Day 12 - Hunting for a cheetah in Erindi

Erindi was in an earlier life (in the 1970s and 80s) an over-crowded livestock farm that caused a lot of damage to natural vegetation.

Owners Gert Joubert and his nephew Paul have completely extinguished the livestock activities and re-introduced many wild species in quite large numbers  that once occurred naturally. All the Big Five and Little Five animals are found in this 71,000 ha area. Our lodge is located in the middle of the private park on a large natural waterhole. Upon our arrival, the crocodiles are swimming in the water. Some choose the waterfront.

Who is also on the waterfront is a herd of hippos.

Some seek cooling in the water but others let themselves dry in the afternoon sun. They remain impressive animals, the most dangerous of all. There are also a few little ones. Those are cute to see.

In the distance a herd of elephants comes storming to the pool. Storming is really the correct word. It's a race to be first at the water. In a huge dust cloud they arrive at the pool.

Once the thirst is quenched, they take a mud bath. The little ones, but also the big ones roll in the mud. It's their way to get rid of annoying insects and parasites.

In the afternoon we go on safari. We still have some items on our wish list, such as the endangered rhinoceros (for its good side this time) and the difficult to find leopards and cheetahs. Namibia has the largest number of free roaming cheetahs in Africa, but because of the high grass, it is hard to find them. But first we are looking for lions. Some were spotted near the lodge. With the 4X4 we go all out. Together with the driver / ranger we look under the bushes and in the high grass, but no lion to be found. Then we start looking for the cheetah. The cheetah is one of the hardest to find animals. Due to their fur and low height, they are well hidden in the landscape. At this hour they could go hunting, but also sleeping and you almost never find them. The advantage of a private park is that you can also drive off road. In the public parks you have to stick to the rules. We drive in the bush over low bushes, alongside prickly trees and through the high grass. So close to the bush, you smell the scent of Africa. This is an unbelievable moment. We look in the trees and under the trees, because cheetah's like to lay there. After an hour, we still have not find anything. We're joking that we might need a Bushsman to search for tracks. In Erindi some animals are provided with a transmitter to follow them. This way, these animals can be better monitored in an effort to maintain the species. A guide is called who can try to find one of these cheetahs with the antenna. The jeep comes with an antenna and ... a bushman. I will never forget the sight of the Bushmen sitting in the front seat of the jeep in traditional clothing with arrow and bow on his lap. He is called Cosmo and he is sent into the bush. Bushmen are excellent trackers. We recognize the tracks of the cheetah, but they go out to all directions. Bushmen are able to identify the most recent ones. In the meantime, the guide with the antenna also tries to find the cheetah, but the antenna doesn’t give any sign. We try it in different places but nothing. We then come to the conclusion that the antenna is actually broken. The search for the cheetah is stopped and we focus on the rhinoceros. We have just left or we hear over the radio that Cosmo has found the cheetah. She is laying beneath a tree that we drove passed by not that long ago, but none of us had seen her.

She is beautiful. With her shape and ‘tearing eyes’  the cheetah distinguishes herself from the leopard. These spots in the shape of tears make her see a lot better in the sunlight. These spots absorb the sunlight as it were.
With a last sundowner on this trip we end the day. Under a beautiful starry sky we drive back to our lodge.