1. Desert Elephants in Namibia

    Posted in: Videos on Friday, December 21st, 2012

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    The term Desert Elephant sounds like an oxymoron.  How could an animal that eats and drinks as much as an elephant find enough food and water to live in a desert.  Savanna elephants yes, forest elephants yes, but a huge pachyderm surviving in an environment that is primarily sand, rocks, and gravel is not an easy concept to get your head around.  But a few desert elephants do manage to make a home for themselves in Mali and Namibia.

    On a recent trip to Namibia I specifically went to the north west part of the country to look for these elephants.  I was staying at the Okahirongo Elephant Lodge.  I assumed with a name like that I had a good chance of success.  Early one morning we set out from the lodge and quickly found a small group of five elephants at a river in one of the canyons.  I though it had everything these big eaters could want, mainly lots of food and water, and some shade that offered a break from the intense sun.  With those amenities, it would seem logical that the elephants might hang out here for days on end.  But when we went back to the canyon in the afternoon, the elephants were gone, having struck out across the open nothingness in search of something else.

    What they possible want and where did they go.  For more than two hours we followed their tracks until we finally caught up with the elephants dinning on a few little scrub trees that must be rather addictive to have lured them so far.  I talk about the desert elephants this week on my radio show National Geographic Weekend, and this video shows my day chasing desert elephants and the harsh environment in which they survive.

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  2. Rock Art Zimbabwe

    Posted in: Videos on Monday, January 9th, 2012

    rock art africa

    The San Bushmen lived in the area of Zimbabwe, Africa that is now the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve as far back as seven thousand years ago.  They didn’t leave behind an architectural footprint of cities, or temples, or even houses to be studied by 21st century archeologists, but they did leave their mark.  More than eighty sites on the Malilangwe Reserve are living museums of San Bushmen rock art.  The animals they painted are the same ones running wild in the area today.  Brad Forchet, a ranger and guide at the Singita Pamushana Lodge, led me on a hike to see some of the paintings.

    According to Brad, even though the animals are recognizable, the Bushmen weren’t painting scenes from their daily life.  Instead the artwork was done by spiritual leaders when they would go into a trance.  The scenes depict visions they had while in the trance.  Brad talks with me this week on my radio show, “National Geographic Weekend” about these African Picassos and the importance of their rock art.

    We also go looking for some of the animals whose images appear on the sandstone cliffs around the Pamushana Lodge.  And just like we found the rock art on foot, we go looking for rhinos and elephants on foot.  In our interview you’ll also hear the story of how we were charged by a black rhino and lived to tell about it.  This video is from the part of our conservation about rock art.  Coming soon I’ll post the video and story of the rhino charge.

    If you’re thinking about a trip to Africa and want to know more about the Singita Pamushana Lodge here’s a link to their website:

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