Walking Safari: Hippos, Pukus, and Poo Poo

I never dreamed that I would have spent so much time looking at the ground during my first outing into the African bush. Nor did I think I'd be examining so much dung. But there I was, bent over under a rising Zambian sun in the middle of South Luangwa National Park, taking photographs (which you can see here if you desire!) of piles of puku feces.

Most safari adventures happen in trucks on what is called a game drive, but that morning I was on the ground on a walking safari. From that vantage point I could easily see why South Luangwa National Park was the birthplace of the tradition of the walking safari. Animals (or their leftovers) were plentiful in this diverse and densely populated section of the Luangwa Valley. So I was thankful that Norman Carr, a British conservationist, pioneered this style of safari in the 1950s right in the park I was exploring.
Heading across an open savanna with our Sanctuary Retreats guide, John,  and an armed guard, we soon came across the dismembered remains of a male puku, one of the types of African antelope found in the park. At this moment I realized how lucky I was to be standing next to my guide instead of trying to hear his comments over the roar of the safari truck. And to every one of my many questions, he had answers.

John began to explain to us the difference between "loser" puku and the "cool" puku, but not exactly in those words. The cool male puku is like the sports star, he has all the ladies wanting his attention. The loser puku are all the males that can't get a date....so they hang out together. Maybe life in the bush isn't that different than high school? Except that territory fights between males can end in death and not detention, which was evidenced by the puku skull at our feet. John noted that only vultures had gotten to the carcass because if the hyenas had been on the scene the bones would have been picked completely clean. 

Further across the savanna we did find evidence of a hyena. John pointed out a small cluster of what looked like white mushrooms. Turns out it was hyena dung which is colored pure white from eating so many calcium-rich bones. I suddenly found myself fascinated by animal dung!

Read more about the walking safari after the jump.


Post originale: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2010/11/hippos-puku-and-poo-poo.html