Kasanka : World of Bats

• 

• 

• 

• 

Anyone with a love for bats? About 10 million of the little critters! Well from October to December Kasanka National Park, Zambia, is the place to be. Prof G told me so. I called a friend (and a cousin) and they confirmed. The annual fruit bat migration was certainly worth adding onto the itinerary. I explored different self drive options and drew a blank. The road from South through North Luangwa up the escarpment could not be guaranteed at that time of the year. One good rain and the road becomes impassable. So, Florence was parked under a sausage tree (The staff at Flatdogs actually cut all the sausages off so they didn’t fall on her. Talk about customer service) and we took to the air.

• 

• 

• 

Up and over the escarpment , no chatting, the noise level would have even the most defiant worker reaching for their ear plugs. Settlement patterns gave way to pure bush. Deep rural. The pilot buzzed the lodge and we approached the runway, a narrow clearing in the Miombo woodland. Rushton, our guide was waiting, (amazing how it all works) and a short drive later we parked at Wasa Lodge.

I could vaguely remember a FB post mentioning that one of the White clan were working in Kasanka. The White family are old family friends from Masvingo. Jo and I were school BFFs from day dot. Their Mom Eileen was the most incredible woman, a legend and role model for me. Widowed far too young Mrs White taught us the true meaning of resilience with style and character. One of my deepest regrets is that I never told her what a positive influence she was in my life. Warm, fuzzy wasn’t what you did in those days.

At tea I asked the lodge manager if there was a young girl with the surname White working there. They looked blank. Perhaps Taylor? Oh yes Gerry. Will you ask her if her Mom is a White. Bingo. A few texts to her Mom in Tasmania later, Gerry confirmed that I was indeed an old friend and not some random stalker and arranged to meet us at breakfast.

We chatted with the ease of old friends. Funny how that works. Gerry and her partner Richard had volunteered at Kasanaka after completing their PhDs. The trust obviously saw their potential and asked them to take over the management of the Kasanka Trust. A massive undertaking,community collaboration, wildlife management, anti-poaching programmes, lodge management, conservation and all in the real bundus. No easy task but Gerry has the resilience gene on her side. It will work. Good luck

• 

• 

• 

• 

Then there are the bats, the reason we’re at Kasanka. The email brief did mention a 03h30 start but I thought it may be a typo. Not a chance, bats are nocturnal, dah, so it is. You leave early evening, climb up up up above the canopy and watch in awe as millions and millions of bats leave their daytime perches in search of food. In the mornings they like to be settled undercover before the day really gets going so an early start it is.

There is just no way to describe this phenomenon. The photos are pathetic. The estimate is that about 10 million bats, from all over the place, congregate in Kasanka to feast on the ripe Musuku fruits and other delicacies. Research is complicated but what they do know is that the bats can travel up to 80km a night. When they pack up to move on the bats hook up with new colonies. So some DRC nationals trans-locate to Tanzania or wherever. Mix and match, no xenophobia in the world of bats.

What I’d love to know is how do they decide it’s time to leave for the night. Is there some secret signal, or does some lazy bugger fall off his perch and set the whole thing in motion. One thing for sure though, it’s an unbelievable sight to watch 10 million bats on the move in yet another beautiful place on earth.

• 

• 

• 

For three months of the year the bats steal the show. For the rest of the time the shy Sitatunga are the star attraction. Adapted to life in the swamp with shorter front legs and fancy hooves they hang around in the thick reeds . The birds of Kasanka aren’t too shabby either. Ross’s Turaco, tick, Forest weaver, tick. All in all a fine days work for a leisure traveler.

• 

• 

Time to move on. The real game of birds. We are heading for Bangweulu Wetlands in search of the holy grail of birds. The Shoebill. But first a 6 hour road transfer on the back of an open safari vehicle. Oouch. Where is Florence when you need her. Half way through the hot dusty journey we stop at lake Waka waka. Unfortunately Shakirah was otherwise occupied so no song and dance show, just an unexpected body of water to break the monotony of gravel.

At last a half decent selfie………………… Matter of opinion I guess.

•