Lions and the Savute Channel

Lions and other wildlife living along Botswana’s Savute Channel are faced with new challenges due to the water that now flows in the channel after 17 dry years.

During our most recent safari in Botswana, Nicky and I were fortunate to spend an afternoon with a pride of lions that resides along the now-flowing Savute Channel.  This sighting demonstrates the dynamic nature of this region and specifically, some of the effects that the “new” water has on the animals living here.

The Savute Channel, which connects the Linyanti river on Botswana’s northern border with the Savute marsh in the Chobe National Park some 60 kilometers away, only began filling with water again in 2008. Before that time, it last flowed from 1967 to 1981 and so until recently, the resident animals here only experienced this Channel as dry grassland.  However, this cycle of wet and dry is a phenomenon that has occurred on and off here over the centuries.

We encountered the lions, alternately known as the “Selinda pride” or the “DumaTau pride” and consisting of 5 adult lionesses and three young cubs, all of which belonged to one of the females, in the late afternoon – just when the light was turning to the gold tones so advantageous for photography.

The pride had just begun to move again after waiting out the 90-degree heat of the day and we followed them, enjoying the playful antics of the little cubs, which were clearly relieved to finally be moving again after a long day of rest.

The lionesses seemed to be hungry and we hoped we might get an opportunity to watch them hunting.  We kept a respectful distance as we followed, in case they encountered impalas or warthogs, both of which species we had passed on our way to the lions a short time earlier.  However, the lions never encountered anything to hunt, so we spent our time watching and photographing the cubs as the females walked through the bush and along the sand road leading to the Savute Channel a short distance away.

As the lions reached the main transit road, they turned toward the Savute Channel, which now covers this track in the sand for some 70 meters or so, with a small island in the middle.  The water in the Channel is now deep enough in many spots to sustain pods of hippos and we have seen numerous crocodiles, some of them quite large, all along the length of the Channel down to and past Savuti camp.

On previous visits since the arrival of the “new” water, we have seen lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, zebras, impalas, giraffes, ostriches, kudu and various other animals crossing the water of the Channel and it is not an uncommon occurrence.  However, with the arrival of hippos and especially crocodiles further and further down the Channel, it has now become far riskier for the animals that dare to swim across this growing river and I suspect that some are having close escapes or are even losing their lives doing so.

The lions stood on the bank of the Channel and drank from the fresh, clean water and the four lionesses without cubs gazed intently at the opposite bank.  These four seemed very keen to cross to the other side of the Channel and we worried that the female with cubs would try to follow with her little babies.  The crossing in this location is not deep enough to force adult lions to swim a long distance, but for the small cubs, this would be an extremely strenuous swim and full of potential danger.

As we watched, the four other lionesses all waded into the Channel and the female with cubs followed a short way into the water as well, her cubs battling through the reeds and fighting to keep their heads above water as they tried valiantly to keep alongside of their mom.  Suddenly one of the cubs slipped completely under the water and his mother had to quickly reach in to fish him out with her jaws.  The poor little guy looked more like a wet rag than a furry little lion as he dangled limply in his mother’s mouth…

It was now becoming a bit stressful to watch the unfolding drama and we all hoped that the mother would not force her cubs to follow the other lions, which had now begun crossing the Channel in earnest.  We spent some tense moments watching her as she called forlornly to her pride sisters and we could see that she was torn between her desire to stay with her pride and her instincts to protect her cubs from danger.

As the four lionesses reached the far bank and shook off the water, the female with cubs continued to watch and call to them, but they strode off into the trees and out of sight.  Long moments passed as we nervously watched her now in silence as the light faded and her cubs shivered in the shallow water.

Finally she made her decision… she turned around and led her cubs back to the dry and sandy road beside our vehicle.  We were all very relieved and happy to see that she had made what we felt was the “right” decision and we left them playing with their mother happily as dusk turned to darkness.

The flowing Savute Channel has obviously changed the lives of all the animals that live in this area.  This pride of lions has its territory on both sides of what was once open grassland, but that land is now split by a flowing river.  The act of simply traversing across their territory now poses new and potentially life-altering dangers.

James Weis
January 2010



One Response to “ Lions and the Savute Channel ”

1. Buddy Eleazer says:

   February 18, 2010 at 8:12 am

   The story of the re-flowing of the Savute Channel is interesting. I plan to run a gerneral article on this event at my site (www.ChobeSafari.com). Your first hand article on the impact of the real residents of the area (i.e. the lions) brings this home. I will reference your blog article in my writing. Good work. I would love to hear more observations on the wildlife impact and changes with the return of the water.