Tag Archives: baobab

Buffalo Stampede: Video

Been a tough day for Puzzles. No food today. The pack were out hunting at dawn and only returned much later empty handed.

I spent the night at the den with little activity and the pack not having hunted successfully.

It was all pretty quiet at the den, except the pups did come out their little hole to suckle from mom. She was soon disturbed and dragged her little ones, all now hanging onto a teat, back into their little hole. So far it looks like she’s got 6 pups. (Lindy’s picture)

Hopefully for her tonight the pack will come back successful. Anyway the hungrier they get the more determined they become on the hunt. Success can’t be far away.

Return of the Baoboons: Video

The dogs had hunted last night again and had already fed Puzzles on our arrival at dawn. Things were pretty quiet around the den with mom inside cuddling her little ones.

Looking rather lean this afternoon, the dogs took off an hour before sunset, heading out hunting.
Puzzles left the den a short while later and seemed to be tracking the pack quite a distance from the den. I like to think she left her little ones in my care??

The pack returned an hour after dark having hunted successfully and time to feed mom. Puzzles was all over the place screaming at all of them to feed her.

While she was on her begging spree, Fuji snuck into the den. Right into the den and snuggled up with all the pups all over her. She was just loving it. (Like my younger daughter when she finds a baby to play with.) But then Puzzles returned and another screaming match ensued as she sent Fuji packing.
Peace and quiet drifted into the night.

Elephant calf learns the joys of swimming: Video

I was rubbing sticks madly again last night to get the internet fired up. Eventually it was sorted and my frustrations wilted away.

But then following after Mandlovu and her family they panicked as soon as I left the road and was crashing over bushes to keep up with them. This modus operandi of mine is nothing new and something they should be used to. They kept on moving away from me at pace. I stayed with them trying not to push over any bushes but some areas don’t leave me with any option.

When I caught up with them Mandlovu spun on me and charged. This wasn’t too unusual. I stopped to make her feel she was in charge. Cut the motor and spoke to her. She stood towering above the vehicle glaring at me. Then sauntered off and joined her herd. All then peacefully carried on feeding. I kept following and not even 2 minutes later Mandlovu sauntered about 5m past my car totally unconcerned.

These animals are so intelligent I wonder why it is that they are sometimes spooked like this?
I know pushing over bushes is a sign of aggression for them. Learnt this when seeing other elephants doing this to show their aggression.
But I’ve followed them for months now doing this everyday. Surely they should realise I mean no harm.
And then Mandlovu’s charge – well I think she does that to save face. When she realises it’s just me they’ve been running from, she charges and I stop and it’s as if she says “Okay guys I’ve sorted him you can relax now.”
The herds moved on to Chekwa pan and Chipfongwe took advantage of the time to swim and play while others drank. He’s still getting all the moisture he needs from mothers milk so spends all his time swimming.

As they moved off into the thick mopanie to the west, I picked up the Nduna pride to the east all resting. It doesn’t look like they fed last night. Well actually I don’t think they have eaten since the giraffe kill. But who knows they might have caught an impala or two, which doesn’t go very far in a pride that size.

People tend to under estimate how many impala lions eat. When working with lions at night we get to see quite a bit of this. But as you can imagine, by morning there is no sign of the kill. They eat all leaving nothing but a stain in the grass.

Wild Dogs at waterworld: Video

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F98C12CBfik[/video]

The hunters supreme were at it again.

Still well fed from yesterdays 3 impala, didn’t stop the wild dogs hunting again this morning, although they didn’t use the last quater of the moon to head out with early.

Hunting around sunrise they surprised a herd of impala in the raisin bush thickets. The dogs being somewhat shorter than the impala are at a great advantage in here as they can speed ahead through the undergrowth where the taller impala are getting hooked up. The chase didn’t last long and 2 pregnant impala were killed. The dogs couldn’t even finish both carcasses and headed off to take time out at Matsanga pan. That was them down for the rest of the day.

I went to look for our little elephant calf and his herd without success but found another breeding herd at the top end of Malilangwe dam feeding on the cyprus growing up there.

I was planning to follow up on the barbel in their dire straits attempting their last few struggles in Chiloveka dam when relief arrived in the form of 30mm of rain. I wasn’t even able to get to the dam to see as the roads down there are on heavy black cotton soils that are treacherous after any rain. (it was only last week I told one of the game scouts that the barbel would soon all die down there and that this week Tuesday or Wednesday would be it, but he assured me that it never dried up totally down there. I was sure this year was going to be the first. Amazingly the rains only fell in that small area.)

His journey continues: Video

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4xvQh0nZ-o[/video]

Now that our little guy and his herd have joined the much bigger herd, his days of dawdling are over.

The only evidence of any rain last night, was the disappearance of all animals tracks. Otherwise whatever moisture there was, soon disappeared and the heat came down. But nothing like the last few days and also a lot more humid.

The elephants hadn’t moved very far from Malilangwe dam, and when I picked them up they had just been for a quick dip in Sosigi dam. They didn’t plan on moving much further and for several hours stood resting under any tree that would provide shade just down from the dam.

I was chilling out in my little shady spot when this dude ambled over. He stopped right there and just stood for ages as if his mind wasn’t anywhere. And then, he sauntered off seemingly happy he’d made the acquaintance. I was happy too.

Presumably fed up of standing around and probably hungry the herd moved on in the very hottest time of the day, heading west. Past this huge Baobab tree (possibly close on a thousand years old) and down to the Chiredzi river.

And much to my disappointment they continued on west where I can’t follow. So hopefully they’ll be back tomorrow. But with more rains threatening as I type, who knows what they’ll get up to.

Rhinos and Quelea: Video

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oivqqzdgSo[/video]
It was a strange day today for this time of year. At dawn the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped. And then it drizzled slightly on and off.

Of course in this sort of weather all the animals disappear. Well so it always seems. And still no sign of the wild dogs.

Driving past the burn from a few days ago, we found this huge Terminalia tree burning at its base and surely about to topple. Seeing this I reversed back to take a closer look. Just then we heard the tree creaking, so I moved on a bit. I wanted to film the tree crashing to the ground and thought if I got the girls to give it a nudge it would do just that. But I’d hardly stopped the car and the tree crashed a mighty crash as it shattered completely on the exact spot where we had stopped earlier.

Now that was close one!

The quelea were on the burn in their thousands feeding on seeds dropped in the fire and kicking up their own dust cloud. Moving on to Chekwa pan, I watched a couple of elephant bulls leaving the water.

And just behind me a rhino and her calf were waiting for the pachyderms to move off before they came to drink.

Wildcast

African wildlife adventures live from the bush