Week 277 (12th - 18th Dec 2008 )
A week of unsuccessful hunts and new experiences
This week was again filled with boiling hot days and unfulfilled promises of rain. On more than one occasion the clouds packed together for rain, but on each and every occasion the wind came up and blew all the rain away. We were however treated to a spectacular rainbow on the last day of the week.
This week the nights were blessed with a full moon. Scattered blesbuck in the 40ha camp told tales of attempted hunts but a count proved that each and every attempt was unsuccessful. We were forced to feed them a little just to keep the wolves from the door. There is just too much light and the buck are able to see the hunters before they are in a position to succeed.
327 spent many happy hours pacing with Cathay and TigerWoods, chuffing merrily at one another. Early in the week he discovered how dirty he was and made a plan to do some washing. Although the weather was boiling hot he made no effort to swim this week. He still follows the vehicle but now does so at a run and no longer walks, in spite of the heat. On Wednesday, I collected 327 from the bottom of the camp and together we walked back up. About half way we passed a bush and 327 stopped in his tracks, turned around and headed back to the other side of the shrub and closely investigated the branches, I thought I might as well take some photos and only afterwards on the photo did I see that he was taking a good look at a crowd of locust nymphs (Did he smell them or hear them, I wonder).
King Henry is becoming really bold and walks audaciously up to the fence where we are standing to investigate. His sister on the other hand is still very frightened but I do imagine that she is slowly starting to trust us more. Both cubs have started drinking water out of the trough and they have to stand up on their hind legs to do so. I was witness to one of King Henry’s attempts and couldn’t contain my mirth when he first buried his nose in the water and then tried to bite chunks out of the water. Madonna had a wallow in the water trough; King Henry had come out to see what the funny noise was. He also tried to climb into the trough but only managed to get three legs up, even though Madonna kept on changing position to make it easier for him but there was altogether too much water and he abandoned the attempt.
During the latter part of the week Hulooo and I were playing, I had unlocked the sliding gate in the centre and Hulooo peeped at me over the top of the nearest side of the pole shelter. I turned around and made as if I was leaving and Hulooo moved his position and watched me around the front of the shelter, partially hidden by the side. Again I turned around and this time Hulooo excited the shelter and stalking began in all earnest; all that moved were his eyes as he kept me in focus. I had been lying on my stomach taking photographs of the process and as I stood up Hulooo charged and I was covered in dust as he ground to a halt, afterwards he stood up on his hind legs with his front claws hooked into the mesh with his head level with mine and chuffed profusely. Coco and JenB were feeling the heat and couldn’t be bothered to play, preferring to laze around and sleep.