I really can’t believe we still haven’t seen any elephant. This morning we moved into the hills and north to Tsuvuka pan and found a few tracks of one or two elephant but no further sign of them.
Not having had any joy with that I decided we should spend some time at Bandama pan as there would at least be an elephant coming in to drink and lots of other plains game.
Well that proved just as bleak. The Quelea were coming and going but not in big numbers and a Hobby Falcon was in the area swooping down on them several times without success.
Eventually a herd of zebra came for a quick drink and left. They were followed by 2 male warthog, which came and wallowed briefly and took off.
Other water birds were the only other activity on the pan. Three-banded Plovers patrolling the shores. Common Sandpipers in the shallows and a pair of Egyptian Geese shouting their abuses at the Hobby each time he came in for an aerial attack on the Quelea.
The Sandpipers on seeing the Hobby coming would duck under water for safety, coming up 5 seconds later.
Late afternoon on the way past the airstrip the sun peaked out from the clouds for the most perfect time when I big herd of giraffe and impala were out there.
These were all giraffe bulls and of course they were all involved in wrestling with each other. Others showing more amorous tendencies. Boys will be boys!
Not having any joy with elephants the last couple of days, we headed up to the north east of the reserve with a low cloud base still hanging overhead.
It was another quiet start to the day with just a tortoise venturing into sight.
Khayeni pan had its full compliment of animals (impala, zebra, wildebeest) and this herd of eland which didn’t hang around.
We followed the Chiredzi river south hoping to at least find an elephant bull or two down that way. But not even they were around and also not much else but a few zebra.
It was only in the late afternoon that the sun managed to find a gap in the clouds to shine through, which didn’t last long. Although soon after dark the skies were clear and full of stars.
Several giraffe were drinking at Banyini pan including this bull with the wound in his leg. It doesn’t look too bad and is probably only being kept open by the oxpeckers. But I’m baffled as to what might have caused this injury.
While filming the giraffe we heard buffalo to the east. I was sure a herd was on its way to drink at the pan. We waited. But just then a young male lion coming from the west was heading straight towards the buffalo.
He wasn’t even bothering about stalking and soon had a large herd of impala shouting their abuses at him. He moved closer to the buffalo, but shortly afterwards gave up and headed east.
The buffalo were now drinking when a black rhino bull was moving in from the east. We sat and waited. He kept coming and coming and coming. Then saw our vehicle from about 20m away and came towards us at a slow walk right up to the bull-bar. Only after having sniffed the car did he spin around and take off to water.
As we moved around the herd of buffalo a white rhino cow and calf were also moving in to drink.
Unfortunately when the lion arrived the light was already too low to film. But it did give me the chance to WATCH all this activity for a change and not have my eye poking through a lens to see all the action.
What an amazing last half hour to the day!
The weather played game today and the rain stayed away. But that was about all that played game.
Actually we saw more yesterday in the hour and a half that we were out than we saw all day today.
It was another cool overcast day and even so this buffalo bull was in the wallow and then promptly took out his frustrations on a nearby bush. When I got out the car to photograph him he was still engrossed in his bush, but then he noticed me, made one step in my direction and veered away. Good boy!
There was a group of giraffe on Banyini and that was our quota for the day.
Not an elephant was to be seen all day, which was actually our mission to search for them. The rain has headed them somewhere and left not a sign of any elephant. I can only think they must have headed deeper into the hills.
I did have the camera out early in the day to film these water droplets. They sure looked like diamonds lying on the mat of algae. But what had caused them to make such big water droplets? They looked like mercury balancing on the leaves of the algae.
I was just stunned to see the amazing clarity and beauty of the magnified algal leaves with each droplet acting as a magnifying glass.
We spent the last hour at Bandama pan hoping to see an elusive black rhino but were only entertained by Common Sandpipers bobbing along the shoreline picking away at the myriad of tiny insects.
It was of course great to be out in the field all day, but not the most productive day as a filmmaker.
Bad planning. I should have planned to spend today in the office and not yesterday.
It rained all day, just a gentle drizzle.
We did manage to get out for about an hour before sunset, and even then it was still drizzling gently.
The forecast is for more rain tomorrow, which would really be a little intense. I don’t think another day in the office is going to do me any good.
These baboons were taking time out at the pan north east of Chivi about a week ago.
After the long day yesterday I just wasn’t able to make it out this morning and with lots to catch up with in the office I called it a day, and unfortunately didn’t get out into the field. Office bound never excites me.
But midday yesterday I ventured east to pick up briefly on the elephant. One-Tusk was near Bandama pan with her family and no male escort, so she’s not coming into oestrus.
They were grazing and her grandson was testing out this stuff that granny was eating. He wasn’t able to pull the grass himself but picked up on that discarded by others.
So engrossed in trying to work out this grass thing he suddenly found himself left behind and went careering after his mom. Not that she was that far off, about 15m but that was too far for him.
I left them and at the pan north east of Chivi the herds just kept coming. Even in the cool weather there were still some boys who just had to swim. Boys will be boys.
I didn’t stay long as I needed to get back to Whiskey in case he got on the move.
I had just left camp when I got a radio call to say there was a Wild Dog with a collar on the Orphan road close Nyari pan.
I rushed out there but was too late.
But I did get a signal. It is Whiskey!!! He’s still around.
I was so excited and desperately wanted to see him but by now he was resting up in the hills. I could have walked in there just to see him but I didn’t want to disturb him.
So I waited. It was a cool day and so I expected he could move at any time of day.
The last time I saw Whiskey must be nearly a year ago, soon after the rest of his pack were wiped out by the Rabies virus. He was the only to survive.
I waited the day out and Whiskey eventually got going about an hour before sunset. He headed south to Nyari pan.
It was when he was resting up near the pan that my excitement soon turned to worry. I noticed a deep cut in his throat and it was bleeding. On closer examination I noticed a poachers wire snare wrapped around his neck strangling him.
But he had been saved. Saved by the collar with the radio transmitter. The collar meant the snare couldn’t strangle him, otherwise Whiskey would now be dead.
Unfortunately because he travels so far and wide outside the reserve he’s going to come into contact with this brutal way of killing.
Whiskey needed help urgently and after a few radio calls we had darted Whiskey after dark.
On closer examination we could see how deep the snare had cut into his throat but thankfully it hadn’t cut his trachea. The wound also looked old, possibly at least a month or so.
I’m just amazed how he can hunt successfully with this handicap.
We also removed his collar to be sure the wound would heal as fast as possible.
Unfortunately we won’t be able to locate him so easily without his collar. But hopefully he’ll meet up with the other group of 3 dogs and they’ll all den on Malilangwe this year.
Whiskey woke from his deep sleep and wandered slowly south calling. I headed back home. It was a late night as I only got to camp around midnight, but happy that Whiskey was back and we’d saved him.
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