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1. Chobe -The
Elephant's Promised Land
Botswana has some of the world's last
remaining unspoilt wilderness. Though it occupies an
area the size of France, the human population is only
1.8 million. The country is characterised by endless
horizons of rough-hewn landscapes. It is dominated by
the Kalahari Desert, which occupies 84% of its land
area. The Kalahari is not a desert in the Sahara sense,
as it has substantial vegetation in the form of short
thorn and scrub bush, trees and grasslands. But it is
very short of water indeed.
Botswana has been a good custodian of
its wildlife, and elephants in particular have done
well. They have grown in numbers from a few thousand
in the early 1900's to the current population of about
120,000. In the mid 1970 to early 1990's, civil war
raged in neighbouring Angola, and elephants were hunted
for ivory. Together with those fleeing poaching in southern
Zambia, these elephants found refuge in tranquil Botswana-
specifically in Chobe National Park.
Chobe is a real gem that attracts the
discerning wildlife fan. Bill Clinton- while still US
president went on safari to Chobe in 1998. He was so
fascinated by the experience that he went a little further
to enjoy the wildlife. Affirming his position at the
top of the food chain, the president had for dinner
some of the animal species he had seen on safari. His
evening buffet included zebra, crocodile, impala in
monkey sauce, and giraffe. "I tried it all",
he declared with satisfaction.
But the former American president is
only one in a long line of heavy hitters to enjoy the
wildlife delights of Chobe. Hollywood legends, Richard
Burton and Elizabeth Taylor chose to remarry here.
Chobe National Park is like a diamond
among rubies; it is the finest and most rewarding of
Botswana's game sanctuaries. It is no surprise that
the park ranks second among Africa's top ten safari
destinations, after Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve -according
to About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.
At 11,700 sq km, it is the county's third largest park
after Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and Gemsbok National
Park. It has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife
in Africa.
The Chobe region is the ancestral land
of the San Bushmen -an indigenous hunter-gatherer community
found in southern Africa. Known in Botswana as the Basarwa,
these people are thought to be the original inhabitants
of the country. Today they are found well across south
of the continent, with their largest populations in
Botswana and Namibia.
Genetic evidence suggests that the San
are some of the earth's most ancient people, having
been around for the past 22,000 years. These itinerant
people have for ages resided in and around the unsympathetic
Kalahari Desert. They have amazingly defied its harshness,
and can even claim to have mastered it. The generations
have told their story through song and folklore, and
the rock paintings that are found across large areas
of southern Africa.
The San have remained so stubbornly
attached to their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle,
even into the recent past. The promise of stability,
together with government efforts has pressured most
of them to convert to a modern sedentary lifestyle.
But not all of the Basarwa are happy with change, and
particularly at efforts to move them from their traditional
habitats.
Together with their international supporters
they have recently waged a noisy media campaign and
petitioned the UN Human Rights Committee. In 2006 they
obtained a reprieve when they won a court case against
the government in contesting their forcible move from
the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Today in Botswana, out of a population
of 50,000, only about 3,000 follow the ancient way of
life. The San people - and their culture and click consonant
language- came to the attention of most of the world
outside of Southern Africa through the unforgettable
1980 movie "The Gods Must be Crazy".
As recently as the late 19th century,
before Chobe came under protection, the region was a
popular hunting district for Europeans. Within a short
time, the wildlife population fell drastically, for
hunting was not carried out just for subsistence, but
also for sport and commerce. Next came the trees; they
were felled with little thought or care. Indigenous
forests were badly exploited, and extensive damage was
sustained along the Chobe River.
Chobe was definitely headed for the
pits. The turning point came in the 1930's, as the case
for wildlife tourism gained the ascendancy over hunting.
In 1932, an area of 24,000 sq km was set aside and a
non-hunting declaration passed over it. However, the
timber business continued.
Just eleven years later -as Chobe was
beginning to recover, a heavy tsetse fly infestation
struck. The authorities were thoroughly discouraged,
but Chobe relentlessly fought on. In 1953, 21,000 sq
km of land was declared a game reserve, and in 1967,
this became Botswana's first national park. By 1975,
human settlement and the lumber industry had gradually
been rid from the area. Chobe National Park flourished
and has blossomed to its current state, where today
it is host to the world's largest concentration of elephants.
Chobe nestles the north of Botswana,
bordering Namibia's Caprivi Strip and extending southwards
to touch tips with Moremi Game Reserve, another of Botswana's
great wildernesses. Its open grasslands stretch from
Linyanti in the northwest, sweeping eastwards to Kasane
in the northeast. The diversity at Chobe National Park
is astounding: an abundance of game and birdlife, riverine
woodlands, flood plains, sporadic rock projections,
and episodic marshes.
The entire park is divided into three
distinct ecosystems: the Chobe Riverfront in the east;
Savuti to the southwest; and to the far northwest, Linyanti
and the central pans of Nogatsaa and Tchinga.
Chobe is renowned as Botswana's undisputed
elephant territory, being home to about 45,000 tuskers.
These elephants are massive in size, and are the world's
largest in body size. Their tusks are however relatively
small, and brittle. They are migratory in nature, and
crisscross the park frequently in search of water. They
hang around the Chobe waterfront in early winter and
move westwards to the Linyanti waterfront as the winter
becomes drier. In the rainy season, they spread all
over the park, but are still cautious not to stray too
far from the riverfront.
The Chobe Riverfront, also known as
Serondela Reserve, is the most visited part of the park.
The animal concentration here is quite high, and the
area is relatively accessible. Serondela mainly comprises
of riparian forests with lush vegetation and marginal
floodplains. The stretch along the riverbank acts as
the boundary between Botswana and Namibia. The river
rises from the Angolan highlands, and flows across the
Caprivi Strip into Botswana through the plains to become
Kwando, Linyanti, Itenge and finally Chobe River on
its way to Kasane town.
Kasane is an important settlement near
the park and also a border post where Botswana meets
three of its neighbours: Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The town hosts an international airport and offers access
to cross border tourism between the four countries.
Kasane has air connections to Johannesburg and Gaborone-
the country's capital. It is 850 km by road from Gaborone.
Its strategic position and availability of facilities
makes it an ideal start or refill point for a safari
to any of the four countries, and especially to Chobe
National Park.
Page
2 Article on Chobe
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