Excerpt from DUBA PLAINS CAMP Newsletter: (Oct)
As we mentioned last month the elephants have come into the area in large numbers and this continued over September/October with some notably large breeding herds and of course the regular bulls that always come into the camp at this time of the year. They have been seen most of the month sleeping around the camp perimeter; they lie up against the low lying termite mounds as it is easier for them to heave their large bulks up off the side of the mound when they are suddenly disturbed from their slumber! An amazing scene to watch! Not only were they in camp to feed and sleep - they have been pretty destructive as well. Several times this month we did not have water in mornings as overnight they pulled up water pipes to gain access to the fresh clean water and then left the water tanks to drain. There have even been few incidents where they pushed the water heaters down in a very gentle manner so as not to break the solar panels. It was very interesting one morning to watch a bull elephant walking from the water channel towards camp. He walked all the way through the water on the floodplain just to get to the swimming pool where he broke the rails in an attempt to drink water out of the pool!!
Of the larger species the buffalo herd spent the whole of this month in the area that we can access easily, which is great for viewing of course. They are still in excellent condition despite the relentless activity between the buffalos and lions. This month the interaction between the two has again been fantastic to witness as the two groups fight against each other. It is interesting to note that the interaction only resulted in eight kills this month. While this is a lower number than normal it is not just about the kill but the interface between lion and buffalo, and the endless game of the hunt that plays itself out on the Duba floodplains, is enough to keep everyone absolutely riveted.
As we mentioned last month the elephants have come into the area in large numbers and this continued over September/October with some notably large breeding herds and of course the regular bulls that always come into the camp at this time of the year. They have been seen most of the month sleeping around the camp perimeter; they lie up against the low lying termite mounds as it is easier for them to heave their large bulks up off the side of the mound when they are suddenly disturbed from their slumber! An amazing scene to watch! Not only were they in camp to feed and sleep - they have been pretty destructive as well. Several times this month we did not have water in mornings as overnight they pulled up water pipes to gain access to the fresh clean water and then left the water tanks to drain. There have even been few incidents where they pushed the water heaters down in a very gentle manner so as not to break the solar panels. It was very interesting one morning to watch a bull elephant walking from the water channel towards camp. He walked all the way through the water on the floodplain just to get to the swimming pool where he broke the rails in an attempt to drink water out of the pool!!
Of the larger species the buffalo herd spent the whole of this month in the area that we can access easily, which is great for viewing of course. They are still in excellent condition despite the relentless activity between the buffalos and lions. This month the interaction between the two has again been fantastic to witness as the two groups fight against each other. It is interesting to note that the interaction only resulted in eight kills this month. While this is a lower number than normal it is not just about the kill but the interface between lion and buffalo, and the endless game of the hunt that plays itself out on the Duba floodplains, is enough to keep everyone absolutely riveted.
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