{"id":1213,"date":"2017-09-01T12:39:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T20:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/?p=1213"},"modified":"2017-09-01T12:40:12","modified_gmt":"2017-09-01T20:40:12","slug":"2017-national-geographic-african-expedition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/?p=1213","title":{"rendered":"2017 National Geographic African Expedition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Upon returning from our recent expedition to four African countries, our National Geographic tour leader, Dr. Bill Branch, prepared a recap of our experience.\u00a0 I asked for and received permission from Bill to publish his “Farewell Letter” to us on Alfieland.com.\u00a0 He was gracious in granting such.\u00a0There were seven in\u00a0our party…a family of four adults from Denver including a physician and a retired geologist along with Nancy, Kaitlin and yours truly.\u00a0 We traveled by small private aircraft from South Africa to Namibia then on to Botswana.\u00a0 Nat Geo then handed us off to another operator to enter Zimbabwe since they do not conduct business in that country for a variety of reasons.<\/em><\/div>\n
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Enjoy the narrative and photos Bill so kindly passed on to us.\u00a0 Kaitlin took some\u00a0great pix as well, and I’ll eventually post\u00a0a few\u00a0once she has concluded her editing. This expedition was nothing short of ‘amazing,’ and I do not use that word lightly.\u00a0 I came away with a dramatic sense of ‘oneness.’\u00a0 That is to say how all matter is connected relative to flora, fauna, topography, culture, etc.\u00a0 It all seems to fit in some sort of unexplainable grand order where all is dependent upon all…if that makes sense.\u00a0 And…I’m finally okay with not knowing how all ‘this’ comes about.<\/em><\/div>\n
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Please enjoy Dr. Branch’s remarks.<\/em><\/div>\n
—Alfie<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Nat Geo Safari: Namibia & Botswana by Private Air
<\/strong>June 28 – \u00a0July 9, 2017<\/h2>\n

\"\"Hi everyone!<\/p>\n

On behalf of National Geographic I hope you are all well and traveled safely after we parted on the deck of the fabulous Selinda Camp in northern Botswana.\u00a0 Firstly let me apologize for the delay in sending you this farewell letter.\u00a0 As you know I went straight off on another National Geographic trip, this time to Uganda and Rwanda to trek for the great apes \u2013 chimpanzee, gorilla, and numerous other monkeys.\u00a0 It was a great trip, but it has taken longer than I had hoped to catch up with things. I hope that you all got home safely, and that your post-trip extension into Zimbabwe went well. Nancy has already mentioned that you had \u2018delays\u2019 at the Zimbabwe border crossing entering the country.\u00a0 I hope that you were therefore spoilt at Matetsi and enjoyed the wonders of Vic Falls.<\/p>\n

Our journey started at the Cradle of Mankind in South Africa, at one of the world\u2019s richest fossil records of our origins. The finds of Homo nedali <\/em>that Marina showed us have engendered much debate about just how early in hominid history our consciousness started the unfinished deliberations on what it all means !!<\/p>\n

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We then started our real exploration of the African landscape and its amazing fauna and flora, and to see first hand how ecotourism at both grass root and luxury lodge level, can work synergistically to protect the environment and the wildlife that depends on it.\u00a0 In Namibia we visited the scenic beauty of the world\u2019s oldest desert, and saw how the vagaries of falling water affect life. Much of the South African Cape region is currently affected by severe drought, and dependable rain is becoming a memory as fires devastate woodlands in Mediterranean climates, from California to western Australia, and Corsica to Knysna.<\/p>\n

Sossusvlei is surrounded by the red dunes of the southern \u2018dune sea\u2019 of the Namib Desert, with some of the tallest sand dunes in the world rising to nearly 500m. The Kulala Wilderness Reserve, where our lodge was situated, is a private reserve adjacent to the Namib-Naukluft National Park and Sossusvlei.\u00a0 The younger members of the group (young in heart, in your case, Al !) tackled the daunting climb of \u201cBig Daddy\u201d whilst others walked to Dead Tree Vlei and spent time chasing trees to photograph in the morning light.<\/p>\n

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In Damaraland we visited the Desert Rhino camp to track the rare desert rhino, and understand the poignancy of how such a magnificently robust, tank of a mammal can be so drastically reduced by poaching for a traditional medicine that has no scientific basis.\u00a0 That it has become such a globally serious problem is because rhino horn is used as a proxy by organized crime to transfer \u2018money\u2019 across international borders.\u00a0 It highlights the conflict between the survival of Africa\u2019s unique megafauna, and the complex demands and interactions of a burgeoning human population.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

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The staff at the various camps treated us to memorable sundowners, and at the Desert Rhino camp a spokeswomen from the local Toria Conservancy talked around a campfire to us about this unique co-operation, and how the local community benefits with work and income from a partnership in conservation.<\/p>\n

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Our full day game drive in Etosha National Park for the first time revealed the diversity and complex interaction of African mammals, as herds of zebra, gemsbok, springbok, giraffe, wildebeest, warthog, etc, roamed the grasslands, each adapted to its special niche. It contrasted with the monotony and wastefulness of farms dedicated to the monoculture of livestock such as cattle or sheep.\u00a0 Finally we found elephant, with a typically relaxed, dispersed herd of bulls, all covered in white clay from mud baths and ignoring our presence.<\/p>\n

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The trip ended with the sheer beauty of the Selinda Tented Camp, which sits near the confluence of the Linyanti, Savute and Kwando Rivers, on the northern edge of the Okavango Delta ecosystem. Photographic opportunities burgeoned: a large lioness with three young cubs at the carcass of a young elephant; trees festooned with vultures and a hyena circling in the distance; herds of impala, and zebra and hippo in a small pan filled with muddy water and duckweed; adult Ground Hornbill with a full grown chick; and the best \u2013 a monster crocodile, well over 4m of teeth and tenacity, alert and deadly and allowing us within 20ft\u00a0 !<\/p>\n

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\u2026 and on our final morning, before we headed off on different paths of our journeys, the fleeting glimpse of spots and power in the long grass as a leopard \u00a0burst out and became a memory; \u00a0\u00a0\u2026\u2026. and yet still it wasn\u2019t over, as later in the twilight of our final game drive we found a small pack of painted dogs at an almost finished impala kill, with just enough light to see and admire these beautiful and critically endangered predators (<5000 left), and to realize (if you were still counting) that had seen the Big 5 + 1 !!<\/p>\n

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As I pointed out during our drives in Etosha and Selinda, where the impact of elephants on vegetation was particularly evident, these grey giants dominate African ecosystems.\u00a0 They have rightly been called ecological engineers, and during our game drives we saw them in different habitats and varying densities.\u00a0 Their numbers even in harsh environments can become significant, and their impact often reduces trees to \u2018orchards\u2019.\u00a0 Elephant have strong family bonds, and this was evident in Selinda where breeding herds wandered silently in the bush.\u00a0 With the quiet dominance of the mature females, the gangly enthusiasm of the young, and the periodic belligerent preoccupation with sex and power of the bulls, elephants can remind us of ourselves.\u00a0 As I emphasized in my discussions elephant numbers, like our own, can exclude other life and severely impact their environment.\u00a0 They are both a Flagship for Conservation and a warning of our own profligacy. Their fate in landscapes where their numbers outstrip their resources should warn us of what we have become, and what we also do to this fragile Earth. But even elephant numbers, unlike those of human, are falling rapidly. A decline in African savanna elephant populations of 30% (equal to 144,000 elephants) was recorded in only 7 years (2007-2014), with the biggest declines noted in Tanzania and northern Mozambique.\u00a0 The biggest cause of this slaughter is ivory hunting.<\/p>\n

I know you all enjoyed the lodges, which were without fail comfortable and attentive. No one went home hungry (!) and at every lodge the staff entertained us with traditional song and dances during the evening meals.\u00a0 In my talks, both formal and at the bar or dinner, I tried to introduce you to the complexity and subtlety of biodiversity, and to stimulate an appreciation of the multiple Layers of Life.\u00a0\u00a0I want to repeat my recurrent theme; that Africa is unique and that the central challenge facing conservation on the continent is to find ways to retain the last of the World\u2019s megafauna, and yet also to uplift the lives of Africa\u2019s people.\u00a0 It is to finding this balance that National Geographic is dedicated.\u00a0 I hope that the treasured memories of your safari will bring pleasure in the years to come. I\u2019m sure the wildlife, stars, sunsets, and happiness of African people will live you forever.<\/p>\n

To help you remember I have attached a checklist of the mammals, birds and \u2018lower\u2019 vertebrates that we saw at the various locations.\u00a0\u00a0 Scattered through this letter are some of my own images from the trip \u2013 I\u2019m sure you remember them and also have similar shots that remind you of Africa.\u00a0 Again, on behalf of National Geographic I wish you all best wishes and happy traveling.\u00a0 I hope that we can meet again someday under African skies.<\/p>\n

With best wishes \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 —- Bill Branch<\/p>\n

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Upon returning from our recent expedition to four African countries, our National Geographic tour leader, Dr. Bill Branch, prepared a recap of our experience.\u00a0 I asked for and received permission from Bill to publish his “Farewell Letter” to us on … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-snippetz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1213"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1232,"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1213\/revisions\/1232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfieland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}