Zambia: August 2010 Safari holiday

[Shreyas]

micmic said:

What a nice trip, and how lucky you are to have friends to share this trip with. My friends all fall under these categories: 1) would never consider a trip to a place where nice buildings/nice restaurants/nice clubs/nice shopping are not an essential part of the trip 2) would love such a trip but find it too expensive or can't afford it 3) are afraid to travel to Africa.

 

 

I've heard the biggest WOWs in praises of me spending a month in Africa for conservation work and Safari, but it all stops there!!! Most have been uncomfortable with the idea of traveling in Africa and weather it's worth the expense, let alone their terror of traveling on dirt roads in an open vehicles.

 

Wish I too had friends who would take up an adventure at any (reasonable) opportunity that presented itself. Oh well, to each one his own!

Maybe we should have a section in the forum for folks planning on a destination/itinerary and are looking for ppl to join in!? Makes the world even more better for folks (especially solo travelers) who have a single point agenda - wildlife & adventure. Moderators, you listening

 

 

ZaminOz said:

micmic said:

ZaminOz said:

The theory is that lions only see the vehicle and the pepple as a blob and do not consider it much of a threat.

 

I've seen conflicting views on this. Some, like Trevor Carnaby, maintain that lions can't tell that there are humans in a car as long as their silhouettes aren't visible. Others however believe that lions can still understand that there are humans in the car, but they remain relaxed as long as those humans don't stand up or get out, ie as long as they don't appear "ready for action". This is what James Stevenson-Hamilton believed.

Without the benefit of any scientific study... my personal view based on my experience is that the lions definitely know that you are there. Sit in an open vehicle and lock on direct eye contact with a lion 2 meters away and tell me that you think that he/she does not know exactly what and where you are!?

 

Humans on foot are an entirely different prospect of course and a lions' personal space/comfort zones are much wider.

 

I personally had an experience of locking eyes with a pissed off lion at Kruger last year. He may have been in a fight or too, deep wounds on his face and belly were still fresh. You can see in the picture (I have a series of them) in which he wouldn't take his eyes off my camera lens, and the moment I lowered my camera and locked eyes again, I got charged at! Phew....!

Btw, I was in a regular SUV and was taking pictures from the driver's side only. I therefore agree (from little experience) with ZaminOz that Lions do know what's going on etc., whether there's a head coming out of the roof or is staying within the vehicle's geometric shape.

Btw, just watched "Into the Pride" recently, which also sheds light on Lion behaviour from an expert's point of view.

 

ZaminOz, hope you don't mind me slapping a picture of mine for reference in this thread!

 

Cheers

Shreyas

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by wilddog

[ZaminOz]

ZaminOz, hope you don't mind me slapping a picture of mine for reference in this thread!

Not at all! Slap away.

I am happy for folks to mistake your photo for one of mine

 

[but perhaps the discussion of lions & people in vehicles warrants its own thread in the African Wildlife forum... or not, as the case may be...]

Edited May 16, 2011 by ZaminOz

[Game Warden]

Feel free to start it ZaminOz...

[ZaminOz]

Feel free to start it ZaminOz...

That would not accord well with my lazy streak...

[ZaminOz]

Good report Zaminoz - Zambia must happen for us one day, and I will be sure to refer to this report when I do my planning.

Thanks dikdik,

However as I know you prefer the self-drive style of safari I would recommend that you get luangwablonde's input to your planning as well. Since I now live in Australia and have to work to keep the tax man happy the visits that I am able to make 'back home' are limited in time and all I can really do is the fly in / fly out safari. But I do miss those long drives across Zambia from my childhood, crammed with my siblings amongst all the camping equipment and supplies, in the back of a land rover

[ZaminOz]

My children still bemoan the fact that I can go back to Africa and can't afford to take them. I say "pay your own way"!! I mean, I introduced them to the safari drug, now they can pay for the addiction. Fair?

 

Good luck to Master ZO........

Mast ZaminOz has it all worked out: He told all his mates in Kindy that he was going to Africa again this year... and then apparently invited them all to come with us! When I asked him who was going to pay for that, he told me that he had money in his piggy bank. When I told him that his piggy bank didn't contain nearly enough money, he just shrugged and said, "Ok, you and mummy can pay"!

[twaffle]

Children are very cluey, good man that young ZO!

 

I remember my daughter going to school in around Reception and telling her friends about her new orphan elephant we had sponsored for her at Sheldrick's in Nairobi.

 

I was very surprised to find quite a large group of children standing next to my daughter at pick up time, all carrying their bags and hoping to come back to our house to see my daughter's pet baby elephant. Lots of disappointed kids.

[ZaminOz]

On 4/20/2011 at 5:12 PM, ZaminOz said:

Yes, that seems to be the case; you do see more Thornicroft's giraffe the further south that you go in the park. I am not sure why it is though.

That said we did see some in the Mchenja/Kaingo/Mwamba/Lion Camp areas, but not many.

I intend to ask Phil Berry why he thinks that is when I visit Kuyenda in August this year (assuming he is in camp when we are there). He is a bit of a guru on giraffe.

 

Well, I did stay at Kuyenda camp in August this year (... yes; Trip Report to follow in due course...) and I did ask Phil Berry this question. Phil’s explanation was that giraffe and wildebeest used to be widespread throughout the Luangwa Valley (early hunters and surveyors reports note them in all areas of the valley). However, the rinderpest virus outbreak in the 1890s devastated the giraffe and wildebeest populations, leaving only very small pockets of giraffe (in the south) and wildebeest (in the north). However he says that since that time (and when not under poaching pressure of the 1980s) both species have been increasing in number and are becoming more widespread, gradually returning to areas that they once inhabited.

Edited December 18, 2018 by Tdgraves
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