Monthly Archive for November, 2006

on November 17, 2006

. 1 Comment Tags:africa, animal-kingdom, blogumentary, cites, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, endangered-species, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, hunting, IUCN-Red-List, leopard, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, polls, predators, rain, teach, video, wild dogs, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

The change in the weather has been most welcome. Soon after midday storms scattered the horizons with some big stuff falling right in the south. Up here in the north although it did look threatening we just had a few sprinklings. Not enough to call rain, but enough to keep temperatures moderate and comfortable.

When I found the wild dogs this afternoon it didn’t look like they had fed this morning. Although if they killed just one impala, feeding 21 mouths wouldn’t have much impact on those stomachs.

And even when they headed off hunting there didn’t seem much enthusiasm.

I was filming the adults on the move when I heard the pups yapping at something. I could just see the pups through the bush but not what had caught their interest. Only once they had moved off, did I discover this very innocent tortoise minding his own business. And little did he realise what anxiety he’d caused these large African predators.

Successful on the hunt again after a short chase, only about 400m, another pregnant impala succumbed to the packs highly skilled hunting techniques. These impala are so close to term now and we’ve already seen a couple of lambs at foot.

Then last night on my way back to camp in the dark I hit it really lucky. Not far from Kwali camp I found a female leopard and her female cub (about 8 months old) and was able to follow them on the prowl. Such beauty and so sleek. Unfortunately I lost them heading into a donga/ravine some 20 minutes later.

Then in the hills a lone African Civet was visiting his civetry marking his territory.

And further up in the hills a pair of Porcupines were ambling among the rocks seeking out any tasty bark to feed on.

Wild Dogs at waterworld: Video

Published

on November 16, 2006

. 0 Comments Tags:africa, animal-kingdom, baobab, blogumentary, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephants, endangered-species, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, polls, quickmaps, video, waterhole, wild dogs, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

The hunters supreme were at it again.

Still well fed from yesterdays 3 impala, didn’t stop the wild dogs hunting again this morning, although they didn’t use the last quater of the moon to head out with early.

Hunting around sunrise they surprised a herd of impala in the raisin bush thickets. The dogs being somewhat shorter than the impala are at a great advantage in here as they can speed ahead through the undergrowth where the taller impala are getting hooked up. The chase didn’t last long and 2 pregnant impala were killed. The dogs couldn’t even finish both carcasses and headed off to take time out at Matsanga pan. That was them down for the rest of the day.

I went to look for our little elephant calf and his herd without success but found another breeding herd at the top end of Malilangwe dam feeding on the cyprus growing up there.

I was planning to follow up on the barbel in their dire straits attempting their last few struggles in Chiloveka dam when relief arrived in the form of 30mm of rain. I wasn’t even able to get to the dam to see as the roads down there are on heavy black cotton soils that are treacherous after any rain. (it was only last week I told one of the game scouts that the barbel would soon all die down there and that this week Tuesday or Wednesday would be it, but he assured me that it never dried up totally down there. I was sure this year was going to be the first. Amazingly the rains only fell in that small area.)

Wild dogs back killing: Video

Published

on November 15, 2006

. 2 Comments Tags:africa, animal-kingdom, blogumentary, cites, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, endangered-species, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, hunting, hyaenas, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, polls, quickmaps, teach, video, wild dogs, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

The dogs are back!

Our whole pack was there. All 21 of them. And so cool to see all the pups so well and growing into real wild dogs. Floppy still has his floppy ear, Split’s ear is very distinct and Half-Split has a nick in his ear. Luckily BB’s pups have all these ear markings because there body patterns are just blacks and browns and they really aren’t very easy to distinguish apart.

I was with the dogs at dawn hunting near the Chiredzi river. They looked a formidable team all 21 of them on patrol. And all looking so casual, when suddenly they were off, all of them. Impala were in their sights and even BB’s pups had already learnt where their next meal was coming from and were hot on the heels of the fleeing antelope. But the pups didn’t last and were soon milling around not knowing where the action had gone. Some adults had taken off to the north and some to the south. Waiting with the pups we were suddenly surprised by an impala high tailing it towards us with a couple of adults snapping at its flank. They disappeared to the north with the pups now too in hot pursuit.

Then death cries close by. But this was another impala. BB and One-eye had killed a pregnant impala. When I got there the foetus was lying to one side while the dogs fed. It was alive and breathing. (the impala are due to drop their lambs any day now). One-eye came over and started feeding on the foetus and I was amazed to hear the poor little guy bleat its first and last cry. It’s tough to watch this stuff, but then the dogs have to live too, and they too have pups to feed. No different to any lion, leopard or cheetah. Death in the bush is hard but it is a reality. (I wasn’t going to mention all of this, but then I thought ‘why hide all this reality’. Too often we hide this in our films and people don’t get to know what really goes on out there. We try to tame down the reality which I feel is very wrong. So forgive me for writing this but this is what is going on out here and no animal can be judged to be worse than another. They all have the right to live. Well maybe not ticks and mosquitoes!)

With BB and One-eye feeding I could hear other dogs hassling a hyaena to the north, so the dogs must have killed there too. And then 4 adults came from the south with their faces covered in blood. A very productive day for the dogs with 3 kills.

Then lions called not far to the south west. The dogs took notice, finished feeding and headed north east to spend the rest of the day resting up at Sosigi hill.

Elephant calf discovers his trunk: Video

Published

on November 14, 2006

. 3 Comments Tags:africa, animal-kingdom, blogumentary, buffalo, bush-knowledge, cites, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephants, endangered-species, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, peace-parks, photos, polls, quickmaps, video, waterhole, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

The elephant are sure moving far and wide at the moment.

They are hard pressed to get a good diet with the bush being so very dry now and only a few trees having sprouted, and there’s no grass. The herd had moved all the way to the north east where we had the most rain the other day, but looking at the place today there was no sign of any of it. Right now they’re feeding on whatever bark they can strip from trees and roots they can dig up, but that’s about.

Thunderstorms were forecast for today, but alas they didn’t happen. There is forecast for rain again tomorrow, so we hold thumbs. At least it is somewhat cooler.

This buffalo bull is in good shape as he’s been taking advantage of the green flush that’s coming up around Malilangwe dam. He was quite happy to have me around, but was concerned that there might be something in the bush. Nothing was forthcoming while I was there.

Elephant calf journeys on: Video

Published

on November 13, 2006

. 5 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, animal-kingdom, blogumentary, bush-knowledge, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephants, endangered-species, experience, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, peace-parks, photos, polls, quickmaps, video, waterhole, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe