There is no Gift Shop at the Tented Camp so this afternoon, as it was just us in the truck once again, we asked Daniel to drive us over to Mashatu Lodge, or Main Camp as it is known, to see if there was anything we could buy for gifts or little souvenirs for us - actually we'd really like a large wooden giraffe but transporting it home might be a problem.
To say there wasn’t a great deal of game around is a bit of an understatement, just a couple of photos en route. This giraffe is wonderfully camouflaged amongst the mopane leaves, or he would be if he wasn't so tall.
Over exposed this one so I thought I'd try High Key
It took us about 40 mins to reach Main Camp but unfortunately the trip was a complete waste of time as the Curio Shop stock hadn't been replaced during Covid and there was nothing we (or anyone, I would imagine) would want to buy. The staff were delightful as always though and offered to show us around; I wasn't keen to waste time there but Ian wanted the loo, so we had a short wander. There are 14 luxury chalets, beautiful communal areas, two swimming pools and a convention centre - all very nice but made of concrete!
They did have an interesting Discovery Room (image from their website) which had we been staying there I would have enjoyed but I was more than happy to get back in the truck.
Although I did take a shot of this giraffe skull.
Ian spotted a heron at the far end of the waterhole and at first we thought it was a Goliath Heron which we've never seen, but Daniel identified it as an ordinary Grey Heron.
The journey back to our part of the reserve was equally quiet, maybe the animals felt the air to be as close and oppressive as I did. We bumped into this small herd of elephants who promptly formed a protective ring around their youngest.
What a shame I wasn't rear view on for this shot, it would have been a dead cert for AoA.
I don't know whether young elephants are the same as some other plains animals, like zebra, in that they need to eat their mother's dung in order to get essential bacteria into the gut, but this little one certainly looked keen.
Can you see the trunk of the larger elephant on the right - it is almost severed in two halfway down.
The wound was still very red and looked new, quite how he could suck up water through it we don't know. Daniel said the reserve's policy was not to interfere with the welfare of animals unless a problem had been caused by humans - sadly this looked very much like a wire or trap injury.
This is out of focus but you can see our concern. Interestingly it would seem to show that the trunk is divided into two chambers which I didn't know, although I'd sort of noticed a join, much like our septum, at the very end of trunks before.
The weirdest thing ever, whilst I been reviewing these pictures I've been able to smell elephant dung so I'm quite glad the herd has decided to move on.
Daniel knew there was a male leopard around nearby as his kill was still hanging in a tree (they don't usually go far away) but this leopard was notoriously shy apparently and although we did drive up a rocky outcrop we failed to find him.
It was one of the times when I was desperate to photography ANYTHING! and a lone female Kudu was all I could get.
We then spent a long time watching Chacma Baboons returning to nest overnight in the Mashatu trees. Light levels were rapidly falling so the images get progressively noisier.
They are so very humanlike at times, this one looks like a toddler who's just about to throw a tantrum because he's been told it's his bedtime.
This poor soul who had no fur whatsoever, it was rather a pitiful sight
He's clearly quite elderly but apparently is well tolerated by other baboons but Daniel also said he has moved from troop to troop so maybe not well tolerated long term. This little one obviously thought he was a target of fun.
Grooming is very much a part of social and hierarchal interaction.
Watching the youngsters climbing the tree was hilarious, they fell down, pushed/pulled each other down and generally messed around. These stills probably don't convey it too well but the video at the end shows what fun they were having.
Daniel wanted one last go at finding the elusive leopard so we headed back up the rocky outcrop in search, almost getting ourselves stuck on several occasions. No sign of leopard but a few rubbishy giraffe sunsets just to show willing (some guides, and I think Daniel is one of them, although know full well what a lottery a game drive is, almost take it to heart when they fail to meet expectations).
On our way back to camp Daniel slowed down at the Flap Neck Chameleon bush not expecting for one minute to see it as it hadn't been there this morning But to our amazement it was there and on exactly the same branch as last night; Daniel and Iphraim then realised they'd been looking in the wrong bush this morning.
A slightly better picture today, I think, as I didn't have to contend with a very excited George bobbing around in front of me.
