Cats: "Their Eyes Are Merciless"

“Even National Geographic does not have it this good,” said our very cute Italian guide, Mateo, as we tracked a leopard through Etosha National Park. Mateo left Italy 3 years ago to follow his dream of being a wild game guide and park ranger in Namibia and, in those 3 years, had yet to spot a leopard in Etosha. “I must call my mother,” he exclaimed, “I can now go back to Italy!!!” I think a good guide makes all the difference in these game parks and Mateo was great due to his knowledge and complete enthusiasm for the animals (plus being adorable and having an Italian accent did not hurt).

We left Windhoek and headed north on Saturday, November 11, to spend that night at the Okonjima guest farm, home of the Africat Foundation, and then Sunday and Monday at the Epacha Lodge on the Epacha game reserve, just outside of Etosha National Park. Over 60% of Nambia is semi-desert and the landscape we encountered driving north of Windhoek is a desert mountain plauteau that goes on forever, in all directions. Namibia is also a land of huge cattle farms – first the Germans, then the South Africans, “took” or, some say, “were given,” land from the black Namibian tribes and pushed most of the people into the far north of Namibia. We have come to understand that is why we have not seen many people, let alone black Namibians. If we are not passing through inhospitable desert, then we have encountered nothing but very, very large farms owned by white people. There are only about 100,000 whites living in Namibia (mostly German or Afrikaner) and I bet they own most all of the land. I can’t believe that more of an uprising about this has not yet occurred.

The Hanssen family owns the Okonjima guest farm and also founded the Africat Foundation, a leopard and cheetah rehabilitation program located on their farm. The leopards and cheetahs have been rescued from cattle farms throughout Namibia and brought to Africat for care and eventual reintroduction into the wild. Okonjima is no longer a working cattle farm but a huge wild game reserve that also has giraffes, zebras, ostrich, wild dogs, warthogs, and all varieties of large and small antelope – eland, kudu, oryx, hartebeest, gemsbok, springbuk and impala – a hunter’s dream! Although the leopards and cheetahs have tracking devices on them, as Africat monitors them throughout the reserve, they are completely in the wild. We were able to drive around and watch them chase giraffes, jump in trees to try to grab falcons, drink from watering holes, and generally just roam about – there is no attempt to tame their behavior, they are allowed to roam and kill on this game reserve as they please. It was, however, a bit contrived when we went out for morning coffee at the Lion Lapa and there, waiting for us (or, rather hopefully, their morning feeding of donkey meat), were 3 beautiful lions! Since this is Africa, not to forget, there were no cages or protection about us –it was just us, our coffee and muffins, and three lions!

Both the Okonjima and Epacha accommodations were beautiful thatched chalets and the views, looking out for miles across the game reserves, were magnificent. All the game lodges in Namibia seem to follow the same routine: early continental breakfast before leaving for a 7:00 a.m. game drive; back just before lunch and resting; tea and cake at 4:00 followed by a late afternoon game drive; back just before cocktails at sunset; then ending the day with a multi-course game dinner. The food here has also been excellent – we’ve had oryx, kudu, eland and ostrich. All very good, even the ostrich, although I would not rush to order it again.

After the Okonjima/Africat reserve, we spent two days at Epacha and Etosha. Etosha is one of Africa’s great national parks (24,000 sq Km) with, for instance, over 18,000 zebra, 8,000 giraffes, and 3,000 elephants. Its central feature is the Etosha Pan, a huge depression (5,000 sq Km), mostly of salt. At Etosha, with Mateo, we spent a lot of time hanging out at watering holes (which I have also done a lot of in NYC, but with different water and animals). The animal behavior at the watering holes is fascinating: the shy eland, the largest of the antelope, approaches slowly and cautiously, almost painful to watch; the carefree wart hog scurries down, throwing all caution to the wind; the giraffe takes its time, bobbing its neck up and down and right to left, looking around before it will take the chance to spreads its legs so it can drop low enough to drink (for once its down, there is no way it will make it back up quickly); and then comes the leopard, prancing confidently to the water, a mere baby female that could not hurt even the wart hog, yet, all life stopped, retreated or waited. The sprinbuk – dozens of them – stood still with all eyes glued on this leopard as it approached, drank for 10 minutes and then left (pictured above). I guess its nice to be the boss!

Also at a watering hole, we watched two male giraffes fight over territory. They did this by swinging their necks into each other, over and over again. We sat for 30 minutes and watched them do this until one giraffe, tired and irritated, gave up and went away. We also viewed a herd of elephants approach during the afternoon – a time best to visit when lions and leopards sleep – drink, bathe, and play in the water. Mateo pulled the car from the watering hole to play with them as the crossed the road. He taunted them, revving the engine, pretending to impede their cross. He provoked the reaction he wanted, for their ears flared out straight – a sign of playful, yet not serious aggression -- and they started for our truck (pictured, one heading for us). Mateo pulled away, realizing, in the end that we were playing a game in the wild we could not win.