Monthly Archives: February 2007

Red Elephants: Video

Although Elephant look a bit thick skinned, they need to undertake a daily skincare routine to prevent any parasites and flies from biting them. Rolling around and plastering themselves with mud is one way, dusting themselves with nice cool sand, another. This also serves as a coolant during hot summer days.

Elephant

Elephants will gather around a shady spot where the sand is not as hot and dig into the soil to get to the even cooler sand to dust their bodies.

Elephant and Calf

They just simply suck up a load of sand into their trunks and spray it where it is needed. Surely, a great way for keeping cool when water isn’t that close by…

Mabhakweni No.5

bushmanlogo.jpg

Mabhakweni 5A

From the same group of paintings where we had the dancing man, we find various human figures all appearing to do different things.

Mabhakweni 5B

This figure looks like its running, but not at full sprint. Judging from the bow and arrow he is carrying, it could mean that he is out on the hunt.

Tjololo 28th February 2000

The Tjololo Diaries

Back at last only to be showered yet again. Is this another cyclone and more floods on the way? Time will tell. Didn’t risk going out. At night it is difficult to tell the condition of roads and dongas, and with the continuing rain we could have found ourselves stranded, if not washed away, for a few days.

142-4279_IMG
No water in camp with the pump having been washed away in the floods.
We managed to get out in the morning and hoped to cross at Rocky Crossing only to find the flood-plain still very much under water. The Maxipiri river in the north is also flowing strongly so who knows when we’ll be able to cross to check on Tjololo and Tjellers. Many roads are still impassable and flowing. Even the game is sticking to the roads as these are the only areas that are relatively dry.

126-2689_IMG
This could provide for some interesting behaviour as the predators are sure to be hunting along these routes. This evening we hope to progress further with our exploring the rest of the property.

Lions, Rough like Sandpaper: Video

Rough like sandpaper, a Lions’ tongue is a very useful tool and they use it for grooming, drinking and just plain affection. Like all cats, Lions lick themselves to get clean. Licking each other also serves to strengthen bonds between members of the pride.

Lioness Yawning

The surface is covered by tiny spines that get exposed as the tongue is bent in different directions. This helps to separate meat from bone and to get rid of pesky parasites lurking in their fur.

Lions Day dreaming
Females will also lick their newborn cubs after they drank to stimulate their digestive system. This also serves as bonding between mother and cubs.

Mabhakweni No.4

bushmanlogo.jpg

Mabhakweni 4B

From this group of human figures and animals, one that catches ones’ attention is this very weird surreal image of a male that appear to be dancing.

Mabhakweni 4A

He might be in the middle of one of the Bushmens’ traditional trance dances. Dancing plays an enormous big role in their culture and believes. There is some weathering making it difficult to say exactly what is going on.

Elephant in their numbers: Video

Despite their size, Elephant can often disappear for days, melting into the bush. But when they make their re-appearance they make sure they do it properly. This herd came out of the Mopani woodland.

Elephant drink on banyini

What seemed to be just a small group, turned into out to be several animals. They decided that this pan at the south eastern corner of Banyini plain was a great meeting place and their numbers just kept increasing as more and more Elephant came out of the woodland. What a spectacular scene. One we surely don’t get to see everyday.

Elephant Drinking