Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

43
Lions roaring as we got up in the morning.
Packed up, without eating breakfast, and all the while chasing monkeys away from the rusks.
Back to Skukuza, and we parted from the group returning to Stellenbosch. Johan, Jane and I
continued, moving to quarters at Huhla (pronounced hush-luh), not far outside of Skukuza. This
was once a railroad warden's house, now used by the park service for small group housing. Very
satisfactory quarters, and we could cook here.
Returned to Skukuza and took game drive in the afternoon.
5-6 kudu, nice males (pix)
50 impala
5 zebra roadside
baboons
fork-tailed drongo
battaleur. Easily recognized eagle. It gives the impression of no tail. Battaleur is the French word
for a tight rope walker, and it rocks its wings side to side, like a tight rope walker.
baboons
kudu.
We drove down to the river area, near the boundary of the park.
3 bull kudu (pix) in the evening sun.
Getting toward evening, we went to the area where we heard there was a wild dog den. We had
tried to find it on the way out mid-afternoon to no avail, but now had better instructions. In any
case, now there were five or six cars in the area. The den was 1 km east of the intersection with
S65 on S1, generally west of Skukuza 20 km or so.
First we saw one wild dog in the bush, watched it 2-3 minutes, then moved the car to see three
pups at a den entrance. Then we saw one adult nearby, then two came right out on the road, 10
meters away, and we watched them a bit, though I failed to get a picture. Then we pulled up to see
perhaps 6 puppies at the mouth of the den, then other adults wandering in the bush. Perhaps 4-5
adults seen, at least 6 pups seen. The pups are dark.
Only the alpha female has pups. Park naturalists say one female here has had 24 in a liter, and
the other females lactate and will nurse them. Not many pups survive. If a lion finds the den, it will
clean them all out.
Later, on the trail with Cleve Cheney, others were quite surprised that we had seen wild dogs; they
had been coming to the park 30 years and never seen them.
We returned to Skukuza, getting through the gate in time. The gates close at dark and you are
fined if you are late. Huhla is outside the gate, but on the other side and we had to go through
Skukuza to get there.
June 15, Saturday. Seminar for the Kruger Park staff, "Value in Nature and the Nature of Value."
My guide for the trail is Cleve Cheney. Also met his wife, who has a job in the office in the
education unit here.