After the long haul yesterday we didn’t get out last night to follow the lions and tried to catch up on some rest.
I was out early to check up on the wild dogs. They were east of Nhoro pan and all seemed just fine. Actually they allowed me even closer to them than I managed yesterday. So thankfully all the darting seems to have had little effect on them as far as their attitude towards me goes.
I left the dogs to search for the Nyari pride as I not only wanted to see what they’d been up to but I need to know where to find them when heading out filming tonight.
Manyari and Magwaza lying up at Nyari pan. They looked pretty alert but didn’t show any signs of moving off, not even when it began to rain. I took cover under an umbrella thorn and waited out the rain. It didn’t rain hard but was enough to soak most things.
The lions still had no plans on moving but I did and headed on to Banyini, Hwata pan and Bandama pan. In the overcast weather all was pretty quiet and so it was back to the lions. Still no change there and with no sign of the males, I went home.
It’s been a long haul. 23hrs on the trot and only just back in camp.
Thankfully the lions weren’t up to much last night. Well actually up to NOTHING. They moved less than half a kilometre and roared twice. That was their total quota of activity for the last 24hrs!
Thank goodness they slept all night as that meant we got some good rest too.
Leaving them sleeping at dawn we headed north in search of the wild dogs. They were right up in the north and mobile soon after we found them.
It was a cool morning and they all looked fairly well fed. The pups were following on after the adults in their nonchalant way and more interested in everything else they came across. Everything has a different smell and everything must be investigated!
Pssssssssshhhhhhhh…………….!!! I’d driven over a sharp stump that blew my back tyre. We got to changing that and then back to the dogs. Just before we got to them we heard the commotion, wild dogs and hyaenas having it out. From the sound the dogs were getting the better of the hyaenas. Coming round the corner we found the dogs on the remains of a zebra foal carcass. No doubt they’d stolen this from the hyaenas. Now that’s pretty unusual for wild dogs. These guys have guts!
As I filmed a couple of hyaenas came back. Puzzles and the male were quickly onto them sending them packing and in the distance I could hear the hyaena getting a good hiding from the dogs.
Puzzles and the male soon returned to join the pups on the carcass.
Then from far off I heard the hyaenas coming, whooping their excited approach. There were 4 of them. The huge female in front came in with such confidence and so vocal, the dogs hadn’t a chance against these 4. But I was pleasantly surprised. Puzzles and the male took the fight to them with even more confidence and then amazingly the pups joined in and before I knew it the dogs were giving the hyaenas a serious hiding. 3 had run off and now Puzzles and the pups were biting the huge female on the backside. She tried to run off but with her backside close to the ground not wanting to be bitten she was having a rough time getting away. She never came back. The dogs had totally won this one but only because the adults had rushed them with such confidence taking the hyaenas unawares.
The audio was quite something and what a cool barney! Nobody was really hurt and the dogs upped their status in the area. Don’t stuff with us!!!
Pretty exhausted after all the chasing around the dogs eventually called it a day resting up at Khayeni pan. The ideal spot and ideal weather for us to vaccinate them again against rabies.
We dropped them an impala carcass and got to work vaccinating them. Firstly we had to knock them down and once down we administered the vaccine. The process took quite some time but we managed to do them all today. Thankfully that’s all out the way and hopefully they’ll now be safe.
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