Today I decided to become my own personal trainer. As it turns out I have adjusted too well to the laid back environment I have been thrown into; long daily drives, very little movement. I have managed to go from being in adequate shape to absolutely no shape at all. Therefore, this morning, I decided to take matters into my own hands and start a morning exercise regime. In the past I have avoided running for exercise as much as humanly possible, I prefer to ride a bicycle or use an elliptical. Anything that doesn’t resemble a treadmill or pavement. But out here there are very few options, especially since we are bound to a specific area around camp. So this morning, up at 7:30am, I took my running shows out for the first time and decided to run laps around the edge of camp.
At 7:45am I canned the running scheme. Not because I wanted to, but because I physically couldn’t run any further. Being in what I believe to be the worst shape of my life is an understatement. Relatively zero movement in that past two weeks has hit me hard... and hopefully I can change that. So, after a measly 15 minutes of running I decided to switch it up with some sit-ups, a few push-ups, lunges... the works. Afterwards, I ended up spending the same amount of time trying to recuperate from exercising as I actually spent exercising. This new master plan of mine should be fun....
For the past week or so we have been forced to stick to the south end of the lake to monitor the main herd there. This has been due to the hunting that has been taking place in Mpalane, the area where the Orphans reside. Today was meant to be the day we could finally head north, unfortunately though, Heike had received a call letting her know that the hunting had yet to cease. Moments before we set out to find the main herd though, Heike received another call letting her know that elephant spoor had been seen in Leuowspoor, the property adjacent to Mpalane. As it turns out, the Orphan herd had migrated further south to avoid the hunters. It took us only 26 minutes to find the herd.
The Orphan herd is very different from the main herd in terms of behaviour. A decade ago the Kruger National Park performed a mass cull on all the adult elephants in certain parts of the reserve. The remaining adolescent elephants were then translocated to reserves that would take them. The Orphan herd that now resides in the PGR were originally translocated to the property further north, another reserve. But after a hole appeared in the fence line they migrated into the PGR with the guidance of Ngani, the oldest PGR bull. Now, due to the fact that these orphan elephants grew up with no influence from older females, or a matriarch for that matter, they display very undisciplined behaviour. While monitoring the herd today we noticed that the average Orphan thought process is much shorter than that of the main herd. When threatened these animals are quick to make rash decisions versus assessing the situation. In terms of the heirarchy they have established amongst themselves, two of the oldest females are often "bickering" over who is matriarch. Curve, one of these females, has been known to be very aggressive and is often very destructive. Another thing I have noticed, the Orphan herd is anything but suttle within the thicket. Unlike the main herd, which moves silently and cautiously through the brush, the Orphans blaze their trail, bulldozing their way through the thicket. The natural instincts of elephants aid in their child rearing skills and basic social skills, but everything else is usually passed down from mother to daughter/son. The lack of social skills within the Orphan herd may have been one of the main reasons the original five were not accepted in the main herd when they first appeared.
We trailed the Orphan herd for an hour and a half before they moved onto Mpalane and out of our sight. With still a long day ahead of us we turned the vehicle around and headed south to see if the main herd was in sight. At 12:30pm (ish) we managed to spot the herd in Manzini, their regular territory. We also spotted Khumbula and Shayisa across the lake as well. Since these two bulls are rarely in our sights we abandoned the main herd and drove to the shoreline to collect data on the two bulls. Afterward, we returned to the area where we had spotted the main herd and, surprisingly enough, every individual had made his or her way onto the floodplain. With them was the newest addition to the herd, just over a week old. The baby elephant still stands out from the herd, given that the grass is short, because it still has its light baby skin and is quite hairy. Its white coat makes it appear as if it is wearing a onesy as it follows closely behind its mother. The herd made its way to the waters edge to drink and afterward, following Antares, the matriarch, made their way 25m or so from the lake to have a communal mud bath. This would have been the first mud bath for the baby calf, and as we watched it tumble in the mud we couldn't help but smile. With the help of its mother, the calf was completely covered in mud, head to tail. After the very refreshing mud bath, the dust bathing festivities began and soon the air was thick with dust from the elephants throwing it across their backs.
After a long day the herd made its way back into the thicket, heading west towards the densest part to keep warm for the night. We too decided to call it a day and started to make our way back towards the Loose Mongoose. Oddly, we hadn't seen Ngani or Kohlewe with the main herd, so we decided to take signal for them as we neared the research camp. As it turns out, those two old boys are apparently headed north, to the Orphans. Hopefully, with permission to enter Mpalane this week, we will have the chance to see Ngani and Kohlewe stir things up, especially since the dominant bull for the Orphans is Asiphephe.
Back at the Loose Mongoose I decided to get started on my portion of our data entry early, we managed to collect nine 30-minute scan samples today, and eight 15-minute focals. K made an amazing dinner of ratatoullie and baked potatoes, and Lionel even stopped by to join us for dinner. As usual, Abbie and I will be fast asleep by 9:30pm at the latest, and I can only imagine what tomorrow morning will be like when I attempt to run laps around the camp.
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