Katavi National Park, in the far west of Tanzania, is somewhere that, even today, few people have been lucky enough to visit. Perhaps because of this, it feels untouched almost like traveling back in time; Chada Katavi sits in the midst of this truly wild place.
Mon, Jan 30, 2012
Wee, Wet and Wobbly
Brand new to the world, this little thing with its gangly legs and still-wet stripey fur was a sight to see. During the short time we watched him he even threw down a couple of attempts at bucking playfully. His mother had a chat with him about priorities, so he re-concentrated on simply walking in a straight line.
Good luck little guy...
Thu, Jan 26, 2012
Mystery Dinner Guest
Not so long ago, Richard Knocker was in camp. As our guide and scout trainer for Nomad, his visits are an opportunity for us to spend valuable bush time with a patient, meticulous teacher.
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| Richard walks confidently behind the scouts he has trained. |
We do like to keep track of the clients we've hosted at Chada, so we were wondering if Richard might be able to help us remember the name of this voluptuous client who showed up at dinner one evening during his last visit. Any idea, Richard?
Tue, Jan 10, 2012
Slow Down…Cobra Crossing
When a black-necked spitting cobra crosses the road, some of you might hope your guide keeps driving, over the snake. Tsk tsk. Cobras are as protected as elephants and lions, and they can only spit about three metres. As long as you're wearing sun glasses, you don't have much to fear. Stop the car and enjoy the show...from a distance.
Wed, Jan 4, 2012
Pelicans
Fri, Dec 30, 2011
Conservation…
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| Ranger |
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| Ranger in a swamp, returning from the scene |
Fri, Dec 23, 2011
Too Many Lion Blogs
Lest we forget...Katavi is getting greener, to say the least, and a short stroll around the camp can yield some spectacular birding opportunities.
Fri, Dec 9, 2011
Growing Up
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| Mataya, 2010 |
Another year later, have a look at the Mapacha brothers, so named because they look like twins. Last year they were nomads. Now they have taken over the Katisunga North Pride.
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| Mataya, 2011 |
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| Macho, 2010 |
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| Macho, 2011 |
They are turning out to be magnificent beasts. You may recognize them as the elephant killers from last year's blog.
Tue, Dec 6, 2011
One year later…
Last year we had a day to remember...Chada blog followers will recall the night we spent listening to lions taking down a hippo in camp. Newsletters and blogs and photos flew, and we told and retold the story over dinner in the mess tent, the very tent that was partially knocked down by the hippo and the lions as they fought. To this day, despite being folded away in the off-season, the mess tent still has some blood stains and a few lion hairs stuck to the outside wall.
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| Chada camp, 2010 |
Remarkably, one of the most beautiful wildlife sightings of the season took place on the very same day, but was understandably overshadowed by the events in camp. After watching the lions feeding on the hippo, waiting for them to leave, and putting the tent back together, we found a lovely young female leopard in a tamarind tree not far from Chada.
She was the most relaxed Katavi leopard we had so far seen, completely at ease on her branch above the vehicle.
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| Delilah, 2010 |
Yesterday, as we sat watching hippos in a pool, we saw a leopard draped over one of the lower branches of a rain tree not far away. We drove closer. So relaxed was this cat that she barely looked up when we approached her tree. Then we noticed an impala she had stashed in the branches above her.
She looked familiar. Even cats have distinct features, expressions, ear notches, and whisker marks that make identifying them easier. After two hours of photographing her as she alternated between resting and eating, we were pretty sure she was the same leopard from the day of the lion vs. hippo battle last year.
Last year, we had named her Delilah for her beauty and poised, sultry nonchalance. Back in camp, we went through our old photos and sure enough, this was our cat, now much more filled out and muscular, but no more nervous around a car than she had been before. What a reunion!
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
A View from Tent Number Two
Sun, Nov 20, 2011
A Big Big meal for the Chada Pride
A female elephant lay on her side, struggling to rise for an entire evening, suffering some unknown ailment. She was tuskless, leaving no motive for poachers to have shot her and we never found any signs of injury. By morning she had died and we found lions there, guarding what would be their meal for a week.
He feasted for a while, painting his jaws crimson.
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