Hotter than the Burma Railway today. Thank God, Elle and I leaving the tent for a spell and heading back to ‘civilisation’ for a bit. I’m going to stay with a good friend of mine in Bulawayo (You know times are hard when Zimbabwe suddenly becomes attractive alternative...) and I’ve already warned him, that I will probably spend the first day of my visit, with my face pressed against his cold, tiled kitchen floor.
Had a German family camping upstream for the past two days. They managed to wake me at 6am this morning, by revving of their 4x4 engine. That and the incessant chatter. I doubt the original German invasion of the Caprivi, at the turn of the century, was as noisy.
Elle and I went out hyena hunting for the last time last night. Arrived at the ‘baiting tree’ to find a hippo standing there. His swift departure (they surprisingly agile on land despite their size and weight) was quickly followed by the appearance of two pairs of green eyes in the searchlight beam. Elle initially thought they were lions which gave some added urgency to my attempts to lower the bait, while standing precariously on her car bonnet. Fortunately, they turned out to be hyenas, no less dangerous I might add, but a little more circumspect.
After three nights of 'no shows', their appearance was a godsend. Elle managed to dart and collar one, meaning she could conclude her work for the time being. In the course of the evening, she also discovered a hyena ‘latrine’. Hyena ‘poo’ is brilliant white in colour, reflecting their ability to digest almost anything bar calcium. They also like to poo together in the same place. Honestly, the stuff you learn on this job…
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