Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

One-Eye kills: Video

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by
Wildcaster
on October 4, 2006
in Uncategorized
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[Click here if you cannot view the video, above]

Did the rain give the dogs an added advantage this morning?

Before dawn, about 20 minutes after leaving camp, there was lightening in the west and then we were being poured on. We had little time to prepare for it and just managed to get a tarpaulin over us and the equipment before the downpour. But being bent under a plastic tarpaulin with all of us breathing in there adding to the humidity, we soon found ourselves in a sauna and soon the moaning started. Luckily it didn’t last and we were soon on the trail of the dogs again.

Passed out

They hunted successfully this morning and even possibly last night. We found One-Eye with an adult female impala he’d killed himself, but realising the others might have killed elsewhere we headed off to look for them. They were all spread out on an area of sheet erosion looking extremely well fed.

Skrik watching camera

Not long after our arrival, One-Eye was on the scene and being greeted with much enthusiasm. The other adults took his cue and were soon back tracking back to his kill.

Teething

With such a feast the dogs did little else for the rest of the day and back at the den near Chimbira they were a fat happy lot lazying around.

Toffee

Predators at War wins 2 Emmy Awards

Published
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GameWarden
on October 3, 2006
in Uncategorized
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Kim’s film, Predators at War, has just been honoured with two prestigous awards at the 27th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards held in New York last week.

Filmed on location at Mala Mala, the National Geographic film tells the story of how five of Africa’s leading predators compete for territory and food during the brutal drought that affected the area in 2002/03.

Predators at War won two awards:

Outstanding Science, Technology And Nature Programming
Outstanding Individual Achievement In A Craft: Graphic And Artistic Design

You can buy Predators at War on DVD from National Geographic or Amazon

Predators at War DVD
Well done Kim!

[tags]national geographic, emmy awards, emmy, predators at war, mala mala, predators, africa, drought[/tags]

Elephant Pool Party: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on October 3, 2006
in Uncategorized
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[Click here if you cannot view the video, above]

The wild dogs had another run in with the hyaenas.

The whole pack were out hunting early this morning even though they looked like they might have hunted successfully last night with the moon. But there wasn’t much spring in their step and after a half-hearted impala chase they were resting in the shade of a Baobab tree.

Play with me

With temperatures already spiralling out of control by about 8am, the dogs headed to Nhoro pan to cool off and drink. But they weren’t the only ones with that idea and were confronted by 4 hyaenas. Again the dogs took the fight to the hyaenas, but this time they won. Well only just.

The hyaenas disappeared over the dam wall but were soon back resting in the mud pools with the wild dogs lying in the shade watching them. But there was no sign of BB’s pups.

With the initial charge and commotion they had taken off in the opposite direction. The adults and alpha pups called from Nhoro pan for about 15minutes but the little guys weren’t about to poke their noses  into that conflict zone.
The search party headed out following the pups trail which took them north. And amazingly they found them at the old den site near Chimbira, about 2kms away. The amazing part being that these little pups knew their way there even though they had only lived there a few days.

Big points for BB’s pups keeping ahead of the survival game. Except they don’t get points, they just stay alive.

Elephant swimmming party

The rest of the day pushed temperatures well over 100F in the shade, which was no wonder that the elephants had taken to their big pool party at Lojaan dam.

Calves at play

Flickr Interview with Kim

Published
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GameWarden
on October 2, 2006
in Uncategorized
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Kim and his photos have been featured on Flickr’s Animal Kingdom group in an interview with Noah Bulgaria, the curator of the group. Some interesting questions and a nice selection of images from the photostream.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

An extract from the interview:

What was the most extreme thing you did to get a photograph or film clip?

I have been out of the car with all the Big 5* to get low angle shots in various different situations. But I suppose the most extreme thing was flying an ultralight aircraft with a camera strapped to the wing, through Bogenfels. This is a rock arch that extends out over the sea on the desert coast of Namibia. I only had about 2 m clearance on each side and a rocky ocean below. Won’t being doing that one again. Will use a radio controlled plane next time.

Read the interview in full.

Tribal Conflict - Wild dogs and Hyaenas: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on October 2, 2006
in Uncategorized
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[Click here if you cannot view the video]

They put up strong resistance but when hyaena reinforcements arrived the dogs had to back off.

Vulture sunset

Wild dogs and hyaenas converged on Nhoro pan at first light. Wild dogs from the south and hyaenas from the north. Both parties innocently going to drink. Having arrived there first and quenched their thirst the dogs saw the hyaenas approaching and without hesistation took the fight to the hyaenas. The first unsuspecting culprits were too slow to respond and had their backsides bitten. But then reinforcements arrived and the battle evened out until one huge female hyaena, possibly the matriarch, took the battle to the wild dogs and they backed off. But only slightly and then suddenly came in for another mass attack again catching some of the hyaenas off guard. But the attack was brief and the dogs left the battlefield and headed back to the den.

Hunting party

The hyaenas not wanting to be out done. Slowly marched on following the dogs scent trail and soon were in the area of the den where another battle took place. The adults were really doing this to give the pups time to take refuge in the hills which they did and were safe.

Looking after my friend.

Late afternoon all was back to normal at the wild dog den with pups out playing in the mopanie before the pack headed off hunting again at dusk. But will the dogs stay in Sosigi or will this harassment cause them to move on?

Kissing greeting

Wild kids encounter Chameleon: Video

Published
by
Wildcaster
on October 1, 2006
in Uncategorized
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The wild dogs took us on a Crash course.

Hunting again as usual the wild dogs were back near the Chiredzi after impala. 3 Adults killed a pregnant female, fed well and left to call the rest of the pack. We heard them calling close by for some time but nobody returned. Following up after them through some really tough terrain, crash we did! My front wheel collided with a tree stump bringing us to a complete stop with the girls almost landing on my lap. They were fine, but my vehicle isn’t and is in need of some interesting repairs.

Unlucky mom

My daughters are with me for their school holidays and accompany me filming most of the time, which I love and so do they as I’m always teaching them new things in the bush and how to respect and handle wildlife. So you can expect to see more of them over the next couple of weeks.

Last bit