This adventure was easily one of the funnest and eye opening trips I have had the pleasure of experiencing. I had the privilege of working at the Tuli Game Reserve with a group of people from the University of Central Missouri as well as a few people from Europe and Australia. The group I traveled with worked within the Tuli block for ca. 1 month before travelling to South Africa for several weeks to join the rest of our group to explore the area of Kruger National Park. While in Tuli, we monitored mammalian populations (largely elephants), their numbers, and movement patterns. Additionally, we were trained an certified in tracking African animals.
Mammals
Outside of the invertebrate diversity we experienced, mammalian diversity was the highest during our visit. These animals are much easier to spot than the rest and part of our work was to monitor several of the populations present at Tuli. The Tuli area has the highest remaining density of African elephants; they were everywhere. In Botswana, it was clear that the wildlife was not accustomed to human contact. They were quick to flee or fight if they didnt think they could flee. Every picture we took had to be earned because the animals were not quick to stay around. The mammals of South Africa were a different story. It was clear that many of them were habituated to humans. We were also able to photograph many other mammals by visiting a breeding sanctuary that was trying to preserve several threatened mammal species. While the cobra in my hut was an adventure, in South Africa, a group of us ended up in a precarious situation where our land rover was broadsided by the female matriarch of a herd. The charge stopped as her trunk slapped hard on the side of our vehicle. She was as startled as we were when in close contact. I don't think she knew there were "smaller animals" within the metal beast she attacked. She stopped just long enough for our driver to rapidly remove us from that situation.
Reptiles and Amphibians
We had some interesting encounters with various herps throughout our visit. Our first stop after landing in Johanessburg was a farm close to the border of Botswana that housed several thousand captive Nile crocodiles. While there, I was able to get my hands on a Bibrons gecko. The other little fellas outran me. The remaining majority of my herp encounters were in Botswana. Two notable encounters occurred while at the Tuli reserve. First, on one mid-afternoon, we spotted a small green snake near our field kitchen. Knowing what it had the potential to be, we approached it with extreme skepticism. It could have been one of several green snakes of Africa, including the Boomslang. However, it was a harmless spotted bush snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus). On another later afternoon, I jogged to my hut to grab some gear. Upon entering the doorway i noticed a small section of ventral scales through two of the posts that comprised the hut walls. It turned out to be a Mozambique spitting cobra (Naja mossambica) looking for shelter. We were able to scare it out of my hut without much of a fight and I ran barefoot after it to snap the not so impressive, but personally valuable, image of it in the slideshow below. About a week later, the same snake (I think) found its way into one of the local worker's huts. It spit at him. The worker responded by stepping on the snakes head. Not being one to let the unfortunate death go to waste, I dissected it with my field knife. I had never seen the musculature of a cobra hood. Definitely learned something new.
Death
An inevitable side of life is death. While in Africa we came upon three notable deaths. Fortunately, these were not human induced. The first death was an elderly elephant who was not able to survive the drought season of Botswana. She had been a tusked female. However, our guide, and the caretaker or the Tuli reserve, noted that her tusks were not poached. The herd she belonged to carried them for several days after her death. The other two encounters came just outside of Kruger National Park, South Africa. We found the remains of a giraffe skeleton in the valley between two hills. Apparently it is commonplace for a lion pride to pursue and corral these large ungulates down sloped terrain where they have trouble with balance and maneuverability. The last encounter we experienced is largely unexplained. We found the remains of a large kudu. Without knowing more about its death, anything more would be speculation.
An inevitable side of life is death. While in Africa we came upon three notable deaths. Fortunately, these were not human induced. The first death was an elderly elephant who was not able to survive the drought season of Botswana. She had been a tusked female. However, our guide, and the caretaker or the Tuli reserve, noted that her tusks were not poached. The herd she belonged to carried them for several days after her death. The other two encounters came just outside of Kruger National Park, South Africa. We found the remains of a giraffe skeleton in the valley between two hills. Apparently it is commonplace for a lion pride to pursue and corral these large ungulates down sloped terrain where they have trouble with balance and maneuverability. The last encounter we experienced is largely unexplained. We found the remains of a large kudu. Without knowing more about its death, anything more would be speculation.
Early Humans
In addition to the immense biodiversity, we were also able to see cultural remains of early human settlement. These remains are thousands of years old.
In addition to the immense biodiversity, we were also able to see cultural remains of early human settlement. These remains are thousands of years old.
