Orientation to the Grasslands

This photograph is by Fabian Gieske, a young professional photographer who was at Modisa.  Check out his website at http://www.fabiangieske.com/#!/index

    

     After a bewildering crush of introductions and greetings, we had lunch and an introductory lecture from Val.  Val is one of the founders of Modisa and is a young German researcher who found his way to the Grasslands Bushman Safari Lodge just on the edge of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.  Much more about Val later.
     This huge plot of land--tens of thousands of acres-- is owned by a Botswanan gentleman named Willi DeGraaf, who actually grew up in this area.  Mr. DeGraaf raised--and still raises--cattle, lots of cattle.  He also owns a safari lodge for tourists, including a private landing strip.  You will be hearing a lot more about this landing strip later on.
     Val told us that like all cattle ranchers in Botswana--maybe in all Africa--Willi regarded lions as a menace to his investment and to his workers' safety.  What workers, you might ask?  Well, the Grasslands is home to several villages of Bushmen, or more properly called the San people, those people who are SO successful at living with little or no water that they thrive in the Kalahari.      Those of you who saw either of the "The Gods Must Be Crazy" movies are a little familiar with the Bushmen and their fascinating "click" language.  You might even remember that when I was in South Africa in 2012 I was lucky enough to stay a few days at the Otters Den Lodge, owned by the family of Jamie Uys, who made the films.  And if by some chance you have NOT seen the movies, I strongly recommend them, even taking into account they may not be absolutely accurate and may even be rather patronizing and condescending to the San people themselves.
     But I digress.  Lions are dangerous predators, and they certainly view cattle as desirable prey--and San people as well.  So Willi--and most every other cattle rancher--shot every lion he saw.
     At some time 10-15 years ago, Willi had a change of heart.  He began to see lions as an integral part of the Kalahari ecosystem, and he decided to stop killing them.  He constructed huge (perhaps 20-40 acre) compounds in which to house captive wild lions.  Now, you might want to know why Willi wanted to house captive lions.  Although I was never fortunate enough to talk with Mr. DeGraff, I think his reasoning was that one can never truly rid a property of lions.  If some lions are killed, other lions will move into the newly-unoccupied territory.  When one lives "next door" to one of the world's largest game preserves--the Central Kalahari--one has to realize one is not going to be able to make a dent in the lion population.
     Keeping lions in captivity though has a huge benefit.  As anyone who has seen an MGM movie well knows, lions roar--big time.  Their roars can be heard for miles and miles, and those roars send an unmistakable message that this area is inhabited by lions, thus discouraging other lions from attempting to "move in."
     So by "keeping" lions, Willi was not only able to avoid killing them, but he was also able to keep other lions from moving in to endanger his cattle and the villagers.  And he also found that his guests loved to see the lions and especially loved to hear them roar.  And Willi himself came to love the lions, especially the senior male he named "Samson." 
    I guess this is what is known as a win-win situation.
    Here's the link to the Grasslands if you'd like to take a look:  http://www.grasslandlodge.com/