I started my day again with the normal ritual. Another puncture!
Luckily the dogs were still chilling out when I got there later than usual. They had no plans on moving for a while, all looking really well fed. They must have killed twice last night, and so there was no need, no urge to go hunting.
They sauntered off east a while later before resting up in the main road for some time. Then continued on east resting up near a small pan.
Dogs done, we headed north to Chiloveka dam. Arriving there we saw huge croc swimming across the dam. Thinking nothing of it we continued. On the northern bank we suddenly realised what was happening. Lions had killed and were feeding on a young zebra on the shores of the dam and the croc was heading that way.
Alas he didn’t have it in him to chase the lions off and lurked nearby all the while, while the lions finished off the kill. These 5 lions are the youngsters that broke away from the Nduna pride with Manyari.
The lions went to drink at the dam after feeding but were not happy with that big croc lurking and hissed their displeasures at it before resting in the shade.
At the same time lone elephant bull arrived on the far side of the dam to drink and bathe.
It sure was all happening in this one small spot.
Of course I was hoping for full on action, wanting the croc to challenge the lions and then the elephant breaking up the whole party. Nobody’s been reading the script again!
Back with the dogs, they were back to their normal afternoon routine. 5pm – greeting ceremony. 6pm – head off hunting.
Heading east they were soon along the fenceline that forms the border with Gona-Re-Zhou National Park. I always get nervous seeing them along any fence, just not wanting them to move out. The pups were curious with fence but thankfully Puzzles soon moved them away, when suddenly the chase was on. We of course couldn’t keep up but eventually did find the pack on the remains of an eland calf. It would appear that the pups had killed it. It was still small, and had probably been stashed in the long grass by its mother when the dogs surprised it.
Puzzles wasn’t at the kill but arrived some time later with bloodstains on her face. She didn’t feed, but once the eland carcass was finished she led the pack north to her kill.
Another good evening’s hunting for the pack.
Monthly Archive for January, 2009
All day punctures!
It started off even before I left home, I had my first puncture. I had to repair it immediately in order to have a spare to travel with. Thankfully.
After running around hunting with the dogs for several hours this morning I drove over a sharp tree stump that burst the tyre. I’d only just changed it, driven 100m and another tyre was down. This time I didn’t have another spare. So it was Mark to the rescue……
By now the dogs had retired giving us the chance to head back home to doctor all our wounds.
Having got a late start on the dogs in the morning because of the puncture, we arrived and already several members had bloodstains on their faces. They continued south, still hunting with much enthusiasm. Several chases came up empty handed. But soon a young impala was taken down, I think, by the pups. It’s so hard to keep up with them on the hunt, but I got there just as this one went down.
Thinking them to duck into the Chiloveka River for the day, as they’d made this last kill on the banks, I was about to head off when they were off again heading south. And then the punctures.
With the long morning the dogs had and having covered quite some distance they seemed really tired and I didn’t expect them to be up to anything this afternoon after another really hot day.
Wrong again! They were active earlier than usual and still heading south when the chase was on. I eventually caught up with the alpha male and he’d killed a young impala. He fed in peace and left. We waited about half an hour till it got dark, and still nobody had returned to the carcass.
It seemed pointless waiting any longer especially as I was now desperate for my own supper. Thankfully I didn’t have to catch it!
It’s a long haul all the way down to the dogs in the very southern part of the property. Close on 22kms. I was up extra early for the long drive south to be with the dogs when they awoke, and make it I just did.
The pack members were all very much in high spirits and Puzzles was back with them.
All were actively on the hunt and moving at a fair pace. The chase was on but dad had soon out sprinted the rest, leaving them milling around listening and waiting, and hoping dad had killed.
But not this time. The pack kept on the move north west and had soon crossed the Chiloveka River. I negotiated the Chiloveka without problem to come out the other side finding the dogs harassing a baby giraffe, only days old, that was standing between its mother’s front legs for safety. And what a safe spot that sure is. Any dog coming in close would be dealt a deadly blow with those kicks from mom.
Puzzles and dad, ignored the giraffe and moved on. Eventually the pups realised it was a stalemate and followed on after the folks where they flushed a hyaena in a ravine and had it running scared and screaming. We never did see it but the sounds were just awesome. The hyaena I think making a lot more noise than the punishment deserved.
The next challenge was the Mahande River with its vertical banks. No problem for the dogs but I had no option but to head the long way round only to catch up already having killed, eaten and continuing on north.
At the next pan the dogs called it quits as the sun rose higher and was already baking down on us.
With them passed out I rushed to get my vehicle sorted at the workshop and was lucky to have it ready for the afternoon’s run around with the dogs. But that never happened.
When we arrived with the dogs in the afternoon they were still sleeping off their long walk/run this morning.
In the late afternoon their ceremonial greeting followed its normal course and the dogs then spent the rest of the day milling around the pan, scaring themselves with their own reflections and pulling at sunken sticks only to scare themselves.
They really had no plans on hunting this evening and as the sun set slowly sauntered off east before resting as it got dark.
I really wasn’t surprised to find Manyari and Sjambok still on Banyini and still at it.
Chahwihwi wasn’t anywhere around.
I soon lost interest in their inactivity and was in the sky again looking for the dogs. I found them way down in the south again. Just to the west of Chiloveka dam.
Back on the land we travelled all the way to the southern part of the reserve, over 20kms and were soon with the dogs resting up in one of those bare sodic areas that still had pools of water in them. The dogs were resting but did occasionally drop into the muddy pools to cool off.
We spent the day sleeping with them, and as was to be expected, they did nothing. But almost as regular as clockwork they were up just before 5pm to run around frantically greeting mom and dad and then each other. It’s a lot of frenzy and squealing and as quickly as it started, it all ended and all were back resting.
Dad got the family on the move just before 6pm. The pups as usual were off to a slow start following up in the wings and were soon playing their games with a herd of zebra. So much so they didn’t see mom and dad rush off after impala. Eventually dad come wandering back and joined up with the pups. But no Puzzles.
But night fall Puzzles still hadn’t joined up with the pack. It was likely she had killed but why was it taking her so long to get back?
When can only hope they’re all back later tonight.
There was no sign of the dogs at dawn, but Manyari and Sjambok were close to Banyini AND mating again! And mating at quite a pace while Chahwihwi just had to wait it out in the wings as usual.
So my thoughts of Manyari having cubs come to an end and we have to wait another 3 months before we can hope for any cubs. Although I’m pretty confident Magwaza has cubs in the hills that we have yet to see. They must now be about a month old and it’s at least another month before they might venture out from their den.
The mating couple kept up their mating tempo and then headed out across Banyini plains where a herd of wildebeest took notice of them. Instead of running away, they stood around snorting their abuses at the King of Beasts. The lions sort of showed an interest but soon were back on the job, mating in front of a herd of about 20 wildebeest, and us of course.
When the couple passed out in the shade I took to the skies and Voila! I found the dogs right down in the south, just north of Malevula hills. The were running around playing. The bad news was I couldn’t get there though with the veld being so wet and those black cotton soils being impossible in the wet. So we had to let them be.
In the afternoon I was up in a helicopter taking photos of the landscape. It sure is so much easier from a chopper and pretty cool to be up there spinning around and doing all the things I can’t do in my microlight. In the last few days I almost feel I’ve been in the sky more than I’ve been on the ground.
It was back to the lions in the afternoon. And how did I know they wouldn’t be up to much else than a little mating here and there? And so their leisurely day moved into night as the couple barely had enough energy to coax each other on, get down to it only to collapse and pass out again.
The good news is, although I didn’t see the dogs I got a great signal on them.
I had hoped to fly early again but the weather was coming in fast and was sure to blow me to the north pole had I tried my wings up there.
So it was in search of lions. I had tracks around the airstrip and a giraffe right there was intent on something in the nearby bush. It had to be the lioness, but I never did get to see her. It was probably Magwaza on her way back to her cubs and I was keen to see what state she was in health wise and how her teats were looking. But I just wasn’t having luck in finding her.
For the rest of the morning I spent my time running around searching for a signal on the dogs and making sure all my tracking equipment was up to scratch with a plan to fly around midday. The weather was cool and sure to stay that way making flying at the time pretty good.
I had in the meantime picked up a very faint signal on the dogs a long way south, although it seemed to be in the same area as the last 2 days.
Midday came and the clouds had cleared making flying conditions really bumpy and not conducive to my weak stomach. And so we took to Banyini to eye out the plains game where no doubt there was little if anything going on. And so it was!
Eventually we got airborne around 4pm. The winds were blowing strongly from the south but I really wanted to find the dogs.
On getting myself into the sky I soon realised what our dilemma was. A huge storm was coming in fast and furious from the south. But I wanted my dogs and so headed what seemed like straight for the storm. Luckily what looked like rain was just a haze, but beyond that there was REAL rain. Reaching Malevula hill I got a strong signal on the dogs. I so wanted to see them from up there but the storm was approaching fast and I lost my nerve, and headed for home.
Anyway I was relieved that all the technical stuff was working and the dogs still seemed to be on the reserve. All great news! So hopefully tomorrow I’ll get lucky and find them.
We landed just in time and the rain came. But it never turned into much of a rain. Just a drizzle, which made filming a hassle and the rain hardly visible in the shots. When it rains I like it to really rain, otherwise just don’t bother.
But for the baboons the cool wet weather was a relief as they tucked into the flush of everything green.
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