My Annual Migration To Mana Pools, Zimbabwe. October 2012

[Sangeeta]

Thanks, Wilddog. Based on what you say, I think I would like to give Mana a try in the second week of November or so, hoping that the rains would have just arrived. But this sort of thing is so tricky. Need to have a ticket in hand & wait for a call from Doug before jumping onto a plane

 

Looking forward to more from Vundu & Chikwenya when you can. Interested in the tsetse situation at Chikwenya too. Thanks!

[Super LEEDS]

Honey badger!!!! Great TR, btw.

[wilddog]

Vundu 2 -First full day at Vundu

 

The following morning we took up out mission to find the wild dogs, and of course locate some lions and all the grazers in the area. We were only a kilometre or two from camp when Doug spotted some impala running well back in the bush to the right of the main road. We stopped the cruiser………..

 

 

 

The Vundu pack was back in town! The whole pack trotted past us in the half light and later crossed the road gathering speed. There were 27 dogs, of which 9 were pups. The two remaining floppy eared dogs can be seen within the pack, with the pups bringing up the rear, with one of the adults/sub-adults acting as nanny. It seemed that they were hunting so we tried to follow them but they all veered of the road and cut through the bush towards the river. As I have already mentioned it is hot and humid at this time of year; in addition there was no moonlight during the first half of the trip, so the dogs seemed to focus all their hunting efforts to first or last light.

 

We continued our drive drove up to the ‘parking area’ and while there had a morning coffee whilst taking in the view.

 

We then spotted a female lion walking down the grassed area near the river bank eyeing up some waterbuck. The lioness made an attempt to stalk them but unfortunately they were spooked and ran off. She then climbed back up the river bank some distance away and disappeared. This female spends her time with her ageing mother who is now 17 years old and has very few teeth. Granny (or Beth) is reliant on her daughter to provide for her and is no doubt on borrowed time in terms of life expectancy. We came across this pair of females last year and clearly the younger female has been busy mating with the local males as she reportedly now has one healthy cub.

 

After she had moved on we got out for a walk and spent a considerable time trying to track her, following the tracks of first one then two large cats and then the tracks of a smaller cat. At one point it seemed they were going around in circles and may well have been avoiding us. The tracks disappeared close to some thick bush so we changed our focus and tried to locate the dogs again. We did find the dogs eventually, resting in the shade but they became nervous quite quickly after our arrival, so we beat a retreat. Their behaviour differed from last year when I was able to sit at the edge of the clearing while the pups ran back and forth. It may be that our interest in them has become an irritant. Too much star status possibly!

 

We headed back to the vehicle at the parking area we found the elderly lioness resting under a tree, alone.

 

That afternoon I climbed up onto the viewing platform behind Vundu camp which overlooks a waterhole/mud bath and watched the elephants enjoying themselves.

 

 

As we drove out in the afternoon we found a pair of old bull buffalo resting in the bush and a vervet monkey and baby in a tree.

 

 

 

We returned to the parking area where we found the small lion family together. Granny was still in the same spot chewing on the remains of a warthog carcass; Mum and the cub were in the river bed. Later they joined Granny at the top of the bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We looked out over the river as the sun began to set enjoying the views and then headed off towards camp.

 

 

We were within a few minutes of Vundu camp when it was nearly dark we again came across the dogs again.

 

Edited December 10, 2012 by wilddog

[Sangeeta]

That's an incredible day...Two dog sightings and granny all in a day's work!

 

So interesting that they flopped down right on the road in front of the headlights, almost as if they liked it? Doug, they all must know that whistle now

 

[wilddog]

That's an incredible day...Two dog sightings and granny all in a day's work!

 

 

Actually 3 Vundu pack sightings that day. One sighting at midday; text only above, no images.. They seemed nervous so we moved back. Yes, a good start to our time on the flood plains.

[wilddog]

 

I must admit I had concerns when they said the pack had not been seen for 2 weeks......... I remember from the TR how elusive they were when you were there

 

I am yearning to go back too......... what is it about Mana that get's us like this?

Edited December 17, 2018 by wilddog

[Game Warden]

Doug?

[Game Warden]

Hmmn, Wild dog, now the excitement of Christmas is over time to crack back on with this report? (GW inserts whip cracking smiley)...

[wilddog]

Hmmn, Wild dog, now the excitement of Christmas is over time to crack back on with this report? (GW inserts whip cracking smiley)...

oooooooooh, I am being nagged by GW! Despite your possible thoughts that I am slacking, next load of images are up in gallery and text is in draft so not long now.

[wilddog]

Vundu 3

The following day we did a full day’s drive heading further east from camp along the shore line past Mucheni and on towards Mana Mouth.

But first we tried to locate the dogs again so walked down to the river not far from the new Vine camp, (which was about 60% complete) and walked along the river bed looking for tracks. Numerous waterbuck were at the water’s edge and watched us with curiosity. We found tracks but no dogs and after some time gave up and headed back to the cruiser. They were still in the area and we would no doubt find them again at some point .

During our drive we had good sightings of Eland, which gather here at this time of year, Zebra, Waterbuck, Impala, Kudu and Elephant, including a very fine young bull who visited us in the cruiser.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Towards the end of the morning we found the Vundu pack, resting in the bush, back from, but within sight of, the road. The pack was spread out in two groups and all were resting from the heat of the day. In the centre of a sub group is one the two remaining floppy eared dogs, Blondie. Some ST members will already know of these dogs which appear to have experienced ear damage from mites whilst young.

 

 

 

 

Unknowingly we had already come across the dogs earlier, but this only became apparent when we reviewed our images of the zebra by the waterhole (See previous image above) and there in the background are the dogs. They were in the river bed but somehow we had missed them on our earlier walk.

Whilst with the dogs we met up with John Stevens a renowned Zimbabwe safari guide who had been Doug’s mentor in the early days. He invited us to have a drink with him and his guests and then at John’s suggestion we went to visit the camp where he was staying and which his son-in-law Milo runs. It was a great spot right on the river’s edge, with large trees shading the tents. After the visit, we resumed our travels towards Mana Mouth, where we had a picnic lunch overlooking the Zambezi, whilst talking through Doug’s interview for ST. After a bit of a rest on the river bank, with some of the old Dagga boys grazing behind us, we went for a dip in a pool at the edge of the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wet and muddy but cooler, we set off back towards camp encountering plenty of game on our return trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we found dogs just where we had left them earlier in the day. We spent quite some time watching them and waiting for them to get into action and finally they awoke and performed their normal greeting ceremony. After a lot of milling about up and they disappeared deep into the bush.

After some discussion we decided to head back east as that was where Doug thought they would hunt. We drove back down the road and could see the dogs in a larger open area way off in the distance hunting. At first, they seemed have some strategy and were behaving as a team but this broke down over time and it became every dog (or 2 or 3) for themselves. Suddenly 3 dogs could be seen heading back toward the road to the west with an impala fleeing in front of them. We drove rapidly as they crossed the road and ……….the impala was felled. We got out of the cruiser and headed to the kill spot. We arrived within two minutes but all that remained was a leg: the dogs and the rest of the impala were gone. The speed of the whole thing was impressive.

Since arriving on the flood plains we had only seen the elderly lioness, with her daughter and grandson, and had not yet seen the Mana Pride, the largest in the area. As we headed back we stopped, with 2 other vehicles, to find the Mana Pride getting ready for a night’s hunting.

What a fantastic end to another superb day in Mana.

P.S. The sound has been removed from this video as it did include a lot of verbal comments. We seemed to have driven straight over some fresh lion scat. For those that know what this smells like you will know it is likely to give rise to vociferous comments, particularly when the smell is being wafted up through a warm engine. Edited January 20, 2013 by wilddog

[wilddog]

 

Milo's camp was I THINK it was around Gwaya camp between Goliath and the lodges but I am not absolutely sure. If Doug reads this and I am wrong he will no doubt correct me.

Edited December 17, 2018 by wilddog

[Game Warden]

At what stage does the ST birthday cake make an appearance?

[wilddog]

At what stage does the ST birthday cake make an appearance?

Chikwenya...................... another Vundu day yet before I get to that bit.

[pault]

For those who have not experienced fresh lion scat, the comments might have aided the imagination.

 

Nice update - a day that got better and better!

[graceland]

What a wonderful experience and excellent images. I hesitate to admire others' TR's as it makes me feel so bad about my own.

On the other hand, I get to add to my list of where to GO next!

 

Enjoying immensely!

[wilddog]

Vundu 4

 

 

The water buck were out on the plains as we left camp and headed west along the Zambezi. On the way we found a large male baboon resting on top of a tall termite mound - in classic pose with wrist on knees and hands dangling – a perfect photography opportunity; obviously camera shy the baboon leapt up into the tree and I managed to catch him mid-flight.

 

 

 

A little later we found the Mucheni (or Main) lion pride resting under a tree near the camp sites. This was a good opportunity to have a proper look at them in daylight. As they were lying down it was difficult to tell if their hunt the previous night had been successful. There currently 2 cubs about 6 + months old. The cubs I had seen the previous year were now full size although still immature. As is usual in daylight and the heat they were not doing much! So far there was no sign of the two males that dominate this area.

 

 

 

 

 

We went down to the Mucheni 4 Camp site where I had stayed about 18 months ago and as no one was using the site, and we had not yet had breakfast at, Doug made a braai and made some bacon sandwiches.

 

 

We just had a quiet amble round watching the usual suspects and enjoying the peace and quiet and so I did not take many images. One very nice sighting was a very elegant, female elephant with one very straight tusk, accompanied by her youngster.

 

 

In the afternoon we found the lions still resting under the trees, but on our return to camp as darkness fell we found them heading out to hunt. As with the previous night the adults were at the front with the two youngsters following at the back. They disappeared into the night and we went back to camp.

 

 

 

 

 

The following morning we headed south away from the Zambezi and towards Long Pool and beyond. We were hoping to find the Long Pool Wilddog pack who den in the area. They are smaller pack (9/10 adults and 2 pups) and some would suggest are less successful than the Vundu pack who certainly seem to patrol the area near the river where the greatest density of game is concentrated at this time of the year. I had seen the Long Pool pack in July the previous year but this year I was to be unlucky.

 

Our first find of the day was an Aardvark hole with the tracks of both an adult and juvenile heading away from the hole. Sadly we did not have a sighting.

 

Shortly after this as we got to the plains above Long Pool where we came across a small lion pride comprising of 2 females, 4 cubs and a young male sitting in the open. They were some distance from the road so the images are not the best. Despite the distance they seemed nervous of our presence and got up to move downhill and into the bush. We managed to catch sight of them a bit later and got some video as Mum and the cubs walked through the trees. Doug said he had not seen this small pride before.The image quality is a bit dissapointing.

 

 

 

 

We left them in peace and went down to Long Pool where stopped for coffee, parking the vehicle close to the water. We watched the varied bird life and as we stood quietly by the vehicle a group of female kudu started to walk down to the water. They saw the vehicle but were apparently unaware of our presence as we stood watching from the far side. We managed to pull our cameras out of the vehicle without disturbing them and had a wonderful time watching quietly as they edged towards the water. They were inevitably nervous and it took some time for the lead female to get to the water’s edge, only to find it was already occupied so they retreated to another spot shielded by fallen branches where they could drink more safely.

 

It was only after they had left that we spotted the sparrow hawk amongst the branches behind the kudu

 

 

 

 

 

We then headed down to the Wilderness area where there was reported to be another lion pride, The Mbara Pride. We parked the cruiser and could see a group of lions resting under a very low hanging tree nearby. We had also been advised that in the recent game count a male Sable antelope had been seen in the wilderness area. Sable is not normally seen in Mana so this was an exciting bit of news, so we decided to walk and see if we could find. We walked past the pride females, at a safe distance, and on into the wilderness area. We searched for the Sable for about 30 minutes, scanning regularly with our binoculars but found only impala and waterbuck. As it was by now quite late in the morning and very hot we gave up our search and made our way back to the vehicle.

 

Suddenly Doug said ‘stop…….reverse’ - there was male lion under the trees and we were walking straight towards him. We retreated to a termite mound (so useful these termite mounds) where we could see that he was half asleep but as we watched he became more aware of our presence. My travelling companion, at Doug’s suggestion, climbed up the back of the termite mound to get a better view. The lion was not happy about this and growled at us so we backed away.

 

In the afternoon we found the Mucheni lion pride resting having killed an eaten an eland nearby. One obliging female decided she needed a drink and got up and walked down to the water. She had and the rest of the pride had obviously eaten well. We then had a last amble around before returning to camp to Vundu and preparing for our drive to Chikwenya the next day.

 

Edited January 12, 2013 by wilddog

[Atravelynn]

You had to be thrilled to see the whole pack of dogs after hearing they had ventured off to other parts for two weeks. Honestly, that did not sound promising. What luck they showed up, or maybe they were welcoming you back.

 

So many reports on Mana Pools and so many fans, there will need to be a new subforum!

 

That zebra photo with the dogs in back was fascinating. I never noticed them at first glance. That laptop came in handy for a closer look. I can only imagine your surprise when you realized what you were looking at.

 

The lion cubs are very young. How exciting to have a new pride in the area.

 

That's a really nice photo of you too!

Edited January 15, 2013 by Atravelynn

[savoche]

I have stop reading these reports. Yes, we will go back to Mana Pools, but there are already too many places on top of the list...

 

Impatiently waiting for the continuation, wilddog!

[wilddog]

Thanks Atravelyyn and Savoche. Next portion on the way; images uploaded, videos being trimmed and uploaded to You Tube and the is text half written. Thanks for reading the report and thanks for waiting.

Edited December 17, 2018 by wilddog

[wilddog]

Chikwenya 1

Chikwenya is quite luxurious with chalets (on stilts) which are spaced well apart and have large rooms with an exterior terrace, a shower room inside with WC and outside an external bath and shower. The camp also has a small swimming pool overlooking the flood plain and central lounge dining area and bar.

 

 

After settling in, we went for an afternoon boat trip around Chikwenya Island. The temperature was high, as was the humidity (although the threatened rain had not appeared), so it was a pleasure to experience the cooling breeze (and iced Gin and Tonic) as we headed down, and then back up river to camp. Hippos popping their heads up, large crocodiles slinking into the water as approached, water buck eying is up from a safe distance and elephants and birds in abundance.

 

 

 

After the boat trip we went for a brief drive before having to return to camp for dinner and found…………..the Chikwenya Wilddog Pack

 

 

The next morning we were out at first light to relocate the dogs and found them just setting out to hunt. It was very interesting to watch how the hunt developed. The pups were kept to one side in a crèche area with a nanny, as the lead animal surveyed the area for potential prey. The others then joined him coming either side of the vehicle and finally the puppies brought up the rear. The lead dog then headed off across the shallow valley and we attempted to follow them and to predict where they were heading.

 

At one point we were strategically positioned as one on a rise as dog ran very fast across the open area in front of us, hot on the heels of an impala. The speed was impressive, second only to cheetah I imagine. The hunt was unsuccessful on this occasion and finally we lost them in thick bush.

 

We found them again later resting up with the pups after what appears to have been an unsuccessful early morning hunt. This gave us a chance to have a close look at them. We got out of the cruiser and sat on the ground and watched them. This is a big healthy pack with some vary attractive dogs with very varied patterns and colouring. The pack were seemingly un-fazed as we sat their quietly and the pups showed the natural curiosity and exuberance of youngsters of all species.

 

A few of the adults...............

 

 

 

and some pups.....................

 

 

I have over the last couple of years spent quite a bit of time with Wild dogs, particularly in Mana; this time would be the first time I would hear the ‘belling’ sound that they make; I have heard it imitated many times, but this was my first live experience and what a strikingly haunting sound it is. The video below, taken while we sat on the ground includes the sound.

 

 

We then moved on for the rest of the morning and spent a considerable time watching a bull elephant stretching up for those green leaves at the tips of the lower branches of the trees. This guy was not a 'handstander' but how he adjusted his weight and balance from one front foot to the other and stretched his back legs out just to gain those few elusive centimetres of height was extraordinary to watch.

 

 

 

On our trip round for the rest of the morning we saw a variety of animals and bird life including impala, eland waterbuc, zebra, a rather badly beaten up hippo making his way back to the water, some beautiful nyala, one of which remained near the vehicle while I climbed out to get some low level shots, and a small family of elephants who seemed very untroubled by our presence so much so that both youngsters sat and then lay down while we were watching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To follow..................... our final 24 hours in Mana

Edited January 24, 2013 by wilddog

[Atravelynn]

Fascinating belling sound. My husband called from the next room, "What is that?" Now he knows about belling too. Thinking in more residential terms he asked, "How'd you like to live across from that all day?" Funny how from wild dogs this is most enchanting. If the neighbor's yapping pooch was doing this all day long, it would get annoying.

 

How wonderful you could be part of the belling with young ones trotting all around and taking note of you.

 

That hippo's hide is evidence of a tough life.

 

Another great photo of you. You've chosen great action or posing shots as proof Wilddog was actually there.

[wilddog]

Hippo or crocodile - what a choice but you clearly made the right one!

 

Chikwenya is certainly a nice area; lodge very comfortable and the food is good too!

 

Apart from the dogs, we had some wonderful sightings, particularly the Nyala, and, with only one other group of guests on the concession, we were normally alone.

 

Nice lion pride too but more of that in the final chapter.

[madaboutcheetah]

Wild Dog, Thanks for writing up this report - truly makes for great reading. As I was mentioning to you the other day, I hope to one day get to Mana.

[Sangeeta]

Just a wonderful, wonderful video, wilddog! That belling sound is amazing. Indeed, all wild dog vocalizations are unique, but this is really special. Do you know why they make that sound? And those are the puppies that were hiding from us! They are adorable at this age and were curious to boot. The videos are getting exponentially better with each report, btw.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Sangeeta

[wilddog]

Despite what I said, I HAVE heard it before but did not know what I was hearing. We were at the Long Pool Pack den site 18 months ago and Doug said the dogs are coming back, can you hear them? I listened and all I could hear was what I thought was some sort of owl hooting. You live and learn.

 

It is used by both adults and pups. In this case I think there is no doubt it means 'I am hungry; will some body feed me.' but with adults it is more often used to comminicate with each other over distance or when on thick bush. The adult tone is unsurpsingly a bit lower than the pups.

 

BTW thanks to everyone for their kind comments. I really need a better video camera but think it will have to wait. paying for the safari comes first!

 

 

.... glad it gave you a lift and guess what? - I will, aftter all,be in Mana about a month after you. It's become a bit of a habit.