Tag Archive for 'lion'

Art of drinking and ducking: Video

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Wildcaster
on August 10, 2009
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Murderous again! Those wonderful animals we call the king of beasts. Why???
Last night lions killed Jiggy and Atom, and just left them.

Puzzles puppies
On the way to the den this morning I noticed fresh lion tracks on the road. I’ve seen them along here several times before and they head over the mountain. But today they turned off on my small track that heads up to the den and then left the track.
On approaching the den just as it was getting light the pack were heading off on the hunt.

Just fun
The den was quiet except for the odd whines and squeals as the pups muscle each other around inside. But something told me to scan around and I went walking all around the area of the den, up and down the mountain. After about half an hour I saw her lying in a patch of flattened grass. Atom. Her neck had been broken and there were lion tracks all around.

Puppy chow
Searching the area I found more blood stains on the grass and following those brought me to Jiggy’s carcass. The lions had mangled him even more and broken his back. This must all have happened a few hours before I got there.

End of Jiggy
While still walking around and trying to gather myself Puzzles appeared high up on the rocks near the den and she was looking down towards where the dead dogs lay. She was nervous and restless. She kept moving around and interestingly she was extremely accommodating of me. So much so she repeatedly came to lie down no more than 6ft away from me. She really seemed to show no fear for me.
And so this went on all day, Puzzles would get up and look in the direction of her mate, hear her pups in the den, but never went there and would lie down next to me again.

Single file
She didn’t feed her pups all day. She seemed too scared to go to the den, possibly thinking the lions might be there.
Eventually as it was getting dark I left. There was nothing I could do and still the rest of the pack, now only sub-adults, hadn’t returned from their hunt. I’m sure they’ll be back tonight and hopefully give Puzzles the confidence to feed her pups.
I was expecting Puzzles to move the den today because of this disturbance, but still she hasn’t. My concern is she’ll move the pups tonight and without Jiggy’s collar I’m going to battle to find the pack.

Lioness not impressed: Video

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Wildcaster
on August 6, 2009
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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?

Oh little one1
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.

Rock fig
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?

Different perspective
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…. ☺

Malilangwe hills
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!

Two tone

Wild dog etiquette: Video

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Wildcaster
on June 24, 2009
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Okay, I missed my turn at Wildcast on Sunday. It was Daddy’s day you know. AND as you know I had the most special surprise when I found my girls at home waiting for me! It has to be the best Daddy Day I’ve had!!!
My daughters are with me for about 3 weeks now and spend all their time with me filming. It’s such a treat for them and me too!

Chimbiya spring
The wild dogs have continued to travel extensively and even went right to the very western end of the reserve across the river for just one night and then all the way back east. And poor Puzzles just tags along trotting behind everybody with her huge tummy swaying from side to side. She’s pretty huge now.
We took guesses as to how many pups she would have.
With her being so big I decided she’d have 12. Lindy said 11 and Penny says 9. Your guesses??
A few days ago I had an interesting day or 2 with the dogs. The pups found themselves a honey badger. This animal must weigh about a quarter of the dogs weight, but as vicious as they are 8 pups against one honey badger was no match. The badger won and went off on his merry way.
The dogs moved into the river and I followed on foot. A lone hyaena came sniffing by and was soon sent packing by the dogs. They continued along the river bank staring at the water, terrified but curious. AND of course wanting to cross. Maybe they were hoping Moses would be around. I wasn’t able to help.

River Stare
As we moved along the riverbank stopping periodically to stare at the water, we were suddenly surprised by a lion stalking the dogs. But when it saw me it bolted out of sight.

Lion stare
The dogs were all a little nervous now, and then I saw the brute had come back and was standing on the riverbank staring at me! I had to pull a brave one, as I wasn’t about to lose face in front of the dogs. I returned the lions stare and with the dogs standing to my left, I made a lunge at the lion. Well he truly lost it and with a growl he took off and I could hear him running at pace grunting down the road as he disappeared.
The dogs were impressed…………. ☺

Crossing again
They moved on down the river and chased an impala into the sandy riverbed. I saw the impala cross the shallow water, but it was totally exhausted nearly falling over as it crossed and lay down in the reeds. The dogs eventually arrived but were nervous of crossing. I rushed around in my vehicle so I could film the action and ended up nearly rolling the vehicle in a donga/ravine. While I battled jacking myself out of there I heard the impala die!
Just not getting this action on film these days.

Buffalo soldiers
I also had another interesting encounter several days ago. The dogs were resting up in the hills when a family of bushpigs came wandering into the area. These pigs are nocturnal and very seldom seen and must have been heading to their resting place for the day. There was a boar, 3 sows and 3 piglets. The wild dog pups just had to harass them, but these pigs are pretty vicious and stood their ground. They even wanted to have a go at me when I ventured closer! The pups had no joy with them and the pigs soon moved on.

Bushpig

Sex at the dinner table: Video

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Wildcaster
on April 9, 2009
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Those lions sure weren’t wasting any time the other day. Sjambok was hardly keen to feed with other things on his mind.

Sex at dinner
Having got back today and I was anxious to get out in the field in search of the wild dogs.
My first port of call was the airstrip and I took to the skies in my microlight. Although I was happy to get a signal on the dogs, they were a lot further west from where I’d left them the other day. Really bad country. Country where our scouts have no control, but they did lift hundreds of snares from the area the other day in a few hours. With so many snares in the area, I can only hope prey is scarce in the area and the dogs soon come back east.

River tracks
The bush was dense and I wasn’t able to see the dogs but the only good news was that Jiggy’s signal was moving. So I trust he is fine.
I’ll keep following up on them and somehow hope to get across the river by car and hopefully get to see them.

Lion’s big drag: Video

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Wildcaster
on April 5, 2009
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We were airborne at first light in search of the wild dogs. Of course I didn’t expect anything else but to find them still on the western side of the Chiredzi River. But I was hoping to see them and be able to get a count, but in the thick bush I wasn’t able to get a visual. My concern is though, that they’re very far west and out of the control area where we’re allowed to carry out anti-poaching patrols. The problem with that is, this area is alive with snares. A very real threat for the dogs. I just hope they have the sense to come back east again. Tomorrow I’ll be flying again to check on their whereabouts.

Rhinos
Puzzles was also showing signs of coming in to oestrus. Something I was not only hoping to see but also to film, but looks like I may have been totally snookered on this one!
Heading back to land I did a short reconnaissance flight for Manyari and picked her up on Banyini with a freshly killed wildebeest bull. On landing we found her with 2 young male lions. They were all already well fed. As it got hotter the one male dragged the carcass into the shade. Quite a feat as the carcass must have weighed much the same as him.

Stoked
For the rest of the day the lions had no plans on any other activity but to lie around looking after their prize.

Just being
Further north on Banyini this young zebra seemed to have lost it’s family and had taken up residence with a bachelor herd of impala. Even if his mother had died, he should still have been with the rest of the herd, or if his mother was alive, why didn’t she come looking for him? All those questions will remain unanswered, but the good news is, in the late afternoon I saw him again and this time happily with his family.

Lost
We joined the lions again at dusk, of course their activities hadn’t progressed much as they continued to lie around in a dazed bloated state.

Sunset 04/04

Flower Dogs: Video

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Wildcaster
on February 13, 2009
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Dawn was greeted with a gentle drizzle and enough to scare me not to venture out for a couple of hours.
But I did eventually pick up the dogs quite a ways south of where I’d left them yesterday. They were all tucked up in the shade of some mopanie thickets with visibility of them down to zero. No point in me hanging around, but I suddenly found I didn’t have much option. I’d gotten myself stuck! Thankfully just a little digging and I was out.

Pretty girls
The grass cover these days is incredibly dense, making spotting animals a big deal and when you do, all you tend to see is ears. Banyini with all its herds of animals a month ago is now totally empty. Where do they go?

Grass for Africa!
Back with the dogs in the afternoon I found them surrounded by elephants. AND Mandlovu, Chip and family were all there. The elephant seemed agitated with the scent of the dogs in the thicket but let them be and the dogs just weren’t phased with the huge beasts all around them.
The elephant soon moved off and the dogs moved out into the grasslands where in the cool afternoon they rested. Except for this one pup that was intent on eating flowers. Maybe this was her way onto steroids or was it cocaine?

Filing out
It was fun hunting with the dogs this afternoon. The area was fairly open the ground firm and the grass fairly short. And when some Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest came into view the pups were after them. They’re one of the fastest antelope but didn’t take off at full speed with the pups hot on their tails. But the hartebeest were just playing the game and the pups soon came running back looking for mom and dad.
The pack continued south, but now they were in the bad lands. The black cotton soils and grass nearly 6ft high. The dogs couldn’t see a thing except for the grass wall in front of them. But they kept their direction heading south. All I could follow was the moving grass and at times nearly drove over them.

Heading under
And to make it worse for me, elephant bulls had been through the area when it was wet leaving these deep caverns of their footprints to really hamper my progress. And as much as I cursed them it didn’t make it any better.
The dogs were still heading south undercover at sunset. No point in me hanging in there with them.
Nearly home I bumped into Sjambok. He was HUGE! I don’t know what he’s been eating. Of course I had to follow the dude and he soon met up with his brother Chahwihwi. They rolled all over each other and in the darkness I left them passed out together.