Usually after good rains the elephant herds move to the Albizia woodlands. But not today. Instead I found this prize Black Rhino bull right there. What a great specimen!
I saw him a ways off from the road and so as not to spook him, I approached the dude on foot. He sensed something but wasn’t sure. And typically if they aren’t sure, they’re so temperamental, that they just charge. At 40m he came! I snapped a few images and luckily he stopped after about 10m, froze briefly and then took off, in the opposite direction. I had a tree eyed out in case but even so the adrenalin came rushing through! It’s actually been quite some time since I had my last adrenalin rush. This was pretty cool. Well I suppose I can confidently say that only ‘cos he took off.
In searching for the elephant my wanderings took me to Malilangwe dam. The water level had risen substantially since yesterday. And at the upper reaches there was evidence that the Nyamasikana river that feeds the dam, had come down in a flash flood. Debris was littered on the banks about a meter higher than the current water level.
With the rise in water, vast new areas were flooded and the barbel/catfish were all in these shallows. Some of them being real monsters about a meter long. It was easy to walk right up to them in the shallows but impossible to grab one. They’re far too slippery.
Then I crept up behind this terrapin. They’re very alert but this guy was in a deep sleep and I got up real close snapping away. He was breathing as bubbles were coming out his nose. Only then I realised the poor lad was actually dead and the bubbles were probably from his stomach fermenting and the gas being released from his nose.
The search for the elephant went on as I climbed many hills in my wanderings. Eventually I picked up Mandlovu and her herd right up in the north having a wallow in a recently filled pan. I couldn’t stay with them as the area they were feeding in was pretty well impenetrable.
I moved on. The Nyamasikana river which was all but sandy, but having flooded last night, it still had a little flow only a few inches deep. I knew the crossing well and without hesitation crossed. But it didn’t happen. I got horribly stuck. The sand had built up in the crossing and was now not only deep, but very soft. Almost like quick sand.
That was about 13h00. So the work began. I had to jack the vehicle up and push it sideways to get if facing straight up the bank I was going to reverse up.
Then I saw a barbel coming waltzing down the river. When he got to the pool I was stuck in he disappeared in the deeper water. Shortly afterwards I saw him back in the same position swimming back down again. It was only then I realised it wasn’t the same fish but now a number of them were moving downstream. The water was so shallow that most of their body was exposed.
So my focus changed and I decided to film the barbel. When they stopped coming I got back to my predicament. I had removed the old pieces of conveyor belt I have lining the back of the vehicle, and was now jacking up the car to put the belting under the tyres.
It worked, I moved about a meter. Problem was I still had many more to go and the front of the vehicle was still very much in the river.
Aware that this river had a flash flood last night I was hugely grateful there weren’t any clouds in the sky, so no chance of a repeat.
It was again a really hot day and I’d drunk up all my water, so I dug a hole in the sand. While waiting for clean water to filter in to it, I got back to jacking the vehicle.
But was again distracted when a few more barbel came drifting down. While filming them I suddenly realised they weren’t struggling as much as the previous barbel.
I looked for the ‘waterhole’ I’d dug, it was gone.
The water was RISING! How could it be? There was no rain in sight.
Whatever the case, the water was rising and I was deep in IT!
My priority now was to remove all my camera gear from the vehicle. I then radioed for help but I knew that would take at least an hour in coming.
Back I was in the river now swimming and jacking, putting sand under wheels then the conveyor belt. Moving the car aside again. The water now having risen a foot in half an hour.
What was the chance of a flash flood? Hopefully I would hear it coming.
Meter by meter I made progress and eventually the car was out the water but still slipping on the slippery slope. I wonder if my extremely bald tyres had anything to do with this?
3 hours later I was finally on my way again and the river……….. It seemed to have stopped rising by then but flowing pretty steadily.
I finished my day off with a walk in the Chekwa pan area looking for an elephant bull that might have a dislocated hip. I never found him but had a magical walk in what had been turned into a ‘fairy land’. Flying ants were out in massive numbers and backlit against the sunset they put me in a very different place. It sure seemed like Wonderland!
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