Month: November 2023

I knew African Wild Dogs, Lycaon pictus (also called Painted Dogs or Painted Wolves, as well as a few other common names), were found in Botswana, and that they are rare throughout all of Africa. (According to the information I gleaned from the IUCN website, around 1,400 mature adults, and guesses of 5,000-6,000 total animals living in the wild, and approximately 600 African wild dogs living in zoos.) I saw a poster of one of them when we landed in the Maun airport, placed prominently, by a research group trying to solicit photos and data. They were the top mammal species I hoped to see and photograph. Realistically, I wasn’t expecting to see any. I mentioned them to Taylor, our guide (as well as leopards or any animal that was doing something really interesting), as being of special interest. As you can see from the lead photo, he was able to get us to see them. When he heard about their location on his radio, he rushed to get us there. We were pretty far away when he got a call from one of his colleagues that they had been spotted hunting. It was a bumpy ride on the two-tracked dirt road. It was on that drive that I learned Taylor called the vehicle we were riding in his Safari Ferrari. His skillful driving allowed us to make it there safely and it was a thrill. By the time we got there, they had finished the hunt and were resting on the side of the road; bellies full. 

This particular group had at least one member with a radio collar. I don’t know if the scientists who placed the collar share the location data with the guides, but I don’t believe they do. Taylor had seen the group many times, I am sure. He said they had lost their alpha female, and that was the reason we didn’t see any puppies with them. Taylor said the group would become less efficient and likely become unable to keep up the numbers necessary to hunt successfully unless another breeding female either found the pack or developed within the group. So far, it hasn’t happened. 

We didn’t stay long. Taylor mentioned it had been communicated to him that a female leopard had been seen not too far away. We had to move on, if we had any chance of seeing it. But by the time we arrived, there was no sign of it. We went off to another destination. Most of the time, in Moremi Game Reserve there is no shortage of things to see. It’s a question of finding them doing things that you want to see and getting a good vantage point with the right light. 

After some driving to the other side of the park. We came around a low stand of bushes and below were two male lions. We stayed there for a while and watched them relax only a few yards from our vehicle. They didn’t seem disturbed at all by our presence. Only a very short drive away, there was a large pride of females and immature males. They were finishing up a cape buffalo that they had killed the night before. The males we just photographed had probably already had their fill, and as is typical in lion prides, the females and the youngsters get second choice. There wasn’t much left of the buffalo except bones. Most of the pride was either sleeping or acting playful with their siblings. But there was one large lioness who was gnawing on the skull. We were close enough to hear the sound of bones cracking. (And, close enough that you can almost see my reflection in both of her eyes in one of the photos I took.) It was obvious that she was hoping to get to the brain of the buffalo; she wasn’t making much progress and she picked up the skull and moved off. Taylor took that as a sign that it was time for our break.

We stopped for afternoon tea at a location far enough away from the predators. When we continued our drive, we saw a few more animals; including zebras fighting, impala browsing, giraffes on the move, and a massive herd of cape buffalo. We heard that the pride we had seen earlier was now resting out in the open, as the sun was getting low on the horizon. We went and took more photographs in the changing light. 

In the grass near the marshy watering hole, stood a lone antelope buck. It was a red lechwe, Kobus leche. Some of the lions were keeping an eye on it. There were a few vehicles around hoping to witness lions on the hunt. One of the youngsters made a short attempt to stalk the antelope, but it didn’t go unnoticed. The antelope moved off trying to find cover, but in doing so one of the adult lionesses noticed something abnormal in the antelope’s movement. She got up and patiently began stalking her potential victim. Taylor moved the vehicle, to see if it turned into a successful hunt. We stayed as long as we could, but the reserve doesn’t allow vehicles out after dark. We didn’t see if the lions were going to have dinner, but we knew we would when we got back to camp. It was a special day, even without seeing the leopard. I knew I was going to have a lot of work to do when I got home, editing all the photos I took that day.

On our last morning game drive at Xakanaxa, we were not getting to see much in the Moremi Game Reserve. Just as Taylor stopped the vehicle and started to apologize for the slow day we were having, he heard squawking from birds and chatter from squirrels. He said there must be a snake nearby. He moved us a little closer to where the action was, and sure enough there was a long snake moving through the grass. It was faster than I had ever seen a snake move before. It was being dive-bombed by birds. Some came perilously close to becoming victims as the snake responded with lightning-quick strikes at its airborne adversaries. Taylor said it was a black mamba, a highly venomous snake I had only seen on television and read about in books.  It was over almost as soon as the raucous battle started, as the snake slithered into the underbrush. I snapped a few photos, but none were good. I’ll include the best one, as evidence, in the gallery at the end of this post. 

Just after we finished with the black mamba excitement, Taylor said one of his colleagues, named Kedi, contacted him on the radio informing him that she had found the leopard again. We weren’t that far away. We made our way there and the leopardess was indeed still there, but well camouflaged in the forest, and not in a good spot for a photograph. A few other vehicles showed up. I thought it would scare her away, but after a short wait, she started walking towards the clearing which was by now nearly full of vehicles loaded with happy passengers. I noticed that Kedi, was giving Taylor a wry smile and I took her picture. I asked him about it. He said the guides were pretty competitive when it comes to who finds the best animals for the guests. Kedi was leading the competition for the week.

For photos of our exciting three days in the Moremi Game Reserve, click here. I didn’t see it all, but I was starting to see why some, who have traveled extensively in Africa, say the people of Botswana are among the warmest people in Africa. Thanks to everyone who made our three days on safari at Camp Xakanaxa so satisfying. Our bags were packed and loaded in the vehicle before we started the morning drive. Shortly after seeing the leopard, we transferred our bags to a vehicle that had other guests also headed to the Xakanaxa airstrip from another Desert and Delta Safaris lodge in Moremi. We got in the back, and waved good bye to Taylor. 

One more surprise, when we got to the airstrip strip we met a guy who was very excited to show us his fresh video of the same pack of wild dogs I spoke of in the beginning of the post. His group arrived just after the pack had taken down a small antelope. It showed the dogs ripping the poor animal to shreds and devouring it down to the bones in a matter of minutes. It was gruesome. It was fortunate for the wild dogs; not fortunate for the antelope. Just to add one more moment of excitement, as they were nearly finished their meal, a big lion rushed into the scene. The dogs scattered and the lion picked up the skeleton which was held together by meager shreds of muscle and ligaments. The video ended as we had to get into the bush plane back to Maun. It gave me something new to think about and inspired me to use the meanest looking photo I had for the lead photo. While I was watching, they were rather calm and relaxed, but oh my, the video told a different story. 

When we arrived at Camp Xakanaxa we were given the standard safety talk which included the warning: don’t leave your tent at night without getting an escort from a staff member. I was fine with the warning. It seemed perfectly reasonable. (When we were in Northern Tanzania a few years ago, we were escorted at night by Maasai armed with spears to protect us against lions.) At Xakanaxa they didn’t even need to explain their reasoning to me, but they went on to say that they had a resident male hippo, named Oscar, who got kicked out of his family group by his father several years ago. Oscar routinely moved around the camp munching on the grass around the lodge grounds, usually at night. For safety reasons, our tents were not on the ground. They were on elevated platforms a few steps above ground level. We didn’t have to worry about him crashing into our space. The stairs were too narrow for a hippo to climb. The baboons were not afraid to come up the stairs, but they seemed to respect social distancing. (Though one did jump from a tree to the roof of the tent while I was in the shower, giving me a bit of a scare.) 

One evening, I heard from other guests at dinner that Oscar was foraging near their tent. When we finished, one of the staff members walked me over to try to take a photo, but it was too dark, and it wasn’t possible to get a good photo. The next night, Oscar woke me up in the middle of the night, making a lot of noise right next to the tent. I didn’t get out of bed, but in the morning there was clear evidence that he had been there: footprints on the path next to the steps, a few stakes (that marked the path) kicked out of the ground, and a depression in the ground where it looked like he might have taken a nap lying on the ground. Maybe my snoring was music to his ears. 

The following day, while my wife was hanging out on the deck next to the river, Oscar came out of the water right next to where she was lounging. After she took a short video on her cell phone (with some camera help from the bartender) to send to the grandchildren back in the States, she came to me excited, but trying to remain calm, asking me to grab my camera and come take some photos of the big boy. The photo above is one of those photos. For a few more, click here. 

In second grade, before a field trip to the National Zoo, we were asked to write a paper—admittedly there weren’t many words written on that handwriting paper with one-inch lines and a dotted midline, common in those days in elementary schools—on the two animals that we wanted to see. I picked kangaroos and hippopotamuses. Unfortunately, they didn’t have either of those two animals at the zoo then. Oscar made up for it in Botswana. It’s never too late for a hippo to make your day!

By the way, like me, my wife doesn’t like having her photo on publicly available web pages, that is why her face is edited out on the lead image. She has a Facebook account (I still don’t) but even there you will not see photos of her. Eventually, I will post family photos in the Members Only section.

Our next stop in Botswana was another place within the Okavango Delta in the Moremi Game Reserve, only a twenty-minute bush plane flight to the southeast. Camp Xakanaxa is situated in a drier part of the delta, with most of the safaris done using purpose-built, large, four-wheel-drive vehicles typical in Africa. Here also, there was an option to take a boat. The lodge and our room were steps away from the banks of the Khwai River, but having experienced the delta by boat at Xugana, we opted to explore by land. Again, we had an excellent guide. His name was Taylor. He worked extremely hard to get us to see what there was to see. He was very good at taking into account that I like to take pictures. He did his best to give me a good vantage point to get the photo, and he always turned off the vehicle engine, so it wouldn’t shake the camera. Since I like to see it all, it probably made his job a challenge. Most of the game drives, we had him to ourselves, but there were a few that we did not. 

On one such drive, after seeing many different animals, we rounded a corner and another guest said, “Oh, look, there is an elephant.” We stopped abruptly. As you can see from the photo above, it was kind of hidden in the shade of a tree beside the road. Taylor (who probably saw the huge animal before the guest) knew we had already seen plenty of elephants, but realized the other woman had not.  The elephant was on the same side of the vehicle as my wife was and only a few yards away. My wife raised her binoculars. I snapped a few photos (I never know which ones will be good, or which might have a story behind them) and a few seconds later my wife declared, “I can’t believe I can’t see an elephant.” The elephant, practically within trunk’s distance of her binoculars, grumbled a little (as if to say, Let me help you get those silly binoculars out of your way, I am right here), and my wife replied as she lowered her binoculars with, “Oh, there you are.” She laughed at herself a little. 

When we first arrived at the airstrip, we were met by our guide, and he asked us what we were most interested in seeing at Moremi Game Reserve. I said something like, Whatever will make good photos for my website, but we have seen elephants, and I already have some good photos of them. Even so, I am glad we saw that elephant under the tree. My wife’s laughter and the expression on her face when she looked at me made me appreciate that I am a lucky guy. I have a wife that enjoys doing things with me. I had the pleasure of being together with her in a new country, sharing time with interesting people from around the world, who had different life experiences and perspectives. We were all fortunate to have the help of local people, who I believe genuinely loved their jobs and wanted to share their knowledge and hospitality with guests.

One more quick story about another elephant before I give you an opportunity to see better photos than the one above. Near the end of our time in Camp Xakanaxa, our guide saw a big bull elephant scratching his face on a fallen tree. He turned the vehicle off, so we could take some pictures. The bull started walking in our direction with his big ears flared out.  Preparing for a potential confrontation, Taylor started the vehicle. The elephant kept coming. Taylor revved the engine a little. The big boy kept coming our way, but not charging. Taylor put the transmission in gear, revved the engine hard and quickly let the clutch out, which spun the tires and kicked up a little dirt. That was enough; the elephant immediately turned around and quickly headed in the other direction. All I could think was, well played, Taylor, as I took another photo of the bull in retreat. For photos of elephants near Camp Xakanaxa, click here. I will try to get another post out soon.  

As I was saying in the previous post, the main reason for the adventure this October was to see Botswana and the Okavango Delta. Everything else on the trip was accessory (though I was pretty sure we would like the entire journey) to this destination. I have watched some fantastic documentaries that show how wonderful and unique the area is and for quite a few years I have really wanted to see it for myself. I knew it might be an easy place to convince my wife to visit because one of her friends, Diane, went with her husband some time ago. Diane had suggested that we would like it. She is also an avid photographer who likes to travel the world and spends a considerable amount of time researching and planning her trips, so her opinion matters to my wife. I would get my chance to experience the Delta and see what it is really like.

Remote destinations like the Okavango take some thought and careful preparation; and for most people, including me, expert help making the arrangements. Almost all the arrangements were done by Kim and her team at Extraordinary Journeys. They found the places that were available and right for us, and that worked within our time schedule. They coordinated all the flights within Africa to make sure we were making efficient use of our time. We had to fly from Cape Town to Maun, Botswana, and then we had to connect with bush planes to get to the remote airstrips at the three lodges in Botswana. EJ has partners in Africa that make this happen and they even have people meet you at the airport to facilitate the transfers. If I had unlimited time and was traveling alone, I might try to “wing it” myself, but it is probably not a great idea. My wife doesn’t like to be away from home for long periods at a time and she likes to be prepared. She is a good sport about most things, but prefers to have a good plan in advance and I want her to enjoy herself and keep traveling with me. She really appreciated the detailed itinerary, bound in a booklet, that was delivered to us just before we left home. Since the trip is already over as I write this, I can tell you that everything went according to plan. If it hadn’t, we had a bunch of people looking out for us that would have been able to help. 

Our first camp in Botswana was Xugana Island Lodge, deep within the Okavango Delta and the only camp on the trip where most of our travel would be by boat. At Xugana Island, we showed up at the airstrip, and we were greeted and transferred by boat to the lodge where well trained staff took excellent care of us. Everything was provided; food, drinks, clean and comfortable accommodations (but no air conditioning this far off the grid) and most importantly, expert guides.

One of the things that makes the Okavango unique is that rain that falls and makes its way into the tributary rivers, or into the delta itself, doesn’t make it to the ocean. The seasonal floods are pretty dependable; wildlife, including big game, have adapted their biological clocks around the annual cycle of rains and flooding. The seasonal rains flow from Angola through Namibia for many miles before entering Botswana where the flooding spreads out into a delta of lagoons and waterways, finally disappearing into the Kalahari Desert. Though many of the animals can be found elsewhere in Africa, the setting here is completely different. The plants have to be able to tolerate flooding. There are many different reed-like plants, including papyrus, that make up the habitat, instead of typical savannah. The water flows in narrow, mostly shallow channels that wind through the vegetation. The depth of the water fluctuates depending on the season. While we were there, the outboard engine propellers on the safari boats would occasionally get tangled in vegetation/muck on the bottom and stop running. Fortunately for us it was always a momentary stop, and then we were back on our way. The guides had to be on guard at all times, not only to avoid hazards in the water, but also because there was always the potential to round a bend and see elephants or hippos. That is not a good time to be without a functioning engine. 

On one early-morning safari, our guide, CK, noticed a wake in the channel that was not caused by another boat. He determined we must have scared a hippo and it was moving quickly to get away. CK didn’t slow down as he skillfully navigated the channel bends, until he pointed out the wake had subsided and there were fresh tracks in the muck and the reeds had been pushed away where the hippo left the main channel. We never saw that hippo, but we saw many others. When hippos, especially the big males, were in the larger lagoons, CK would give them a wide berth. Evidently, when they see you approaching they have more confidence and can be dangerous.

Another day on an evening cruise, we saw elephants from the boat, but the reeds were so high it was difficult to get a good picture. I was hoping to get a photo of them swimming, but that opportunity never presented itself to our group. I did get some good photos of brilliant sunsets with papyrus reeds and storm clouds. I also got plenty of photos of different birds for which the delta is famous.

The highlight of Xugana for us (as far as wildlife goes) was the walking safari. We spent one morning on an island, about a 20 minute boat ride from camp. It was situated on slightly higher ground than the surrounding delta swamp vegetation , and at least while we were there, the ground was dry. Walking among the big game is a much different feeling without the benefit of a vehicle to escape from a charging elephant or a hungry pride of lions. I would say, way more authentic and humbling. We were given plenty of instruction regarding safety. It was the number one priority. An additional guide armed with a high-power rifle accompanied us as we walked the island. Fortunately, he didn’t have to use it. This wasn’t our first walking safari; my wife and I did a gorilla trek in Rwanda, where one of the trackers fired his gun to scare away a forest elephant that wasn’t happy with us and charged the group. I also walked at night with researchers in Kenya doing scientific research on small mammals. In the same place, earlier in the week, I heard lions and saw elephants and cape buffalo. I guess you could also say, what I did in Madagascar last year might qualify as a walking safari, but there weren’t any poisonous snakes or big animals that could kill you there. We didn’t see any lions, though there was surely evidence they were there. CK showed us the evidence. He explained that the hippopotamus hide we found while on the walk, along with bones, still showed how it met its end. CK said there was a pride that frequented the island that specializes in killing hippos by paralyzing them by biting through the backbone, instead of suffocating them by clamping down on the trachea in the front of the neck in the manner that most lions use to kill their prey. If you look closely at one of the photos I took, you can see the hole in the dried out hide. While on the walk, I got plenty of photos of a herd of elephants doing what elephants do; and some of warthogs, hippos, and antelopes. 

We spent a little time fishing for tiger fish on the morning of the last day at the camp; without any luck.  We did a short trip in a fiberglass version of the traditional dugout canoe the locals call a mokoro. Again, it is a humbling experience to be sitting at water level in a small vessel that cannot move quickly, when potentially there are large creatures nearby. Our guides were good and kept us safe as we quietly slipped through the water taking photos of the smaller critters like reed frogs and dragonflies and getting close to plants like water lilies.  For photos from the vicinity around Xugana, click here. 

We were very pleased with the food, service, and the hospitality of the many kind people who made the stay go well. We only got a little taste of what the Okavango Delta is really like. I am sure we would have a different experience if we came at another time of year. The Delta is an ever changing place.  I hope to come back again someday to Xugana and maybe this time I will catch a tiger fish and photograph elephants frolicking in the water. We are happy with what we were able to see and do this time in the vicinity around Xugana Island Lodge…but there is still more to see and do at the other two camps in Botswana we still have scheduled on this adventure. It was a good choice for our first stop in the delta. At the next stop, I took so many photos I think I will have to break it up into more than one post.

It is a fact that I am not as interested in cities as I am in nature. I appreciate that cities are important and there are people that prefer them to being out in nature. I like to travel to places that have critters (even small ones and what some would consider creepy crawlies) and landscapes (especially beautiful ones) that are new to me and different from what I know. On this trip I planned to see and photograph new critters and landscapes, but to get there, we had to make the long haul to a place big enough to start the adventure. Cape Town was the city of choice.  Fortunately it was rated in a recent article in Travel+Leisure as one of the “25 Most Beautiful Cities in the World.” I had seen in a recent travel show that it is also highly regarded as a food and wine destination (something my wife and I both enjoy), so I did some research and planned to use Cape Town as our starting point for this Africa adventure. 

I worked with an American travel consulting group called Extraordinary Journeys (EJ). I used them when I took my wife on our first African Safaris in 2016. They did a great job then.  It was worth the money to have a consultant with connections and experience in the remote places I wanted to see at a standard that my wife could enjoy. (She has places she says she won’t go that don’t make me feel as uncomfortable. To be sure, I have places I won’t go too, but my bar is set pretty low. It is one of many reasons I won’t be able to see it all, but I am trying pretty hard.) The agent I used the last time was no longer with the company, but they referred me to another agent, Kim Green. She and her team were a pleasure to work with this time. It’s not that my wife doesn’t trust my planning skills, but having someone who specializes in this type of travel helps make her more comfortable. My wife had people telling her that South Africa wasn’t the safest place to travel. I wanted to make sure she was convinced that we were in good hands and we would be safe. 

It was a long flight from Amsterdam and we arrived too late to realistically plan on using the day for anything but travel.  Still not adjusted to the time difference; we relaxed at the hotel for the evening and next day. We stayed at At Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa for four nights, and yes we both took advantage of the onsite spa.  The exchange rate made it too good to pass up (just as it did when we visited Bali) and the rest helped us get adjusted. The whole staff at the hotel went out of their way to make sure we were happy. A fresh healthy breakfast was served every morning. It had an interesting architectural vibe (Yes, I am interested in architecture.) and was vetted by EJ to meet their green travel standard, which I also think is important.

After a day of relaxation, we ate dinner at ëlgr Restaurant; within walking distance of the hotel. It didn’t look impressive from the outside. We had an early reservation and were the first in the door when they opened for dinner. Once seated, I ordered the Chef’s Choice Sharing Menu with Paired Wines for two. We were a little confused at first because so much food was placed on the table after we ordered that we were not sure if that was all we were going to get. It was all good and paired well with the wine. As soon as we had finished the first offering, we each got another plate and another glass of wine served by the sommelier with an explanation of the reason for the pairing. Service was excellent even though by now the restaurant was filling up. The process was repeated for at least two more courses. At the end of the meal we were both satiated and grateful. We certainly felt by now that South Africa was even better than we hoped it would be and we barely had begun the trip.

The next day we met our driver (I didn’t want to rent a car my first time in South Africa.) who doubled as our tour guide. His name was Jackson. He took us up the iconic Table Mountain to the cable car, but unfortunately it was closed unexpectedly because of high winds. (The view at the base was worth the drive and it literally gave us an overview of the city.) Without missing a beat, he altered plans and went on with our tour of the city; keeping us interested by educating us on the fascinating and complex human history, as well as the natural history and architectural history of his native land. He was well versed in many subjects (including Rugby– coincidentally, the national team: the Springboks, won the 2023 world cup in France while we were in South Africa) and old enough to have experienced apartheid. He was a very kind man, who was able to skillfully keep us out of traffic while carrying on conversations on difficult topics. At the end of a full day seeing city sites with the right combination of exercise and recovery, he dropped us off for a seafood feast at Codfather Restaurant, in Camps Bay. We made our own way back to the hotel. It was a very good day! For photos of this part of the trip click here.

After an early breakfast the next morning, we were met by our driver again, this time to explore the peninsula that includes the southwesternmost tip of the African continent. It is not geographically the southernmost, but they seem to make a bigger deal of The Cape of Good Hope than Cape Agulhas; which is the actual place where the cold South Atlantic current crashes into the warm Indian Ocean current. (If you want a better explanation, it might be “worth a Google ” after you finish virtually exploring here.) Prior to the trip, this was the area we planned to visit in South Africa that I was most excited about. I knew there would be the possibility to take pictures of natural beauty, unique ecosystems like the Fynbos (an area of low growing plants, many of them with beautiful flowers and many naturally found only in this ecosystem), penguins and maybe even my first Southern Right Whales. A single bontebok, Damaliscus pygargus pygargus, a fairly large antelope that I confess I had never heard of before the trip, did show up for a photograph in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The landscapes were impressive with some of the clearest and freshest blue skies you can imagine. I took plenty of photos. We saw South African penguins as well as many other birds. Baboons were on the march; seeming to ignore the tourists. Probably the best surprise of the day was the lunch stop our driver had planned for us at Harbour House Kalk Bay, where we were seated at a table right next to the crashing waves below. The day ended at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where we walked for two hours on the beautiful grounds and I saw many plant species I had never seen before in person. I was especially impressed by the many species of endemic Proteus that were in bloom, and also I saw for the first time a living plant indigenous to the Namib desert I learned about when I was studying botany in college. It is a very odd plant that is a member of the genus Welwitschia, represented by a single living species, Welwitschia mirabili, today. We returned to the hotel tired, but I was excited to look at the photos of the day. I have shared some of the better ones. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any whales. It was a little too late in the season. For photos of this part of the trip click here

After the fourth night at the hotel, we got an early start. We went with our driver to the wine regions of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. We tasted wines from Meerlust Wine Estate and Kanonkop Wine Estate in Stellenbosch and after lunch at La Petite Ferme, Franschhoek (selected by our driver), we went to Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines for a tasting. After a full day our driver dropped us off at Mont d’Or Franschhoek where we stayed for two nights.  The following night I picked La Petite Colombe, on the Leeu Estate, Franschhoek, for a dinner experience that I was hoping would be second to none. I made the reservation months in advance. The multicourse meal with wine pairings did not disappoint and will likely never be forgotten. It was that good! I hope to bring friends with us again someday. The following morning we returned to the airport in Cape Town for the flight to the main event of the trip. For photos from the events of our stay including the artfully crafted, delicious meal click here.

We were treated well by all we met. We had a terrific time in Cape Town and the surrounding area. We had some of the best food and wine of our lives. It is truly an amazing place. A bonus of its southern hemisphere location was that a visit in October, becomes a time of lengthening days. My wife especially appreciated it. She didn’t care for the short days and long nights of Amsterdam.