Archive - July 2018

Hawkeye Blog July 2018 July 20, 2018

Botswana is in Southern Africa, immediately north of South Africa and flanked by Namibia to the West and Zimbabwe to the East. Its northern borders are shared by Zambia and Angola. The northwest section of Botswana is the Okavango Delta which consists of 4000 square miles. The Okavango River flows from Angola into the Delta. Mokoros are the wooden boats that are poled through lagoons and canals.

One of the most successful predators in the Delta is the African Wild Dog, also one of the most endangered carnivore. It's estimated that there may only be about 2000 left in the wild. To watch a pack chase and herd their frantic prey is a rare experience. Silently they begin to focus on one animal such as the red lechwe and together take the animal down and quickly dispatch and eat it.

Botswana's cheetah population, approximately 2000, is estimated to be about 20% of the world's remaining wild cheetahs. These graceful beautiful cats need large territories to roam and successfully hunt.

The Greater Kudu is a majestic animal. A bull can weigh between 400- 600 pounds and stand up to 63 inches tall at the shoulder. They are 6-8 feet long from head to rump.