21:04, Friday, 8 July, 2011

Happy twenty-first Birthday Miss Caitlin Elizabeth Mary Marie Perpetua Pingel! You are nothing less than the greatest, and I hope that those Irish be treatin’ you well.

When I stuck my head out of the tent late Wednesday night, the lung-expanding scent of rain and a soaked African bush greeted me. Sure enough, the rain gauge read more than 20 mm the next morning, and we all got a few extra hours of much-needed sleep. Kay left us that afternoon, heading back to Talek for a week or so before she flies back to the US. It’s too bad that she will be gone by the time we get there.

Wednesday night we found Murdoch’s gang in South Territory, and discovered their latrine! We collected Murdoch’s poop, and I cannot wait to see if his sex chromosome DNA analysis shows up as XXY. Processing poop before dinner is becoming a regular thing. It’s really unfortunate timing. We had two lions and one hyena to process that night, and the dung beetles were flying in from every which-way. It’s pretty cool how they can sense their food so accurately, although I suppose the smell was anything but subtle.

Yesterday morning we did a prey transect in Happy Zebra, meaning we went along the road and counted all of the ungulates within 100 meters of the car. I cannot begin to describe how beautiful the drive was. It made me hurt inside thinking that this is the sort of thing we have given up, this implausibly incredible earth. What it is to be in a place like this is to feel your soul rise up to where it belongs. We drove through gently sloping hills of golden red-oat grass as far as the eye could see, interspersed acacia trees on the horizon, a sausage tree here or there, a giraffe and some birds. African Plateaus, steep slopes of grass with tops covered in bush, rose up randomly along the way. We came to a low place that resembled a wetland, complete with tall marsh grasses and lily pads in water basins between hills. Everything together surmounted Heaven. The animals are crazy, because there weren’t many in the area, and that is exactly where I would choose to live were I them.

We found Midler, Spektor, Gin Blossom, Daisy May and Hoobastank back in the regular territory, lounging about atop a hill. It’s always good to see them, like coming upon some old friends. I am becoming quite attached, which is not good given that we will be switching camps in less than a week. It’s going to be very hard to leave.

Some jackals had killed a hare nearer to camp. Hares are another thing I wouldn’t picture on the African savanna, but we frequently see them. It’s kind of the same with butterflies. Butterflies are everywhere out here, very beautiful little wings filling the air. I think my favorites are the pure white ones with orange tips.

A tiny dik-dik family has been hanging near to camp; I just want to squeeze the little baby to pieces it’s so cute. Kay says that dik-diks can turn their noses at a ninety-degree angle. She attempted to save a baby one that took a fall into the choo at Talek Camp. It didn’t end well though. :( There is also a bachelor herd of impala that we hear “burping” during the day; one of them only has one horn. It looks neat, but I can’t imagine how lopsided it must feel.

I spent seven hours trying to discern between one group of seven lions yesterday-SEVEN HOURS. I took a very confusing group of pictures, and didn’t write down who was who. Bad idea. My head was reeling by the time we went out for night obs, but it only took the sight of a big handsome male lion to remind me that what I am doing is worthwhile. We found two mating pairs and one big lone male last night. One of the pairs was Weepie and Mumford. It is clear that a bunch of these big males must be brothers, judging by how they tolerate each other’s company.

Hyenas rolling on their backs, smiling in the grass; mother warthogs run-run-running with piglets in a neat little line behind them, stopping with whole body turned towards us in vigilance with the smaller ones following suit, before run-run-running on; legitimately necking male giraffes; zebras sweetly grooming one another- there is just no way to remain in a bad mood. My day of frustration evaporated with those animals to make me smile and laugh.

We discovered an unknown natal den, where Handyman had a four-week old, first time seen cub. Lia and I got to name it- our first hyena named! After much brainstorming, we settled on Ratchet. Handyman’s lineage is going to be tools. :) We also met Stoney’s mother Emma last night. What a strange looking hyena! She has a very thick neck, and an oddly tiny, tipped-up face. It’s funny how much Stoney looks like her. And I still can’t get over how little cubs can boss adults around, how they know so young their rank within the clan. It’s really amazing.

Last night I woke up to sticks breaking beside our tent. A herd of elephants was in camp, and a big one right next to us. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world lying there, knowing an elephant is right beside you on the other side of the canvas. Its deep disjointed rumble, unlike any other sound in the world but a little like thunder, soothed me. Lia awoke and we listened to her together. Pretty soon she became quiet, only eating on the leaves, substantial branches cracking periodically. Then a different elephant near the kitchen tent gave out a higher vocalization, different from others I have heard, a little closer to a trumpeting sound. Directly afterwards, our elephant deeply rumbled, and Lia voiced my unspoken realization. “They’re talking,” she whispered.