Puzzles took to the road for the first time this evening. No doubt the pack intend hunting into the night with the moon full. And surprisingly nobody stayed behind at the den to baby sit. Did Puzzles leave it up to me?
The den the pups are in is really safe so long as the little ones don’t try silly tricks and go a wandering. I’m sure they’ll be fine.
The last few days have been much the same with activity at the den peaking in the evenings after hunting with the moon and the days are pretty quiet.
Except this morning, Dimple had this thing about carrying a pup out the den right down the slope and then all the sub-adults ended up playing with it. Being too far from the den for the little one to know it’s way back, Puzzles would eventually intervene and take it back. This happened 4 times. And each time it was Dimple who took the pups out. She’s very gentle in the way she carries the pups, but I wonder what drives her to do this?
I’ve had an interesting few days myself.
The track up to the den becomes more impassable the more I travel on it and it’s seriously steep. The other day I stalled the vehicle on the slope and being so steep it wouldn’t start. I ended up flooding it, then running the battery flat!!! Stupid me. This meant I had to carry the battery to the nearest decent track, about 1 ½ kms. Then run the 8kms home before it got dark (them lions change their behaviours after dark). I arrived soon after sunset! Collect another vehicle, come back, collect the battery and charge it over night. In the morning I had to do it all in reverse and then before I could get up the mountain I had to do some major road works clearing massive rocks. Anyway it’s all sorted for a few more adventures up the hill. Probably just when Puzzles decides to move her den again…. ☺
Today was the most lovely day and I went kayaking on the main dam, like I do several times a week. The water was brilliantly calm as the nose of my kayak sliced through the mirror images of the cliffs surrounding the dam. True bliss! I passed a small island with a pair of Goliath Herons watching me. They always fly away but the last time I paddled, the one was there and it stayed. And then amazingly today they both stayed. I do hope they are getting used to me. Just around the island is a small bay where some hippo usually hang out. They weren’t there but further on one suddenly broke the surface in front of me and then I noticed another to my right. This one did a huge leap out the water splashing down towards me. I’m used to these games and can easily paddle away. I passed the dam wall where the normal couple of small crocs lie sunning themselves. They never move off. Then it’s the long haul along the eastern bank. Near the top end of the dam the one section is really shallow and I paddle around it as it adds extra drag on the kayak. Sometimes a lone young hippo bulls hangs out here but there was no sign of him today. As I headed up the narrows at the top end of the dam a pair of Egyptian Geese took off briefly to land 20m away while a Great White Egret fished on the shores. I turned around to come back down the narrows and only then spotted the hippo. I must have paddled passed him earlier. He must have been submerged. He didn’t seem too happy to see me and came leap frogging out the water beaming down on me. No problem as I cruised away. A short while later I heard that familiar sound of a hippo catching a quick breath before submerging. I couldn’t see anything not even behind, thinking it to be the dude who’d been chasing me. With the water so calm ripples become extra clear and I noticed some small ripples ahead of me. I kept paddling but veered slightly away from them. Obviously not enough……….. Next thing I felt the kayak being lifted out the water. A hippo was surfacing right under my seat. Of course now I was fully on course to be toppled into the water. As I splashed down I was already on my side and water gushing into the kayak. Frantically I braced to the side with my paddle working it to and fro trying to right myself. It seemed like forever, but I was soon upright again and now paddling at full sprint away from the scene of the crime. Thankfully my friendly hippo didn’t follow. I think he got just as big a fright as I did. The consequences of falling out and having to swim ashore with that huge beast in the water right there were quite sobering!
So passes another lucky day. Thank you Africa!
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