May 28: Khama Rhino Sanctuary

My first stop in Botswana is the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, located near the town of Paje (near Serowe) on the southeastern edge of the great Kalahari Desert – more on this desert when I get to the Central Kalahari. The sanctuary (33 sq. mi), established in 1992 by the residents of Serowe, is a community-based wildlife project to assist in saving the vanishing rhinoceros, restore the historic wildlife populations and provide economic benefits to the local Botswana community through tourism and the sustainable use of natural resources. The sanctuary provides prime habitat for both white and black rhinos. The long-term goal of the Sanctuary is to let the rhinos safely breed within its borders and re-introduce them into their natural wild habitats. To date, the sanctuary has relocated more than 20 rhinos to different places within the country from a founder population of four animals, and the sanctuary currently has a population of more than 30 white (square-lipped) rhinos as well as the beginning of a small black (hooked-lipped) rhinos.

My campsite in Khama Rhino Sanctuary is called Mokongwa camp and it is my kind of setting. Each site (I think there are 13) are isolated by quite some distance from each other – I can’t see and can barely hear the other sites as they are probably 50 yards apart. Moreover, my site at least is situated under the spreading canopy of a mokongwa tree – which is the namesake of the campground. I love it!

As far as species of the day, how can I not make the white (square-lipped) rhino the chosen one. It is, I believe, the second largest land animal in Africa behind the elephant. The “white” rhino is not really white at all, but usually grey, and often takes on the color of the local dust and mud in which it frequently wallows. More distinctive is the somewhat squared-off muzzle that is adapted for grazzing on mostly grasses. This is in contrast to the so-called “black” rhino, which is also not black in color but dark grey (granted, often darker than the white rhino) and also generally takes on the color of the local dust and mud, that has a hooked-lipped or pointed upper lip that is well adapted to browsing on woody vegetation. Consequently, the white rhino, which is the larger of the two species, is more of a grassland savannah species whereas the black rhino is more of a woodland savannah species, but the two species do overlap in distribution so both can be found together in some places. Here is a borrowed internet picture of the white rhino:

You are probably aware of this, but just in case you are not, it is worth repeating. Both rhino species have had their populations and distributions drastically reduced over the past decades due to poaching for their horns, which are prized in the Far East (yes, I am talking about China) for their supposed medicinal properties – mainly as an aphrodesiac under the belief that it increases male virility and libido, for which there is absolutely no scientific basis – and to a lesser extent for dagger handles for the tribesman of the Arabic peninsular (mainly Yemen and Oman). The poaching problem continues to be the biggest threat to the species’ survival. The “horns” by the way, are not made of bone but rather of matted, hair-like filaments that are attached to the skin and not the skull.

The landscape in the sanctuary is dominated by two distinct environments: the “pans”, which are the centerpiece of the sanctuary, and the “thornveld”. I discuss the pans in the composite video so I won’t repeat that description here. The thornveld comprises most of the acreage of the sanctuary and is pretty much what it soundsl like: scrubby, thorny bushes and small trees, including an amazing diversity of species. However, this is the kind of vegetation you really don’t want to have to walk through, unless you are wearing rip-stop clothing. Here are a couple of shots of what it looks like:

I will finish with another composite video, since this seems to be a nice way to let you get a more realistic feel of what I am observing. However, I have to forewarn you, this one is super long because I have a lot to share from today’s observations and I had a very special visitor that warranted extra long footage. So, in case you get anxious or bored and stop watching before the end, be aware that the prize observation is at the very end – so skip to the last 5 minutes if you want to just watch the prize.

Khama rhino sanctuary composite video (17 minutes)

Until next time, cheers!