Week 322 ( 23rd - 29th October 2009)
More begging, hunting and TW plays a game
Madonna had left the fence and was systematically investigating all the trees and bushes in the eastern section, looking for any scraps of food that they might have overlooked on any one of her previous excursions. The cubs were not visible and I went looking for them. A while after I stopped Madonna came to the vehicle and lay down in its shade. King Henry and Princess also made their way down to the truck. Madonna left to meet her kids half-way – chuffing but snarled at them when they threatened to rush over to her, effectively nipping their plans in the bud. She then progressed to the western section where she continued to investigate all those trees and bushes. King Henry tried to mount his sister. She was having none of that and rolled over. He fell off in a tangle of legs and they both then padded off to join their mother. After a call on the whistle announcing the arrival of dinner, Madonna positioned herself near the gate, King Henry who had been lazing near the river galloped closer and Princess did the same from a different direction. So you see…. BEGGING DOES PAY
After sustenance from another source they were ready to try again. At 17:30 Madonna and both cubs were again taking advantage of the rain and had initiated their hunting sequence and were walking slowly toward the blesbuck who were huddled against the eastern fence. The springbuck snorted a warning when the tigers were still 200metres away and the blesbuck darted off stopping within 50metres of the tigers to suss out the danger and then sprinted away. Princess was so dejected she lay down and King Henry looked over his shoulder at his mum as if to say… What now? Madonna and Princess then walked off to the fence where the buck had been a short while earlier and King Henry straggled after. Madonna picked up their scent and set off after them, they of course resumed their sprint. Madonna and Princess increased their pace and jogged after the antelope. Five buck sped off in one direction and the eldest pickled off by herself. Madonna and the cubs pursued them but the buck ran in circles and the cubs raced around the camp – really advertising their presence. By 17:50 the cubs decided that the hunt was over….for the time being at least. A while later they managed to rope their mother into the play and before long they were racing helter-skelter around the camp, buck or no buck.
I arrived with his springbuck and TigerWoods ambled into the annex and rolled around looking at me upside down. I dragged his food in and once he had returned to his camp I began to close the gate. As soon as the gate started to move he darted back into the annex and I had to plead and beg to get him back into his camp. Eventually he returned to his camp and again I tried to close the gate. Once again he dashed through into the annex. Eventually I was forced to stand by him whilst he ate and only once he had finished did he let me shut the gate.