Books For When You Book.

This week I thought I'd point you all in the direction of some interesting books to read on the subject of Africa and African wildlife. Obviously if you looking for an adventure novel almost anything by Wilbur Smith will do, although some of his later works are a little tedious, but they're still good for squashing cockroaches with. If your looking for a good animal book to take with you on your Safari try to get hold of a copy of "Signs of the Wild" by Clive Walker (Published by Struik.) It's a conveniently sized book containing some excellent information on animals of southern Africa. It has good photos and brief descriptions of behaviour. However, the best thing about it is the clear depictions of animal tracks and even photos of their droppings. It really does enhance your safari experience. If you can't get a copy before you go, you may be able to buy one at Johannesburg airport when you arrive. That's where I got mine. By the way the book also provides the names of animals in local tribal languages - handy if you want to know what your guide is talking about on his radio.

For more detailed information on animal behaviour grab a copy of "The Safari Companion" by Richard D Estes. (Published by Chelsea Green Publishing Company.) It's a real text book and contains very comprehensive information on animal behaviour. If you are a serious animal watcher I can thoroughly recommend it. However, if you're just going to Africa for a standard holiday or honeymoon you can probably live without it. It's fairly big and heavy too.

For bird watching grab yourself a copy of "Birds of Africa South of the Sahara" by Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan. (Published by Struik). It contains good, clear illustrations and distribution maps and the bird your looking at is easy to find in the index of common names. Again, the only disadvantage is that is is quite large and heavy. A good small bird book is "Pocket-Guide to Southern African Birds" by Burger Cillie and Ulrich Oberprieler. (Published by Sunbird Publishing.) It has clear photos and again the birds are easy to find in a hurry.

Now here are a few good books to read before you go to Africa. "The Leopard's Tale' by naturalist and presenter of TV's Big Cat Dairy - Jonathon Scott (Published by Elm Tree Books.) "Cry of the Kalahari" by Mark & Delia Owens (Published by Collins) It's a beautifully written and very readable account of a pair of researchers' experiences while studying the wildlife of the Kalahari Desert. "Sand Rivers" by Peter Matthiessen. (Published by Bantam Books.) This concerns a fascinating expedition into the Selous National Reserve in Southern Tanzania before it really opened up to international visitors.

One of my all time favourites is "The Wilderness Family" by Kobie Kruger. (Published by Bantam Books.) It's a memoir of a family's life in the bush. Be warned though, it's a real tear jerker. For history buffs there's "The White Nile" by Alan Moorhead. (Published by Penguin.) If you like historical novels theres "The Covenant" by James Michener. This is a sweeping epic covering the history of South Africa. It's a good read and can be used to hold open heavy doors when you've finished with it. Sorry can't remember who the publisher is.

Some of my other favourites are......
The Trouble with Africa - Vic Guhrs
Facing the Congo - Jeffrey Taylor
Bonobo Handshake - Vanessa Woods
Journey Without Maps - Graham Greene
Jock of the Bushveld - Sir Percy Fitzpatrick
I Dreamed of Africa - Kuki Gallmann. (Have the tissues at hand for this one too.)

Finally I'd like to recommend "The No1 Ladies Detective Agency" series of books by Alexander McCall Smith. I think there are twelve books so far. They are gentle, humouous novels about Botswana's only lady private detective. They are a delight. You might not learn much about African wildlife from them but they're a lovely, light, undemanding read. Happy reading everyone.        

The Clash of Spiral Horns

One of my favourite things in the whole wide world is to grab a couple of beers from the bar of whatever game lodge I'm staying in and take them, along with my camera, binoculars and bird book to the hide over looking the waterhole. Not all lodges have these, but if yours does, go there one afternoon while everyone else is sleeping off their lunch. Sit quietly and patiently for an hour or two and you never know what you'll see.  Idube Lodge in the Sabi Sands area of South Africa near Kruger National Park has a great hide (Or "blind" as they tend to call them in South Africa.) It was here that I saw two magnificent kudu bulls sparring.

For twenty minutes the bush echoed with the clash of their great spiral horns as they butted and fenced, seeking to impose their superiority. Finally, with neither animal gaining the upper hand they decided to call it a draw and have a drink at the waterhole. Just to their left a family of warthogs were kneeling and grazing on the new green grass shoots not far from the water's edge. It was a hot, still afternoon and I could hear them pulling at the grass. The only other sound was the incessant rhythmic hum of the cicadas and the equally rhythmic call of the yellow-billed hornbills from somewhere in the trees beyond the waterhole. It was a better and cheaper way to relax than having a massage.

My wife and I were at the bar one day at Idube lodge, (Have you noticed how much time we seem to spend in the lodge bars?) one evening. Our guide was with us regaling us with tales of daring-do with lions and elephants, when one of the gardeners ran up in a lather of panic. "Pardon me sir." He said in broken English  looking at my wife. Then he turned to our guide. "Dere is a warthog inside the pool." We followed the guide and the gardener across the lawn to the swimming pool, and sure enough swimming round and round, it's eyes building in absolute terror was a huge old boar warthog with very impressive warts and even more impressive tusks.

He was searching for a way out. One end of the pool sloped gradually to cope with just such events but standing at the shallow end, blocking the animals escape route was one of the other guests. An Aussie teenager of about fourteen. He was frantically pushing his fringe out of his eyes to get a better look at the action. We immediately saw that he'd get a better view than he bargained for if the warthog decided that it was better to run straight through him rather than drown. I dread to think of the mess those tusks would have made of the kid. With remarkable restraint our guide quietly told the boy that if he didn't want to be gored and bleed to death he might like to join us at the deep on of the pool. This he did with a grudging shrug. Immediately the warthog saw his chance and dashed up the slope, out of the water, his trotters skidding in all direction on the concrete and his tail bolt upright as he disappeared into the scrub.

Another lodge with a great hide is Mashatu Tented Camp. Mashatu is a wonderful private game reserve in Botswana, just across the Limpopo River which forms South Africa's northern border. I've mentioned Mashatu before in this blog. http://ucangoonsafari.blogspot.com/2010/05/leopards-galore.html
Mashatu Main Camp also has an excellent waterhole. It has no hide though. The lodge restaurant overlooks the waterhole, but even the low murmur of the voices of people enjoying their meal doesn't seem to put many of the animals off, and there are always birds and turtles to watch, not to mention a medium sized crocodile.

Whatever lodge you happen to be staying at, take some quiet time to yourself. Even if there is no hide. Just sit on your deck or veranda and observe. There's always something to see if you sit still and silent. Besides, it's good for the soul.

  

The Wildlife Adventure of a Lifetime

In this week's Africa blog I am simply asking for expressions of interest in what will be the ultimate African wildlife and cultural experience. Join my wife Jacky and I in October 2012 as we, along with professional guides show you why we love the continent of Africa so much.

We'll visit stunning and historic Cape Town and the surrounding wineries and treat ourselves to some of the very best food and wine the world has to offer. We'll visit historic Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and journey to the Cape of Good Hope, amongst so many other wonderful attractions.

We'll marvel at the incredible Victoria Falls. We'll walk with lions and ride elephants through the African bush. We'll fly over the falls in a helicopter for some breathtaking photographs and we'll sip excellent wine as we cruise along the mighty Zambezi River at sunset, watching hippos yawn and elephants bathing in the shallows.

Next its off to the Okavango Delta. One of the world's greatest wildlife hotspots and truly one of the natural wonders of the world. We'll spend three nights here in a comfortable lodge before moving north to Tanzania. Here we'll spend time at Lake Manyara to see the tree climbing lions, Ngorogoro Crater and the highlight of the trip - The Serengeti. Accommodation for this part of trip will be in luxury ensuite tents.

For those who want to extend their trip there will be add-ons available for Kenya, gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda or soaking up the history and the sun at Zanzibar. The basic trip will be approximately eighteen nights. Apart from Jacky and I there will be only six places available. The itinerary is entirely negotiable. If I find people would rather spend more time in one place than the other then that is what we'll do. You tell me.
Obviously the cost is yet to be finalised, but once we have settled on a final itinerary you can be assured that I will be seeking out the best possible value for money.

One thing is certain, with such a small, exclusive group you are guaranteed personal service and the adventure of a lifetime. So call me personally on 0449 689 447 or Ucango Travel on 1300 822 646 and ask to speak to me - Peter Emery. Or just drop me an email at peter.emery@ucango.com.au      

Cat Food

It's the day after the elephant stampede in Hwange National Park.  http://ucangoonsafari.blogspot.com/2011/06/stampede.html
My wife Jacky and I are at a small tented camp in the bush, not far from the park gates. One of the rangers - Elliott, a tall ebony skinned Zimbabwean who wears John Lennon spectacles which lend him a distinctly scholarly air, asks us and two other guests - Bill and Janet if we'd like to go for a walk. We all readily agree and he collects a heavy bore rifle and some ammo from the office before leading us out of the camp. It's late in the afternoon of a perfectly clear late September day - towards the end of the dry season. The sun is low and swollen and the air is beginning to cool rapidly. There's the spicy scent of dust and the crunch of dessicated, butterfly shaped mopane leaves underfoot.

We walk away from the camp in single file, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Bill brings up the rear and is somewhat clumsy by nature. Now and again we hear a crash as he drops a piece of equipment, his camera or his binoculars followed by a soft curse. Picking our way down the slope towards the dry river bed we come across a disused termite mound that has been taken over by a colony of dwarf mongooses. The feisty little brown animals, not much more than thirty centimetres long scamper about and then suddenly sit upright to glare at us and issue there sharp, high-pitched alarm calls. They're angry at having their preparations for the night disturbed by our unwelcome presence.

We continue down to the dry river bed and walk along for a while. It's darker here, shaded by the high banks that rise uo to five metres on either side, colder too as the sun sinks lower. The soft sand of the river bed pulls at our feet and makes the going slow and we follow the river as it winds to and fro through the dry scrub. Then, at the apex of a bend Elliott stops so suddenly that the rest of us almost crash into his back. He holds out one arm by his side, but keeps his eyes fixed ahead. His rifle is still slung on his shoulder. We look up to follow his line of vision. Not ten metres away and perhaps three metres above us are three lionesses, silhouetted against the twilit sky. We shouldn't be out this late. Predators are in hunting mode. The big cats are standing there peering down at us but showing no sign of aggression, just curiosity. At Elliott's bidding we stand stock still and silent. Even Bill manages not to drop anything. Then one of the lionesses crouches and looks for all the world as though she is about to leap into the river bed with us. Elliott turns and hisses at us. "Walk slowly upstream." Bill, Janet, Jacky and I look at each other. It's a dry river bed for Christ's sake. How are we to know which way upstream is? Elliott sees our indecision and hisses again. "Back the way you came - towards the camp."

We turn and walk slowly back the way we'd come. Elliott unslings his rifle and follows us a few yards behind. Up on top of the bank the lions follow, never taking their eyes from us, not exactly stalking us but showing an unnerving amount of interest nonetheless. Quite literally, the last thing you do in this situation is run.  http://ucangoonsafari.blogspot.com/2010/05/only-food-runs.html  Elliott reiterates this but we are all only too well aware that we're cat food if we do. So we walk slowly and casually back the way we came towards the camp along the river bed, with the lions walking equally slowly and casually with us. At last we come to the place where we'd climbed down into the bed. Fortunately it's on the opposite bank to where the lions are. They stop and watch us walk away and make no attempt at further pursuit.

Back at the camp Elliott joins us at the bar for a stiff drink and pronounces that he had been worried that if he'd had to fire even a warning shot he would have been severely reprimanded. If he'd had to shoot one of the lions he could possibly have faced the sack, and if the lions had eaten us he would certainly lose his job, and if he lost his job he would also lose his wife. We tipped him well when we left.  

Stampede!

A few years ago my wife and I were staying at a small tented safari camp just outside of the famous Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The camp was situated high on a cliff overlooking a dry river bed, where a small water hole was floodlit at night so that guests could sit in comfy chairs at the cliff edge with a glass of Amarula Cream and watch the nocturnal comings and goings below. It was late afternoon when we arrived and having had a quick snack we were whisked out on a game drive into the National Park itself. As the sun was setting we arrived at a large waterhole surrounded by mopane trees.

Two elephants were drinking at one end and a small herd (or dazzle) of zebra were at the other end. The scene was idyllically peaceful, with a red, swollen sun resting on top of the trees, reflecting in the rippling water. It was the perfect place and time for sunset drinks. Then as we watch, clutching our glasses of wine, more elephants started to arrive. In ones and twos to begin with, then in family groups and then in entire herds. It was an awe inspiring site. Soon there were more than three hundred elephants crowded around the waterhole. they came through the bush behind us, ignoring our vehicle as they strode purposefully towards the water. We were surrounded by pachyderms of every size, enormous bulls, matriarchs, juveniles, babies.

Then a hundred metres away a zebra coughed, startling one of the elephant calves, who ran to it's nearby mother. This startled other elephants and soon the panic had spread to the entire herd. Suddenly we were in the midst of a stampede. Across the other side of the waterhole elephants were charging off into the trees, while on our side they were rushing past our vehicle, literally brushing the sides of the open landcruiser. Trumpeting and dust filled the twilight and we held on tight, expecting a devastating collision at any moment. None came, even in their panic the ellies were careful not to run into us, even though their already poor eyesight would have been further restricted by the clouds of thick orange dust. Then they had gone. It's simply amazing how three hundred elephants can disappear- just like that. All that was left was a pall of dust, the zebras had long since fled and the water now reflected a solitary scarlet cloud painted by the dying sun, now invisible behind the mopane trees. We sat quietly in the vehicle for a while, then someone suggested another drink. Everybody thought that a splendid idea, though it was hard to keep the glasses still in our trembling hands. Finally we drove in through the darkness back to the camp, our headlights picking out glittering eyes along the roadside. Back at the camp a member of staff greeted us with. "How was the game drive? Did you see anything?"
  "Yes." I said. "One or two elephants." Then my wife and I made our way to the bar.

Erection Problems? Chew Your Fingernails.

What a complex business wildlife conservation is. I read that a rhino park has recently opened in China. At this park, which will hold several white rhinos, they will humanely harvest the horns by tranquilizing the animals and removing the horn. In this way it will grow back and the Chinese will have a sustainable supply of rhino horn to sell to those men who very misguidedly believe it will solve their erection problems.
Rhino horn is just keratin - the same as your finger nails, so if you'll pardon the expression - if you have a limp willy, chew your nails, it has the same effect as rhino horn. Now on the face of it you may think that the rhino park is a good idea, and that it will take the pressure off a wild population which is being decimated by poaching. Sadly this is not necessarily the case. I have a horrible feeling that all it will do is increase the demand for powdered rhino horn and therefore increase the poaching problem. I really hope I'm wrong.

Certain African governments have moved to have the ban on the sale of ivory lifted so that they can sell their huge stockpiles of confiscated ivory in order to gain much needed revenue. Where's the harm in that? You might ask. No elephants are being slaughtered. All they're doing is selling ivory from elephants that were poached long ago. However, once again, you run the risk of increasing demand. Unscrupulous people will take advantage of the fact that ivory is once again a legal commodity and will step up their poaching activities, and how can you tell whether the ivory you've bought is from a legal stockpile or an illegally poached animal?

Many parts of Africa - Chobe National Park in Botswana for example, have far too many elephants. The result of this is the destruction of habitat for many other species as well as for the elephants themselves. Authorities try to avoid culling, because with elephants you cannot just kill individual animals as this traumatises the entire herd and can make them wary and aggressive. Imagine someone coming into your house and shooting your brother. You'd be wary and aggressive too right? They would have to destroy the entire herd, including calves, and apart from the public outcry that this would cause, no one really wants to go down that path. So, the only option left is relocation, but again the whole herd has to go which is immensely time consuming and massively expensive.

When male elephant calves reach a certain age they are booted out of the family group which helps to prevent in-breeding within the herd. These boys often form a bachelor herd and do what most groups of young men will do - hang out together, chase girls and generally behave in an obnoxious manner. Old lone bulls that they come into contact with will act as mentors and will have a calming effect on the younger bulls. In addition the old fellows will pass on their bush wisdom, teaching the lads the proper way be behave and where to find the best grazing and water holes for example. Hunting concessions usually sell these old bulls to hunters who pay thousands of dollars to shoot an elephant. Why anyone would want to kill such a magnificent animal is beyond me, but a lot of that money is then ploughed back into conservation. Of course the problem with that is that there are then a shortage of old bulls to teach the youngsters in the bachelor herd how to behave, and so they go a bit "feral" as kids without proper adult guidance will. They then start breaking down fences, raiding crops, destroying water pipes and painting graffiti. Of course this is not tolerated by the human populace and both animals and humans are often killed in the battles that break out. This problem is not confined to Africa either, India has similar issues to deal with.

So, whatever you do, don't go thinking that African wildlife conservation is a simple issue. There are so many things to consider, and an action that may be taken for the good of one species of animal in good faith can easily backfire with unexpected disastrous consequences for another species. These things have to be thought through and researched. There is no quick fix, but as long as there are people who care about preserving wild Africa we will at least be heading in the right direction.    

Africa With Emirates

I recently travelled to London with Emirates, and quite frankly I wouldn't fly with anyone else now if I had the choice. I'd flown with them a couple of time from Brisbane to Auckland, but that's only about three hours. This was my first long haul experience with them.  It seems to me that they have at least two inches more legroom in economy than most other airlines. I'm six feet two inches tall (or whatever that is in this new- fangled metric system - 4 billion nanometres or something) so I really noticed the difference. They have a superb, easy to use personal entertainment system, friendly cabin crew and edible food - a rarity in economy class these days.

The other thing I really appreciated was the various cameras that gave you views of what was happening outside. They have a camera mounted on the tail, one on the nose and a downward facing camera which I don't recommend for those of you suffering from vertigo. All you have to do it touch your personal screen and you get the view from whatever camera you want. The reason I like this is that I get a little claustrophobic when I can't see out of a window when the aircraft is on it's final approach. In other words I like to be able to see what we're about to crash into. The trouble with having a window seat on a long haul flight is that you can't stretch your legs or visit the toilet without climbing over and disturbing two other passengers and probably spilling hot tea in their laps. However, due to the forward facing cameras I was able to see where we were going and have an aisle seat to stretch out in too. I loved it.

What's all this got to do with Africa? You ask. Well, Emirates service many cities in my favourite continent. Naturally, you have to travel via their hub in Dubai, but the extra comfort on Emirates is worth a couple of extra hours flying and in any case they are the most direct option to some African destinations. Below is a list of African cities services by Emirates.

Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Luanda, Addis Ababa, Khartoum, Accra, Abijan, Dakar, Casablanca, Tunis, Tripoli (I'd probably avoid this one at the moment.), and Cairo. They also service Mauritius and Seychelles.

As well as being my first long haul flight with Emirates, my latest trip was also my first flight on an Airbus A380. Emirates economy class configuration on this monster is 3-4-3. The same as a Boeing 747-400. Indeed it doesn't seem that much bigger on the inside than a 747, except that you have to remember that there's another cabin of roughly the same proportion above you. Emirates have the lower cabin as economy class and the upper cabin is a mix of First and Business class.

Try them on your next trip wherever it may be. They may not always be the cheapest, but they're very rarely the dearest and in any case, it's value for money that counts and I think Emirates certainly give you plenty of that.