Week 269 (17th– 23rd Oct 2008)
New furniture and new experiences
17th October 2008: This morning Madonna had company of a different sort - a cub tagging along behind. She walked up and down many times with a baby in tow but at one stage it decided enough is enough and plonked its bum down and refused to move it. After a little while the little female cub came out to join the party, sitting in the sun watching their mother expend energy. We were just debating whether the cubs were still carry-able or not when Madonna picked one up (with great difficulty) and carried it a couple of steps. This answered our question and having proved a point Madonna plopped the cub down and continued her pacing alone. Our afternoon routine began with 327 and as he was far away we could drag his springbuck into his camp without having to make him run for his food. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his senses because we had hardly drawn to a halt and hadn’t even off-loaded the food yet when he already started walking up at a pace befitting one of his years and standing in the community. Once he had reached the buck he proceeded to lick it clean whilst pondering what he should do with it.
18th October 2008: Cathay walked up to TigerWoods and nuzzled him then did a barrel-roll over him and lay down. She later nuzzled him again and shifted closer to him putting one paw on his side and he returned the gesture - both of them then journeyed to dream land together on the same flight. Madonna was again showing off her cubs, walking to and fro with them both scampering behind her. As soon as they reached the end of the grass they sat and waited for some direction from their mother but refused to walk closer to where we were standing as she suggested. We gawped at them until they returned to their bush and disappeared from our sight - Madonna went in after them to tuck them in and proceeded to wander around on her own, chuffing occasionally to 327 who was lying around nearby. He suddenly felt some serious hunger-pains and removed himself to his pantry for breakfast.
19th October 2008: We drove over to the half hectare camp and spent some quality time talking to TigerWoods, Cathay also eventually came up and she and her mate nuzzled each other before she lay down and they held one another in their arms. Once the romantic interlude had drawn to a close Cathay dug the previous days blesbuck out of where she had buried it and ate - oblivious to the darkness closing in and our scowls of outrage at not having being chuffed at. After having filled up their water trough, we left them to do whatever tigers do at night.
20th October 2008: we watched Hulooo perfecting the art of scent marking today; he first lined his butt up nicely with the tree, lifted his tail and squatted ever so slightly. He then concentrated extremely hard and readied his first burst and at the right moment lifted his bum a teensy bit and let rip - the only problem with his first attempt was that it was more of a stream than a squirt. Having saturated the stump once he turned around and smelt the area but found it seriously lacking in aroma so once again he concentrated tremendously hard and produced three spurts. Satisfied with his efforts he came to tell us all about it. The real highlight happened a little earlier when we fed Madonna. Instead of eating her food under the tree as usual she carried it some distance and we were mildly curious as to where she was going - my first thought was that she was taking it to her babies, at the time I didn’t know how right I was. She dropped the meat and fetched her babies for their first taste of meat and unfortunately for them it was wildebeest. A taste of things to come.
21st October 2008: After all our efforts in building a pole shelter in the half hectare enclosure, neither Cathay nor TigerWoods have used it for its intended purpose, they prefer to squeeze together in a minute patch of shade under a tiny bush. The only use TigerWoods has found for it so far is to rub his face on and lick; he then spends the following half hour cleaning his face off.
22nd October 2008: Cathay was again pacing and calling. At first TigerWoods was absent but later raised his head above the grass, hearing the pole-shelter call his name he rushed over and again rubbed his head on it and licked it until it was sopping wet, he has so far not sprayed it yet. After having completed his labours of love he tried to eat but Cathay was always in the way. Once she finally left him in peace he finished eating and she took over. JenB was lying in the small cage and Hulooo was prancing around it, trying to poke his paws through the mesh. Having no luck there he tried from the top but when that also didn’t work he removed himself to the crush-cage and lay panting as if to say “I’ve got my own, see” – Coco was keeping to himself and wanted no part of all this lunacy.