Today it REALLY rained!
At first light I was out searching for Manyari just to keep tabs on how they’re doing. But 4 hours later I gave up and turned my attention to the ellies.
Well not so easy. They might be big, but on this big property they sure can disappear, and today they did.
Searching at the top end of the dam I suddenly realised I was missing my floppy hat. And then remembered I must have left it on the rocky outcrop after my panic to get my camera gear under cover before the rain struck. Sure enough there it was waiting for me 2 days later. Well trained hat! Luckily hyaenas don’t frequent the tops of the hills, as I’m sure they’d have found good use for it.
Still searching along the dam, the hippo were all out grazing. The trick was to get close enough without spooking them.
They’re very nervous of vehicles and helicopters since the anthrax outbreak here several years ago. The hippo had to be inoculated to save them from contracting the disease. This was done by helicopter and vehicle and was very traumatic for the animals. And the memory lingers on.
But today I got luckier than usual. I was able to sneak up in the vehicle close enough to film.
It was only when the thunder got a bit much that they took to the water. And I high tailed back to camp.
Near my camp there’s a stretch of road with a fairly steep incline for about a kilometre. As I took to the slope my vehicle jerked to a stop. I started it again, lunged forwards, jerked a few meters forward and stop. This went on with me inching my way up the hill with the storm about to strike any second AND it was a big one! The more I floored the accelerator the faster it cut out. Plan B came hurriedly into action. I spun the car round and ended up reversing ALL the way up the hill. A typical scene from any comedy show!
Then the rains came good and proper.
I took to the road for my daily jog. Running in the downpour was a real blast.
On my way back, about a kilometre from camp, fresh tracks of the elusive beasts were over my tracks. The elephants were doing a dirty on me, but luckily I didn’t see them on my run. Actually I think it was just a single lone bull.
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