Discovering a kudu carcass

Examining the kudu carcass

 

Once in a while we'll try to ground truth some of the movements from our collared lions data (Buffalo carcass). We check the data every day and look for multiple days or points where the lions are moving within a very small range. It's pretty rare for an area to be in an accessible and safe environment so whenever we have the opportunity we take it. 

 

Movements that suggest a carcass

From November 26th to December 1st we noticed a lioness moving between two distinct areas. After she cleared out we decided to pursue as the site as itwas close to an old disused air strip and relatively accessible. We geared up and headed out, hoping for the best.

Unfortunately the rains had just begun and the area was prime tsetse fly territory. Swarms of tsetse flies can be annoying and anxiety-inducing and I found them to be dangerous in this situation as they took my focus off the environment. We do not live in an open savanna landscape as many people imagine Africa. Rather our area is dominated by a bushy and thick landscape that requires one to be alert when on foot. By focusing on driving tsetse flies off my face, I was taking valuable attention away from the environment. 

It because apparent early on that the area was prime tsetse fly territory and that they would not relent. You just gotta endure and hope for the best. They can bite through nearly all clothes and they frequently bite in odd and sensitive places like fingertips, palms, neck, and face. Many times you can't feel them land and they are extremely agile making it rare to kill them if you swat at them. We've experienced several bad tsetse fly infestations but this day was among the worst. 

At least we achieved our objective by finding the carcass. The first point that we went to only had a lone bone but the second point had a spine and femur of a kudu. We suspect the lioness possibly has cubs and brought food to them nearby. Due to the tsetse flies we did not stick around and look for more tracks and signs. We took a different route back to the car and found several skeletons of impalas and kudus along the way. I suppose the great kudu and impala population helps to sustain that healthy tsetse fly population as well!

A "latrine", basically a place where impala and dikdik defecate regularly. An impressive pile !

 

Zanzibar: Matemwe trip II

Beautiful views from the lodge.

 We traveled to Zanzibar this past week and enjoyed some relaxing days off in Matemwe, the northeast side of the island. Like our previous trips (Paje Beach, Matemwe, accommodation) it was all about eating seafood, reading a book, and refreshing our minds. I brought my guitar along this time which added a nice activity for me. Over three days we did not do much; we did not even snorkel or do any sightseeing. I'm always shocked at how the beach life takes over and one can be without any "activities" yet the days fly by and at no point were we bored!

Love me some seafood.

Perfect shaded area to read and listen to the ocean.

It's best to wear watershoes or flip flops; there are many sea urchins!

Ana wading while a woman harvests seaweed in the background.

Discovering a Buffalo carcass

The on the left is along a river, probably going to drink. After three days the lion moved on...(red square final point)

From the 16th-18th of November we observed Lion #98 with very tight movements indicative of a feeding event. We check the lions movements each day and it's exciting to see when they do something unusual or possibly have a large carcass. We were also pleased that this carcass was close to a road meaning that we could follow up and ground truth once they were gone. The majority of the lions' territories have no road access and thus we were eager to follow up. 

We were familiar with the landscape and knew the lion was about 200m off the road in a thick commiphora forest. These are not particularly dense forests but have features that local wildlife have adapted to and thus lions and the like can appear very camouflaged. It can also be dangerous as the risk of sneaking up on an animal and frightening it is high and in a closed space they can panic and attack. As a result we took precautions bringing our noisemakers and waiting until the lions GPS movements indicated they were far off the carcass. 

Still, it was not without risks though I admit I love the excitement. There is something about the focus and awareness that one has in the bush. You register every single sound, examine the game trails and evidence of wildlife, take in the odors of elephant and kudu. It's an immersive experience and there is always a bit of underlying fear that gets the adrenaline pumping.

We made plenty of noise while observing evidence of elephant, kudu, impala, though no lion. The forest was well traveled but dry season makes it difficult to observe some tracks and signs of wildlife. We tried to follow our noses to the carcass but we didn't smell anything. After some circling about we finally came upon a buffalo head and rib-cage. We identified some spots where lions slept and piles of feces strewn about. The lions had picked the buffalo well clean! 

The head remains.

The head and rib-cage was all that was left. Impressive.

Transporting fish

I think there are two here.

I was impressed this person had fish on each side view mirror. 

 

One interesting thing I frequently see here in Tanzania is the transport of fresh fish. In the absence of a cooler one is faced with the question, should you put the fish inside the vehicle and likely cause your vehicle to smell for weeks or....do you put it...outside? 

Many an enterprising driver tie the fish to the side view mirrors of their vehicle. It is not unusual, especially in areas close to lakes and rivers, to see travelers passing through tying fish on the side view mirrors.

Kisang'a-Lugalo Forest Reserve: Trip II

 

Bracken highland with some views.

It had been several years since we last visited Kisang'a-Lugalo Forest Reserve so we figured it was due time we return (Trip I). We had big plans that included camping at a river but we ended up reducing the trip to a simple day trip. The ride up was beautiful though the views were not as clear as we remembered, probably due to extensive burning in the area. If you're the adventurous type the trip up is worth the journey. 

When we entered into the forest reserve we immediately met a truck filling up with timber. The workers explained that they were harvesting eucalyptus trees (planted in the past to demarcate the border) and that they had received permission to use the forest reserve road. It was a weird interaction but they invited me to view their plot of land, which I declined. We continued on the road through a nice part of forest until we reached a beautiful area with several montane grasses and plants. The clear views allowed us to survey the forest and we began to see signs of previous logging and heavy human use. We continued down a very steep road to a small river. On our previous trip we were told there was an irrigation project in the area and sure enough we saw a water catchment system and massive pipe running down from it. We were a little disappointed as we had imagined setting camp next to a quaint stream in the forest and instead we were faced with a bit of an eye sore in a cleared patch of secondary forest. We had identified another possible camp site next to a stream earlier in the road so we decided to double back. 

On our way back we followed two newly cut logging tracks. One of them we followed until we reached another eucalyptus cutting ground and another we followed until we heard the sounds of chainsaws. We found stacks of planks on the road and decided to not pursue any further. Our mood had soured with the sounds of chainsaws and lack of walking trails and as a result we decided to head back home. I think the prospect of setting up camp at 4pm in a non-forested area with the sounds of chainsaws was not what we had in mind. Although it was disturbing for us as tourists it is a good thing that the trees can be harvested and provide some economic value to the nearby inhabitants. However, cutting new tracks through forests is not only less than ideal due to the obvious cutting of trees and shrubs but these roads also tend to open up the forest to other extraction activities (pole cutting, honey harvesting, etc). 

Most of the forest reserves in the area have been heavily logged and continue to be exploited for mostly small scale use. We are still keen to explore these areas but I suppose we have to taper our expectations and be ready for anything!

Views going south.

Water catchment system.

Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi): Trip II

 

Enjoying a walk in the evening.

In what seems like a perfect pairing, we once again hiked Mt. Rungwe en route to Matema Beach (Trip I). It's one of the closer large bodies of water to us and the Livingstone Mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to the massive lake. Having grown up on a Great Lake in Wisconsin in the USA, being next to a massive body of water is comforting. The only unfortunate thing is that the lake likely has Schistosomiasis, an acute and chronic parasitic disease. Although it can be treated, it's still not ideal to get. Reliable information on its presence is sparse but it appears the lake was free of Shicstosomiasis in the 80s but there have been rising numbers of cases, especially in the southern part of the lake. With that being said, we absolutely swam in the cool and clear lake. 

Matema is a strange village in that the agricultural activities sprawl in every direction but the dwellings and village proper are very densely arranged. There is a roundabout that serves as the nexus of activity in close proximity to the market and Lutheran Center. There is local beach access hosting a variety activities from fishing to bathing to washing. People are also just hanging out on the beach as well with a good number of people coming out in the evenings. 

On our previous visit we did not go snorkeling, falsely believing that snorkeling in a fresh water lake would be lackluster. This time around we arranged to go to the snorkeling spot and we were in disbelief at how plentiful and varied the fish were. We knew that the lake was famous for Cichlids and that over 600 of the 1,000 species of fish in the lake were endemic, but we were not prepared for a variety of fish that rivaled the quality of snorkeling in many places in Zanzibar. There was a rocky area where the fish fed off the algae and plankton, basically serving as a "rock reef". The water was extremely clear and the only perilous part of the journey was the rickety boat ride taking in water at an alarming rate though one can make arrangements with a more lake-worthy vessel if one chooses to do so. 

The rest of the time we spent hiking around, watching the Trumpeter Hornbills come in to roost at night, and swimming in the lake. At night the sky is clear with the milky way clearly shining. Many fisherman were also out at night using lights; I counted 75 boats around 10pm. I'm sure there were many more out there further out in the lake.

 

Some of the riverine vegetation with hippos nearby.

Snorkeling spot.

Boat ride to the snorkeling.

 

Mt. Rungwe: Trip II

 

Peak!

We had visited Mt. Rungwe in the rainy season but failed to summit. Now we're in the heart of the dry season we figured we'd give it another try. We felt well prepared to camp two nights which would allow us to spend the entire day hiking while also enjoying the environs of the campsite. 

The campsite has rustic though worn covered huts and basic tables and benches. There is a small stream very close to the camp that provides water for cooking and bathing. There is a basic pit toilet with a plastic covering to provide some sort of privacy. The only downside of the camp is that depending on the wind, you can sometimes hear music and noise from the nearby village but it's quite distant and irregular. 

Our hike was overall a success though the last quarter to half was steep and challenging. We felt the thinness of the air and moved extremely slow on our ascent. This begins at the bamboo zone and continues up through the grasslands and peak. As you can see from the elevation map below, it's straight up! 

The views at the top were nice and the air was chilly. There were loads of interesting montane grasses and flowers and we enjoyed a White-naped Raven and a pair of Hawk-Eagles that soared at eye level. The descent was much quicker though taxing on the knees. At the second campsite we saw a trail towards the east and we later found out this leads to a crater, perhaps next time we will find it!

Elevation change and distance on the descent.

Beautiful bamboo layer.

A view midway up.

The campsite.