The Explorer
January 2005
News from the Bush!
Tarangire is always good in the dry years as it becomes the only water source available to all of the wildlife for the vast Maasai Steppe and an important refuge from hunters and poachers.
On my last visit to Tarangire, we saw lion unable to resist a band of banded mongooses that had caught their attention by scuttling through the grass up wind. The lions stalked and the mongooses bunched up chattering and then fled for the nearest termite mound.
Two lionesses launched an assault and each caught a very indignant and rapidly chattering banded. Now the lionesses
considered their actions and options as confusion and embarrassment dawned. As they lifted the offending paw and relaxed
their extended claws one of the lionesses then gently pushed the stunned mongoose down the termite vent it had almost
reached before.
These were very ‘tame’ lion as were the elephant and the four leopards we saw in the park. One young bull elephant completely immersed himself into a mud pool and lolled about floundering. A bit like a very large rotund granny trying to get in and out of one of those hot jet Jacuzzi things!
Katavi with its thousands of hippos were forced again into several muddy methane bubbling sewers. They hardly have the energy to move and stare with a sinister gleam in their eye daring closer approach.
The lions along the Chad River feed at will on buffalo forced to hang about ranging a day’s walk from the remaining
springs. We saw them comically again as seven of the pride ignored hundreds of buffalo to spend time bullying a not entirely
defenceless 13ft crocodile. Lions walked the intimidating walk rumbling and growling, twitching their tails. The crock
lay flat looking menacing, ignoring the threat until it appeared imminent then it would raise its head and hiss as it
opened its mouth occasionally roaring after a lunge towards the nearest lion. The encounter ended in stalemate as the
crocodile joined others in a damp burrow in the dry riverbank. Further up the riverbed, one such den held more than twenty
similar sized green grinning cunning slit eyed ‘flat dogs’.
It was a pleasure to be back on open clean water on Lake Tanganyika to visit the primates of Mahale Mountains National Park: rugged mountains covered in evergreen forest, tumbling down to a tropical paradise of golden sand and cool breezes. The chimps mated, hunted and fished for insects with twigs all around us during the three one hour visits we had with them. The screeches and hoots were huge, made by enraged males displaying by breaking thick branches off large trees. Swinging hand over hand from lianas in thick jungle all around us they competed for the attentions of ready females. It was a female that ended up with the lion’s share of the red colobus monkey hunted a few yards from us. She begged it of the alpha male but lost it a short while latter to a lower ranking male. Some of the females participated keenly in the hunt too.
Philip Ashby
A Letter from Rwanda
It’s not often that I can prize Jo away from her school and out into the bush, no matter how much cajoling I do, but the lure of Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda’s Parc des Volcans was too much even for her to resist!
With my great friends Don and Judy Oliphant, their family and Maverick Brother LJ Edgcomb and his delightful wife Debbie plus comedian Les Thomas and wife Ellen we private chartered into Rwanda from the Serengeti at the end of a truly spectacular safari encompassing The Alamana, Ngorongoro and the Ndutu woodlands.
Tracking Mountain Gorillas has always been a favourite for me over the past 25 years of travel through the golden triangle
of the King of Primates, and our just ended visit enforced my belief that the Gorilla extension remains the most attractive
primate experience available.
With our first visit successfully concluded with extraordinary photos and film, myself, Jo, LJ, Debbie, Les and Ellen headed off to visit the Amahoro A family of Gorillas on the slopes of the 3,711 metre Bisoke volcano close to the Congo border.
The trekking in Rwanda tends to be on the easier end of what is considered to be normal in the three countries, however our journey turned from gently undulating countryside into near vertical vegetated hillside as the Amahoro family effortlessly ascended from their previous nights nesting side in search of good feeding.
By the time we reached the trackers we were all wondering what sort of encounter awaited us as the terrain was definitely not conducive with easy movement or good photography, however a few minutes later we were to start a Gorilla encounter that will remain with us all for the rest of our lives!
From the moment we all climbed into view of the playing and resting members of the Amahoro group it seemed that we had been singled out as entertainment!
Within seconds a young female called Gahinga rolled playfully over, landing on Debbie Edgcomb with a resounding thud! Caught off guard our guides grunted gorilla language to placate any aggression although Gahinga seemed intent merely to enjoy Debbie’s company!
Debbie, having been well briefed by guides and recollections of Diane Fossie’s memoirs, remained calm wrapped in the arms of Gahinga for several more moments until she (Gahinga) lost interest and moved back to playing with a younger sibling.
Next up, minutes later, Gahinga decided that my gray hair warranted some attention so soon after rolling down hill with our guide enwrapped that we were all forced into submission until Guides, and trackers could re-group and go about the job of separating HomoSapien from Gorilla Berengei!!!
In the time it took to get this all to happen Gahinga lay peacefully on my back searching for nits in my ruffled hair! Finding none (honestly!) she went on to examine my right ear and then moved on to gently trace a line across my eyelid before the explosion of her younger sibling jumping onto her back, rolled her away for more exciting play.
During the entire time, our guides conversed in Gorilla, professionally calming the rest of the family, us included. At no point did Debbie and I feel threatened, although in the words of Les Thomas, who found the entire exchange to be, in comical terms, equal to anything he had ever witnessed - ‘If we were to view the event from above, the strategy of inflicting pandemonium was so perfectly orchestrated that I think I may offer Gahinga a job!’
Gary J. Strand
News from Olerai
Greetings from Olerai where the sun shines and the New Year heralds a fantastic season already in full flow, with, as usual, many returning friends visiting for repeat safaris and a host of new, soon to be friends, anxious to safari za mwituni.
Family Strand welcomed the New Year at Pembe Abwe, our beach retreat on the Indian Ocean, accompanied by film making Gurus, Mark and Victoria Deeble-Stone and their two children Freddy and Jacca. Beach bonfire, celebratory champagne and some moonlit waterskiing just before the clock struck twelve, set the scene, so with the usual positive thoughts, 2005 started!
Sadly of course, we re-assured friends and family that the Tsunami had not caused us any concern as we learnt of the less fortunate-our hearts and prayers go out to all the people affected.
So with the very best New Year greetings and Salaams, we look forward to the coming months and wish you all the very best for 2005.
With warm wishes,
Gary & Jo
