At dusk we bashed away through some really dense mopanie eventually come into a clearing where Manyari was panting away and with her stomach huge. She must have a kill.
Searching around we found the zebra. It was still fresh and probably only killed a few hours before we got there. No doubt the zebra had stumbled onto the lions in the dense mopanie.
Manyari and Magwaza fed on and off through the night, while in the distance the males called to the west. The girls weren’t responding. They plan to keep this kill to themselves.
We left them at dawn as I’ve got piles to do in the office before leaving later today to South Africa.
Mark Van Der Merwe, my new assistant, will be sure to keep Wildcast going in my absence.
Manyari and Magwaza seemed to be enjoying the peace without the males around. They had no plans on calling to find the dudes.
Instead they headed south east from Nyari pan to Banyini pan with a serious drink in mind. A poor little Water Dikkop popped up in front of Magwaza and she swatted it to the ground, then proceeded to play with the poor bird for ages. She had it under her huge paws while the little bird boldly tried to get away. Slowly she plucked a few feathers and eventually left the little bird totally maimed and partially plucked, but still alive.
What was that about lions being so cool???
Next on their menu was a baby wildebeest not more than a couple of days old. Manyari caught it and carried it away alive. Then proceeded to feed on it alive. Suddenly Magwaza arrived and the battle started. They both hung on to the calf for nearly an hour battling with each other to eat and or keep the biggest portion. They were just about under my car fighting over the kill. It was a terrible angle to film from so I got out the car on a bean bag to film them. It was a most awesome angle and the stuff I got in slow motion was really stunning. But I had to do it with the 2 lionesses no more than 10ft away from me, Magwaza giving me the eyeball every now and then.
The girls were totally exhausted from hanging on to the kill that when they broke away they rested about half an hour panting away before feeding. And then slept the rest of the night.
Mark and I went flying at dawn as the conditions were really great to shoot aerials but it wasn’t long that the clouds set in and ruined it all.
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.
They did it again. While resting up at Nyari pan in the later afternoon some impala walking by were suddenly on Puzzles’ menu, especially as she had hardly eaten in the morning.
It was a short chase, not even 500m and Puzzles had brought down the pregnant impala. But the pups were hot on her heels and before she could hardly take a bite they’d taken over the kill. How could they? They were already gorged from this mornings kill, there was no way they had room for any more. But somehow they demolished the whole kill and any advance Puzzles made trying to get a bite, she was chased off. She eventually did get to feed but it was really only skin and bones.
We picked up on the lions at dusk.
Big action was imminent. A herd of buffalo were grazing by not even a 100m away. The lions watched. And they watched again. The buffalo kept coming on by. Until eventually the whole herd had moved on and the lions hadn’t budged!
Some time after dark they did get mobile, but it wasn’t to follow on after the buffalo, there were impala close by. In the thick mopanie woodland it was easy going and Manyari quickly had a pregnant impala in her jaws. She was immediately descended upon by the males. The 3 fed in relative peace for several minutes before the scrapping started and soon each had split off with a little prize.
The action was pretty cool as they fought over the kill and filmed backlit it turned out awesome with clouds of dust from all the action!
It was still early evening and both my filming subjects were well gorged. I was exhausted and called it a night. It was back home to sleep on a bed, which I haven’t done in the last couple of weeks.
But we were out again at dawn to find the Nyari pride in the same place we left them last night. They soon headed south to Banyini pan for a good solid drink and then passed out.
The big kitties were lying up where we’d left them at dawn but with the cool weather were already getting active before sunset. They seemed to be on a mission heading north. But after about 15mins they suddenly veered east. It was only about 10mins later, now dark, that I realised they were on to something. Then Manyari did her flanking manoeuvre. We followed her. She kept going maybe for half an hour in a semi-circle and then the mad dash. We dashed to stay with her across country, but lost her briefly and found her panting and out of breath. She’d missed whatever it was.
She headed back in the direction of the rest of the pride only to find they hadn’t moved an inch. Probably hoping Manyari would chase the prey all the way back to them.
With the pride back on the hunt Magwaza took off after a herd of zebra. There was no stalk involved, just a mad dash and she plucked a foal from the herd. The death cries brought the boys running in and trying to hi-jack the carcass for themselves. Magwaza hung on determined to get a share of her hard won kill but eventually Sjambok’s brute force got him the lions share, leaving Magwaza and Chahwihwi to fight it out over the few remaining scraps.
This fighting is pretty real stuff and full on aggression. So much so that about all scars that lions have are caused during fighting over kills. Not a very regal thing to do!
Mark found the dogs at Nyari pan last night, and with the lions well fed we picked up on the dogs at dawn. They were looking well and all still surviving.
Off on the hunt around sunrise and I was quickly reminded that following dogs hunting is hardly a sedate affair compared to lions hunting. It’s frantic and fast.
The alpha male killed a pregnant impala and soon the pups were running around with the foetus. Of course mom and dad hardly got to feed as the pups are now needing a full carcass just to sustain them.
Then it was back to Nyari pan where they’ll spend the day. But they were again nervous to approach the water. Maybe it’s cos of the weed growing on the surface.
I hope to check on them this afternoon before following on after the lions.
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