Innholdsfortegnelse for October-December 2018 i Travel Africa

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on Earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths?” These lyrical, emotive words by esteemed travel writer Brian Jackman seem perfect to introduce our Wildlife Issue, in which we endeavour to celebrate the “magic” of African fauna. Compiling this edition has been one of our most ambitious and fun projects in Travel Africa’s 20-year history. Wildlife is arguably the main reason people travel to the world’s most exciting continent. Africa is second to none in terms of its diversity, volume and the sheer ease with which you…

1 Chobe River Chobe Game Lodge & Chobe Savanna Lodge The Chobe National Park is home to the largest concentration of elephants in Africa and is one of the continent’s leading wildlife destinations, with year-round game viewing. Experience the diversity of the Chobe River from a boat or on a guided vehicle safari. 2 The Moremi Game Reserve Camp Moremi & Camp Xakanaxa Established in 1963, the Moremi Game Reserve was the first sanctuary in southern Africa to be set aside by a local community. Today it is recognised as one of Africa’s finest reserves. Covering one third of the Okavango Delta, it boasts a rich diversity of habitats and wildlife encounters. 3The Okavango Delta Camp Okavango & Xugana Island Lodge The Okavango Delta is one of the largest and…

The moment you set eyes on the Serengeti, Masai Mara or any of Africa’s great savannahs, it will sear your mind forever. The immense tawny plains of wind-combed grasses, flat-topped umbrella acacias and rusty, rockpile kopjes; the herds of gazelle, wildebeest and zebra scattered far and wide, quivering in the heat haze or flowing in long, sinuous lines, heads bowed but constantly aware of lion, cheetah and hyena. From giraffe to gerbils, elephant to eagles, savannahs are big on biodiversity and epitomise our view of the African landscape — and yet this is just one of the continent’s ‘big six’ ecosystems. Forest, desert, mountain, wetland and coast complete the picture — each with its own rich palette of habitats and specially adapted plants and animals. Read on to discover Africa’s…

Millions of years ago, Africa’s savannahs began to witness an influx of antelope, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, wild dogs and sabre-tooth cats, following the continent’s collision with Eurasia. At the same time, Africa’s primates ventured from their ancestral forests onto the plains, while other ‘home-grown’ creatures such as elephant and aardvarks held their own against the new wave of arrivals. This ‘meeting of mammals’ reached its climax in the Pleistocene, when Africa was home to an unrivalled range of mammal families. Megafauna got off lightly in the Ice Age and, although many species now face severe pressure from habitat destruction, hunting, climate change and other impacts, it is still home to the world’s greatest concentration of large mammals.…

Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique Before the civil war of the 1970s, this was one of Africa’s finest parks. An ambitious wildlife reintroduction programme, however, has begun to restore this ‘Serengeti of the South’. Large herds of waterbuck can be found on the floodplains, sable antelope browse the woodlands, while Mount Gorongosa is renowned for endemics such as the green-headed oriole. Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo Created in 1935, this is one of Africa’s oldest national parks — 13,600sq km of pristine rainforest in the green heart of the Congo Basin. Western lowland gorillas are the star attraction, but there are 11 other primate species. Swampy clearings, known as bais, attract forest elephant, buffalo, bongo and sitatunga, while birdwatchers may get glimpses of trogons, hornbills and other forest beauties. Pendjari…

In South Africa’s Londolozi Game Reserve, experienced guide James Tyrell recently recorded what happened when a young elephant died in the bush. The speed at which the scavengers got to work surprised even him. “I imagined we were in for a good four or five days of exciting viewing,” he said. “But within 36 hours there was barely a scrap left on the carcass.” This is how events played out: Night 1: Elephant dies during the night. Day 1, dawn: 13 hyenas arrive and begin to feed on carcass, much of it already consumed. Day 1, afternoon: Hyena clan gone; vultures arrive — more than 200, of five species — to feed on remaining smaller parts of carcass. Day 1, evening: Hyena return and vultures depart; more bones taken away.…

Safari goers should be able to see big cats in most protected national parks across southern and East Africa. Tanzania boasts the highest numbers of lion in Africa. Head to the Serengeti for almost guaranteed sightings. Other areas, such as Ruaha National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater (high predator density) and the Selous Game Reserve, are also rewarding. In Kenya, the Masai Mara is prime lion country with an estimated population of around 300. Other hotspots include South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Namibia’s Etosha National Park, South Luangwa and Kafue National Parks in Zambia, and Zimbabwe’s Hwange, which runs a longstanding lion research programme. Although widespread, leopard are largely nocturnal and often very elusive, so night drives offer the best chances of seeing them. Cheetah prefer wide-open wilderness areas like Tanzania’s…

1 Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania Home to 800, this park is one of the best places to see them in their natural habitat. It is larger than Switzerland and three times bigger than the Serengeti, giving the dogs the space they need to survive. 2 Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique While Mozambique is not the first place you’d think of finding painted wolves, this reserve has been connected with the Selous Game Reserve Authorities, becoming one of the largest conservation areas in Africa. It is best visited between May and October, when the 200-300 wild dogs are more likely to gather in the Lugenda area. 3 Madikwe Private Game Reserve, South Africa If you are looking for a smaller conservation area, Madikwe provides stark contrast to both of these options, where…

“Protecting vultures safeguards entire ecosystems,” says the African Wildlife Foundation. These raptors clear up 70 per cent of Africa’s carrion. Their long, powerful bills and potent stomach acids make them a biological recycling system like no other — essential in preventing the spread of diseases by disposing of carcasses where bacteria would otherwise spread. Yet every day, they slip closer towards extinction. Poisoning by farmers and trade in traditional medicines account for 90 per cent of reported vulture deaths in Africa. Power lines are also a problem, as well as the disappearance of many predators rendering them short of food. They are creatures in crisis and must be protected. The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust is one of many organisations supporting this bird of prey. It operates a Vulture Culture Experience…

This year, three of the world’s leading ivory markets – China, Hong Kong and the UK – implemented or announced new bans on ivory trade. These new laws represent huge wins in the fight to save elephants and signal an emerging global consensus that ivory in any form is not worth its terrible costs. Now, Japan is under pressure to continue the global momentum. As a signatory to the 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) trade ban, Japan prohibits the buying or selling of ivory across borders; but it allows domestic trade, meaning people can buy or sell ‘old’ or stockpiled ivory. The island nation has a large supply of stockpiled tusks and one of the world’s most active domestic markets. The problem with domestic markets generally is…

Travel with purpose To celebrate their 35th birthday, Wilderness Safaris is offering six guests the opportunity to ‘Travel with Purpose’ to Davison’s Camp in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, as part of the Children in the Wilderness (CITW) scheme. The guests will share this experience with a group of children from the surrounding villages, all of whom will be members of school eco-clubs. This will allow them the opportunity to observe how CITW uses education and fun to teach and inspire positive change in the lives of local children. New to Mana African Bush Camps is excited to announce the opening of Nyamatusi Camp and Nyamatusi Mahogany, two camps in the Nyamatusi Wilderness Concession in the far east of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. Both camps are now open for bookings…

Rufiji MaraTech Zip-Off Safari Trousers Designed for adaptability in the outdoors. With removable legs, these will keep you comfortable in a range of temperatures. (thesafaristore.com, from £59) Rogue Bush Sling Bag is a practical canvas and leather bag, perfect for carrying all your gear for a day in the bush. (kendrick imports.com, from £65) SNAP! Advertised as ‘a responsive camera to keep pace with the action’, the Canon EOS 80D offers greater precision for wider focusing areas, making it a brilliant choice for a safari. (store.canon.co.uk, from £1349.99) BUZZ OFF! incognito anti-mosquito repellent protects against most insects. Its active ingredient is recommended by Public Health England and the NHS. (lessmosquito.com, £10) TOP TIPI JONATHAN & ANGELA SCOTT “Bring your binoculars! Having a great pair is as important to us as…

BOTSWANA Desert & Delta Safaris 18 Lodges in best wildlife locations. www.desertdelta.com James Gifford Photography 114 Photography tuition safaris. www.jamesgifford.co.uk Ker & Downey Botswana 22 Luxury lodges and family safaris. www.kerdowneybotswana.com Letaka Safaris 39 Guided safaris, mobile camping. www.letakasafaris.com Machaba Safaris 17 Luxury lodges in the Okavango. www.machabasafaris.com Muchenje Safari Lodge 67 Overlooking river in western Chobe. www.muchenje.com Natural Selection 31 Lodges offering great experiences. www.naturalselection.travel Part of Africa 126 Co-own a private reserve in Tuli. www.partofafrica.com Pearls of Limpopo 41 Lodges in Tuli & Limpopo province www.pearlsoflimpopo.com RAW Botswana 144 Motswiri Camp, Trails of Botswana. www.sundestinations.co.za Ta Shebube 98 Two camps in the Kgalagadi Park. www.tashebube.com Tuli Safari Lodge 98 Refurbished lodge in the Tuli Block. www.tulilodge.com CONGO Odzala Discovery Camps 31 Safaris and camps in Odzala NP. www.odzala.com…

In 2010 in Zambia, AWF’s Classroom Africa program replaced the Sekute community’s one-room schoolhouse with a modern facility that included six classrooms and five teacher houses. In exchange, the community agreed to set aside 20,000 hectares strictly for wildlife conservation in an important migration corridor. In 2015, we completed the expansion, cutting the ribbon to reveal a modern campus with a new library and one additional classroom. Three years later, Lupani students are thriving. The seventhgrade class this year had a 100 percent pass rate on national exams (which are taken to graduate to secondary school). The Lupani students excel in environmental stewardship as well, recently planting 1,500 indigenous tree seedlings in an on-campus greenhouse. Built with support of a local non-profit, Children in the Wilderness, the greenhouse is part of…

1 PHILIP BRIGGS All creatures great and small, page 92 “It’s always a thrill to see the Big Five, or track gorillas or chimpanzees, but many of my personal highlights have been more low-key: walking with a hundredstrong troop of gelada monkeys in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains, photographing the psychedelic Rwenzori threehorned chameleon in Bwindi, spotted hyena greeting us right outside the perimeter fence of a camp in Kruger — the list is endless!” • PHILIP IS THE AUTHOR OF MORE THAN A DOZEN BRADT GUIDEBOOKS COVERING THE LIKES OF MOZAMBIQUE, MALAWI, TANZANIA, UGANDA, RWANDA, KENYA, ETHIOPIA, GHANA AND THE GAMBIA. 2 NICK GARBUTT Madagascar, page 116 “A snuffling and scratching outside the tent tweaked my curiosity. I unzipped the flap and poked my head out into the cool forest air.…

Part of the main allure of Africa is undoubtedly its flora and fauna. The continent is home to a wealth of amazing animals — such as this gelada baboon, found in the Ethiopian Highlands. Confusingly, this extraordinary creature is, in fact, not a baboon at all. Instead, it is the last surviving species of a once widespread group of grassgrazing monkeys. In this section, we endeavour to show you what makes African wildlife stand out from the rest of the world, how the ecosystem works and the best way to kerb your safari expectations. We also recount some remarkable animal encounters — and, most importantly, tell you the best places to go to watch wildlife.…

1 Sahara You might not expect to see much wildlife in the desert, but even here you will find interesting species such as the fennec fox, sand cat and scimitar-horned oryx. 2 Great Rift Valley ‘Islands of endemism’, the mountains and lakes of the Great Rift Valley region support species found nowhere else, from mountain gorillas in the Virungas to cichlid fish in Lake Tanganyika. 3 Serengeti-Mara Spectacular stage for the Great Migration, when seasonal rains in this protected ecosystem drive the clockwise march of more than a million wildebeest, gazelle and zebra. 4 Congo Basin A potent stew of rivers, swamps and flooded forests, Africa’s green heart is home to more than 10,000 plant species, 1000 species of bird and over 400 different mammals, including lowland gorillas, forest elephant,…

Nick Buys Nature Travel Namibia “When I was recently in Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, we came across a beautiful leopard walking beside the Khwai River. After following him for about 45 minutes, he went to the bank to drink. While enjoying this sight, there was an alarm call. Seven African wild dogs appeared, chasing an impala along the river, straight towards the leopard. The cat crouched, and jumped up after the impala as she tried to leap over him. He managed to drag her down but then the dogs were on top of him. As he let go, the impala leapt into the river and the leopard ran up a nearby tree. Three dogs sat below him, while the rest waited for the impala to come out of the water.…

Every tree is a complete ecosystem in miniature. Its roots, leaves and branches provide biological services to many other plants and animals that share its space, many of which, in turn, are vital to its own life cycle. The sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus), for example, is one of Africa’s largest and most impressive trees, with a huge spreading crown, giant buttress roots and a trunk that may measure 5m across. It occurs along watercourses throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile Valley, and is a pivotal part of the ecosystems where it grows. Fig trees are known as keystone resources: if they disappeared, so would many other organisms To ecologists, fig trees are known as keystone resources: if they disappeared, so would many other organisms. Some 1200 species of bird worldwide…

Q What motivates you to do what you do? I was fortunate to always know my ‘bliss’ — my pathway to happiness. It was to live in the moment and explore wild places. The movie Born Free (1966) had me sitting in the cinema thinking: “That is what I want to do” — to live in the bush and watch big cats. Q Africa’s wildlife is so diverse. Why did you fall in love with big cats? There is an aura to big cats that has always made them special. They’re irresistible. They are so beautiful yet being predators there is always that tension, the sense that they can transform in an instant from a peaceful sleeping cat to a sublime hunter in pursuit of prey. Q What is the…

Humanity’s remarkable ability to self-destruct is one of the most inexplicable yet enduring paradoxes of life. We are perhaps the only species endowed with the capacity to understand nature yet so terribly poor at managing it. A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States observes that since the dawn of civilisation, humanity has caused the loss of 83 per cent of all wild animals and nearly half of plants. In Africa, we have seen lion go extinct in 26 countries and the elephant population is a tenth of what it used to be at the start of the 20th century. The main threat to wildlife has been the systematic destruction of habitat. We are losing 100 trees per minute. People cut down 15 billion trees…

The long-term survival of many of Africa’s wildlife species is under great threat. Adam Cruise lists the continent’s most endangered creatures and comments on their current status In Kenya on 19 March 2018, the world’s last male northern white rhino died. Two female rhino remain under heavy armed protection at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, but without a male to sustain the species, northern white rhino are functionally extinct. Sadly, many other African species may soon follow. Here, according to the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, are 10 examples of Africa’s most endangered species teetering on the edge of extinction: 1 Black rhino The iconic rhino has had a particularly high profile lately due to the recent escalation of poaching for their horns of both the surviving African species…

Dzanga Sangha Reserve, Central African Republic Located in the country’s southwest, and covering 4000sq km, this reserve is most famous for Dzanga Bai. This saline clearing in the forest attracts lowland gorillas, forest elephant, buffalo, bongo and chimpanzees, as well as thousands of African grey parrots. Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo Initially a sector of Dzanga Sangha, this is a 3000sqkm national park in the country’s north. Considered pristine, and with no human habitation, it is one of the least known reserves and has escaped the mass logging which has plagued other forest parks. Managed by World Conservation Society in conjunction with the government, it’s most famous for Mbeli Bai, a clearing that draws hundreds of animals. Chinko, Central African Republic This 18,000sq-km reserve is where the Congo rainforests…

The feeling you get watching wildlife from the water, sharing and experiencing the same element as the animals and birds about you, is special. Here are just a few of the options available: Sleepovers Stay on a houseboat and spend all your time enjoying the river and its wildlife. A number operate on the Chobe River in Botswana. They move up and down a section of the river along the Namibian side and usually have small tender boats to take you to see the animals and birds up close each morning and afternoon. Family Take the whole family on one of the longestablished, frequently running and popular Hippo & Croc Boat Cruises on the river estuary at St Lucia in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. It takes just two hours, but…

When people think of Africa, what is generally the first image that springs to mind? For many, it will be grassy plains peppered with acacia trees and occasional kopjes, and wildlife — both large and small — roaming the vast savannah. Big game has always been Africa’s best-known attraction and soon after the continent was first opened up by famous explorers, the first ‘tourists’ were big-game hunters in search of the ‘Big Five’. Today’s tourists are still drawn to Africa by the Big Five, but they are more likely to be shooting through highpowered cameras (or smartphones) than high-powered rifles. Conservation of wildlife is, therefore, key to the longevity of Africa’s travel industry. We are, after all, only the guardians of these riches for future generations to enjoy. One should…

Mike Brogden, Botswana Cultural Holidays The Shell Tourist Travel and Field Guide of Botswana BY VERONICA ROODT “This is the best guidebook to Botswana in my view. It is very detailed with many illustrations and a separate map, written by a cartographer and biologist who has lived in the country for many years. It contains travel tips as well as background on the geology, history, fauna and flora.” Sam Wallace, Yellow Zebra Safaris A Photographic Guide to Tracks and Tracking in Southern Africa BY LOUIS LIEBENBERG “A really interesting part of any safari is tracking. The ability to ‘read’ the ground like a newspaper is a skill only a select few ever master. However, being able to match a shape in the dust to the animal that made it brings…

Marine fauna is often forgotten when we think of African wildlife, but the continent is home to some phenomenal creatures, such as this oceanic whitetip shark. “In recent years, [they] have become rarer in the Red Sea but they are back around the off shore reefs of Egypt,” said French photographer Greg Lecoeur. “Diving with these magnificent predators is a privilege and offers incredible photographic opportunities to witness the symbiosis with pilot fish. Curious, confident and inquisitive, they do not hesitate to approach the divers while on a decompression stop.” Peter Rowlands, one of the judges, commented on the image: “An excellent shot of an iconic creature. Well lit and framed. The small fish bottom right and the faint sunlight top right all contribute.” THIS PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG LECOEUR WAS…

July 31 marked World Ranger Day, a celebration of the men and women who risk their lives daily to protect wildlife. These heroes are the first line of defense for elephants, rhinos and other endangered wildlife. As poachers have become more sophisticated and organized, threats to rangers have intensified. According to the International Ranger Federation, of the 63 rangers in Africa who died from work-related causes over the past year, 31 were killed by poachers, militia, illegal miners or other assailants. The number is thought to be even higher, as many ranger deaths are unreported. A field ranger was killed during a shootout between rangers and suspected poachers on July 19 in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Two months earlier, a 25-year-old female ranger died trying to protect tourists from…

When resources are available, wildlife protectors use advanced technologies such as drone surveillance or other tracking and sensing systems. But anti-poaching and anti-trafficking work also rely on low-tech, tried-and-true methods. One of the oldest and most reliable? Dogs. AWF leads the way in the use of detection dogs to combat the illegal wildlife trade. In partnership with wildlife authorities such as the Kenya Wildlife Service, our Canines for Conservation dog-and-handler teams — deployed at airports and other trafficking hotspots — have uncovered millions of dollars’ worth of ivory, rhino horn and other illegal wildlife products. To date, AWF canine detection units are based in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique. In the near future we will expand our efforts and deploy dog-and-handler teams to Cameroon. The bond’s the thing The program’s…

I am currently pondering this question from Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam, exhausted and elated after a 12-day family safari. Wow, did Tanzania perform! From the improbable congestion of the Ngorongoro Crater to the lions draped over the Serengeti’s kopjes and the elephants excavating Ruaha’s dry riverbeds, it was like a TV highlights reel of the natural world. And even at our Indian Ocean beach resort for two final nights of R&R, the show continued, with green turtles in the surf and colobus monkeys in the forest. Yes, the variety we saw was astonishing: according to my notebook, 47 species of mammal and 227 of bird, not to mention numerous reptiles and other smaller fare. But it was also the quality. I’ve spent much of my life pursuing…

For all its familiarity, savannah is a relative newcomer to the African scene. A shift to a drier climate some 25 million years ago led to fragmentation of the continent’s broad swathe of rainforest. Grass seized the moment. Tough, adaptable and prolific, it began to sweep across Africa, lapping like a green tide at forests and deserts. Herbivores evolved the teeth and stomachs to process grass and rapidly diversified into the ancestors of the remarkable array of species we see today — munching their way across the Serengeti, Masai Mara and other great grasslands of Africa.…

1 Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar: One of the best places to see and hear the indri. 2 Amboseli National Park, Kenya: Iconic scenes of elephant against a backdrop of Kilimanjaro. 3 Bangweulu Wetlands, Zambia: Splashtime for 30,000 endemic black lechwe, plus the rare shoebill. 4 Berenty Private Reserve, Madagascar: Natural stage for the ‘dancing’ Verreaux’s sifaka. 5 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: Riotous rainforest retreat for mountain gorillas. 6 Zambezi Region, Namibia: Verdant panhandle with hippo, buffalo, elephant and birds galore, formerly known as the Caprivi Strip. 7 Chobe National Park, Botswana: Prime spot for big game and pachyderms. 8 Damaraland, Namibia: Dusty realm of the desert elephant and black rhino. 9 Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania: Jane Goodall’s chimpanzee research site. 10 Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe: Red sandstone cliffs…

Oh please. Not another giraffe! Of course, you don’t say it out loud. You know how small-minded that would appear. But you’re almost back at the lodge, and as your guide pulls over for a closer view, you try to hide your disappointment. Yet surely you should be delighted? Here you are, with this magnificent animal so close you can count its lashes. It’s a wildlife moment for which most people would give their eye teeth. What’s wrong? There’s nothing wrong with the giraffe, of course. Your problem is that it’s not a leopard. Giraffe are wonderful, but to regular safari-goers they are — let’s face it — commonplace. You’ve seen dozens. Meanwhile, that coveted cat has eluded you. It doesn’t help to hear, once again, that the leopard population…

On safari, most of us love the drama of the hunt. But when it comes to the aftermath, we tend to look away. The animals responsible for this process, from hyena to maggots, tend to elicit the same response. And yet these animals play a critical role in the ecosystem. By breaking down dead material, they return nutrients to the soil and allow the cycle of energy to continue. Without their natural waste-disposal system, the natural environment would be a giant landfill site of corpses, wafting diseases to the winds, while the soil would gradually become leached of its lifesupporting minerals. The breakdown of a carcass takes several stages. Hyena have the strength to dismantle it, using powerful jaws to crack open the largest bones. Vultures use long necks to…

The Sudd The Sudd is a vast swamp in South Sudan, and is one of the world’s largest wetlands. The shallow, flat inland delta covers an area of 500km comprising a maze of open water and submerged vegetation, floating fringe vegetation, seasonally flooded grasslands, and woodlands. Over 400 species of birds are found here, including an estimated population of 5000 Shoebills. These ecosystems support various endangered mammalian species, such as the Nile lechwe, tiang, Mongalla gazelle and the world’s largest population of white-eared kob. Other resident species include elephant, buffalo, reedbuck, sitatunga and crocodiles. Gambella National Park Gambella is the largest national park in Ethiopia, covering 5,061 sq km. It was established in 1973 to conserve the diverse wildlife and habitats found along the Baro River, an important tributary of…

DID YOU KNOW? Reproductive system An elephant’s penis can be up to 100cm long, while the female clitoris is around 40cm long. The vulva is placed between the hind legs, with mammary glands located between the fore legs. After mating, the gestation period is 95 weeks (22 months). The mother’s trunk is long enough to be able to reach her calf when suckling. Gastrointestinal system An elephant defecates 10-20 times per day, with dung boluses measuring up to 18cm in diameter and weighing 2kg each. Each elephant will also urinate up to 50 litres per day.…

The two maps printed here unmask a tragic reality. From a thick stripe of orange to a thin, flecked smattering reflects the painted wolf’s status as the second-most endangered carnivore in Africa. Q How many are there? In the late 1970s, experts estimated there to be fewer than 7000 in the wild. The species has almost been eliminated from West Africa. There are now thought to be about 6600 spread across 14 countries — although numbers vary greatly — with populations in Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and Kenya. Botswana is one of the major strongholds, and today the country is home to about 1310 individuals. However, where the second map shows the highest density, it is still estimated that numbers have dropped around 27 per cent…

1 Biggest land mammal Male African bush elephant weigh 4.7-6 tonnes and females 2.2-3.3 tonnes. Large males may top 8 tonnes — about the same as a T Rex. 2 Largest teeth The African elephant, again. A male’s tusks (its outsized second incisors) average 23-45kg each and 1.5-2.4m in length. Record tusks from the past have exceeded 3m and 90kg. 3 Second biggest land mammal A bull white rhinoceros averages 2.3 tonnes and may exceed 3.5 tonnes, making it larger than any land mammal except elephant. 4 Tallest mammal Giraffe look down on every other animal: males may tower up to 5.7m; females a little lower. 5 Largest heart The giraffe, again. This outsized organ may top 11kg, bigger even than an elephant’s, enabling it to pump blood to the…

Ideas and advice to help you plan your trip DINAKA SAFARI LODGE, KALAHARI GAME RESERVE, BOTSWANA Ker & Downey’s Dinaka Safari Lodge is situated on the northern edge of Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve, home to black-maned lion, other predators and plains game. The sleep-out deck here provides a thrilling experience for intrepid guests. There’s nothing more exhilarating than spending a night under a blanket of stars — encircled by the mysteries of the African night — listening to the sounds of the wilderness and wondering which nocturnal residents might lurk nearby. And when at last the sun peeps over the horizon, your bed provides the perfect vantage point to observe the wildlife action unfold below.…

SOUTHERNI GROUND HORNBILLI SAM SANKHANI CENTRAL AFRICAN WILDERNESS SAFARIS The southern ground hornbill is the largest in the hornbill family. A good place to see them in Malawi is Liwonde National Park, with regular sightings around the airstrip. There are also sightings in Majete Wildlife Reserve. Though they are able to fly, they spend most of the day foraging. It is common to see a pair or a family. Their diet includes frogs, snails, snakes, lizards and even small tortoises. Over the past century, two-thirds of them have been lost due to several factors, including habitat loss, so they are getting harder to spot as time goes on. PANGOLINI CHRIS JOHNSTON STEPPES TRAVEL The holy grail of wildlife sightings, encountering a pangolin is something that very few people ever experience.…

Why visit? Botswana offers the ultimate luxury safari experience. Its riches of wildlife include about 25 per cent of Africa’s elephants and some of the most dramatic predator viewing anywhere. The unique combination of wilderness landscapes and the variety of game make a Botswana safari an exceptional experience. Highlights There’s too much to enjoy in Botswana to do it quickly. Take your time, and enjoy some of these treasures: Okavango Delta • One of the world’s largest wetland ecosystems, an inland delta, made up of lagoons, channels and islands. • Exceptional wildlife populations, including predators, elephant and buffalo. • Varied accommodation, from stylish lodges to mobile camps. Chobe National Park • Worth the visit for its sheer number of different habitats and immense big game population. • Vast herds of…

This year, three of the world’s leading ivory markets — China, Hong Kong and the U.K. — implemented or announced new bans on ivory trade. These new laws represent huge wins in the fight to save elephants and signal an emerging global consensus that ivory in any form is not worth its terrible costs. Now, Japan is under pressure to continue the global momentum. As a signatory to the 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) trade ban, Japan prohibits the buying or selling of ivory across borders; but it allows domestic trade, meaning people can buy or sell “old” or stockpiled ivory. The island nation has a large supply of stockpiled tusks and one of the world’s most active domestic markets. The problem with domestic markets generally is…

Dear AWF friends, Protecting and fighting for African wildlife is challenging work, with its share of ups and downs. Without a doubt, one of the leading “ups” is an annual event in Rwanda known as “Kwita Izina.” Imagine the joy participants and observers feel on this September day, as prime ministers and other prominent guests name each of the year’s newborn mountain gorillas. Kwita Izina has become one of the world’s best-known conservation-themed events. It’s special not only for drawing attention to some of the most adorable creatures on earth — baby gorillas — but because it signifies the Rwandan people’s commitment to wildlife. Mountain gorillas are integral to Rwanda’s culture, economy and, most importantly, sense of what’s possible for the future. Earlier this year, AWF transferred land to the…