BOTSWANA: December 2022

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A pair of dung beetles painstakingly roll their Treasure along a Jeep trail.

A sleeping male lion

partially hidden in the bushes.

Although a herbivore, the hippopotamus kills far more humans

(3.000+ annually) than any other large animal in Africa.

However, mosquitos kill more than 1 million Africans annually

(from Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, etc.).

Hippos also fight each other to establish hierarchies.

Peter & Lieschen explore the Chobe River

after being threatened by a hippopotamus.

Also dangerous, the Cape Buffalo, known as the "widow maker",

will actively stalk and kill humans.

(Lions and sharks kill very few people by comparison.)

A watering hole is essential for most animals,

including baboons and birds.

Elephants transit daily between their food sources and water.

Adolescent elephants battle to establish their hierarchy within the herd.

They push each other like sumo wrestlers but seldom seriously injure each other.

Giraffes also battle to establish hierarchies, for territory or mating rights.

They whack each other with their necks, occasionally causing death from a broken neck.

A Leopard on an outing with her cub.

Another Leopard with her cub.

Lieschen and Peter encounter a pride of (mostly) sleeping lions.

Indeed, like all cats, lions spend most of their time sleeping.

Lion cubs sleeping on top of a termite mound.

Lieschen and Peter enjoy a sunset in the wilds of Botswana,

where safari vehicles scoff at established roads.

Unlike the safari traffic jams in Kenya, Botswana carefully controls access.

After a safari, Lieschen and Peter dine at Stanley's Camp,

a "camp" in the wilderness with all the amenities,

but no fencing blocks wildlife access.

For example, a baboon cools its heels after failing to break in and do mischief.

Perhaps it was repelled by Peter's socks (or by the rest of him).

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Copyright 2023: Peter Bierstedt