Expansion of Hippo Pods

As the dry season begins to set in and the rivers slowly start to dry up here in Luambe, we have noticed a surge in the number of hippo pods slowly positioning themselves further down the river, in front of the lodge. When the season began we were fortunate to have two small pods that set up home in front of the lodge and many days were spent watching these pods interact and wallow in the river, and on the plus side the noise was kept to a minimum. Now that the more significant areas of the river have started to become shallow, we have found that the numerous pods have made a bee line for the stretch of river by Luangwa Wilderness Lodge, as the water stays relatively deep, well, deep enough to satisfy a hippo in any case. Each pod has grown in size and more pods have begun to relocate themselves in front of the lodge, which has ensured some very interesting viewing, with daily fights amongst the larger males and mothers carrying babies on their backs. You can always rely on the hippos to keep you entertained.
With the increase in numbers there has also been an increase in the noise levels, still, this is more of a joy rather than a burden. The hippos here in Luambe just love to communicate with each other! Even with this increase we are pleased to report that we have not had an increase in the number of midnight visitors to the lodge, there is of course one persistent hippo that finds the grass outside the manager’s houses irresistible, and frequently pays us a visit at 4am to graze. He is, however, the only hippo brave enough to face the manager’s wrath when we are woken at such an unsociable hour.