THE PRIDE OF NOSSOB

The lions had roared and bickered at the water-hole the whole night. Their vocal outbursts had punctured the silence of the night, making the noise reverberate throughout the camp. It is a chilling sound that is meant to provoke fear. I was even imagining that the flimsy tent poles were vibrating with each roar. It was pretty much a sleepless night, so I got up early and made my way to the hide. The hide was jam-packed with people sitting squashed up on narrow benches. A big black-maned lion had wandered down to the water-hole to quench his thirst. Shutters clicked, but the shutter speeds were too slow, as the light was still very low. People reported that there were three lionesses, and two males in the vicinity. Some people had even stayed up the whole night, shining their spotlights on the lions. The hide was too cramped for my liking. "Hey," said Noel, " Let's see what we can find on a drive." Dave and Joy were possibly thinking that the Hammonds had lost their minds, again. We were giving up potentially wonderful photographic opportunities of Kalahari lions, just to take a gamble on a drive. We rushed to the office to get our permit, grabbed the keys ( which had been safely stored, this time ) and drove to the camp gate. I opened the gate hurriedly, and with much trepidation knowing that there was a pride of lions lying less than a hundred metres away.

The gate at Nossob Camp

We drove to Kwang, the sun's rays were starting to stretch across the riverbed. There were a few other cars parked there. We waited, and then we were rewarded. A Brown Hyena walked across from the dunes.

Brown Hyena

The light was still low, but Noel managed to get this photograph of this nocturnal animal. The Brown Hyena is mainly a scavenger, but will also eat bird eggs, insects, and fruit like the Tsamma Melon. The Tsamma Melon ( Citrullus Lanatus ) is a valuable plant in the desert eco-system. It is an annual plant, which bears ripe fruit in mid-winter, and contains up to 95% water. During the dry winters, this fruit becomes the staple water source for many animals. The Brown Hyena eats the flesh and seeds of the Tsamma Melon, but does not digest the seeds. The hard outer covering of the seeds is broken down in the digestive tract of the Brown Hyena, and are passed out in the dung. The seeds are then protected by the dung, and are not eaten by rodents, and are able to germinate. These animals are usually solitary, and are not seen during the day.

The Mullins were proud of their photos, too. They had spent a wonderful morning in the Nossob Hide, photographing lion activity.

Photos: David Mullin

The lions spent the day at the hide. During the hot afternoon, they slept underneath the hide in the shade. I could just imagine the warm, fetid lion breath seeping through the gaps in the wooden planked floor of the hide. The hide remained packed with people, but at midday, one of the males came right up to the camp fence, where the campers were about a metre away from the animal. The lion was roaring, as campers rushed to see him. It had been a good day at Nossob. 

Early evening, there were more lion skirmishes, growling and roaring. Braai fires were abandoned as campers ran to the hide. I was tired, and as I settled down to sleep, my ears were filled with the sounds of fighting lions and marauding jackals. Tonight was our last night at Nossob. It was with a twinge of sadness, that I realised that the holiday was now half-way through.