Posts Tagged ‘Leopard’
Camel Thorn Trees – Stalwarts of the Desert
August 4th, 2011 | 
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Posted in I have to confess that I am known to hug beautiful trees. Not wanting to appear loopy, I usually first have a good look around to make sure that no-one is watching me! Namibia, having such a sparse population and vast areas of wide open spaces, as well as many beautiful Camel Thorn trees (Acacia erioloba), has been the perfect place to indulge this little fetish of mine. These wonderful trees are part of this African landscape and can be found throughout the drier parts of southern Africa.
The hardy Camel Thorn (Kameeldoring as it is known in Afrikaans – and which actually translates to Giraffe Thorn) is an acacia, easily recognized by its amazingly gnarled bark, small leaves and the little grey velvety comma-shaped seed pods that it produces. It also sports rather nasty thorns, typical of the acacia family. When in bloom, small round yellow flowers adorn the trees.
Apparently I’m not the only one who loves them. It must be the tree most favoured by animals and birds, not only for its food, but the deep shade that it offers in intensely hot areas like the game reserves. Cattle, camels and small herbivores also enjoy eating the seed pods that drop onto the ground below.
The tree gets its name from giraffes that like to feed on the succulent leaves. Their leathery tongues and lips pay no heed to the thorns as they feast on the foliage on the uppermost branches.
There’s no telling what you will see in a Camel Thorn tree. We’ve been lucky enough to see it decorated by birds of every description, raptors with snakes, enormous communal socialable weavers nests, and even a leopard …
and a beautiful Caracul having a comfortable snooze!
The most famous Camel Thorn trees in Namibia have to be the ones found at Dead Vlei, the dry white pan surrounded by magnificent red dunes in the Sossusvlei area. These dead trees, purported to be hundreds of years old, are a photographers delight and are featured in just about every book on Namibia.
In Namibia most campsites are situated under Camel Thorns trees and as an added bonus, their wood is excellent for braais (barbeques). No wonder I love them so much. Oh, and by the way, please don’t let on about my secret fetish!
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Weekend at Dusternbrook Guest Farm
One of the things that strikes us about living in Windhoek is the fact that once you leave the city you are immediately out in nature and you really don’t have to drive very far to see game in the countryside. We chose Dusternbrook Guest Farm for a weekend away because it is so close to Windhoek (only 50 kms) and also because, unlike a lot of other game farms, it also offered camping.
In the 1960’s Dusternbrook was the first farm in Namibia to open its doors to paying guests with a view to offering them hunting and game viewing opportunities. This concept was so successful it spawned the thriving guest farm business that operates throughout the country today.
The beautiful old farmhouse sits on the top of a mountain with stunning views over a dry river bed and the plains below. There is an abundance of birdlife and one is able to wander around the farm (heat permitting) on various hiking trails, which we took full advantage of.
On our first morning we walked for about six hours, spending time at their dam where we were shouted at and followed by inquisitive baboons. The dam is home to many birds, especially cormorants and ducks.
I was fascinated by the numbers of brightly coloured dragonflies that were flitting about and spent a long time trying to capture them on camera.
That afternoon we booked a game drive and were driven into their leopard enclosure where we were able to photograph this magnificent animal up close.
The guide fed it chicken pieces which it obviously enjoyed. Even though we were only meters away from it in an open vehicle, we never felt threatened by the leopard at all.
From there it was on to the cheetah area. Cheetahs are always fun to watch as they are so agile and interact with each other a lot.
As their enclosure is very big , they would be difficult to spot if one wasn’t there at feeding time when they rush to the vehicle expecting a meal! Later we came across a small enclosure with a little cheetah with one leg missing. It seemed quite happy in spite of its disability.
We were somewhat disappointed with the campsite at Dusternbrook. The camping area was fenced off and very small, especially for the number of campers that they had. In a land where space is no problem, it feels like an invasion of privacy to be so close to one’s fellow campers. We thought that they could have made so much more of their camping facilities. One thing that we did enjoy about the campsite was the huge tree we were parked under. It was home to a Pearl Spotted Owl that we picked up in our spotlight. Owls are always welcome visitors in our campsites!
The birdlife alone is enough to encourage us to return to the farm for another visit. It’s a photographers paradise, although a little expensive as their rates for accommodation and game viewing are not cheap compared with other places in Namibia.
