Tag Archive for 'kids'

On the loose with dad: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on July 12, 2009
in videopost
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I saw my first glimpses of the pups today!
The moon is almost half and the dogs must have hunted by it in the early hours of the morning. When I arrived at dawn their faces were all bloodied as the moved around the den.
Puzzles was inside and not begging for food. So I presume the pack had got back shortly before I arrived.
In the mornings the sun is behind the den, but I have Mark’s vehicle up there with the lights so I can film inside the den. I’m just so happy to be getting this footage right inside the den. Pretty unique stuff. AND Puzzles is quite happy with me sitting there right at the den entrance.

Atom
She came out the hole in the side of the cave where she has her pups, and attached to her one nipple was a pup, like an oversized tick! The little one fell off as she took a few steps. It can hardly walk, but its eyes are open. Puzzles picked it up and move it back into her little lair.

Colour copying
Some of the subadults are now showing a lot of interest in the pups, especially Nike, but Puzzles will have none of it, screaming and growling at them if they get too close. At times Nike had her head in the hole, but Puzzles would growl her away.

Jaw tester
This afternoon, the little pups seemed even more mobile and Puzzles kept picking them up and carrying them into another part of the den. But I think it’s linked to where she has her hole. Although she seems not to think so and kept moving the little ones to the new hole. AND they’d just crawl back again.
Really exciting times and they can only get better. And the great news is how Puzzles is so accepting of me.

Super Penny
Mark did the video clip of the girls and me before he left. This was shot before the dogs started denning.

Krazy mud kids: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on June 16, 2009
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I really didn’t expect much from the dogs today but they were on the move early and by dawn were a long way west from where I’d left them.

Up high1
After detouring a few times Puzzles took the lead heading into the hills just east of Manyuchi. I had to walk up there and found her digging in a small cave in the hills while the rest of the pack lay around. Each time she’d go into the den she’d dig away and growl at the same time. I wasn’t able to see what was going on in there.

Den search
The pack never used this den last year but did use another close by.
All day they rested here, but Puzzles didn’t stay in the den. She’s still not due yet. Her teats are fairly full but her milk hasn’t dropped yet.
At dusk Puzzles was again looking at a couple of other den sites as the pack headed east.

Dogs on the rocks!
When I next caught up with them after dark they’d already killed an impala and devoured most of it.
Exciting times now as Puzzles starts seeking out a den. I just hope she’s kind to me and doesn’t choose a spot too inaccessible for me.

Big Tummy
Of course my camera didn’t venture out the box today, so this elephant calf wallowing I shot a few days ago.

Wild dogs make their mark: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on January 8, 2007
in videopost
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I only managed to catch up to the dogs when they were chilling out at the pan on the old airstrip. All already well fed of course. Actually I think they’ve been hunting at night, as the moon is still at large. Well large enough.

Dog pile
It was then on the elephants trail but I had no success there. I think they might have moved right down to the southern end of the reserve where at this time of year they apparently spend time on the good grazing. The bulls hang out there much more than the cow herds, as they tend to be more grazers and the cows tend to be more browsers. Although both will browse and graze.

Zebra herd
I took the girls out with me again in the afternoon to the wild dogs. And what a wonderful life it is for them but they do get bored and grumpy. This afternoon was one of those while we waited for the dogs to wake from their days sleep. They were both fighting and trying to kill each other, which didn’t make for pleasant times. But at least they are just being real kids.

Many necks
Once the dogs were on the move excitement set in as we raced after them on the hunt. Bashing through the bush, a lot more open than yesterday, they were cowering on the back but loving it. The dogs raced north until they came up against the fence. This time without any impala.

Resting
We left them resting there in the last light of day.

Sunset 01/07

Wild Dogs Status: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on January 7, 2007
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It was one of those days. One that you don’t really want to repeat too often.

Eland herd
If I had been in the field all day things would have been a lot better but instead I found myself spending extended time behind my computer screen. Not a happy place for me. Makes me appreciate how lucky I am that I don’t have to spend my whole working day staring at the screen like so many around the world today.

True Africans
So forget about my rough day. I’m just so happy to be doing what I do.

Care
The wild dogs must have been really lucky this morning as they were all well fed and had little interest in moving this evening. But eventually they did. Not that it was of any good to us. The terrain and country they took us through got thicker and thicker. Until it got to the stage where I couldn’t turn back. So we pushed ahead through some of the thickest and seemingly impenetrable bush. The girls were spread out as flat as they could on the back avoiding being swept off by branches. Like a bulldozer we soldiered on and eventually came out on a track as it was getting dark.

I'll bite your head off
But somewhere in there, in that this mass of undergrowth we came across 3 hyaenas. What they were doing in there is mystery. And there was no way of getting around to investigate.
Happy to be out the ‘jungle’ we headed back to camp.

Getting going

(BE SURE TO CHECK OUT YESTERDAYS BLOG BELOW: “Wild dogs hunting in woodland”. I was only able to upload this earlier due to technical problems.)

Wild dogs hunting in woodland: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on January 6, 2007
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Ahhhh!

I took the girls back to the elephants this morning but we didn’t have much success with them in clay country.

Family stroll

We tried to follow them but the ground felt soft under foot and with more rain threatening it wasn’t worth taking chances. Gee I must be getting old ‘cos I don’t want to take chances anymore!

Panic
We then headed down to the Chiredzi River but had little luck down there. The area is very productive in the dry season but not now.
But in the afternoon the wild dogs were south of Matsanga pan resting up.

Harassment
They were off hunting to the north at dusk moving in the Umbrella thorn (Acacia tortilis) woodland near the Chiredzi River.

Alert
And then I lost them chasing impala down to the river.

Speedy

Lindy overcomes fear of elephants: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on January 6, 2007
in videopost
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Another cool day of bliss.

Push me pull you
Except my day didn’t start off so blissfully with some vehicle maintenance needing to be taken care of.
With that out the way Barend and I were out filming with the girls all day. And we searched high and low for the elephants. With still no success by midday we took a walk up to the Chimbiya springs. The drainage system that they are found on was flowing as a result of the rains a few days ago, which made for a pleasant barefoot walk all the way.

Get down on it
We were climbing up above the top spring in the rocks when Lindy suddenly exclaimed “Look there are some bushmen painting!” I hadn’t seen these one’s before. I think there are 26 different known sights of paintings on Malilangwe. But I’m not sure if these ones have been discovered before.

Bushmen paintings
With that excitement over we were back on the elephants trail and eventually picked them up in the thick mopanie to the west of Banyini. I was really nervous driving in there expecting to get stuck any minute as this was true clay country. But we managed that without mishap and found Mandlovu and her herd.

Milk machine
They were with a few other elephants and all seemed to be loving the mopanie they were feeding on. These trees have a high tannin content and I was under the impression they only ate these in stressful times. But not at all. With so much other food available they were still choosing the mopanie.

Mopanie thicket
The herds carried on feeding and soon surrounded us. And Lindy, who has up till recently been petrified of elephants, was totally chilled out. She continued to take photos even when a cow approached and touch the bull-bar gently with her tusk. The cow seemed to just want to know what this thing felt like and then carried on feeding. And all this time Lindy continued to do her thing.
(This is truly the most amazing achievement for me as her dad. This turn around in her attitude towards elephant after it was my mistake years ago when an elephant charged us in the vehicle and I drove away slowly. The elephant was right at the back of the vehicle and Lindy was right there. It scared the living daylights out of her and since then she’s been petrified of elephant. So this complete turn around in her attitude towards elephants now makes me so so happy.)
With a storm approaching we made tracks in a hurry to get out of the clay soils and headed back to camp.

Before the storm