By Roxanne Reid
Lions munching on a zebra they had killed in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Spotted hyenas pacing up and down in frustration at not getting a piece of the action. Jackals patrolling the perimeter. It has all the elements of a blockbuster sighting. Yet no one saw them but us. How is that possible?
Lions munching on a zebra they had killed in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Spotted hyenas pacing up and down in frustration at not getting a piece of the action. Jackals patrolling the perimeter. It has all the elements of a blockbuster sighting. Yet no one saw them but us. How is that possible?
We were staying at Halali camp in Etosha. Early one morning we drove to the Charitsaub waterhole, where we watched a spotted hyena drinking. It kept looking up as if spooked by something, then started to walk off, but stopped and lifted its head, sniffing suspiciously.
There was a reason it was being so wary, so we scanned the area. You have to be alert to animal behaviour if you’re going to get the best out of your game viewing opportunities.
There was a reason it was being so wary, so we scanned the area. You have to be alert to animal behaviour if you’re going to get the best out of your game viewing opportunities.
The hyena whose behaviour made us scan the surrounding area more carefully
Sure enough, we caught a flash of movement in the distance and hauled out our binos. It was another spottie. But that wasn’t all. Four lions with a kill were lying against the background of a rocky outcrop. That’s why we hadn’t seen their profiles in the grass with the naked eye.
Although the action was too far away for good photographs, it was absorbing to watch the interactions between the various animals.
Over the next two hours, the spotties got more and more anxious, getting closer and closer in the hope of bagging some nosh. One of the lions would snarl or get to its feet and the spotties would back off again, skulking in the grass at a distance, virtually invisible but for one or two pairs of ears.
Although the action was too far away for good photographs, it was absorbing to watch the interactions between the various animals.
Over the next two hours, the spotties got more and more anxious, getting closer and closer in the hope of bagging some nosh. One of the lions would snarl or get to its feet and the spotties would back off again, skulking in the grass at a distance, virtually invisible but for one or two pairs of ears.
More than a dozen jackals were drawn to the area
When we first saw the kill we counted six jackals, but they began to gather, another and another, till there were fourteen of them circling closer and closer, hoping for a stray tidbit to snatch.
Then we spotted whitebacked vultures circling. Before long, eight of them swooped to the ground in an ungainly fashion that exposed the design deficiencies of their landing gear.
Then we spotted whitebacked vultures circling. Before long, eight of them swooped to the ground in an ungainly fashion that exposed the design deficiencies of their landing gear.
Wildebeest drinking at Charitsaub
All this time, cars came and went. Not one of them wondered or asked what we were looking at.
If there was nothing at the waterhole to the side of us, they cruised in and out without even stopping.
If there were some zebra or wildebeest drinking, they might sit for a few minutes or take a quick snapshot before going off again in search of lions and leopards. Not one of them used binos to scan the whole area.
If there was nothing at the waterhole to the side of us, they cruised in and out without even stopping.
If there were some zebra or wildebeest drinking, they might sit for a few minutes or take a quick snapshot before going off again in search of lions and leopards. Not one of them used binos to scan the whole area.
The next morning we found this thirsty lion at Salvadora, just 2km away - probably one of those from the kill the day before
Sure, sometimes they were hard to spot because they all lay down, but occasionally both hyenas and jackals would be on the move, mobbing the lions until the Big Bosses got up to reassert their ownership of the kill.
And the moral is? Never check the area around a waterhole with the naked eye and then drive away; use the binos and make a proper investigation!
Have you ever had a similar experience where you were watching something that others just didn't see? Share your story in the comments below.
More about Etosha
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
And the moral is? Never check the area around a waterhole with the naked eye and then drive away; use the binos and make a proper investigation!
Have you ever had a similar experience where you were watching something that others just didn't see? Share your story in the comments below.
More about Etosha
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
