22nd August 2000
Can it be true? Tjololo turned down every offer made to him by a pretty girl for some 30 hours plus. She was very clear with her motives, so no excuses like “oh, I didn’t realise she was keen”.
It’s hard to understand why Tjololo did not give in to her. As far as species survival goes this is a basic instinct that is usually carried out whenever the opportunity arises. Animals must reproduce to survive and as regularly as possible.
Finding Tjololo and his girl before sunset, they had commandeered the remains of an adult male bushbuck carcass from the Kapen female and Mziggi. The carcass was a bit smelly so probably a few days old.
The Kapen female was also not happy with the presence of the other female but while she was with Tjololo there was little the Kapen female could do. Mziggi kept a distance off sleeping in a tree during this whole performance.
Having fed Tjololo treed the remains of the carcass and while in the tree his girl ran up to throw herself at him in the branches. A rather uncomfortable place to hope to get lucky.
Having left the tree the female continued to pester Tjololo, and Tjololo continued to rebuff her.
With the stalemate in play we headed back to camp for a few hours to go through some of the 20 hours of footage already shot, to start looking at how we’re going to structure the film and what is still needed.
Back with the leopards after midnight, Tjololo had just dropped the carcass and a hyaena claimed it. Tjololo sneaked closer hoping to steal it, but the hyaena would have none of it and charged. Tjololo side stepped the charge and went in after the carcass but the hyaena was on to him and he fled.
The hyaena finished off the carcass.
Tjololo headed north with his girl still following and proposing to him, but then she gave up and left. Tjololo continued up north in the Sand river.
At dawn the Kapen female and Mziggi headed north east. Mziggi climbed into a huge Jackalberry tree to rest while her mother went on hunting.
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