Guest Blogger.
Every day with the dogs – and with Kim – is a new adventure. So as we head out this afternoon, I wonder to myself what the day will bring. What will the dogs do tonight?
Earlier today we visited Chekwa pan to see what was happening. A big white rhino bull was just on his way out when we arrived – the biggest I’ve ever seen. And a large family group of zebra waited in the wings for a drink as we settled into our usual spot. But they were wary, and worked their way carefully around the pan to taste our scent on the wind before venturing closer to drink.
But before they could taste even a drop, elephants arrived from across the way – five bulls desperately in need of a mud bath. The first took his spot and splashed himself right in the eye with sloppy red mud, and then liberally all over the rest of his body. The others pulled up alongside him and joined in the ritual. I was gaily snapping pictures – with the odd direction coming from Wolhuter – when he finally couldn’t stand by any longer. He grabbed the camera, slapped a wide angle lens on, and did a “Wolhuter.” He snuck up on the biggest bull to get a great low angle shot.
I watched from the safety of the vehicle, almost bored with his antics after two weeks of this. But the situation quickly got a bit more interesting. The bull noticed the sound of the camera first, I think. He turned and gave Kim a classic head and ear shake, just to let him know HE was the guy in charge. Then he took a couple steps closer to Kim, and I started to wonder if he could actually push over the tree that Kim stood behind. Soon after that, I began closing the door and adjusting the driver’s seat because I can’t drive Kim’s Toyota Hi-Lux unless I can reach the pedals. I just felt certain that a rescue operation was imminent. But no, as usual, Kim read the situation alright and the bull finally grew tired of the game and wandered off. Safely back at the filming car, Kim said the bull was in musth because he could smell his pungent scent.
Back on the road to the wild dogs… no sign of tracks on the road near the den. There’s at least a chance they’re all still sleeping. Kim predicts that they probably fed well last night and had a long “lie in” this morning. So they’d be around, but hungry. Sure enough, when we pull in to today’s viewing vantage point, the whole gang is there.
After a very enthusiastic greeting, they head out to hunt, BB’s pups safely at den, alpha pups in tow, and us on their tails – a respectful distance behind.
After taking a long path through the thick bush, the dogs settle on a road – and we’re grateful for the break from bushwhacking. But then they head off at pace. The pups are at the back of the line, with good ol’ ‘One Eye’ behind them. They soon fall behind, and the adults have left us all in the dust – a clear sign that they’re after something. We wait for a bit with the confused puppies, and then Kim remembers a road that will get us roughly over to where we think the adults might be harbouring a kill.
Kim is now on a mission, driving rather fast down the dirt path, me holding on for dear life. (I don’t have a seat in the open car, I have a pad on top of Kim’s HD camera case. So I’m keenly aware that I’m a potential projectile.) With a little help from radio telemetry, we finally get really close to the dogs, but can’t see them. I think I hear telltale cracking of bones in the bush ahead. We pull off the road and just past some thick bush, we see – not just our dear dogs, but four hyenas confronting them over their kill. It’s almost dark now, and since Kim’s lighting assistant is on leave, we can’t film. But we want to see what’s happening. There’s only a very large fallen tree directly in our path, and a donga/ravine beyond it — between us and the dogs — and Kim’s got that wild look in his eyes. It says to me, “I know this doesn’t look possible, but I can do it.” Before I have time to yelp any cautions, he blasts forward over the thin end of the tree. There are horrible loud snaps that sound like more than the tree is breaking under the vehicle. And then without a single pause, down we go into the donga. It’s only when I hear Kim say, “Oh, that was deep,” that I know we’re in a bit of a pickle. It’s deep, and not wide – a bad combination. Kim backs up powerfully, and then tries to make a sharp left turn, but the poor Hi-lux can’t manage the balletic move and gets hung up, two tires high and dry. We find ourselves awkwardly straddling the donga… and at a dead stop.
Just above us, the four hyenas and several dogs are snarling and snapping at each other over what’s left of an impala. As Kim starts jacking the vehicle, I scramble to find my shoes in the dark and then climb onto the bank to snap a few shots.
Then I realize there are hyenas behind me in the night. I love hyenas… but not so close and so hungry. Kim is gleefully prying us out of our predicament, and I’m just happy to be having yet another African adventure, Wolhuter-style.
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