On the morning of the 4th Dr Chap Masterson darted the two Sub-Adult Lionesses in the boma to do the TB testing. On the 7th they were darted again and taken to their new home. Everything went very well and they will be released from the bomas at their new home with a Male Lion.
On the 16th one of the Phinda Lionesses' 3 cubs was seen by himself and he was a little skinny. He had a hole in his side and it looked as if though he was attacked by a Buffalo or something. He joined his family again and was last seen with his family on the 18th. We presume he died.
On the 22nd one of our staff members dropped his cellphone in the bush. I was busy tracking the Wild Dogs when one of them found the cellphone and picked it up in his mouth. He walked about 10 metres before he dropped it again and obviously did not like the taste of it.
Another very interesting thing that happened on the 22nd was that I was following one of our Elephant Bulls when he walked into the bushes and lay down on his side. I could see him from a hill and watched him sleep like that for 45 minutes. One of the guides then went off-road with guests to go see the Elephant and he woke up again. Very strange if you ask me. He didn't move even once when he was lying down. An Elephant will usually stand and rest for a few minutes every day, but lying down like that totally confused me.
On the 24th I followed the Wild Dogs around until the guides came. They eventually rested close to a dam and when the guides left they started playing in and around the water. The 3 young Females were chasing the young Male through the water when all of a sudden he stepped into a hole and fell face first into the water/mud. I know I wasn't supposed to laugh at the poor drowned rat, but it was extremely funny. They just carried on as if though nothing had happened, but it was hilarious.
On the 11th of January I realized that the Male Wild Dog's collar wasn't working anymore after our Wildlife Manager found them and called me. I followed them until they rested in the bushes close to the Tented Camp. In the afternoon we darted the Alpha Male to replace his collar and we darted one of the young Females to put a collar on her as well. The other Dogs rested not even 30 metres from there watching our every move. Just before dark both the Dogs were fully awake and sniffing around. I think it's the easiest Wild Dog darting I've ever seen.
Mariana Venter - Wildlife Monitor/Researcher
