UK royals visit Mokolodi Nature Reserve

KHAYALETHU MPOFU
Correspondent | Thursday June 17, 2010 00:00

The most important charity of which they are royal patrons is the Tusk Charity, an organisation that supports, educates and preserves nature across Africa.

The royal trip of the game reserve started at the education centre where they were given a brief on various animals that are adapted to the harsh semi-arid conditions found at the southern tip of Botswana.  They also saw skeletons of gemsbok and kudu, puff adders, rhino horns and other exotic animals.

After the park officials showed them the various fauna of southern Botswana, the brothers observed a unique choir and dancers. The dancers adorned themselves with traditional costumes and beads before they started to dance with a choir of the deaf from the Ramotswa School for the Deaf, providing the music.

Then Prince William and Prince Harry made their way to a Kgotla-like area where they sat down and were briefed on the various endangered species in Botswana. However, after this something rather strange happened. 

Suddenly the park ranger left the area only to return a few minutes holding, like a snake charmer - a huge python, a common rock python and the baby version, too, for the two princes to hold. Prince William and Harry then left for a game drive during which they later got to observe the two endangered cheetahs in the game reserve. 

The Tusk Foundation is a United Kingdom (UK) charity founded by Sir Charles Mayhew, MBE, and Sir Timothy Ackroyd Bt., in 1990, who have used their business savvy to raise more that 10 million pounds in support of more than 100 charities throughout Africa.  The organisations in Botswana include the Tachila Nature Reserve found in North East District, Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Moremi Game Reserve, and the Makgadikagdi Wetland Working Group.