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2
December 2009
Sue and Gordon’s Notebook
The arrival of the egyptian geese heralded the start of our summer rains and what a delight it has been to see the result. The bright emerald green of the bush and the rapid growth has been amazing.
The wildebeest and impala have started to calve and we are seeing these little ones taking their first wobbly steps into the world. Another junior visitor to the waterhole is a very young elephant who has a distinctive kink in its tail. He hasn’t mastered the use of his trunk yet so waves it and his head wildly and smacks the water in frustration.
Now that the fence in front of our house is down the animals are all getting more and more brave, as well as inquisitive, in exploring the grass next to our deck.It is so exciting to see everything grazing so close to the house.
One ele decided that not only was the swimming pool water MUCH more tasty than the waterhole but also the trees on the deck were planted solely for his culinary pleasure. After pulling down one branch he needed to be persuaded to move off and try the reserve’s trees instead!
Whilst baboons and their antics are cute to watch at a distance they are a nuisance and very destructive when they get into camp. We watched as a large male drank at the waterhole, sauntered across to the house and jumped onto the deck. Gordon flung open the door to yell at him which resulted in this fellow getting such a fright he fell into our swimming pool. After swimming frantically to the the other side he high tailed around the side of the house for safety only to find Zazu and Mufasa. They took great offence at this hairy fairy in their space and flew at him snarling and barking.
In desperation he baled over the grass mound onto the lodge lawn and raced past guests who were sitting down to afternoon tea in the breezeway. This has to have been one of the funniest baboon deterrents yet!
As you know we are blessed with amazing birdlife at the lodge whilst working in the office at home I heard the sound of klinking glasses and the sweetest bird song. As I put my head around the corner I saw two Mocking Cliff Chats standing on the shelves at the bar whistling and singing at their reflection in the mirror behind. I couldn’t understand where they got in until it was time for them to leave and they flew out of a hole in our leadwood front door! How they worked out that they would fit is a mystery as they fly in and out at speed.
The weavers are hard at work making their nests in trees all around the lodge and whilst they are rather messy they are fascinating to watch. The dexterity with which they weave out using grass and strips of leaves is amazing.
Falkor, our Persian/chinchilla cross, very proudly deposited a “present” on my lap the other night. It was the most beautiful and delicate butterfly like creature. The colour was an exquisite green and looked to be make out of filigree. Stefan tells me it is a Lunar Moth and is only seen seven days in the year. This is the first time we have ever seen one and I am only sorry that I didn’t photograph it. We were more concerned about releasing it outside, well away from Falkor’s predatory grasp!
Our summer days are gloriously sunny, hot and bright with the new green from the rain. The waterhole is having great visits from all types of animals. We are thrilled at the very regular visits of a brown hyena who walks past the house on the way to and from the waterhole. He is very relaxed with life it seems!
Wishing
you and your families the Happiest of Holidays.
May the festive season be filled with laughter and 2010 bring all you
wish for yourselves.
Hope
to see you soon,
Gordon, Sue and the Bush House Family
2
December 2009
Hi everyone
The
rains have arrived bringing a much needed relief from the dry winter
season. Dams are filling up and the bush is now covered in a green
coat. Now that the bush is much thicker and water is
available everywhere it makes game viewing a bit more challenging,
but it is still very nice just to go out on a scenic drive.
We did however have an amazing last couple of months .......... as
we say, “some National Geographic stuff”.
We were VERY fortunate to see a leopard with an Impala kill in a tree and got so close that we could hear him chewing the meat of the bones, and as if once was not enough he was waiting for us in the exact same tree the next morning.
Also we got to see the rare black rhino a couple of times. We saw quite a few individuals, but one old bull was seen the most and is usually fairly relaxed and allowed us to view him at close range.
What
a pleasure it was to have the wild dogs in the west for quite some
time. We had some really good sightings of them and also were able
to see their newest additions. Six new pups playing around the others.
We also saw them filling their bellies with all kinds of prey which
included an Impala taken down right in front of the lodge.
Once again lions have been mating in our area and again we had been
in the right place at the right time to see one of natures most interesting
things.
The Etali Female and her four youngsters are still doing very well and we saw them with a kill again and watched the youngsters playing with a tail of a gemsbok. This fighting over the tail is an important lesson for the youngsters as they learn valuable skills through playing.
Birds of prey have also been seen more regularly and even a kill has been seen. A Martial Eagle took down a Monitor Lizard not too far from us and he flew up with it and went to sit in the tree right next to us.
The warmer weather brought all the reptiles out of hibernation and chameleons especially have been seen more regularly. This reminds me of another sighting where we watched some young lions playing with a Leopard Tortoise, and all the poor guy could do was to stay inside his shell and hope that they do not play too rough.
Our
favourite leopard known as “Big Tom” unfortunately is
not with us anymore. His remains were found not too long ago. He
was a very well known leopard who could often be seen close to the
lodge. This leaving space for a new male to come and visit us and
I cannot wait to see who it will be.
On a positive note, the Matea male lion that we all thought was not
going to make it is still around. Though not in top condition he and
his coalition partner has set up territory close to our lodge and have
been spotted around the lodge as well as at the lodges waterhole.These
guys used to have a territory in the south, but two stronger males
have driven them out of their territory there, and most likely caused
the injuries to the Matea male. Because they lost their territory down
there. They have also driven two younger males known as the “Sereti’s” out
of the area around the lodge. These two are now looking for a new area
for their territory.
This
may definitely create some more interesting moments on game drive
for which I hope you will be there to enjoy with us.
Stefan
18
August 2009
Hi everyone
Getting out of a warm bed on a cold winters morning is a very hard
thing to do for most of us. Even after a warm cup of coffee the drive
out into the bush on a cold morning is not all that pleasant.
Why
do we do it then one would ask? The answer is simple.........ANIMALS!
! ! Although it has been a very cold winter, the sightings have been
very warm.
Because of winter being our dry season it can make game viewing a lot
easier sometimes as most animals gather along the water sources in
the reserve. It happened a few days ago when we were watching some
rhinos drink at a dam. While we were parked on the dam wall we watched
a breeding herd of elephants approaching followed by a heard of Buffalo
and the next thing we knew two male lions appeared right next to us.
Another good thing about the winter is that some of the trees lose their leaves and the grass is also not as long as in summer, making it a bit easier to spot the animals. This allowed us to see quite a few interesting things.
Leopards especially have been spotted more regularly than in summer. We have got a very well known large Male leopard named Big Tom. His territory expands over quite a big area of the reserve. Part of this guys territory is the area around our lodge, which allowed us to see him a few times. It is amazing how he still thrives here, because he has only got one eye. The other was most likely a sacrifice made for a kill. Although he has only got one eye he is still very active and is definitely not loosing condition.
The four lion cubs with their mother (the Etali Female) are still all alive and the young ones are growing up fast. They have also been seen regularly. This makes for some great sightings of cubs playing with each other and with mom.
Buffalos have also been seen regularly and are starting to get even more relaxed. Especially in the early mornings and evenings you are likely to bump into them around the lodges waterhole.
Although
most animals in the bush give birth in summertime, there are a few
funny youngsters around. One of them being a very playful White rhino
calf. This calf is often seen running and hopping around the mother
who has decided not to view us as a threat and allowed us to watch
this little guy at close range.
Elephants have been known to get a little more aggressive in the dry
season and as always made sure for a few adrenalin filled chases. These
unexpected things can happen, and just remind us of our place in the
animal kingdom.
Our wild dogs has also done their part again and allowed us to see
them chasing a few animals around. Although no kills have been seen
of them it is always fun trying to keep up with them when they are
on the chase.
Another
kill has been seen though and what a pleasure that was. Lions killed
a young kudu and we were in the right place at the right time and
saw the whole thing happen right in front of us.
One animal’s loss is another’s gain. That’s the way
to look at death in the bush. This is what happened with the recent
death of a young white Rhino. There has been a rotation between the
lions who fed on the carcass, but the most meat is still being enjoyed
by the Matea Male. He is part of a territorial coalition in the south
of the reserve. Unfortunately he got a very bad wound to his back leg,
and would be most lucky if he could hunt again. His partner in the
coalition has also left him for now, and we are not sure that they
would join up again. Thus he is being kept alive by this Rhino carcass
for the moment.
On
a more positive note...... spring is about to arrive which will bring
a bit of relief from the cold winter and make it a lot easier to
get up in the morning.
Hope to see you all soon for some more exciting drives.
Stefan
18
August 2009
Sue and Gordon’s Notebook
AT
LAST!! We are in the House and living at the lodge full time.
The waiting and stress of the last few months is now over but I can
certainly
see why they say moving is one of the top four most stressful events!
Our
Builder, Eben Beukes, has been wonderful and although we still have
a few snags to rectify essentially all is done and dusted. Dust…
this has to be the worst four letter word there is. With moving into
a brand new house I have never experienced so much dust and no sooner
than it’s under control,
Or so you think, the next wave hits you! We need shares in a mop and
feather duster company.
It is such a gift waking up each morning and the first sight you see is the waterhole. We have been treated to elephants, lion and rhino and the ultimate treat was waking up with a lioness drinking and that night going to bed with two males at the waterhole! Talk about spoilt.
The
birds in the morning are a joy and there is always a host of flying
bananas (Yellow billed hornbills), Flying Chillis (Red billed hornbills),
Francolins,
LBJs and TBJ (tiny brown jobs) at the seed tray. Woe betide you if
it is empty!
There is an irritated tapping on the window by the chillis and lots
of calling
by the rest. You can set your clock by feeding time.
The
move from Lichtenburg was a nightmare in terms of furniture removal.
The company we used was disorganised, with boxes being stolen and furniture
scratched, damaged and broken. All of this is easily pushed aside
when you can look out of the window at a panoramic view of the enselbergs
and the bush and SMELL the peace.
It is such pleasure to be at the lodge full time not only to feel like you’ve put down roots but to be able to have so much more time with guests. It has been noticeable this last month how we’ve felt that we’ve got to know people so much better and had a chance to interact more.
Winter
is in full bloom - literally as the Coral trees in the garden are
in full and exquisite flower. The striking orange contrasts with
the green lawn and just
makes the garden so inviting. Hopefully the last of the biting cold
is over
(except for very chilly winds) and the days are sunny and bright.
Animals
visiting the waterhole have been many with the elephants being
The most prolific. Herds and herds having been coming in which has
played
havoc with keeping the waterhole filled . We installed a small electric
pump
to keep the waterhole filled( in theory) but the elephants keep walking
away,
and playing with, the fitting at the end of pipe. In desperation Gordon
went out to find the piece, after having replaced it three times, at
the waterhole
only to look up and find a row of guests watching him intently.
Bush House newsflash – strange species spotted at waterhole!
Most embarrassing!
The
dogs are loving the new bush life as it means walks and playing every
day. If it is not playing ball on the lodge lawn, periodically interrupted
by Zazu leaping into the water feature to find the Koi it is long
walks around camp.
André and Stefan have cut walking paths within the fenced area
of camp. These are perfect for good long walks but still having the
safety of being in an
electrified area. The dogs choose the route they want and I bring up
the rear whilst looking at the birds and listening to the bush sounds.
It’s a great way to exercise us all.
This
has been a very personal newsletter but is just so exciting to eventually
be here!
Take
good care of yourselves and hope to see you soon.
Gordon, Sue and the Bush House Family
1
June 2009
Stefan’s News
Only
a few people know the indescribable feeling of seeing a leopard in
the wild. Well……. seeing them mating is the ultimate
for any leopard lover.
We have been so fortunate to see two leopards mating at one of the
pans close to our lodge. They even allowed us to view them for as long
as half an hour. Definitely one of the highlights of my guiding career
as these guys are very elusive and secretive animals.
The
area around our lodge has been very active the last few months. All
of the big five have made their appearance at the waterhole, and
some even a couple of times. Especially elephants have been making
their appearance almost daily.
We even had a few kills right by the lodge. Two young lions called
the Etali youngsters killed a blue Wildebeest right by our main access
and stayed in the area for a few days feeding. They are also becoming
better and better hunters. Not too long ago they killed a young giraffe,
which is quite an achievement for two lions of their age. Also my favorite
the two Sereti males made a Buffalo kill also not too far from the
Lodge. These two brothers, a territorial coalition in the North West
is growing up and starting to look like real big males as their manes
are getting bigger and darker each day.
The
buffalo in Madikwe has always been known as the ghosts of Madikwe
amongst the Guides because you only got to see them at night and
they are most likely running away and disappearing quickly. Nowadays
they have become a lot more relaxed and allowing us better sightings
of them even in daytime. One of the areas where they have been seen
often at day time is just north of our lodge and we have found them
there many times. I recall an event of a few weeks ago where they
where just here in front of the lodge and we watched a lioness and
four young lions trying to catch one of them. The young lions being
inexperienced hunters did not achive any success and there were a
few close calls where they nearly got scooped by those big horns
as they where chased away from the young buffalos.
Another memorable event was one morning when one of the loner buffalo
bulls, known as ”dagga boys” by the rangers, passed right
in front of our vehicle and made everyone hold their breaths for a
few seconds until he moved off.
There
is also a territorial coalition of lions in the South Western corner
of the park. These are two big males and sometimes have three females
around with them.
As the south is fairly quiet ,these lions are your main reason for
driving to the south. We have been blessed with some good sightings
of them down there and were even lucky enough to see them on a few
kills.
Our
wild dogs are also doing very well, and as there are two packs in
the Reserve now I am happy to say that the smaller pack known as
the Breakaway pack is about to have a few new additions to their
group.
I cant wait to go see them, and I’m sure neither can you.
Speaking of new additions, the lioness called the Etali female has had another litter of cubs. She is the mother of the previous two young lions I mentioned. These four new bundles of joy have became quite relaxed with vehicle presence now and we saw them a few times with their mother and the two Sereti males eating on a elephant carcass in the area. Though these guys did eat a bit of meat with their mom, they particularly enjoyed climbing to the top of the carcass and playng around there. Yet another great sighting.
As known by everyone that has visited our Reserve before, the sunsets over Madikwe is absolutely beautiful, thus allowing us with the perfect setting for many unforgettable sundowners.
Time for me to go see yet another one of those, and I hope you join me soon and also experience some more of natures beauty.
Sue
& Gordon's Notebook. (May 2009)
The rains are gone, and about three weeks ago, winter arrived with
a vengence!
Not that this is a bad thing, in fact in many ways the onset of winter
is good. The days are still pleasantly warm, it is the evenings and
early mornings that let you know that the seasons have changed, especially
in a Game viewing vehicle, with that added wind-chill factor on drive.
What winter does bring is an end to the moths, stink bugs and the like
that can
irritate during boma dinners in Summer, hovering around that favourite
glass of
wine, or worse still, landing in your dinner. Interestingly, the "bugs"
come and go
in waves. Suddenly one day the stink bugs start being noticed, stay
around for a
couple of weeks, and disappear completely again as fast as they appeared,
only
to be replaced with something else.
Not every year is the same either in a bugs life. In 2008, we were
inundated by
armoured crickets just before the onset of winter. This year, not one
to be
seen anywhere.
Enough about bugs. Winter also means that all the small pools of water
in the
Reserve have dried up, and animals and birds are far more reliant on
the waterholes, such as ours, that are regularly topped up.
The Big 5 which, whenever we see them popping in for a drink are always
special,
are not our only visitors. It is always interesting to watch the behaviour
of "general game" species at and around the waterhole. Be
it the Wildebeest (Gnu), Zebra, Warthogs, Giraffe, Impala and others.
Waterholes are naturally dangerous places for general game. Predators
know that
sooner or later, they all have to come and drink, and opportunities
will present
themselves.
Last week Friday around midday, whilst sitting and working on my laptop
in the
lounge at the Lodge, I looked up and was surprised to see two lions
stopping in
for a drink. They soon settled down in the shade next to the waterhole,
as lions
like to do on a warm sunny day.
Lions resting out of the mid-day sun.
(Male to the left of the bush, female to the right).
A
family of warthogs arrived to quench their thirst. The lions sat
up immediately,
and the female went into stalking mode. The warthogs suprisingly had
not noticed or smelt a thing until it was almost too late, when one
alert warthog moved off at speed, followed by the rest of the family,
all with their tails held high like the aerials on remote control cars.
Strange for me was the fact that the warthogs then moved around to
the other side of the waterhole to check the situation out from a different
angle, like that would make a difference!?
When Impala, Zebra or other similar species visit, and there is danger,
they snort
and sound the alarm to warn everything in the immediate area that all
is not
as it should be.
Elephants on the other hand completely take over the waterhole when
they visit.
General game, and even lions, scatter when a breeding herd moves in.
Often it
is the adolescent elephants that take great pleasure in chasing off
all visitors,
including the King of the beasts!
Elephant bull "warning" lions at our
waterhole 1st May, 20h00.
We
have a clan of spotted hyeana that have moved in to our area, and
are living
in and around a culvert on Wonderboom Road just behind our cottage
at the
Lodge. We often have the pleasure of hearing their eerie calls at night,
and seeing them at the waterhole.
Spotted hyeana at the waterhole
2nd May, 04h47
Lions
killed an old "dagga boy" (buffalo bull) not far from the
Lodge recently, and
once they had had their fill, we started to see leg bones appearing
at the hyeana
den next to the road. A new slant on take-aways!
On a more personal note, Sue and I have sold off our other business
interests
as at the end of April, 2009, with the intention of moving out to the
Lodge
permenantly.
The house we are busy building for ourselves is almost complete, and
we hope to
move in around the end of June this year.
This, we know will give us great pleasure, as well as the opportunity
to meet
and interact with more of our guests, take more of an active roll in
the Reserve,
and simply spend quality time with each other.
Watch this space - we will keep you updated!
Just as a reminder, and for first time visitors to our website, do
have a look at
the latest set of night shots taken at our waterhole. For those of
you who
do not know, we have a camera monitoring our waterhole 24/7. Night
shots
in particular are recorded so that we can see who visits us at night
when we
have all gone off to bed. See the "webcam gallery" at www.bushhouse.co.za
Also, the website has a link to a "live" waterhole picture,
which is updated every
60 seconds. This can be viewed at "view the waterhole webcam"
on our
website.
Enjoy, and we hope to see you soon!
Gordon
& Sue.
23
February 2009
Stefan’s News
A Wild dog kill, a big male lion wanting to bite our vehicle tyre,
a very relaxed leopard staring at us from a tree and elephant bulls
causing true bushveld style traffic jams all surrounded by the lush
green bush…
Wow! What a way to go into the new year.
The
bush has been favouring us, and we have had some very interesting days
out here.
To start off with things, a young zebra was so interested in our vehicle
that he just had to come closer and have a sniff of our engine that
was making such a strange noise, and just to further satisfy his curiosity,
he gave it a slight nibble to make sure it was not just a very big tasty
treat!
We
also had another animal friend interested in our vehicle, but this one
had a bit sharper teeth in his mouth.
A lion was lying right next to our vehicle and could not see the need
for going around the vehicle, but rather felt he must go through it,
so he walked closer and growled at the tyre till I gave him his way
and backed off so he could continue as HE wanted.
Elephants have also been around, and allowed us some very nice sightings of them. Some encounters involved a bit more action than others, especially the bulls owning the roads and causing traffic jams in the bush as only they can. Some of these guys are just not going to make way for you on the road. They are always ready with a reaction to your approach. I am sure that deep inside of them they are having a big laugh at us and are actually enjoying these encounters.
Our pack of wild dogs have also made a kill right in front of us and we had the pleasure of seeing the whole feast being enjoyed. Also we saw some full bellied pups, with sleepy eyes, scratching around for a resting place. As if that was not enough, they decided to come and visit us right by the camp and enjoyed yet another feast at our eastern access road.
We also got to see a very relaxed leopard lying in a dead Leadwood tree. What a pleasure to see such a magnificent animal staring at you with those yellow eyes.
The bush is still lush green and looking beautiful. Sometimes just a drive through the mountains to enjoy the scenery is more than enough to take you to a whole different world and put you in a state of complete relaxation.
Going into the new season, the scenery in the bush is about to change and I cant wait to see the “new” bush coming alive and seeing what our animal friends have got in store for us.
Best
regards
Stefan
Sue & Gordon's Notebook. (February 2009)
Every Game Reserve has it's heroes / icons / special creatures, all
of whom to a
lesser or greater extent leave their mark on us as humans. We have had
the
incredible fortune to get to know some of them a little - their history,
their ways,
their spirit.
This newsletter is dedicated to two of the greatest icons of Madikwe,
who sadly
are no more.......
The Batia Brothers
Batia kills Buffalo, kills Batia.
Our time in Madikwe goes back much further than when we became the proud
owners of The Bush House in 2006. Prior to this, we had been fortunate
enough to spend many great weekends in the Reserve, going back to 1996.
In those early days, the ruling coalition of male lions in the Reserve
were the Ophir brothers (Stevie & John), as they were known. Stevie,
affectionately named after Stevie Wonder, as he was blind in one eye.
A new coalition was to be introduced to boost the lion population of
the Reserve and add new genetic material to strengthen the base for
the future.
The Batias, who came from Etosha National Park in Namibia, were introduced
into
Madikwe in January 1996. They were named the Batias after Batia Pan
in Etosha,
which was where they had been darted for their re-location to Madikwe.
These young lions did not have it all their own way in the early days,
but as nature would have it, soon became the dominant force in the Reserve
- a Reserve of some 75,000 hectares, which they would dominate and control
in total once in their prime.
The Batias, like most Namibian lions, were magnificent specimins - beautiful
heads, strong, proud and in their time sired over 60 cubs, many of whom
now make up the backbone of the excellent and healthy lion population
of Madikwe today.
So, what happened in early December 2008......
Firstly, we must appreciate that these 2 Lions were now 15 years old,
which for
Lions living in a totally wild environment is no small achievement,
and a testament
to their ability to survive and dominate.
Their territory had become smaller as they became older, and many field
guides
in the Reserve believed that it was only a matter of time before they
would be killed by other younger, stronger lions, or simply fade away.
We were fortunate, having known the brothers over many years, that the
western side of the Reserve where The Bush House is, had become their
territory in their senior years, and as a result of this, saw them regularly
at our waterhole.
One of the brothers had gone off to the East of the Reserve, for reasons
we do
not know - maybe to visit an old hunting ground, or in search of female
company.
He was last seen near the Makanyane concession in mid-December, but
has not
been seen again.
The other brother, still in our area at the time, died in a titanic
battle with a buffalo. What has been established by the Reserve Ecologist
is that the two went into battle - the Batia obviously hunting for food,
and the Buffalo defending himself. Both died at the site of this battle
- the buffalo from injuries inflicted by the lion, and visa-versa.
If there is a "good way" for a proud and once powerful lion
to go, this is surely
it, not sadly or in a poor way, but fighting another titan of the Big
5, a Buffalo.
If you follow wildlife stories on T.V., you will know of the hatred
that exists between lions and buffalo, and often, it is not necessarily
the buffalo that comes off second best in these encounters.
Well done Mr Batia - we salute you!
Every Field Guide, and many guests who have worked in and visitied Madikwe
over the last twelve years will have had some encounter with the Batia
brothers. We have had the fortune to experience their power and majesty,
and would like to share a couple of these stories with you.
We recall some years back going on drive with a young lady Field Guide,
and visiting a sighting at the Lion Boma in the Reserve. The Lion Boma,
as it is called, is used by the Park whenever there are animals re-locating
either into the Reserve or being moved to other Parks, as a place for
them to acclimatise and settle down.
On this particular day, there were several young lions in the Boma awaiting
re-
location, and on the outside were the Batia brothers, very unhappy that
some of
their pride members were now behind a fence. We pulled up close to the
two
boys - for me, a little too close, bearing in mind their disposition.
Whenever you go out on drive, your field guide will go to some lengths
to explain
to guests that they should stay seated in the vehicle at all times,
as an animal
will see the vehicle "as a whole", not the individuals in
the vehicle, unless you stand up and break the outline of the vehicle.
We did not dare stand up, but as "God is my witness", the
one brother looked into the vehicle, and stared straight into my eyes,
only a metre away from us. I will never forget that look and those piercing
eyes.
The territorial calling of these brothers literally went right through
you and touched every facet of your being. The drink at the "drinks
break" on drive just after this spectacular encounter certainly
did not touch sides!!
On another occasion, some years later, we were out on drive and looking
for
the Batia Brothers. Our Guide - Dillon - had asked at the outset of
our afternoon
journey if there was anything in particular we would like to see. My
response,
which was standard, was The Batias! They had been sighted in a particular
area,
and obviously Dillon was keen to find them for us.
Usually, if a Guide needs to look for one of the Big 5 on foot, he would
radio
another vehicle in the area, and the Guides would go off into the veld
on foot as
a team, for safety reasons.
Dillon did not feel this was necessary, and leaving us on the vehicle,
went on foot to explore. Not a minute later, we heard this almighty
roar, followed immediately by a litany of very audible obscenities from
Dillon, who seconds later appeared from the veld, coming out backwards,
and as white as a sheet.
Dillon explained that as he walked in the veld, not 20 metres from where
we had
stopped, he saw one of the Batia brothers resting under a thorn bush.
What he
had not seen was the other brother to his left, who seeing this Guide
on foot,
launched at him at full speed, only to stop a couple of metres from
him with a
loud roar.
The situation calmed down fortunately, and Dillon retreated. Nothing
that a
change of underwear and a stiff drink on us later that evening did not
fix!
The memories go on and on, but suffice to say, we appreciate the privellage
of
experiencing these icons so often over many years.
Their hunting prowess, their domination over all other preditors, their
skill and
cunning.
"Tsamayang sentle bo-Rra; e nnile tlotlo..." Go well Gentlemen;
it has been an
honor.....
Gordon & Sue.
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