Well, it was a beautiful morning with a stunning sunrise, as per usual. As we started on our morning drive, my guests were all very jovial. They couldn’t wait to see what surprise and miracle nature had for them today, wondering what she would throw at us next. As I drove, I started talking with one of the younger guests. She told me how happy she was about our leopard sighting the previous day walking very leisurely past the vehicle, as well as the majestic lions lazing around like only kings do. She said the one thing she had left on her check list was spotted hyena. I explained to her that anything was possible and one never knows what nature has in store. It’s all a big surprise, I said, the beauty of nature is guessing what comes next. While I explained all of this, we caught sight of something moving far up ahead in the road. Two black-backed jackals were quite distinct, but there was a third subject that was a mystery. Heading forward for a closer inspection I realized it was a female spotted hyena staring into the distance. I looked at the guests and said, “Surprise!”
We stayed close to her, as it is a rare sighting even for seasoned safari goers. The female hyena was not in the least bit interested in us and had her eyes fixated on a nearby dam. We were not sure what she was planning, as she seemed edgy. Slowly, we crept towards her to see what held her interest so intently. Low and behold, floating in the water was a dead grey duiker. Deciding not to stay for to long so as not to disturb her off her impending meal, we backed slowly out of the sighting, allowing her to go about her usual business. Later that night upon passing the dam neither hyena, nor duiker, were any where to be seen.
We hoped she had had a great big duiker steak that night!
Warren Jacobs-(Buffalo Camp Ranger)
