Babies and brutal realities all part of the natural narrative at Okavango lodge
In the northeastern part of the Okavango Delta lies Khwai Private Reserve, a 200,000ha piece of land owned by the Khwai Community Trust. On the banks of the seasonal Khwai river is the prime location of Khwai Lediba. With only seven tented suites perfectly positioned under giant leadwood and knobthorn trees, the environmentally friendly interiors don’t skimp on creature comforts. These include a bed covered in silky white bedding with a view of the river, double vanities, an indoor and outdoor shower and a flush toilet.
You can watch wildlife (there is a beautiful resident red lechwe) from the hammock or sunken lounge on your private deck or have a dip in the sparkling pool while lilac-breasted rollers hover overhead. At night, take in the nocturnal sounds of a lion roaring, a hyena calling or hippo having a feeding frenzy on the floodplains in front of your tented suite. This all while safely tucked in your bed with a mosquito net keeping any unwanted critters out. And you might be awakened by a rustling outside your tent – an elephant calmly eating his greens.
Mum’s the word
Collected at the Khwai airstrip by guide Ginjah, the drive to camp takes around 45 minutes, depending on what wildlife might appear along the way. Following a delicious lunch and afternoon tea, we depart on an afternoon game drive. A female hyena is lying in a pond with only the top part of her body sticking out. Having just passed the den, we know all the cubs are safely hidden inside the structure they call home. The mother gets up and starts walking towards the den site, lowering her large frame into the opening. Retreating out again, she shows off muddy hindquarters, exposing the fact that she willingly treated herself to a spa day. Lifting her torso out with the rest of her body, the tiniest shape is visible next to her, dwarfed by her bulk. What happens next has everyone clamouring for their cameras – the adult hyena bends down towards the cub and carefully picks it up in her jaws, probably moving it to a new den. Losing her grip halfway through the relocation process, the mother puts up with some loud whining, but eventually has it securely by the scruff of its neck. Ginjah decides not to follow her, as we all realise that this is a sensitive sighting.
News reaches Ginjah that a lion pride with cubs has been spotted and everyone is keen to see them, as baby animals really have the corner on cuteness. It’s quite a drive, and we get there just as the sun is starting to set. Three of the four cubs have turned the fallen branch of a leadwood tree into a jungle gym, clambering all over it. “Where is the fourth one?” I wonder out loud. Suddenly, out of the foliage, something small jumps onto the branch. It’s the missing cub! He immediately goes over to his playmates to announce that he wants to join them in their established playfight regime. Staying put in the area, it makes sense that they are waiting for their moms to return. Finding them out in the open the next morning has us all ooh-ing and aah-ing.
Gone to the dogs
We smell them before we see them. A pack of 12 African wild dogs are lying scattered in the shade. Some are in the middle of the game path, fast asleep, while others have chosen a grassy spot under a tree. Ginjah tries counting them, but they have flattened the grass to such an extent that he has to wait for the flick of a tail to identify one. It is clear from the size of their bellies that they have recently had something to eat and that, coupled with heavy panting, makes a few of them seem rather uncomfortable. They are a nomadic pack that has a huge home range and has travelled all the way from Mababe, which is situated on the eastern part of the concession.
This is not the only pack here. On the morning game drive, Ginjah hears that three highly mobile individuals have been seen and, passing by a family of waterbuck peacefully grazing, the wild dogs are standing in the tall grass, looking very alert. They head off into the distance and we lose sight of them, as they can cover a big area in a short space of time. When Ginjah gets notified from another guide that he has found the dogs, we make our way there. Squealing with delight, the dogs are busy feeding on the remains of a young waterbuck, not as lucky as the others.
Relieved to not have witnessed the takedown, it’s still hard to watch in spite of it being part of ‘the circle of life’. Appearing nervous, they take turns, one by one, to scout the area with their bloodstained faces. It’s likely that they distracted the adults and flushed the poor youngster out from its family that are staring in disbelief, looking for any sign of life in the grass. One has to have a strong stomach to witness such a scene and the savage way in which wild dogs acquire their food. The leader of the pack looks as though he wants to target another waterbuck and Ginjah says they are incredibly opportunistic animals that will hunt for later, but hopefully not today.
In Afrikaans, the word kwaai has a slang meaning: ‘great’ or ‘fantastic’. So to say that Khwai is kwaai is absolutely true.
Text & Photography | Heléne Ramackers
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