A funny day for a wild dog experience
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Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park,
South Africa
Monday, February 5, 2007
Funny day for a wild dog experience
As I drove along I could see a jam of cars ahead. Not an unusual sight outside the park, but inside it usually meant that an animal had been spotted. I dropped down in to first gear so as not to make a noise and disturb the sighting. As I looked on I realized that there was no animals, apart from an impala in the road. It looked decidedly dead considering only the back two legs were intact.
'What's going on?', I asked a driver who was coming the other way.
"Looks like a hunt or something."
A hunt? But we don't hunt in the park. As I drew nearer I recognized some of the staff from the wild dog project.
'Everything OK?', I asked
"Just waiting for a female."
'Is it OK if I drive through?'
"Carry on, we could be here for while."
I was relieved as I had an important meeting at the hospital. I carefully navigated passed the bait in the middle of the road, noticing how many tourist video cameras I was sure to feature on.
The day was hot, and after a few hours outside the park, I was keen to get back. It was my turn to cook and daylight was rapidly fading. Plus, with the rightfully slow speed limit in the park, it was still an hour until I would be back at research.
As the heat began to dissipate a minibus taxi began to approach, but it was going the wrong way! 'Why on earth is it reversing at such speed?' It was then that I noticed the large bull elephants trotting after it along the road. After my close encounter the week before, I was in no mood for more bulls throwing their weight around.
The taxi pulled up to my window.
'Quite a nice bull you've got yourself there!', I said.
"Nice! He's been keeping me off the road now for the last 40 minutes. There's a herd of females crossing the road down there, about forty of them, and this guy is determined to mate with them. There's another couple of bulls around behind you somewhere too."
'Well, in that case, I think we should give them some space. How far is the female herd?'
"About 400m, on the road going the other way. Listen, we have to get out of the park before the gates close. How long have we got?"
I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 'Not too long. You won't make Memorial Gate so I'd recommend that you go back to Nyalazi and on to the highway there.'
"Ok. Thanks. Good luck with that thing.", the driver said, pointing to the bull that was happy to stand at the top of the hill and keep guard. The second bull was milling around in the background.
It wasn't long before a few tourist vehicles had collected behind me on the road. Each one asked what the problem was, so I dutifully explained. Each one in turn decided to wait behind the 'safety' of my research vehicle, although one group bemoaned that they would be late for dinner.
I decided to approach, given the fact that time was now getting away from us. It was now 30 minutes since the stand off began. Perhaps they had calmed down and the female herd had moved away? So gingerly I switched on the engine and motioned for the tourists to stay behind. At least this time my death would be caught on camera if things went awry.
As I approached the bull it was obvious that all was not good. He immediately began to swing his tusks and flap his ears. He was not in any mood to let me get anywhere near, and all I could think was that if my bakkie (vehicle) got damaged, my project would grind to a halt.
I reversed slowly and figured it was time to call for help.
T studies the elephants in the park, and may even know the animals we were facing. Cell phone reception being what it is in the park (bloody awful), I could barely get through, and then only had time to say, 'Elephants, near Siwa picnic site. We are stuck on the other side. Female herd, and lots of circling bulls.'
"Thanks. We're on the way."
I explained to the tourists that help was coming, and the word was passed from one car to the next. I even heard myself referred to as the 'Official White Toyota' and the 'Lady' as the news was justified to everyone waiting in line. Such was the situation that I noticed when I moved to one side of the road, all the other vehicles adjusted themselves too - not wanting to stick out should the elephants come through.
The weather had been changing recently. There was more rain over a wider area than in the previous months. This was the only sign the females needed to start moving out of the southern wilderness area; an area they use in the dry winter time. Of course, this was the only signal that the bulls needed. In order to mate, the bulls must first find a female herd, get around the matriarch and basically rape one of the females before he gets beaten up by the rest of the herd. Although it sounds crude, there is no mistaking an 'excited' bull - he bares all the markings of a teenage boy out on the town on a Saturday night. Quite frankly, it is GAME ON! No 'official white Toyota' was going to stand in his way!
Before long I could hear an engine approach from the other side of the hill. As it didn't stop I figured that it must be T and the others. Gently and masterly they approached the bulls, knowing how to herd them off the road. After some time I switched on my engine and approached their car.
'Have you seen the females?' I asked.
"Yeah, they are down the road. There's still a few hanging about. Should be OK now."
'Nice bulls hey. Things are changing with the weather.'
"Beauties."
'I think they gave a taxi driver a run for his money!'
"A taxi! In the park?"
'Strange, but true! Thanks though, we'd been here for a while before I called. Thought you might like to see them.'
"Great, thanks. One of the females has a collar on so we knew they were moving, but it's a good sighting and we should be able to follow up on it tomorrow."
'Anyway, I'd better get going. My turn to cook tonight, so I'll see you later in the kitchen.'
"OK. Don't forget your tourists though"
As I looked in my mirror, six vehicles had formed a perfectly straight line behind me, lights on, ready to go.
'Cheers!'
As we drove along, the bulls stayed off the road. We passed the remaining female with two young calves, probably no more than a gestation period apart. She was nervous, and I felt bad for having to drive so close. She was probably annoyed and anxious about the bulls, and now she had eight vehicles to deal with whilst protecting two youngsters.
'Sorry Mama.' I said as I inched passed, hoping she wasn't going to take it out on one of the cars behind.
And so we were set free, and the cars all passed me as I stopped to ensure no more bulls would emerge from behind.
As I made my way home I could see people out on the road. It's not uncommon to have to remind tourists that they are being slightly stupid (and breaking park rules) by exiting their vehicles, so I slowed.
'Howdy folks!' It was the wild dog crew, still out after a long day.
"Hi there!"
'I was just about to ask you why you were out of your vehicles.'
"Lucky that we know the man in charge then." said the boss of the section!
'Everything alright though? How did it go?'
"Well, we got her in the end. The alpha female has been giving us the run-around for a few days even though the rest of her pack has been moved. Turns out we didn't need the impala in the end."
'It wasn't looking too healthy!'
"No. Want to see her? She's in the back there. We are on the way to the boma now."
'Yes please! That would be great.'
And sure enough, in the back of the truck, sleeping gently, was an African Wild Dog. A species brought back from the brink of extinction, mostly due to the efforts of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park.
'Amazing', was all I could say.
"Beautiful indeed, but we have to get her safely back before she wakes up."
'Yeah, thanks. I'll let you go. Watch out though, there are some bulls up ahead.'
And with that, I headed home to cook for the gang. What an amazing day. It's not often that you see wild dogs, but to be that close was an incredible experience. They are always bigger than I anticipate, and although they look like a dog, they have a very different personality. Covering up to 500 kilometers in one day, they truly are a wild animal of KZN, revered in folklore, and truly an incredible sight.
"1, 2, 3, 4, Dinner's Ready!", I yelled from the kitchen across the pitch-black field known as 'Research'.
And one by one the table filled up with students and staff, eager to chat about their day.
"Any fun stories tonight then?"
'Well, I saved some tourists, and met a wild dog!'
