Wildcast

Black Rhino’s!!! I always get so excited when I see black rhino. These big beasts are so elusive and generally nocturnal, so are seldom seen even though we have a good healthy population on the reserve. At dawn I had 2 of them trotting down the road ahead of my vehicle. Suddenly, aware of me they spun on the spot at which stage I’m wondering which side of the vehicle they’re going to pummel ‘cos they’re known to have foul tempers and often charge! They stood momentarily and then ducked off east into the bush. Unfortunately that was the last I saw of them.
Then my NO dog day began. For the first time since following the dogs over the last 4 months I didn’t see them (except when I was away). The pups weren’t where I’d left them last night and there weren’t any vultures around. Gone……
I searched the area to east and west, their favourite hunting routes and didn’t pick up even a radio signal.
Many thoughts crossed my mind and the scariest of all, what if they had headed north out the reserve? The reserve is fenced but they can find their way out and there are such easy pickings on that side with goats, chickens, sheep, calves, etc. that they could easily be tempted. In these tribal lands people have little or no regard for predators, which they exterminate on sight. Sometimes one can’t really blame them when the dogs could destroy their only livelihood. Community programmes are being carried out in the area to make these people more aware of the wild life surrounding them. But the threat is always there and obviously a huge concern for us all.
Surely the dogs couldn’t have moved too far with the little pups, in which case if they had moved out the reserve I should have picked up a signal.
After hours of searching I packed it in in the heat of the day when the dogs would be lying up anyway.

I found some giraffe happily feeding near Sosigi dam, which brought my attention to a pair of Giant Eagle Owls roosting in the thick shade of the tree they were feeding on.

As I eased closer to the owls they took off and were greeted by a chorus of alarm calls from squirrels, Grey Lourie’s and Long-tailed Starlings. As one owl perched in a big old dead Leadwood, an African Hawk Eagle came diving in for an aerial attack and the 2 birds briefly tumbled with talons clenched before going their separate ways. The hawk eagles are real fighters and won’t tolerate other raptors in the area of their nest, which was close by.

At Manyuchi pan I was lucky to see a Sharp’s Grysbok. These little antelope are very elusive and seldom seen. And even more unusual was that it was drinking at the pan. These antelope don’t have to drink as they get sufficient moisture from the foods they eat.

Cape Turtle Doves were also dipping down to the pan for a last drink before nightfall, along with Orange-breasted Buntings and Grey-headed Sparrows.

By dusk I was still on the search for the dogs. Checking right down to the Chiredzi River without luck. Then well after dark I picked up a faint radio signal to the southeast of Manyuchi in the hills. That was the good news. And the signal wasn’t moving so I presume the pack have moved up into the hills but I can’t get in there in a vehicle and I’m definitely not walking up there in the dark. So I called it a day only too happy to have a signal but wondering if the whole pack is there and what will be their next move.
I’ll probably head down to Malilangwe dam at dawn and see if they don’t go hunting in that area as it’s close to where they are now. But then again the moon is big and they’ll probably hunt tonight.
I’ll just have to wait to see what tomorrow brings.