Page 24 - Discover Botswana 24th Edition 2024

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O KAVA N G O
SHAUN MALAN
Shaun has been passionate about
nature and wildlife from an early age.
After being gifted a camera by his dad,
photography became an obsession. He
started his guiding career in the Greater
Kruger in South Africa.
He lived in Europe for some of
his twenties, however, this only
strengthened his love for the African
bush. His return to Africa brought him
to Botswana’s Tuli Block to head a rhino
relocation program before moving to
the Okavango Delta to manage camps
and lodges there.
After a two year guiding stint in
Tanzania, spending time guiding
in South Africa’s Eastern Cape and
another year exploring Botswana’s
Makgadikgadi Pans, he returned to
the Okavango Delta to capture the
immense beauty of the Okavango’s
Khwai River. Being surrounded by
incredible wildlife on a daily basis has
only strengthened his fascination for
photography.
He has published several photographic
articles and his photos adorn living
rooms and lodges throughout Eastern
& Southern Africa. He currently resides
at Machaba Camp, instilling in his
kids a love for wildlife and a sense
of conservation, while working as
a photographic guide and content
creator for Machaba Safaris.
Interactions occur between all the apex
predators, and these are mostly fierce and
violent.
Spotted Hyenas for instance love to soak
themselves during the heat of the day, a habit
that may come at a high price as the waterways
are dominated by crocodiles. I once witnessed a
hyena being taken by 2 massive crocodiles - they
gripped it, death rolled, and each took a half of
it underwater. In a matter of minutes, the water
settled as if nothing had happened, and the
peaceful setting had never been disturbed.
I have also witnessed a lion cub injured by
a crocodile while crossing the river. It sadly
succumbed to its injuries later in the day, only to
be fed on by its mother and siblings.
The tables constantly turn: an old lion once
fed continually for 4 days on the carcass of
a crocodile that had been killed by a hippo!
Hyenas killed a male lion which roamed too
close to their den site, only days after a male
leopard snatched and killed a hyena pup from
their den. Anger, aggression, revenge, and the
struggle for dominance entangles their daily
lives.
Competition is relentless amongst apex
predators living in the Okavango Delta – one of
the last remaining paradises where animals still
roam free. Apex predators thrive here, living life
the primordial way: savage and wild.
Right: Competing predator species
in the delta will fend off access to
carcasses for as long as they can.
In this case, African wild dogs had
chanced upon a deceased elephant
and held the hyenas at bay for as long
as they could.