MAMMAL ECOTOURS

Aardvark, Pangolin, Black-footed Cat, big cats and others of the Kalahari, South Africa

Guide: Errol de Beer

This trip focuses on all the rarely seen mammals that are to be found in this unique part of the country as well as their more famous cousins the big cats etc.

We will take time to positively identify Cape and Scrub Hares and emphasise the subtle differences that tell these two apart. We will look for Aardwolf and the peculiar Bat-eared Fox around Kimberley where we will also be focusing on two of our main targets, the very elusive and seldom-seen Black-footed Cat and then the odd-worldly Aardvark, so unique that it has been classified in a family of its own!

For those interested in the smaller mammals, we can put out some Sherman traps, which will enable us to have a closer look at members of the mouse and rat families. We will visit areas that are known haunts of the Pangolin but a sighting of this mammal is very rare indeed

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We then spend a few nights in the famous Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park where we should find the Kalahari's Black-maned Lions, Cheetah, Gemsbok, Brant's Whistling Rat, Brown Hyena, African Wild Cat, African Wild Dog, Meerkat (Suricate) and many more.

Night drives are the order of the day but fortunately we will have time to replenish our energy stores during the mid-day heat. Previously, a trip like this, combined with a short extension to Kwazulu-Natal, turned up in excess of 70 mammal species, plus a lot of star birds.

Target Mammals:

Black-footed Cat, Pangolin, Aardvark, African Wild Cat, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Bat-eared Fox, Cape Fox, Aardwolf, Brant's Whistling Rat, Striped Weasel, African Wild Dog, Brown Hyena, Caracal, Springhare, Ground Squirrel, Meerkat, Honey Badger, Striped Polecat and many more.

Target Birds:
Blue Crane, Secretarybird, Double-banded Courser, Ludwig's Bustard, Burchell's Courser and Kori Bustard to name but a few.