Moody morning.
It was another of those wonderful misty mornings. Although we’re in the middle of winter, these misty mornings are relatively warm. But it gives the bush such a different character and atmosphere. Very moody stuff.
Having got a number of scenic shots with the mist I desperately raced around the reserve looking for animals to film in the mist. Of course I found a herd of impala and the ram was running around chasing females. But then the mad race was on as the mist never lasts very long and is burnt off by the sun.
Just when you really want to see all those plains animals, they’re nowhere to be found. I was imaging giraffe in the mist, their heads almost hidden by the cloud. But alas, they must have been hiding underground.
Of course the elephant weren’t around either. I did eventually pick them up much later way to the east in the hills where I just didn’t have any access by vehicle.
So I took my chances and waited up at Lojaan dam. After an hour waiting, with camera in hand I went to search the hills for more bushmen paintings. But that proved unsuccessful.
Arriving back at the dam, the elephant herds were drinking. Surprisingly they didn’t swim but some did enjoy a good wallow afterwards before heading back into the hills.
I was hoping to get some good sunset stuff at Banyini or Chekwa pans but it was quiet and I moved on home after dark.
What an interesting drawing, even though I have no idea what it might be depicting.
There is a little giraffe on the left side of it. Possibly the upper part is that of a man.
12th June 2000
Tjololo’s hunger must have been getting the better of him as even after an exhausting night last night he was on the move early when we found him shortly after dark. A young hyaena was trailing him.
Tjololo was all senses out on the prowl. With the moon getting brighter cover was even more necessary but the bush being thick as it was helped him all the way as he dashed in and caught a young female impala. He had hardly grabbed it and was already running for the closest tree knowing the hyaena would be at him in seconds. He made it just in time up a Marula tree.
That was Tjololo well fed and resting for the rest of the night.
A short while later the impala in the area were snorting madly, obviously another predator in the area. Being so close we expected it to come in to Tjololo’s kill, but the rest of the night was quite.
Only at dawn when Tjololo headed north did he bump into 4 lions not even 300m away. The lions seeing him got up but Tjololo didn’t hang around, leaving the lions to lie up in a donga close by.
Tjololo did a wide berth around the lions and back to his kill and fed. Hearing his feeding the lions soon raced in. Again Tjololo retreated baling out the tree and disappeared. One of the lions clumsily scrambled up the tree and fed on the carcass. But being a messy eater and not being a very efficient tree climber she kept dropping pieces of the carcass, which her friends at the base of the tree fought over.
That was the end of Tjololo’s next meal.
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