of an animal, seldom get a chance to recognise the individuality of an animal, seldom get a chance to take an inside look into the life of a wild lion. The Mangy lion, or Ringgo as Alec calls him, is an iconic lion as Derek so rightly says. I saw him only at that time of the battle, but I was privileged to have the chance of seeing that, despite his illness, his weakness, he still commanded attention, respect and admiration. For fighting for survival right to the end. A Legend in his own right.

 

 

Ringo, the Mangy Lion.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Kitsafari

[marg]

@@Kitsafari you will never forget this and it is truly heart wrenching for us to read and to view. And, our friends continue to ask why we continue to return to Africa!

[Towlersonsafari]

This has been a superb trip report reminding us what a brilliant place south luangwa is and that when we go on safari we cannot help but becoming emotionally involved.What a moving description!

[Marks]

@@Kitsafari Wow. This is an incredibly emotional experience. These images will stay with me for a long time...your posts are a great testament to the hardships of survival these animals face...I would not have done half so well documenting it.

[graceland]

What emotion poured from your pages, Kit. I cannot believe what I saw (and I DID NOT watch the vid; I know I'd cry); I admire you for hanging in there and were how you were able to document the last days of the downtrodden, once fierce lion.

 

This is probably the most profoundly emotional last day any one has written. I am kind of exhausted just reading and thinking about it so, I can only imagine what went on with YOU - and ZandM - omg; what they must have been feeling. I think I am accustomed to anything now in Africa, but not sure how I'd have coped with that night!

 

Yes, as marg reminds us, we all still continue to go, knowing the ebb and flow that constantly streams in and out every moment of the day. But it is Africa.

 

Thank you for sharing such an emotional experience so beautifully. I will go back and re-read and hopefully watch the videos later.

[michael-ibk]

Just extraordinary! What an intense and gripping experience! It must have been painful to watch (it even was for me watching the videos) but this is nature, this is Africa. You did a splendid job of conveying your feelings, it was very clear how deeply you were affected by this. Thank you, Kit, a pleasure to read!

[TonyQ]

@@Kitsafari

Excellent, moving writing -very upsetting I am sure (I did not watch the video)

[ZaminOz]

What an amazing trip report, such heartfelt writing.

Thank you.

[Atravelynn]

"At least twice, I faced the question of how dignified can one be at death's door? When one is old or terminally sick, and has no more value to the society, and there is no one to turn to, how painful and alone can one be if you get left behind? It is what it is - is that not it in the animal kingdom? You get on with it.

This is really going to be detailed. I need to come to terms with whatever still remains in me so please bear with me. Thank you all for reading along for so long, and being so understanding!"

 

Such a connection in these posts/thoughts. This previous sentence written before I got through #260. Now doubly so for your comments.

 

 

"The day before a guest was in the hide and as he lifted his camera to the window, suddenly a pair of large lion paws was on the window sill. The guest dropped his camera and scrambled out of the hide with the guide who was in there with him."

Oh my! I wonder how the exit went and how the lion reacted.

 

It's a good thing your last day was quiet. You needed a day to recoup emotionally. As meaningful as all your outstanding narration and photos is the reaction of the the other buffalo in the first video. Calmly, they "get on with it."

[Kitsafari]

Thank you everyone for your kind words

 

@@marg they will understand once they come to Africa's wildlife and experience it themselves! while we keep coming back for more.

 

@@Towlersonsafari thank you. South Luangwa is so raw and so remote that you can't help connect to all that is there.

 

@@Marks thank you Mark. it's my small way of paying tribute to the animals who fight for survival in their own way.

[Kitsafari]

What emotion poured from your pages, Kit. I cannot believe what I saw (and I DID NOT watch the vid; I know I'd cry); I admire you for hanging in there and were how you were able to document the last days of the downtrodden, once fierce lion.

 

This is probably the most profoundly emotional last day any one has written. I am kind of exhausted just reading and thinking about it so, I can only imagine what went on with YOU - and ZandM - omg; what they must have been feeling. I think I am accustomed to anything now in Africa, but not sure how I'd have coped with that night!

 

Yes, as marg reminds us, we all still continue to go, knowing the ebb and flow that constantly streams in and out every moment of the day. But it is Africa.

 

Thank you for sharing such an emotional experience so beautifully. I will go back and re-read and hopefully watch the videos later.

 

 

i also wondered how I would have reacted if the unpredictable and rather aggressive lion had camped outside my chalet's door for the whole night. half of me would have been thrilled the other half would have been terrified!

[Kitsafari]

@@michael-ibk it was painful but I don't regret it. it was an experience second to none in terms of drama and emotions. another lady was also quietly crying in the vehicle next to us. and she's a veteran safari goer with countless of trips under her. I think we can never numb ourselves to such sights.

 

if the fight was between equals, it wouldn't have been so emotional . but seeing the predator so weak, and sensing it was on its last legs added poignancy to the battle.

[Kitsafari]

@@TonyQ @@ZaminOz thanks for your patience and kind words! i'm glad i wrote it, got it out of my system now.

 

@@Atravelynn you got it! sometimes humans (read me!) become so emotional or over analytical that we can't get over our personal grief that it paralyses us. Animals mourn for a day or two and then they move on. The last night we were there, we heard the Mwamba pride roaring through the night looking for the sick Mwamba male. His brother apparently called for him every night for a few days. it is heartbreaking, but after a few days, they know he is gone.

[Kitsafari]

The interesting thing after the demise of the Mwamba male is from the lion dynamics point of view. Only one Mwamba male is left to defend what is probably the largest territory on this side of the river. The remaining brother so far has not had any confrontations yet, but there are 3 sub-adult male lions across the river which have crossed the river earlier this year, and then there are the 2 Hollywood male lions, still young and strong.

 

Nothing will be known during the rainy season as almost all the camps will be closed. If the single Mwamba male is still in control during the raining season, the conditions for a takeover will be ripe once the floods subside. whatever happens, i hope the remaining young cub and the subadult lions will stay safe.

[Kitsafari]

It is going to be tough to top the Lion experience, and nothing does. But it doesn’t mean there are no more awe-inspiring experiences. SLNP and Mwamba have deep pockets of surprises for us still!

 

The early part of our trip had produced very scant quelea action. But two early morning drives at a vast plains saw thousands of birds putting an awesome performance. Shimmering in the golden light of dawn and casting clear silhouettes against the misty morning, thousands of queleas dance for us. As one group swoops down to feast on the early seeds on the ground, another flock takes to the air. How these thousand birds can coordinate and fly in sync without crashing into each other is amazing.

 

 

[Kitsafari]

 

[Kitsafari]

Queleas are also called aviarian locusts. They swarm the farms in Africa and do destroy the crops they grow. They are really tiny birds, estimated to be about 10bn in population and found mainly in sub-Saharan Africa

 

I’ve put a video link here if you want to watch it (it's 4 mins long though). I decided not to cut it as the dance of the queleas builds and builds upon each wave. The dance is so hypnotic. You just can’t take your eyes off the tsunami (as Alec calls it).

 

[Kitsafari]

At the camp, we luxuriate in the presence of Tom, a full grown bull elephant which is as calm as can be, and his constant companion a rebellious rowdy teenager Jerry. Jerry has been a thorn in the camp’s butt. The day Z&M arrived, Jerry decided to take short-cut through their bathroom, taking the walls down with him. They had to rebuild the walls the same day. Two days later, he approaches the mess hall with every intention of gate crashing the bar. He ignored every shout and noise that Alec does to deter him, until Alec throws a chair at him which hits him and stuns him, enough to make him turn around.

 

 

 

 

Jerry

 

 

 

 

Tom and Jerry (named after the cartoon characters!) are orphans, victims of poaching which took their mothers when they were of a young age. I cant recall if they are related. They both grew up together around the camp, but with no older bull to learn from, Jerry has become more rowdy than the older partner.

 

 

During one particular lunchtime, we are chatting with Alec and another guest who also chooses to have lunch at the mess hall. Tom comes up the banks of the dry Mwamba river, and slowly walks to the waterbath that is just 10m away from where we sit. I curse that I have neither phone nor camera with me (that is why it is imperative to chain that camera to you wherever you go on safari!). But because of that, I have no distraction and I’m immersed completely in Tom’s calm and positive energy. all four of us are silent, each in our quiet contented reverie of such amazing presence. I’m always in awe that the ellies in SLNP have been so accepting of us. He slowly browses on the bushes around the birdbath and then turns towards us. He walks within 4m of us confidently, moving along the short reed fence that rings around the mess hall. I am in heaven.

[Kitsafari]

We finally take our baobab drive on our second night at Mwamba. It is a very quiet game drive and a very long drive – about 2hrs. So unless you really love baobab trees or are into sunsets, you may want to give this a miss. We enjoy every bit of the drive which goes through a beautiful mopane cathedral, then into the very very remote western area where you do not see anyone and where roads are hardly graded. But the baobab forest is magnificent. Cast against the sunset, one can’t ask for a more stunning setting. Because of how dramatic they look, baobabs lend themselves to beautiful photos. they make even a lousy photographer like me look better than what I am.

 

No other vehicle comes here, so you have the entire place to yourself. We try the baobab fruit as well, but I’m afraid I don’t develop a taste for it. Another warning – beware of bees! We have to clear all the drinks and keep clear of the vehicle for a long while.