Did I mention that yesterday I did have one puncture? Well after we walked back to the car one of the wheels was completely flat; Tim fixed it within minutes.
Graham got back early this morning. He drove me down to the plain (Wildebeest plains theyre called), to collect the camera memories and then we went through the pictures. Nina turned up at the house waterhole again, though we didnt get a good look at her calf, and Odetta (the big calf from before, she's a calf but she's independent and is absolutely massive) turned up at the plains.
One of the camera's is a little too sensitive and we have to sift through hundreds of photos of nothing or just insects before getting something good. This one we decided to move to a bigger waterhole, hoping its sensitivity would allow us to capture animals within a wide range and at a distance. Graham drove me down to Hyena Dam at the southern side of the reserve and we placed it on a tree by a salt lick. We also debated putting it up at the camp waterhole as there were rhino tracks around and Tim and I had spotted a fresh dung scraping the day before - If tonight nothing turns up on one camera we will move it to here. We want to get shots of all 7 rhinos, and so far we have 4; we're missing Roberta and her new calf as well as Hooker, the big male.
Bruno is a rhino custodian, which means he can take care of the rhinos which are all government property. Hooker is the last rhino in the Chobiensis subspecies which used to inhabit the Caprivi. 3 females were transported here from Etosha because they had DNA that will hopefully allow us much Chobiensis DNA to be preserved as possible.
After having checked the photos we returned the memory cards. Now all I can do is wait till tomorrow morning. In the afternoon I fell asleep in a chair. And after dinner I watched National Geographic with Graham in his house. A documentary about relocating black rhino's into Zambia, which of course he could relate to the release here.
Oh - and this morning I saw a honey badger while we were driving!
My travel through the Kavango-Zambezi ecosystem (Namibia & Botswana), and work at Mundulea.
Hi Emiel, Begrijp ik nu goed dat Pangolins eigenlijk black Rhino's zijn? Any how je bent daar weer helemaal in je element. Wij hebben nog niet het genoegen gehad de black rhino's te ontmoeten, dus een leuk vooruitzicht dat je ons aan Nina,Robberta, Odetta en Hooker and their kidss kunt gaan voorstellen. geniet maar lekker verder. Liefs, Renée
ReplyDeleteHi Emiel, A honey badger, you lucky son/d. Remembering Bruno's comment about it being an animal with 'attitude problems' I googled it and found it can withstand snake bites or bee stings due to it's 'thick skin'. Having thick skin permits the determined attitude. I suppose it's same with humans, so ignore the badgering to produce pangolins! These camera excercises with the rhino's are very interesting and useful. Amazing what impact the scent had and how relatively easy you could rid the camera's of it.
ReplyDeleteDad
Hi lieve neef, heerlijk om je stem even te hebben gehoord. Ik ben inmiddels met Elja in Lissabon voor een paar dagen. Een fijne stad! Ben je er al 's geweest? Geen rhino's gezien nog, maar wel kakkerlakken van ca. 9 centimeter langs de muren. Gelukkig niet in ons moderne appartement in Bairro Alto, alternatieve uitgaanswijk met veel studenten, maar ook zwervers. Gek genoeg ook hier nog steeds vooral de donkere mensen (oorspronkelijk Moren, Chilenen,Indiërs) die de laagst betaalde banen vervullen of zwerven op straat en 'snachts dronken en stoned door de straten gaan.
ReplyDeleteIn onze straat trouwens het conservatorium. Tot 's avonds laat klanken van muziek uit de ramen.
Wat fijn dat je het daar zo ontzettend naar je zin hebt! En je komt terug als volleerd chauffeur, stoer! En handig! Xxx
Hi liefie,
ReplyDeletesending you an e-mail now.It is all so wonderful to read! mum x