22nd June. The end of a long day in Chobe National Park: during a boat trip on the river, we had spent the morning lost for words as around 50 Elephants swam across to the marshy islands, the animals splashing and rolling and playing around us, throwing mud at each other, blowing bubbles and generally enjoying themselves, and the afternoon had been spent driving through the park, enjoying encounters with photogenic Buffalo, three hungry young Lions chewing on a baby elephant, a proud Kori Bustard stalking through the bush, a group of handsome Sable in the glowing sunset and some lovely sandgrouse...
This being a National Park, you have to be out by 6.30. No time for a sundowner today, we were heading out of the park... We came over a rise and suddenly Lips (our guide) slammed on the brakes. There on the track in front of us, staring at us was a beautiful adult male African Wild Dog. He stood and watched us, as a second, shyer animal slunk off behind him into the bushes. The male eyed us up, then rather amazingly walked towards us and lay down on the track, giving a relaxed yawn in our direction, before turning his attention back to the second animal, apparently a female who was of some interest to him. We all held our breath, while the camera shutters clicked away, amazed at our luck, while Lips was busy on the radio letting others know of our sighting. In the end it was the female who decided enough was enough, and she trotted leisurely across the track and away. The male quickly got up and followed her and the two of them dissolved into the bush, leaving six gob smacked Wildlife Travellers finding it hard to believe our luck. And as with everything else here, we had them all to ourselves.
