Page 98 - Discover Botswana 25th Edition - 2025

98 www.discoverbotswanathebook.biz
KALAHARI
Another enigmatic mammal making its home here is the
meerkat. Bright, busy and fast, these little predators scour
the plains for insects and scorpions. They live in family
groups and have a strict hierarchy. When big enough (still
tiny!), babies are allowed to accompany adults on foraging
sessions where they beg and squeal, immediately pouncing
on an adult that pulls up a grub! Taking numerous hits from
a scorpion doesn’t seem to stand in the way of a good meal!
One of the meerkats’ staple foods during the dry season
are dung beetle larvae. Interestingly, with the steady increase
in zebra, more dung brings more dung beetles which in
turn has boosted the meerkat population. Nature is truly
a wonderful entanglement of life. We are certainly still
untangling the mysteries of the Kalahari - such a diverse
and changing environment is challenging to understand. As
long as our journey to understanding brings with it sound
conservation, I hope we never really get there. ■ DB25
DANIEL CROUS
Daniel is a young photographer
from Maun, Botswana. He grew up
in the Okavango Delta whilst his
parents managed safari camps.
A sincere interest in the natural
world and photographing it came
from an early age and has steadily
grown into a profession. Daniel has
travelled extensively worldwide and
spent long periods of time in the
wilderness areas of Botswana. He
now guides photographic safaris
into these wild areas and is a strong
advocate for conservation through
his photographic work.
Below: Meerkats, the diminutive yet vibrant icon of the Kalahari.
After a morning of foraging, a youngster seeks shade from the
burning sun while mom scouts out a suitable hollow to wait out
the hot hours of the day.