TRACKING ANIMALS DURING WALKING SAFARIS OR GAME DRIVES.
First we give a Safety Talk to every one who participates. If it will be done on the Walk, we advise every one not to put on black or white colors since they are very bright colors in the bush, we tell them to put on closed shoes to protect their feet from thorns, scorpion bites etc during their dinner time, as most enjoyable walks are in the morning hours though after-noon Walks are very nice too regardless being warm hours which cools as the Sun goes down for a beautiful Sun-set if the walk is planed to end along the Shire River.
Just before we start, I congratulate participants for making it for the Walk and tell them that they have chosen one of the best Safaris ever!!! I give them another Safety talk that Walking Safaris being the best Safaris it is the best time to look for smaller treasures of the Wild which we miss when Driving or Boating etc, we have a chance to touch, smell, taste, observe plants, animals and the tracks and signs they leave on ground and bush, birds etc as close as safety permits and listen to the wild sounds i.e. insects like Cicadas, crickets, birds calls, antelopes calling their young, elephants breaking the trees, Hippos munching while grazing. Being the best Safari it also have some potential dangers with wild life like Elephants, Hippos, Buffalos and a few Lions which are occasionally seen in Liwonde National Park. Elephants we keep down wind and safe distance while viewing them from cover, could be termite mount or big bush or tree, Hippos we do not keep our self between Hippo and water as they feel safe when they have the right of way to the water, you always see them walking slowly without panic giving you a chance to enjoy seeing their short legs, some times spraying dang on their favorite posts and massive body which is always submerged when seeing them in water. For Buffalos we view them from far especially if it is a single bull as sometimes can be injured bulls, though a breeding herd may stand well enough observing intruders before it escape from intruders.
We remind every one to walk in a single file with participants between a Safari Guide with a Baer bunger and an armed Department of National Officer. Also to always have their eyes in the sides to enjoy the surrounding nature through out the walk as is a chance for them to spot wildlife too.
Where ever we pass if you look on the ground you see animal tracks and droppings which tells us which animals were present, normally we do not miss tracks of Genets, birds like Red-necked Spur fowl, Spur-winged Geese, Porcupines, African Civets, Impalas, Water Bucks, Hippos, Meller’s Mongoose etc.
About tracks on the photosbelow, Meller’s Mongoose is a solitary and nocturnal occasional diurnal, very rare Mongoose, feeds mainly on termites also vertebrates. This Lion track show the animal was walking majestically very slowly. The Spur-winged Goose also was walking slowly is a large goose about 75-100cm, males are up to twice the size of females, like wetlands and grasslands near water. Hippo track also shows the animal was walking not running on the loose sand, Hippo used this way on its way out to grass, they can cover about 10-15km at night, the first 5hours is their serious grassing within which the are known to eat about 45kg to 60kg of vegetation i.e. grass, shrubs etc. I have also seen Blue powder puff (Cyanotis longifolia) and Commelina benghalensis called Morning Flower among the food dropping from their wide pad lips.
Lion track was 5hoours old. Spur winged Goose track
Meller’s Mongoose tracks Hippos’ track
If we choose to track elephants we look for a tracks on soft ground e.g. sandy, or moist if they are fresh or not and see how old the tracks are. If tracks have been disturbed by wind ant lions, or antelope’s tracks or other animals, bird’s tracks depending on the time of the day and how many owners of the disturbing tracks are around or could be seen before arriving on the elephant track. Can be observed that the elephant printed its foot that area previous day after noon hours. If you continue following the tracks if the elephant spent most of the time feeding around. We try to look for the most fresh tracks which can led us view the elephant, where the tracks can not be seen on hard grounds we look at the grass direction which way it is bent as like all other animals when moving in the grass they bend the grass towards the direction they are going. As we are in the bush and in the trail the elephant used, we look for elephant damage on trees if any and see if it is moist and fresh, if turning have not made it very brown yet and it is bright in color still oozing fresh plant watery fluids then the elephant is near, as you do all this we keep on listening if they are breaking branches, rambling, trumpeting, flapping their large ears alone have led me detecting their presence as well.
Common elephant damage seen. Elephants found and being enjoyed
We make sure we are feeling the wind direction so as to be where wind is going so that the elephant should not notice our presence before we see it. Elephants have poor eye site and hearing but have very good sense of smell and can pick up our scent and come to search for us if we ignore keeping in mind wind direction. Normally when tracking elephants we see their dang which tells us how old by looking at the color, very fresh dung will be warm when I insert my hand in the center of it, this time will be olive to yellow in color and has strange a rather pleasant smell
The elephant’s olive to yellow dung color changes as it dries is dark when about five to six hours then lightens slowly. Lastly you might be seeing fresh tracks or hearing the elephants or scanning a hundred meters we find the elephant.
To enjoy viewing the elephant we avoid our scent being picked by the elephant, by having wind always blowing from elephants to us. Viewing all wildlife without them knowing our presence is the best way to learn what the do in the wild. If wildlife are invited for a good photo or to move by making noise or any kind of sound, it is the start of leaving their class room where we learn and get a bush degree which is important than reading a thousands of books about wildlife. I have seen some people pretending to cough a trick they should not be noticed they are inviting the animal to pause well for their photos.
Most of the above tracking can be used to track Black Rhino, Buffalos etc. Elephant were chosen being the animals frequently tracked and to give those with an idea or have tracked during a Drive or on foot before but were not very clear or are about to come and try the experience to know some of the things done during such safaris.
The Elephants in Photo above were found after tracking them for about 4km to 5km looking at tracks, dung and damage.LONGDEN X4 party, three guests came tracking elephants on a Game Drive after missing them in all Safaris we did for two nights, though they were very interested in birds they wanted to see the elephants before they leave Mvuu. We saw about 20 Elephants, celebrating our 1Pel’s Fishing Owl,2White Backed Night Herons,Lillian’s Lovebirds, Sub-adult African Cuckoo Hawk,10Crowned Lapwings, Arnots Chat etc. I am sure this Party will be able to comment on how Elephants were found.