When I first heard about game drives, I thought that it must be like a cattle drive. However, a game drive is where one goes looking for different animals.
Adventurers who go on safari are seeking to complete various lists:
Big Five
- Elephant
- Lion
- Rhinoceros
- Cape Buffalo
- Leopard
One may wonder why giraffes and hippos are not on the Big Fives list since they are huge, but the term “Big Five” refers to five African animals that were considered the most difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Little Five
The Little Five are small but have the name of the big five in it.
- Elephant Shrew
- Ant lion
- Rhinoceros beetle
- Buffalo Weaver which is a black bird with red bill
- Leopard Tortoise
Ugly Five
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!
- Hyena
- Maribou Stork
- Warthog
- Wildebeest
- Vulture
We drove about 45 minutes to gain access to the Makgadikgadi (which means Dry, Dry) National Park. This is on the Boteti River which has not had water running in it for three years.
The Botswana government decided to install ground water wells in the riverbed in order to keep all of the animals from dying. (Animal lovers benefit as well.) Groundwater is easily located as the land is flat and close to water table.
Our very knowledgeable guides are really trackers. We travel over sandy roads and so do the animals which leave tracks. Not only can the guides tell what animal it is, they know how fresh it is, and the direction that it is headed … then off we go.
Elephants
Elephants damage trees at this time of year. They push the tree over and feed on the roots that contain water. Most of the elephants in the Makgadikgadi dry rivers beds are either solitary bulls or in a bachelor herd. The mamas and their babies make up a breeding herd and need to be near food and water such as in the Okavango Delta. Currently, there are 9,000-10,000 elephants in the park. Botswana calls elephants Ellys.
A baby elephant cannot close off its trunk so it drinks by mouth for the first few months and also suckles and is cared for up to 5 years.
When there is a perceived threat, the adults circle around the babies or the baby walks between two large adults. Babies walk on the shady side of the mother.
Elephants don’t have a specific mating season. They mate year round. Gestation is 22 months.
If a baby elephant can go under the mamas belly, it is under six month old.
After 2 to 3 years, they start to grow tusks. One fourth of the tusk cannot be seen. There is little calcium in the soil of Makgadikgadi so the tusks of elephants break off easily.
When one comes upon an elephant, one must have several escape routes.
They live about 60 to 70 years. They have six pairs of molars which replace each other like a conveyor belt. It is the end of their life when the last one wears out. Then they go to the edge of the water to eat soft plants and will die there.
Elephants graze during rainy season. The lower greens are more nutritious. They eat 450 pounds per day. Elephants are grazers and browsers. They prefer green plants. Elephant poop is highly prized and medicinal. They also spread seeds complete with their own fertilizer.
During dry season they eat dry leaves or dig up legumes and throw away the roots that have abrasive sand so it doesn’t wear down their teeth. They take care of their teeth.
Approximately the Kalahari sand is about 1,500 feet deep. It dictates what grows here. They have researched that the sand blows all the way to South America.
The front footprint of an elephant is large and round. The back footprint is smaller and oval. The front feet carry the most weight. The skull is honeycombed so it is light.
The elephants mourn their dead and will visit the sight of their dead, even their bones, many years later. When the matriarch dies, another takes over. She is not chosen. When two females are expressing dominance, the herd will split.
Elephants don’t like lights shined into their faces at night. They become confused and disoriented.
In the Chobe National Park, the elephants are fortunate to have a river that flows. The Boteti elephants could only dream of that type of water abundance.
The matriarch drinks, and when she leaves they all leave. She also decides when or where or whether they cross the river or not. Before a crossing (and I imagine after), there is a lot of mud bathing and/or dust bathing. Different family groups can coexist. Babies socialize with other babies.
Zebras
Plains zebras that live in the Okavango Delta don’t migrate because there is always water here. They only migrate in search of water. The zebras in the Makgadikgadi leave as soon as the rains come.
A group of Zebras are called a dazzle. A dazzling display and disguise can be seen when they are running. This must have given them this name.
Zebra dung is used for fire much like charcoal.
Zebra is Botswana’s national animal. The national football (soccer) team has the zebra as its mascot.
The zebra gestation period is long and they are more developed at 13 months. The female will mate again right away.
The female goes away from the herd to give birth so that the baby has time to learn the pattern of its mother before joining the herd.
Zebra and wildebeest migrate together. Zebras eat the top part of the grass. Wildebeest eat the next layer. Both can be skittish and can become frightened when the shadow of a bird flies overhead.
Wildebeest
Wildebeest don’t get tired. They can run for a long time so they can outlast a predator. All predators have a different hunting strategy which the prey knows as well.
A wildebeest is not very smart. He is considered a clown. He even chases his own tail.
According to some guides a long tail that touches the ground indicates a male wildebeest. This is a male !!
Day 1 and Day 2
The experience at Makgadikgadi National Park is unique. First of all, it is a 45-minute drive to the park so we stay out all day. We get to sleep late and eat a leisurely breakfast because the animals come to the watering hole during the hot part of the day. We have lunch out on the game drive and then return home about 5pm. Shower and dress in your finest animal prints and have a family style dinner with the other guests.
This is the schedule every day but what you see each day is very different … and sometimes it’s what you don’t see.
Day 1 and Day 2
Day 1 and Day 2
We were told that thunder was heard in the distance overnight, and that the rain may have begun. If it was a false alarm, they will return for water.
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