“Band on the Run ”

A pencil drawing of Banded Mongooses (Mongos mungo)

A close relative of the better-known meerkat, banded mongooses also live in social groups numbering up to 30 individuals or more. They forage on the ground for insects, grubs and even small reptiles always alert to potential danger with individuals keeping constant contact with the rest of the group as it feeds, using chirps and soft calls. Like the meerkat, these enchanting creatures can become habituated to vehicles and humans and we enjoyed several sightings of this group near camp, sometimes approaching to within feet of the vehicle obviously as curious about us as we were delighted with them.

Mombo, Botswana
April 2004