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| Days 9 & 10: Okaukuejo waterhole - just heaving with elephants... |
| Drove on to Okuakuejo camp in Etosha National Park. There was a waterhole near the entrance teeming with animals - impala, kudu, zebra, wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok, warthog and ostrich. Arrived at the camp site where there is a bigger waterhole absolutely heaving with elephants, zebra, springbok, gemsbok and kudu. In the evening the waterhole is floodlit and by 2am six rhino had been down and a herd of 14 giraffes. I had hoped to see lions, but none appeared. They roared from several miles away. |
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Mon 23rd: Went on a game drive into the park. Saw several Korhaans (bustards) and some yellow mongooses. Stopped near a waterhole where there were wildebeest, zebra, gemsbok, ostrich and four giraffes. The vast open plains were largely deserted except for occasional groups of springbok. Returned to camp and walked to the waterhole, to find it heaving with animals. There were hundreds of springbok, zebras, wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok, and a few elephants who occasionally demonstrated their authority by charging into the water and frightening the other animals away. |
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| When the elephants go, wildebeest and springbok take their turn. |
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On the second evening, a lion came to the waterhole to drink.
The springbok and gemsbok scattered, but one gemsbok didn't see the lion and ran straight towards it. The lion grabbed the gemsbok and brought it down. They battled together for two hours by which time they were both exhausted.
The gemsbok was just too powerful for one lion on its own. But the lion had done enough damage to prevent the gemsbok from getting to its feet. I watched and waited until 11pm, but the lion was in no hurry. During the night other lions arrived and
they finished off the unfortunate gemsbok. In the morning a small group of mourners stood around the remains of their colleague. |
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| Ostriches can run at 31mph. These were just cruising at about 25. |
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