Visiting old friends by Kate Evans

Landing in Botswana on Air Botswana on Monday the 26^th August my first port of call was not the Makgadikgadi Pans but a flight straight up to our old Camp, Seba Camp in the Okavango Delta. I was excited to see the place again and to catch up with old friends, both human and elephant. I was there to be with e safari from Chicago Zoological Society, our main sponsors. Director of Brookfield Zoo (CZS) , Dr Stuart Shahl was leading the safari and it was lovely to see him outside of the office and simply enjoying the bush and his passion for birds. A field biologist at heart, with years of experience in South America, we hit it off the first time we meet, with a mutual respect and understanding for our passion for conservation and the natural world. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to him about our ambitions for Elephants for Africa and how we can work in partnership together.

Matamo, Joseph and I enjoy sundowners together

It was great to see the guides Joseph and Matamo and the staff, Onka, Kenny, KK, Ronnie and Lorato who are still there in camp and it really was the warmest welcome with wonderful dancing and singing at bush dinner on the first night. I was so happy to see everyone.

It was also wonderful to see some of my old friends the elephants, which included a wonderful afternoon with the B- Herd, Brigitte and Bernadette still leading the way and little Benny now a mother to a 3- year old calf.

The elephant Little Voice

Little Voice, paid a visit to camp and it took me a little while to recognise him but he gave his tell tell trumpet and then my ID was confirmed. Ganesh and Martin Luther King were hanging out by a Leopard sightings – two young cubs feasting on a bushbuck in a sausage tree. It was lovely to see them and to know they are OK and wonderful to introduce them to the people from CZS and hopefully bring the wildlife a more personal touch to their experience and realise that elephants have stories too – stories that our currently being brought to an early end in many parts of the continent.

When I arrived in camp, I had a little time before the CZS guys arrived and was able to catch up with Joseph – who is a guide but for a while was researching with us. He was telling me who was still around and who he had seen recently.  Inevitably our conservation came around to Mafunyane and wondered how he was. He had not been seen in the area for about 3 years and as is now uncollared we do not know if he was still OK or where he may be. When I left my husband at he airport I wondered out load if Mafunyane would turn up – he said that he would be surprised if he did. I soon forgot that comment, as surely that would not happen. The camp manger, Tim. was listening and learning about Mafunyane, but it was short conversation and I went off to freshen up before the CZS guys arrived.

The very next day ………..