Days 8-9 April 22-23: Magnificent African Animals Surround Us!

Hello Students: I continue to be amazed at the beauty and variety of animals we see every day. Many come to the lodge and taste the salt lick provided for enticement of up close viewing. In the first top picture behind me you will see a family of giraffes who came in for a visit. Giraffes are the tallest and heaviest of the world's hoofed animals and are plentiful in the area.  Do you know how tall a giraffe can stand? 19 feet! How much they weigh? 1 1/2 tons!

The other day, as we were leaving the Mt. Etjo Safari Lodge, several zebra stopped to check me out. Also, notice the beautiful brown impala, who was calmly walking in front of them. There are two kinds of zebra in this area. The Burchell and the Hartman Mountain zebra. Do you know which kind these were and how you can tell? These are the Hartman zebra, which are confined to Namibia's western plains. Notice they do not have stripes on their under belly, which is the difference between the two types.

Saturday, we went looking for the elephants and hippos. On the way to the elephants we came upon a large water hole. We drove along the waters edge and looked through our binoculars. At first we didn't think we saw anything-pretty calm on the water front. Then we spotted a couple of heads sticking out of the water, and then there were more! We saw 5 hippos! An adult male and female and three babies in-between them (protective mode). Pretty soon we saw their ears in the water. Sorry, no pictures-they were too far away. Hippos come out of the water only at night to graze and can live up to 40 years! Do you know what animal is known to kill the most natives? Hippos! Hippos kill more people than any other animal in Africa!  When  surprised, they head for the nearest route to the water, and will run down anything in its path.

Safari Tip: Do not get between the hippo and the water!

Now on to the elephants....Elephants are not close to the lodge this time of the year because they require a dryer land for grazing. So, to get to the elephants it is a very long drive. After we left the hippos we proceeded through a dark forest, with many dead and downed trees. When we asked about the trees, we were told you can always tell where the elephants are because of the stomped and knocked down dead trees (in addition to their tracks). After much unsuccessful exploration it was getting dark. Since this terrain was less traveled and rougher roads than others, we decided to turn around and return to the lodge. As we were turning back lo and behold we spotted a family of elephants! You can look in the second row of the first picture and you will see the termite mound (remember those?) and a baby elephant next to it. We determined he is only about one week old! He was surrounded by very protective adult female elephants. See the large female in the right picture? She just left our jeep after she came up close to it and made charging motions towards it. It was a few scary moments! I didn't get a picture-I am sure you will understand why. Once she determined we were not a threat, she returned to her group. What a magnificent find! I asked Rudie, our PH, what his most favorite animal was and he said it was the elephant. He seems to have a love for all the animals and insects (later). He has history with the elephants though and made friends with them. One very large bull elephant regularly comes to his jeep, lays his big trunk on top of it and visits with him for awhile. We had an adventurous ride back to the lodge ( I think we got off the beaten paths for awhile) and surged up a river bed around a downed tree in the road. I thought I was on a Raiders of the Lost Ark Disneyland ride! Rudie is a great guide, driver and PH so we made it home safety. Whew!

The two pictures at the bottom of the first set are of a Dik Dik (remember, I spoke of them before?) who was taking a nap at the side of the road. They are small antelope, with tiny spindly legs. The very large beetle-like bug to the right is seen everywhere. It is an armored cricket. If you look closely, you will see his antlers out front and his armor on his back.

The next set of pictures are one of Rudie and myself looking out-exploring with our binoculars.

Safari Tip: If you go to Africa, you cannot go without a good set of binoculars. So much to see!

The open road is much of what we have traveled on almost every day. During this time you never know what you are going to see. Sunday early morning we were putting a stalk on a few blue wildebeests on the open range. Our guide noticed they were extra "squirrely" and moving around a lot. He thought it was unusual. After much tracking (and not a whole lot of luck) we discovered the small tracks you will see in the riverbed. They were from a leopard cub. We later discovered the mother's tracks. We figured the wildebeests sensed the leopard was around and were on high alert. This explained their anxious state.  The other night when coming back from the safari lodge Rudie noticed two beady flashing eyes up on the mountain side. We stopped the jeep and beamed a light on them. They flashed again; we think it was a leopard waiting for game to come to the water hole. Leopards are considered one of Africa's big five dangerous animals. They are effective and ruthless killers. I will tell you more about leopards later.

The two bottom pictures are of a baboon and blue wildebeest I saw at the water hole just this morning. I was able to video a troop of baboons as they were crossing the waterhole. You might want to look them up. They are considered one the most widespread primates in all of Africa. There are two varieties of Wildebeest-blue and black. These are majestic animals similar to buffalo.

So much to see and do! Later I will  tell you a couple of scary leopard stories, and we will explore the hunting lodge a little more. Hope you are learning to love Africa as much as I do......

Day 7 Friday April 21: Mrs. Janes Goes Rhino Tracking and Takes a Tangle with the Bushes!

Hello Class: On Friday I had an adventurous day. My guide Flippi took me Rhino Tracking. Although we didn't see any rhinos on this day, we did see two the first day we were here. See the above bottom picture to the left-we saw a young male bull and a young female white rhino. Also, the one to the right Mr. Janes saw yesterday on his exploration.

Here is a fact you might be interested in: Although Africa has black and white rhinos, they are not named for their color. They are the same varying color, but distinguished by their features. The white name is actually Africans for "wide," referring to the  white rhino's mouth, which is flattened. You will also notice the tracks at the top of the picture. While tracking the rhinos we were looking for the clover leaf-like tracks. You will see in the photo, there are three clover markings, the top of the three indicates the direction the rhino was going.

It is important to know about the plight of rhinos in Africa, specifically Namibia. Many people in the USA do not know about this. Sadly, there is a real problem with poaching these magnificent animals, almost to the point of extinction. There are less than 5,000 black and 18,000 white rhino alive today. According the Rudie, Professional Hunter, in the last three years, 3 rhinos were poached a day. Unfortunately, there is a foreign market for the rhino horn, which is believed to be a remedy for many ills. Mount Etjo has approximately 60 Rhinos on their 80,000 acre property which are  protected very carefully to assure they are not poached. Currently they have 3 teams of security who conduct patrols in the area, as well as security gates and helicopter surveillance. Mount Etjo RHINO Trust, under the guidance of Annette Oelofse (the owner, who has a passion for saving the rhinos) was established to aid in the survival of the animal. The Trust helps  pay for the cost of raising baby rhinos, vitamins for the herd and to assure no poaching takes place. You might be interested in linking with another website developed by a 6 year old girl, Sophia who visited Mt. Etjo and became concerned about the rhinos. Here is her website: www.sophiasavesrhinos.com.

In addition, Annette Oelofse wanted to assure her herd of rhinos expanded, so she acquired three "lady" rhinos which she recently released into the wild so they could mingle with the male bulls. While I was out exploring a few days ago, we saw Annette and she pulled up next to our jeep. She said she was looking for the ladies and last saw their tracks at the riverbed. Not knowing the story, I asked her if she was looking for a few lost lady tourists. Ha-ha! We got a good laugh out of it. The next day she was able to find her lost lady rhinos.

Mrs. Janes' Safari Tip of the Day:  See bottom picture. While out exploring on this day (and sitting on the top-side of the vehicle) I took a tangle with the Thorned-Acacia bushes. Looks like a leopard pawed me!  Tip: Always sit on the middle seat.

We are having the time of our lives here! I have never been in such a serene, pristine and lush environment surrounded by some of the most beautiful animals in the world. I am glad you are sharing this experience with me.

Next, I will tell you about our encounters with two of the animals I said I  haven't seen yet, but hoped to. You will not be disappointed! But, that is another day....

Answer to Your Questions

Hello Class: Thank you for your response. I am so glad you are checking the Blog and able to use the information I am sending you. Nothing like having first hand knowledge! It's called a lived-experience.

Here are the answers:

1. No, watching the Cheetahs was not scary. We were far enough away from them in the Safari hunting vehicles you have seen in the posts. I would say about 10 feet. An animal could leap onto it; but they were far more interested in eating the meat provided, than me. ☺Also, there was another group of people observing from the lodge, although we were in separate vehicles.

2. There are several animals I have not seen yet, that I hope to before I  leave. I plan to go hunting with my husband and his guide tomorrow and we will go to the Lion Preserve to observe them. I would like to see the lions, elephants and hippos. I am sure I will be able to do this, as we still have plenty of time.

Great questions, I look forward to more......

Was It Scary?

Hello Mrs. Janes,
Your days are full of adventure, that's for sure!  We are absolutely loving the updates and the pictures are great.  The kids are pretty eager to check the blog each morning to find out what's going on or to see if there are any new pics.  It's been a lot of fun having them do news reports each day with continuing coverage from their roving reporter in the field, lol!
Questions of the day...
Were you scared or nervous when you saw the cheetahs feeding?  How close were you to them?
Is there an animal you hope to see that hasn't been spotted yet?

Day 6, Friday April 21: Dinosaur Footprints in Africa? No Way!

Hello Class: Ready for another adventure? Today we explored Dinosaur Footprints. As we entered the Dino Tracking area I thought we were in the midst of a Jurassic Park Expedition! We passed the Mount Etjo Camping grounds-yes, people really do camp in Africa, although today I didn't see any takers. My awesome private guide, Filippi (we call him Flippi) and I climbed a very large red rock mountain to get to the tracks. It was quite a hike and my trekking poles came in handy. We had an amazing view of the mountains and valleys as we gazed down. Such a beautiful place! Once there, we saw several fossilized dinosaur tracks identified by archeologists to be from a 9 foot dinosaur, who used his two back feet to move around. He was a Saurichnium Damarense and a herbivore. On the way back we saw a Leopard Tortoise. He was moving so fast (to get away from me, most likely) I couldn't snap a picture. So, Flippy took my picture as I held him up. Based on his markings, we determined he was pretty old and a male (they have a concave inner shell and a bigger tail). There is a reason why I was holding him away from  me because I think he was a little scared-you will notice the water spot by my shoe! :)

The food here is wonderful! So far we have eaten Gemsbok, Eland, Wildebeest, leg of Impala and (sorry, I didn't know until after I ate it) a Giraffe marinara sauce that was very good. The cook is a wonderful baker too. We have had an assortment of cakes, after dinner desserts and homemade donuts this morning. Yum! Yum!

 I have seen many more wild animals. The other night we saw two little honey badgers (Mom and baby) in the road. The mom was really squealing at the baby (probably telling him to get out of the road!). Today we saw two little Dik Diks (the smallest of the African antelopes) on our way to the mountain.

Mr. Janes' Safari Tip of the Day: Yesterday they were out hunting and the guide saw a Boomslang Tree Snake. You might want to look that up. He was on the ground and then moved up a tree. My husband didn't see it. They are very dangerous and are considered a immunotoxin. Always look up and down when out in the African bush and be aware of your environment.

Next I will tell you about Rhino Tracking and what happens when you take a tangle with a bush! Until then.......

Day 5: Mrs. Janes Goes on a Cheetah Feed. Ah, Where's the Meat?

Hello Class:
We are having a great time! You may be wondering how large of an area in which we have access to explore these beautiful animals.  Would you believe the Jan Oelofse Family owns 80,000 acres and has access to 300,000 acres for hunting and exploring? You may want to do a math lesson to figure out how many miles that is.

Perhaps you have been wondering what type of languages they speak in Namibia, and around this area. The predominate language is English, which is also spoken at the Mount Etjo School. Their second language, and one we hear spoken quite often is called Africans. You can  look this one up, but it is a more simplified version of Dutch, German and some Belgian. Namibia has early origins of Dutch and mostly German settlements, so you will hear this being spoken as well. In addition, you will find other languages (as we have in the United States). My Professional Hunter/Guide Fillipi has roots in Angola and they speak Portuguese.

Jan Oelofse is famous for his early works with the actor John Wayne and the making of the movie, Hatari! This would be a good one for you to see. He was the one who brought in the animals and trained them for the movie. Also, Jan is famous for inventing the Oelofse Animal Capture Method. It consists of a special net and use of a helicopter. By using this method, staff and animals are not as much at risk for injury.

Steve Tors, is another noteworthy Professional Hunter, who has been with Jan Oelofse Safaris for many years. His father was a famous Hollywood Producer years ago. When I was a little girl, I used to watch Sea Hunt, which was one of his father's TV Programs.

You will see me in the picture above. Behind me are two animals. Do you know which ones? They are Springbok and a herd of Eland.

Now on to the Cheetah Feed. There are three Cheetahs on the Cheetah Preserve-a mother and two children, who are now grown to around 6 years old. The mother was relocated to a better area and at the time it was noticed she had two babies. So they found them (which was no small feat) and they are all together. Here at the hunting lodge, they were teasing me that perhaps they may not have any meat to feed them, so it would have to be me! Ha! Fortunately, they did have the meat (other game, not sure what kind-maybe Kudu). We drove through the preserve and the guides laid out the meat. The mom was the first to grab it and move it into the shade; the two younger ones jumped in for dinner! I also took a video, which  you will see below. In one of the pictures you will see where the mother broke away from the children and is sitting by the Termite Hill.

Cheetah Facts from the Guides: Females hunt alone and males always hunt in pairs. Do you know how fast a Cheetah can run? 70 kilometers in 3 seconds! How many yards is that? They cannot do that for long, so that is why they need to be about 50 kilometers in front of their prey so the chase is short. They have flexible spines and cross their legs while running which is why they can go at such a fast speed. Cheetahs are day hunters.

Safari Tip: How can you tell how old a Cheetah is? You look at their teeth. Younger ones have sharp teeth. Older ones have teeth that have recessed and they are dull. I guess that may be similar to a human!

Hope you have learned a lot! More about the great Dinosaur Tracks I just saw and other animals. So much to see and do.......

Day 5- Answer to your Great Questions!

Hello Class: Thank you for your questions.

I think so far my favorite animal (I actually have a fondness for all of them) is the giraffe. There are many here. They are so tall, majestic looking and can see above all others in the land. So, they may be the first to site danger and distress. Also, they slowly lope along in their not-in-such a hurry fashion. Today, we came upon one just slowly lumbering along in front of us on the road. In addition, I was traveling back from the Cheetah Feed (another story tomorrow) and it was dusk. Out ahead I could see the beautiful sunset and two knobbly antlers up higher than the trees-no face, just the antlers between two tall trees. Another beautiful giraffe set against the sunset. Quite a sight to see!

We sleep well at night and hear nothing, until.....we open the door in the morning. Then, we hear the wide variety of birds chirping. It is a beautiful way to wake up in the morning. African birds! Good luck on your projects! My guide Flippi is taking me out to see the Dinosaur Footprints tomorrow morning at 0730, then we will visit the other Mt. Etjo Lodge. Until then.....