Safari 3

Early the next morning, our party of four took a jeep tour with guide Mohammed Adam. The gun, he explained, was for our protection only. In his fourteen years here as a guide, he had only rarely fired a warning shot and never had to “take an animal down.” (He did not disclose any actions regarding protection of the animals against man.) He prepared us for what we could and should not expect: essentially most animals kept under the cover of trees, many of the big cats were nocturnal (he had only sighted lions four times), we may see more activity around any watering places, patience and careful observation were vital. The seven species of mammals we saw were from the same families- elephants, primates and antelope- as those seen at close quarters in Mole village.

western hartebeest (internet)

water buck (internet)

Roan antelope (internet)

 With Mohammed Adam’s keen eye and the help of a pair of binoculars we also saw, or glimpsed at, thirty-one types of birds. The constant call of birds filled the air as we slowly drove through savannah woodlands and into open plains with dried flatlands and muddied ponds, a reminder of the lateness of the dry season and the expectation of rain.

Our tour guide, warden Mohammed Adam. In the background, one of the lodges used for overnight accommodation by tourists and wardens on patrol.

Northern carmine bee eater (internet)

Grey headed kingfisher-(internet)-which looked beautifully colourful in flight

Paradise fly catcher- wonderfully exotic

The short stay- just twenty-four hours- was sufficient for a non-scientist, a town dweller lacking scientific knowledge and informed curiosity, and accustomed to viewing, with commentary, detailed recordings of animals’ lives courtesy of David Attenborough and therefore not wanting (and as a volunteer, lacking the funds) overnight camping in distant lodges, accompanying by wardens on dawn, dusk and night-time walks to hideouts, spending patient hours awaiting perhaps for sightings. 

Viewed from above on the terrace by the Mole Motel, elephants visit a watering hole. Behind stretches the savannah and forests of Mole National Park.