It seems that the heat in Madikwe has taken a toll on many species large and small.
When a guest on our game viewer said that they had spotted a ‘shell’, I thought that they were referring to a Large Land Snail. I was NOT expecting to see the remains of this Leopard Tortoise.
Although the shell was intact, with no signs of teeth or claw marks, there was still part of a rear leg and some of the skeleton visible.
A sad ending to yet another creature because of climate change?
This lower mandible could have been part of a kill; nothing was close by to give any indication as to what had occurred to the rest of the animal.
Even though this dam is fed by fresh water, it is at its lowest level in the 29 years that I have been visiting Madikwe.
When I visited the reserve in early October, the long-awaited rains had still not arrived.
Chatting to lodges in mid-September and they had still not come.
It is hotter than usual currently and all the lodges are praying that the rains are gentle and soaking when they do come.
Not like the flood a few years ago that washed away many of the roads and caused more harm than good.
Too hot even for these lionesses. Although they were on the lookout for an opportunistic meal, they were too lazy to exert themselves…and by the look of their bellies, they had eaten creatively recently.
Part of a larger breeding herd of elephants that were making their way to a nearby water source.
Elephants are water-dependent and require a minimum of 68.4 to 98.8 L of water daily.
They have been known to consume up to 152 L with an adult bull drinking up to 212 L to prevent dehydration.
Lives do not always have a happy ending.
We came across this adult elephant not long after it had died.
The carcass was so fresh that none of the usual ‘clean-up’ crew had arrived. We did notice one jackal scuttling off as we drove up, but no vultures or hyenas had yet discovered this free meal.
Given that it was getting late and that there were a pair of cheetahs close by, we left this to go and join that predator sighting.
Via the guides at the various camps, the carcass was monitored, but no scavengers arrived to claim a portion of this particular elephant by the time we left the area.
In Kruger during a drought there some years ago, many of the buffalo perished as they too are water dependent. The lions would find a carcass, have a bite and move on. The surfeit of carcasses there was similar to what we saw here in Madikwe.
Too much food and the major predators will tend to steer clear eventually. Almost as if they get tired of a particular type of prey.
This elephant was a much older carcass and one of three that we found during the various game drives.
Our guide has told us that there were 10 carcasses that they were aware of, 9 of which had died from dehydration and the 10th while giving birth.
Driving towards the carcass, we almost missed the ear that was peaking out from behind the leg of this long-deceased pachyderm.
It seems that a jackal had claimed this for itself and was making the most of what meat could be found in and around these remains.
This young visitor from Europe sat patiently as I shot image after image. It was only when we got to a particular spot and the stench became too much, that she expressed her distaste.
I fear that I might have not been respectful of her discomfort, and for that, I apologise.
Is anybody home?
This jackal kept going in and out of the opening in the rib cage, tugging at something that was just out of sight.
To the victor the spoils? Not quite in this instance, but a winner nonetheless.
However, persistence paid off in the end and it eventually emerged with this piece of meat and sinew clenched between its teeth.
Not as easy to digest as it might have thought and it took several minutes of tugging and tearing before it was wolfed down.
I was asked what the white streaks on the carcass were.
I informed the guest that it was vulture poop, left behind while they picked away at the soft parts of the elephant.
The guest looked somewhat perplexed and ended our conversation by saying: “That is so disrespectful to the elephant”!
The end of yet another day in Africa.
In the darkness, lives are lost and sometimes new lives are created.
In the end, it is all about the circle of life and how that plays out daily.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
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