More Botswana Fauna

(I guess I do like poetry, now, don't I?)

So yes, Botswana's animals were amazing. I'd seen most of these beasts in assorted zoos over the years, but it is a whole different experience when they are in the wild and free to get up close and personal to your safari vehicle.

That's exactly what this little guy did on our last day at Seba Camp. Our guide Max, using his supersonic visual powers, spotted a den of hyena pups about 200m off the sand road we were driving on and took us off-road to have a good look. We parked a reasonable distance away from the den and observed the 4 hyena pups lounging in the sun. One of them, curious as ever and not at all afraid of us humans, trotted over to our safari vehicle to have a closer look at who was observing him and his brothers. This little hyena was fearless, and even followed our Land Cruiser as we drove back onto the sand trail about 10 minutes later to try and find more game.

After spending 2 nights at Seba Camp, we took one of those small planes for a 30-minute trip North to reach the Chobe National Park, one of the best places in Botswana to see elephants, lions and leopards. It was much drier in Chobe, as the waters of the Okavango flow just to the South and West of the Park. It was really hot and dusty, and it was the first time we came across true water holes in the midst of the parched savannah. Many times we'd come across animals having a cool drink in the middle of the day, like this lone bull elephant below.

Like everywhere else we visited in Botswana, Chobe was full of impala. It was amazing to me that most of the time these antelopes would stand their ground and not sprint away as our vehicle approached. Here is a breeding herd we encountered on a hillside, grazing away at grass and low-hanging leaves.

And finally, here is a big elephant that decided to cross the sand road in front of us one afternoon. If you look closely you can tell that this animal is, in fact, one huge virile male!

And on that naughty note, I'll say goodnight!