Weekend at the Omaruru wildlife lodge

[chrisinhouston]

Over the weekend we went a private game lodge within decent driving distance to Swakopmund. Etosha National Park where my wife and I went on our last trip is 6 hours each way, this lodge was only 3. We took 2 of my wife's co-workers from the states who have never have been on game drives in Afriaca.

Private lodges operated differently than large parks, there is less land for the animals so more management of herds. And this is the end of the long dry season so they supplement their diet a bit with hay or other food sources and have ample water pumped from the ground as streams and rivers are dry now. They also have some orphaned animals or ones taken from illegal canned hunt operations that can not be released back into total wilderness as they can not properly fend for themselves.

That being said this place had a bit of a feel of a zoo but a very open one, at least around the lodge and rooms with only a meter high wall separating us from the animals. Some were leery, others were accustomed to humans. 2 that were especially habituated were a young giraffe found after it's mother was killed in the bush and a huge male black rhino who had broken his horn and after it was infected it healed badly and would be in danger if it was left on it's own. He especially liked having his thick hide scratched!

We did a 3 hour game drive that included a visit with a small family of elephants, 2 adult females, 2 younger "teenagers", and one young male who was only 2 years old. The male was quite curious and would come to our open truck to sniff around and inspect things which sort of freaked out my wife who got slimmed by the end of his trunk.

Here are a few snaps.