My hopes for the wild dogs have been shattered.
I found Stitch this morning at Joli dam biting mud, rolling around and chewing branches. She had full blown rabies.
Putting all the other dogs down has been hard, but putting Stitch down was extremely emotional. She was my last hope that, along with Whisky, the Mupanigawa pack could continue to be. Now it’s all over.
Whisky is alone. His calling and calling is so sad. And he’ll keep calling until I don’t know when. But I hope his calls are soon responded to and he can find a companion.
How likely this is I’m not too sure. But there are other wild dogs in neighbouring areas that could infiltrate onto the reserve. I just hope they too, haven’t been infected by the virus.
The worrying thing is a Civet was picked up dead near Khayeni this morning, another rabies suspect. So how far and wide has the virus spread?
I had to leave Whisky around midday, as there was nothing more I could do. He’s a great hunter and I’m sure will be able to look after himself.
In the cool weather of today I just drifted around the reserve to get my mind off things.
A few members of the Nduna pride were lying up near Nyamasikana pan. And well fed they were.
While out the vehicle taking photos of them they sure provided me with some interesting looks. No, not the “I want to eat you” looks.
At Lojaan dam my friendly hippo was there again and just had to display for me. He’s getting quite good at it. And I’m getting pretty good photographing him.
I can’t work out if he’s holding something in his hand or why it’s been drawn that way.
2nd June 2000
It’s hard to believe that in less than 24 hours an adult male duiker can disappear into one leopard’s stomach, Tjololo’s. Give or take a few scraps that dropped and were readily swallowed up by a waiting hyaena. Patience paid off for him.
Tjololo finished feeding at sunset and headed west to a pan to drink and then rest, the most comfortable recipe for an overcrowded stomach.
Some time later the impala rutting calls were too much and he made off to investigate. He was in luck and in the very dense bush where we could only follow the moving grass and leaves to see his whereabouts, he plucked an impala from the undergrowth and soon treed it. Without feeding, no room, he left the tree and lay up across the donga.
Because of bad judgement, his investment soon crashed, and 3 hyaena having just arrived couldn’t believe their luck with this gift from heaven. Tjololo hung around in vain as the hyaenas soon devoured the whole carcass.
Tjololo headed south, but suddenly turned north again. Then we heard another male leopard calling to the north. Tjololo soon turned south again as the other male kept advancing on him. But this is Tjololo’s territory! This was the same male that challenged him in the north and was now challenging again. A huge beast himself, Tjololo decided to give way, but only to the Rock Drift donga. Here both leopards watched each other from a distance and the big male then gave way and headed back north.
Tjololo rested up in the Sand river.
He evaded us and at dawn we had his tracks heading east into Paradise Valley. A no go area.
Soon after sunrise we found Mziggi on her own playing in a dead tree, quite happy to investigate the peeling bark. The big male leopard would not be far, and one can’t be sure what his approach to her would be should he find her, as he’s not the father. Just hope he stays away and Mziggi keeps a low profile.
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