Kalahari-Companion Edition

After a trip to Botswana in Southern Africa, I was surprised to learn that so many animals can survive for such long periods without any water. A very big part of Botswana is desert. Since there is no surface water available for much of the year, the Kalahari lion rarely drinks.

The Kalahari is home to the Bushmen and many animals such as bat-eared foxes, aardwolf, bush babies, oryx and sable antelopes and many others. All of this attracts predators.

The Kalahari is a monochromatic, predominantly flat country with the classical acacias, low scrub and tussocky grasses. Unique in all the world is that a complete river delta, the Okavango, north of the Kalahari, is completely absorbed by the desert. It is the only river that doesn’t flow to the sea, but disappears in the sand.

Lion watching in the Kalahari is adventure. One doesn’t get them “on a plate” as in Kenya. You have to find and follow the tracks for a long time. It is Africa as it was before it was discovered by the Europeans.

My black-maned lion is an example of artistic license, since lions in the Kalahari usually don’t look so perfect.