Just another P-Day Game Drive

"Sure we’ll take you on a game drive and a rhino-tracking adventure in Africa!” we happily told our new senior couple. Don’t expect too much, though, we told them, as the small game reserve of Mokolodi close to Gaborone has largely disappointed us the last couple of times with few spottings of wildlife. But not today! It turned out to be a fabulous safari experience. We started the day early with our guide McDonald and had the safari vehicle all to ourselves.

Along the route tracking rhino by their scat, we encountered giraffe…

...the ubiquitous impala which abound in this small park as there are no predators here..

...a large troop of baboons…

...our national animal the testy and highly irritable zebra…

...the beautifully horned and oversized kudu...

,,,wildebeest, which we haven’t seen in this park before…

                                               

...warthogs and hippos and a wonderful termite mound…

...and then McDonald found our rhinos!

These are white rhinos.  McDonald told us black rhinos are even more rare than the whites.  Both are still heavily poached for their front horn for which Asian countries pay dearly as they believe it to be an aphrodisiac.  The horn can actually be cut off without hurting the rhino in any way.  It is like a fingernail that will grow back.  But poachers have neither the money nor the inclination to tranquilize this huge beast in order to saw off the horn, so they simply shoot them dead.  McDonald also told us that in order to preserve the dwindling numbers, all rhinos in South Africa routinely have their horns shaved so as to prevent poaching.  Kenya handles their poaching problem by keeping all rhino in preserves which are guarded by military personnel round the clock.  Here in Botswana, the government protect their rhinos by grouping them in only three areas of the country:  The Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Francistown, Chobe National Park up north near Kasane, and a herd of 13 whites here in wee little Mokolodi.  All 13 rhino are well known to the staff and are named.  They are checked on by staff as well as by a visit from the Botswana Defense Force daily.  





We found 8 of our herd of 13 congregated near the water hole and supplemental food station.  A couple of times a week, their diet is supplemented by the game staff during this dry and thirsty time in Botswana just after winter and before the summer rainfalls. Once the rains come in November, the herd will not need food supplementation and consequently will scatter as they forage.  So we came tracking at the perfect time of year. 




Rhinos have dreadful eyesight making these curious guys advance quite closely so as to check us out.  They weigh up to 3 tons, protect their young aggressively, and can run quite fast when motivated.    Their skin is completely impenetrable to the claws or teeth of big predators, so they would flourish if only man would leave them alone.  McDonald our tracker carried his rifle to shoot in the air to scare them if they charged us, but we were able to keep them at a safe distance by simply beating the brush around us.  They are prehistoric looking and wonderfully entertaining.  Was just another morning of fabulous adventure in the bush of Botswana with friends.

              

                                               

                                               

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