Credit Zebras with Inventing OP Art

Remember Op Art? the art movement that peaked in the 1960s  that combined sharply contrasting colors, usually black and white, to create the perception of movement and visual conflict?  Aided by the right herbs, the distortion and visual confusion could make the image dance and seem to leap right off the canvas, page or video display.  Especially if it was the right herb.

Well, I'm not an expert on art, but I think Zebras were doing Op Art long before anyone in the 20th century thought of tricking the eye with black and white contrast - provoking astigmatic attacks.

1960s Op Art

2014 Botswana Art

 When you come across a herd of zebras, the effect can be very confusing.  Some animals may stand out, but individual herd members are harder to visually isolate.  The impression is that there is a lot going on and where one member starts and the next ends is not completely obvious.  Charles Darwin had a theory that the Zebras stripes had evolved to create just that confusion among predators. 



Imagine you are a lion and you come across this shimmering mass of zebras.  Which one would you pursue?  Which direction is any one of these zebras going to run?  They really are fun to watch, in their shape shifting, shimmering way.  Oh, and by the way, did you know the collective word for a herd of zebras is a DAZZLE.  Cool name, wouldn't you agree?

It all seems to make sense, pair mother and foal and you might not see the separation of big and small, strong and vulnerable.  Good theory Darwin came up with to explain the zebras stripes.

Who couldn't watch baby zebras all day long and want to think they were being protected from predators by their stripes.  But Darwin was only partially right.

Turns out, according to a study published by UC Davis Wildlife Biologists on April 1, 2014, the zebra's stripes evolved to confuse and repel biting flies.  Something about the Op Art confusion of black and white prevents tsetse flies and horse flies from seeing the zebra as prey, because the offending flies downright don't like black and white surfaces.

And the zebra turn out to really need protection from biting flies as their body hair is shorter than the depth of the flies biting mechanism, unlike all the other hooved mammals living in the same ranges occupied by zebras.

So the next time you find yourself in an environment teaming with biting flies, say northern Minnesota in summer, pull out some of your 1960s Op Art fashions and give the pestering bugs the buzz off!

Bug repellent?

Op Art movement founder Victor Vasarely's 1937 painting "Zebras."

Botswana Game Drive: Wild Dogs 2

On our second morning game drive, we were off to take a boat ride on the main channel of the delta when Bee received a radio message.  Another Ranger had spotted the wild dogs we had been following on a kill.  We detoured to see what the dogs were doing.

When we arrived on scene, the dogs were downing the last remains of a young red lechwe antelope.  The two males appeared sated, lying in the grass ready to sleep off their protein binge.  The female was working on the last recognizable piece of the kill.  There wasn't much left to fight over.  

The female works at exposing the last bit of edible antelope.  We thought maybe the two males were deferring to the female because she was pregnant and for the good of the future pack members she should have the last bit of meat.

So even though this doesn't look like much to fight over... these carnivores, not sure when they will see their next meal, didn't want to give up easily.

 This tug of war may be a little out of character.  Wild dogs are reputed to be among the most social and collaborative of African predators.  The entire pack plays a role in rearing young; for example, each dog will return to an active den and regurgitate food to support the nursing mother and pups. None of the aggressiveness displayed in hunting is ever inflicted on pack members, from what I have read.  Unlike the North American grey wolf, there is almost no intimidation within the social hierarchy.   

We left feeling pretty confident the female had the tightest grip on the last bite and probably wanted it more than the male.

We stopped by the kill site on our way back from the delta boat ride to find a bit of offal and two jaw bones left...the only sign there had ever been an antelope eviscerated on this spot.  The dogs had been so efficient at disposing of the lechwe, that there wasn't even enough spoils to attract carrion birds.

This meal went to a worthy cause.  The African Wildlife Foundation estimates there are only 6,000 wild dogs left roaming Africa.  They have been on the Endangered species list for over 20 years, their numbers reduced by declining habitat and encounters with farmers and herdsmen.  Unfortunately wild dogs are frequently blamed for depredation of livestock when the true villains are either leopards or hyenas.  Human/dog encounters frequently result in the poisoning or shooting of the dogs.  

Our Okavango pack of three is not typical of these animals, which are usually found in packs of 6 to 20 animals.  A large pack is actually capable of bringing down an adult wildebeest.  Hunting (or poisoning) wild dogs in Botswana is not too likely.  Botswana, in setting aside the Okavango Delta as wilderness habitat, has restricted traditional subsistence hunting/farming activities to two villages within the delta.  Each village is allocated a plot of land to develop for their needs with assistance to turn each plot into a natural attraction to further build Botswanan tourism.  As a result, Botswana has one of the largest populations of wild dogs in Africa.

Botswana Game Drive: Wild Dogs

On our first morning game drive, we encountered a very agitated mother elephant and two juvenile elephants.  As this small group of elephants rushed towards us, trumpeting in angry elephant speak, our driver "Bee" explained that they were being harassed by some wild dogs.  Specifically they were trying to attack a baby barely visible in the space between the bigger animals.

Mother elephant and siblings close ranks to protect the baby.  When the threat was over, the smaller family group rushed to join the rest of the herd.

 Clearly out gunned by the completed elephant herd the wild dogs dropped their attack and moved on to look for new prey.

Trumpeting and low bass notes rumbling from this herd would be enough to intimidate any small four legged predator.  Not to mention penetrating this wall of pachyderm flesh to get at the baby in the center would be impossible.

Our Ranger, Bee, knew if we followed the wild dogs they would lead us to other game.  Off we went weaving through the bush on the trail of three wild dogs.

The alpha male sniffs the wind for the scent of the dogs' next meal.  Given the abundance of game in the Okavango, you had to figure their next meal wasn't that far off.

It is breeding season in Okavango and the male Impala antelope have gathered all the females into large herds.   This makes for an abundance of targets, but confusion on which one to target if you are a small four footed predator.  The dogs asked the Impala if they could eat them.

The dominant male Impala said no you can't eat us.  You are too small and we can easily jump over you.  And we can run faster than you can, so don't bother us.

The dogs were disappointed but they didn't give up.  They moved on looking for more game to eat.

Giraffe, we see you hiding in the bush, can we eat you?  Don't be silly.  You are barely tall enough to bite my ankles and I can kick you into to the next island.  Go away.  

We see the hard working wild dogs and know they will lead us to more game to watch.  Bee anticipated their every move and kept us on the dogs' trail despite their running through dense thickets and around bogs and marshy areas.

There are so many animals, so many scents...which scent should we pursue, which animal is the right one for our next meal?

This 1,000 pound male kudu is keeping a lookout for lions.  He can't be troubled by three 35 pound wild dogs.  Besides, one well placed kick will send the dogs off to look for their next potential meal.

The dogs are thinking can we eat you Mr. Cape Buffalo, will you let us get near enough to bite you and hang on for dear life?  Don't be foolish, my hide is very tough, and although I know your favorite mode of attack is to bite your victim and hold on until gravity yields a large mouthful of meat, there are only three of you.  I can easily roll on you and crush you before you have a chance to bite a vital part of me.

Wait, there's something out in that marsh, let's check it out

Don't even think about it.  Don't you know my reputation for fiercely defending my territory.  Besides you don't really like water and I could easily drown you.

So where now?  The female, in the middle of the trio, obviously very pregnant, is growing tired after two and a half hours of running through the bush and having trouble keeping up.

They'd probably settle for a bony, saddle bill stork if they could catch it, but naaah, it would just fly away as soon as they started for it.

This just wasn't their day, out run, out sized, out of luck.  I thought they might have to go a long time between meals...

Even the alpha male baboon had harsh words for the dogs..."come up here and I'll smash you in the face!"

We finally left the dogs feeling a little sorry for them knowing how hard they worked for a meal.  Hard enough that these hippo bones were beginning to look attractive.  Chock one up to the survival of the fittest.  To be continued...

Into Africa: Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is the reason we are in Africa (and to celebrate her birthday).  Some time ago, Susan discovered a documentary film, "Animals Are Beautiful People," which chronicles the rhythm of the delta, from flood to re-desertification as the dry season progresses.  With the receding water, prey and predator are forced to congregate around shrinking water holes.  The film is at times humorous and other times tragic.  So in a way, we have come to Botswana to see if the animals are truly converging on those shrinking water holes and witness their either tragic or comic stories.

The Okavango Delta is alleged to be the world's largest inland river delta. Rain falling on Angola's highlands in November and December flows some 500 miles south-east until it hits the flat Kalihari desert in north central Botswana where the water fans out into the delta and eventually sinks into the desert sands. The water courses through ancient channels where it overflows and fills every low depression and recharges ponds, marshes, sloughs and lakes.  The flood is coming and expected to arrive sometime in early to mid May.

We flew from Johannesburg to Maun, Botswana via commuter jet and then by single engine Cessna into our safari camp, at Nxabega.  The Botswana government has chosen to keep the delta as pristine as possible by limiting access to this immense wilderness. There are some thirty safari camps scattered around the delta, reached only by small aircraft with the camp typically located on the edge of a permanent water hole.  Each camp can accommodate about 20 visitors at a time, exposing those visitors to the wildlife and their life struggles via morning and afternoon game drives, boating trips through the permanent waterways, canoe trips and walking safaris.  The camps we visited have exclusive lease access to about 30 square miles of terrain, encompassing the water, grasslands, mixed grass/forest and dense forests of the delta.

The rainy season is ending in Botswana and although there appears to be a lot of water from above, at ground level the water holes are shrinking.

The islands and higher ground apparent from above will eventually be diminished by the coming flood, but right now is a pretty good time to see all the animals Botswana has to offer.

It quickly becomes apparent, the Okavango is all about water.  Where it exists, life is good, where it has disappeared, life becomes more perilous.

Wherever it occurs, it mirrors the overwhelming beauty of the Okavango Delta 

Into Africa

After what seems like days of travel, we arrived in Johannesburg and were transferred to our Guest House lodgings.  It was dark and disorienting, but we awoke to find very plesasant gardens and friendly hosts.

We know we are going to see plenty of the African bush and wild animals, so we wanted to make this day in Joburg about the people side of Africa.  We want to check out the neighborhood, mingle with the people.  

Our host suggested we shouldn't wander too far beyond the heavily fortified confines of the Guest House property, so we opted instead for a guided tour of some of the city highlights, such as the black township of Soweto, Nelson Mandela's house, city center and the Apartheid Museum

Soweto the South West Township or black homeland, was one of many segregated black lands the white separatist government moved colored and black citizens to create all white neighborhoods and suburbs.  Today Soweto is home to over 5 million people, with furious home building and infrastructure projects launched since the end of apartheid in 1994.

Soweto still reflects a mix of rural and high density housing.

 

Father Danny tells Susan about the police tactics, used to break up black gatherings, including gunfire in the  church; the only place blacks were allowed to gather in groups numbering more than two persons.

 

Our tour guide Ishmael.

Mandela's Soweto home from the early 1960s.

Interior of Madela's house.

Portrait of Nelson Mandela.

Joburg is an contrast in the old and new.  Urban and rural.  Above the Futbol stadium from the 2006 World Cup, below the hollowed out courthouse in city center.

 

All around Joburg are signs of its mining history.  The discovery of gold in 1886 attracted hundreds of thousands of men from all over Africa and the indian subcontinent to work the mines, triggering a century of ever more repressive laws/controls on where workers/non-whites could live and who they could associagte with.

Entrance to Aparteid Museum. The compartments to the left are to symbolie the ore brought above ground by generations of miners, the pictures of travelers mounting the ramp symbolize the many faces and ethnicity ofpersons climbing to equality.  The museum was a tour de force explaining the conflicts from pre-history to the end of apartheid between all men, of all cultures to peaceably settle Africa.  It deserves more narrative, but our flight departs soon and I must put this to bed.    

Simulation of Nelson Mandela's cell on Robbins Island.

Johannesburg a city both modern, and striving to be modern; growing and struggling to accommodate that growth.  A fantastic start to this trip.