Tag Archive for 'elephant'

Contagious play: Video

Published

on June 13, 2009

. 0 Comments Tags:africa, blog, bushveld, conservation, dawn, elephant, film, filmmaker, GLTP, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, Impala, kill, mist, nature, pamushana, photo, photographer, photos, teach, video, wild dogs, wilderness, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, zebra

I had left the dogs late yesterday once it had become too dark to film. It must have been around then that they killed big because when I found them this morning at dawn the whole pack were well rounded.

It was a strange dawn. A dense mist had moved in covering the whole reserve blotting out any chance the sun had of peeping through.
The wild dogs’ signal was in the hills, so I walked in there. It was a very different walk, even though it was the same path I’d followed a couple of days ago. The air was completely still. Nothing seemed to stir except the odd little Cisticola that I flushed on my way through the rocks. It was a magical calm. On the verge of being eerie, but not so at all. Just extremely peaceful. The peace of course now only being broken by my incessant whistles as I got closer to the dogs.

They too were a part of this morning atmosphere hardly lifting an ear to my approach. They know the whistle and were totally happy to take in the peace. I joined them sitting on a rock several meters away and savoured this interesting dawn. It was very special.
As the clouds began to lift several hours later, the dogs stirred and the pups were soon into full on play mode.

But that was the pack done for the day. They spent the day in the hills digesting off those large bellies.

Concerned Observer: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on April 18, 2009

in videopost

. 0 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, animal-kingdom, bird, blog, blogumentary, bush, bush-knowledge, conservation, documentary, duck, ecotraining, education, elephant, elephants, endangered-species, experience, film, filmmaker, flickr, GLTP, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, mist, mud, narrowcasting, nature, Open-Content-Alliance, pamushana, peace-parks, photo, photos, podcasting, predators, sandstone, scenic, teach, video, wallow, waterhole, wild, wild dogs, wildcasting, wilderness, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

I’m flying again today, but this time I have the luck of the helicopter that helped with the Sable darting. I’m lucky to be scoring a lift all the way to Johannesburg. Can’t complain about that. Probably 4 hours in the saddle.

It’s the Wildtalk film festival in Durban that Mark and I are attending and Safari Sisters has been nominated for an award.
We’ll be away for the week but will keep you posted with clips shot recently.

Hopefully when we get back the wild dogs will be back. Maybe they’re just needing a good break from me. I hope this one’s long enough!

Zebra’s host their friends: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on April 6, 2009

in videopost

. 5 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, animal-kingdom, blog, blogumentary, bush, bush-knowledge, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephant, elephants, endangered-species, experience, film, filmmaker, flickr, giraffe, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, kill, Lioness, lions, malilangwe, mashable, musth, narrowcasting, nature, Open-Content-Alliance, oxpecker, pamushana, peace-parks, photo, photos, podcasting, predators, teach, video, waterhole, wild, wild dogs, wildcasting, Wildebeest, wilderness, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zebra, zimbabwe

I didn’t expect the dogs back early this morning so joined the lions for breakfast, although I just wasn’t able to match their stomachs. All still hugely bloated, they hadn’t finished off their carcass.
It was pointless hanging around those oversized beasts and as the mist came down on Banyini it was the frantic run around again searching for subjects in the mist. Alas there were none forthcoming. My usual dilemma.

But as the sun beamed it’s early morning golden rays through the acacias I found these zebra feeding calmly and their friendly little yellow-billed oxpeckers awakening to irritate their hosts for the day.
Several times through the morning we’d detour via the lions hoping to find change, but no go here!
The elephant herds were to the east of Banyini. We picked up the tail end of them, which just happened to be Spud. He’s in musth and not that happy to see us. As we approached, he charged, ears out and kicking up dust as he came. But it was all a bluff. We followed on after him when suddenly he turned on a 10in diameter mopanie tree and with a glancing blow snapped it like a match stick. “Okay dude, got the message” and we kept our distance till we found the rest of the herd to team up with.

And there was Mandlovu and her family. Chip is looking great and his usual cocky self. Just a little boy!

Moving on to a pan to drink I noticed the elephant with the floppy trunk was drinking. It wasn’t easy for him as his trunk folded each time he lifted it to his mouth, but somehow he’d perfected the way of drinking and was coping just fine, although it did take him a lot longer than the others to drink.

I took to the skies in the afternoon hoping to find the dogs back on our side of the river, but luck wasn’t on my side. They were still a long ways over to the west. Almost where I had them yesterday and again I wasn’t able to get a visual of them.

And so my anxiety grows not knowing if they’re all still there, and and and………

Wild Dogs in the rain: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on February 7, 2009

in videopost

. 0 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, animal-kingdom, blog, blogumentary, bush, bush-knowledge, cites, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephant, elephants, endangered-species, experience, film, filmmaker, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, Impala, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, podcasting, predators, rain, teach, video, wild, wild dogs, wildcasting, wilderness, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

Rain, rain, rain and maybe that’s what’s caused us to have all the technical problems we’ve been having. I think it’s the first time in 2 ½ years that Wildcast hasn’t broadcast for 2 days in a row.
Anyway all is back on track now.

It’s been raining for the last 3 days, and not just a gentle drizzle. Pouring all night and into the morning, only letting up for a few hours in the middle of the day before pelting down again.

And the dogs just aren’t loving it. As soon as the downpours start they retreat, trying to take cover wherever they can. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me. The last time I was with the dogs in a downpour they bolted when they saw the cover up on my vehicle. So now I have to sit it out in the rain, but have my camera covered and safe, and the dogs are a lot happier.

The rain hasn’t made it any easier following the dogs either. Off road travel becomes really risky but as long as they stay in the sandy areas all is fine.
With the rains the elephants have moved back to the sandveld areas where they love to dig up the jatropha tubers, leaving this huge holes all over the place making travel just not so smooth.

I’m expecting Puzzles and Jig to be mating soon. The wild dogs in southern Africa typically give birth around May, June. With a gestation period of 69 to 73 days, we could see things start happening soon.
So you may be wondering who “Jig” is? Well it’s Puzzles partner of course, the alpha male. Puzzles and Jigsaws, and so Jig or Jiggy is the dude!

Elephant bull waivers: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on January 20, 2009

in videopost

. 5 Comments Tags:Add new tag, adventure, africa, animal, animal-kingdom, buffalo, bush, bush-knowledge, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephant, elephants, endangered-species, experience, flickr, fly, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, hippo, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, microlight, narrowcasting, nature, Open-Content-Alliance, pamushana, peace-parks, photo, photos, podcasting, predators, sable, teach, ultralight, video, waterhole, wild, wild dogs, wildcasting, wilderness, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zebra, zimbabwe

I was hoping to get my blog up to you yesterday, but as hard as we tried we just couldn’t locate the wild dogs.
I had hoped for an early start this morning but an all night drizzle put a dampener on that one for a couple of hours.

Heading up the hill to check for a signal for the dogs and I got a beep way way to the south. It was almost in the same place as the signal we had yesterday. So we continued to search on the ground travelling extensively in the southern areas all the way to Malevula hill. Still not a peep.

I then changed modus operandi and went in search of elephants. We came across a couple of bulls having their mud wallow and this dude just loving all the splashing. His friend wasn’t so keen and moved on in the shade.

But I wanted to find the elephant herds. And sure enough I found evidence of them right up in the north east. I presumed they might be here in search of marula berries, which are just ripening. They just love them.
The evidence of the herds was there but we didn’t find them. I think they must be in the thickets right up in the north.

Late afternoon I again took to the skies in search of the dogs. We flew for ages in the lovely light seeing lots of buffalo, a number of white rhino, all the general game but no sign on the dogs. This has now really snookered me.

I’m really stuck as to what to do next? And really I don’t have an option, I must just soldier on.