Due to the temperature fluctuations we had lately, we’ve been treated with spectacular scenes of mist drifting through the hills of Malilangwe Game Reserve.
Even the animals were stunned by the beauty of the scene.
Daily Archive for June 28th, 2007
After the Mala Mala rangers left Tjololo he carried on hunting heading north of the Kapen river, but then suddenly headed south with purpose, still hunting if he found opportunity but without success.
His move south again, after only having left there last night, was possibly his hormones working overtime. As the eastern horizon started to glow Tjololo found himself in luck. Licking on some buffalo dung a leopard called to his west. Hardly spending a moment to listen Tjololo was up and running in that direction. When we located him after riding many rough dongas, we found him with Tjellers. He was apprehensive at her approaches and moved away each time. This went on for about an hour until he’d built up his confidence and they mated. Our thoughts of him having found a female in oestrus last night were confirmed. (They will mate now for anything up to 6 days).
It was another hard night as we battled with the eyelids. Tjololo rested only a couple of times and only for about half an hour. Two nights in a row like this is testing our systems, but hopefully tonight will be a little easier with them mating. Some extra sleep would be hugely appreciated.
Bhaaaaaa!!! Pshhhhhhhh…..!!! Another one bites the dust.
Driving through that dense bush on the trail of Khayeni again and a tree stump ripped through the side of a new tyre. Nothing to do but throw it away. At least when it’s an old tyre you don’t feel so bad, but a new one!!!
And so our night went on on her trail until we just had to give it up as the bush got the better of us.
For the rest of the night Khayeni was deep in her own little jungle and out of sight. And we didn’t see her all night until briefly at dawn when she was on the move again back to her hidey hole south of Nhoro pan.
So that was a night of NOTHING!
This meant I was out all day today which proved to be a lot more successful.
This great elephant bull came sauntering in to Chekwa pan. He had such attitude. He really did own the world! But he didn’t stay long and swaggered off as if loaded with 2 six guns by his side.
Then I found this poor Immature Bateleur hanging in the Knobthorn tree. The vicious hooked thorns had obviously hooked it and there was just no getting loose. He must have died a terrible slow death.
The elephant herds were around Nduna dam and just being cool and then at sunset I had a herd of about 500 buffalo on Banyini. Something spooked them and they stampeded. WOW! What an awesome sight with the setting sun shining through all that dust as they disappeared into the mopanie.
(I’ll be away for the next couple of days as I head off to collect my daughters for their school holidays. This will be their first time to see Khayeni and they’re also keen to see how Whisky is getting on)
27th June 2000
A never ending night as Tjololo kept us on the go all the way and only after sunrise did he decide to call it a day, or night, after having been on the move soon after sunset.
He moved east from the Sand river and picked up an interesting scent. Sniffing a small area intently, grunting, meowing and chuffling as he did so, he was obviously very excited. I think he had picked up the scent of a female in oestrus. Something that would surely get his hormones pumping and send him running around frantically calling and taking up the trail. But after about 3 hours he still didn’t have any results and continued to call.
Before midnight he rested and we were happy we could now get a bit of shut eye too. But then a monkey spotted him and started its highly irritating chatter warning others of the predator. Tjololo wasn’t going to put up with it and headed north. That was the end of any chance of sleep for us. He continued all the way to his northern boundary on the Kapen river and then headed south west to rest up.
I was able to shoot a fair amount of behaviour of Tjololo calling and marking which will be useful and very necessary for the film. So although a very tiring night there was definitely some good in it.
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