It’s like we are at a different Chobe today with not an elephant to be spotted! There was a strong wind this morning so I’ve concluded that has impacted the migratory patterns of the day. There has been the random buffalo, warthog and of course the good ol’ faithful impala that don’t count when you’re safari snobs like us :)
We spotted hundreds of vultures circling in the sky. Where there are vultures circling, there is something waiting to be nibbled at. As the expert trackers we have become (LOL!), we headed towards the vultures and spotted another hundred plus sitting by the river. There to the left in the bush was a fresh buffalo carcass and the vultures seem to have arrived on the scene before any other scavenger. It would seem he too died of natural causes, as he was too “intact” when we arrived in order to have been the victim of a lion kill.
We spotted hundreds of vultures circling in the sky. Where there are vultures circling, there is something waiting to be nibbled at. As the expert trackers we have become (LOL!), we headed towards the vultures and spotted another hundred plus sitting by the river. There to the left in the bush was a fresh buffalo carcass and the vultures seem to have arrived on the scene before any other scavenger. It would seem he too died of natural causes, as he was too “intact” when we arrived in order to have been the victim of a lion kill.
At any one time, there are at least 20 vultures attacking the carcass, ripping bits and pieces out and putting their head under the skin and aggressively digging for something tastier. You can see where the references to vultures, food and huger comes from when you witness their eating manners and habits. There is constant squawking as they are feeding and fighting for their spot. On the sidelines in the tree above, there are about 10 vultures waiting their turn. After such a messy feast, they head to the river, rinse off and then spread their wings to dry! What a sight! During all this we have just had a hippo walk out of the river and into the bush. Inside the car it’s 34 degrees and there’s a cool breeze so I imagine we’ll be seeing him again soon as it’s hot out there and hippos are as sensitive to the sun as me! We’ve been hanging around hoping that it would be lion bait but no luck so far.
Not sure what’s with the buffalos dying of natural causes in Chobe? A park official (aka buffalo coroner) came by and determined that he died of natural causes and scared away the vultures remaining at the “all you can eat buffet”!We have gone in search of swimming ellies and instead found a lioness under a tree and a herd of impala at the river. Ringside seats round #2!! The impala crossed into her path but warthogs came closer and she got so close to warthog for lunch but he did a quick right and she took a wide left and he escaped!! She then went for an afternoon siesta and we watched her again hunt for lechwe. She camaflouged herself in the long grass and was amazingly so close to the lechwe that she should have been able to put her paw out and stomp on him but again he got away!! Amazing that in one visit we witnessed four lion hunts!!
We arrived back in camp to herds of buffalo grazing and another spectacular sunset. The buffalos were around our campsite all night and this morning we had lions roaring at camp! Think they'd just had a great buffalo feast as all that remained of the buffalo carcass this morning was a rib cage and a leg down the road!!
We are in Kasane now, heading on a river sunset cruise along the Chobe River this afternoon. Spotted the red land rover and our Aussie friends driving by so hope to catch up with them later.
We are going to Vic Falls on the Zim side tomorrow and may venture onto the Zambian side the next day. The rest of the trip still to be determined. This is high speed internet so I hope to be back again before we head to Zim or after to upload some of our amazing photos to complete the stories.
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