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We recently enjoyed a walk in the foothills. The area was rich with critters and life though the larger fauna spreads out across the landscape and is thus more difficult to spot. The lack of large fauna is made up for with the flora and insects, in particular the grasses and beetles. I particular enjoy the tracks and signs this time of year, it's much easier to discern recent presence of particular wildlife than in the dry season and prints are usually very clear in wet substrate.
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| Our backyard. |
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I love a good rainy and dry season comparison photo. This years rainy season was predicted to have an above average rainfall influenced by El Nino. This last occurred here in 2024, which was quite a doozy for sure. This years rains have not been very significant in Iringa region but a recent surge in January has the landscape bursting with green. It's been so consistently wet that there has been a surge in fungi not typically seen in such number and diversity.
The rainy season not only provides a lush backdrop with trees full of leaves and grasses spring up from everywhere, but also a total change in the aural experience. The birds are full of songs of migrants and breeding calls and insects fill the background both day and night. All the insects are incredibly impressive, it seems like you just need to look closely and you'll discover every single shrub is occupied by a myriad of insects. Unfortunately this means there are mosquitos, a critical insect that is happily absent in the dry season.
I really enjoy the rainy season for the richness of life and cool overcast days. It's difficult to manage the mud in our work environment and laundry is tough to dry, but it provides a welcome change of seasons from the longer and harsher dry season.
I've written about some incidents with the dogs at camp but I haven't really blogged about their overall presence and the life here at camp (dogs and tortoise, vet bush doc, dogs and toads). Full disclosure, I had never been a dog owner before coming to this camp.
In most developing countries dogs play the role of security. In urban areas it is not uncommon for them to be locked in a cage all day and patrolling the outside at night. In the villages they are lightly cared for as a utilitarian companion but not as a loving pet. Dogs are rarely given any type of medical treatment nor is there typically any physical contact between dog owner and dog. They'll lurk for scraps but not be invited inside rather used as a sentry.
We've always had dogs at our camp for light security purposes. I think previous camp managers were also dog lovers and the tough conditions in this area means that life spans are short. We had a dog for work purposes, an Anatolian Shephard, and she was actually the source of my interest in dogs as a companion. Long story short, I thought we could use a puppy so I put the word out to staff and the next day three puppies were delivered to our camp.
We were initially brought three, even though I only requested one. When I asked the driver why they brought three he simple stated that one was likely to die (to his credit, one did). He decided to take one for his home and we kept two. We immediately noticed they were very young and it turns out they were three weeks old, which is completely against the recommended time of around eight weeks.
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| Maji's eyes were very blue at this time, hence his name which means "water" in Swahili. |
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| Moto had a burn mark across his rump, hence his name which means "fire" in Swahili. |
We also had Poppy, a nearly blind warrior of a local dog. He was actually somewhere in the bloodline of Maji and Moto and had originally been acquired with the purpose of breeding with an Anatolian. That had not been successful and Poppy may or may not have suffered psychological damage as well as a result of being emasculated and dominated by the larger dog. He had suffered a bite in his face by a black-necked spitting cobra and his eye sight was poor though his sense of smell was still excellent.
Maji and Moto were both way more playful than Poppy and Hodari though Hodari would have her moments of playfulness. Maji especially learned a lot of Hodari's mannerisms, most notably shaking her head from side to side and yawn/groaning when she was excited to see you. Maji and Moto both like to occasionally cross their forelegs while laying down, something Hodari did a lot. Is that learned or just a normal dog thing?
We kept Maji and Moto in their large dog pen at night but let them roam free during the day. We tried to do a fair amount of training with them, walking the boundary and basic commands such as "come" and "no". As they grew they became familiar with the camp and all the people here. We are clearly their primary owners but they do have a pecking order of favored people. Many of our staff have found their behavior and our training amusing and a handful of them are quasi-affectionate giving an occasional proper pat on the head or scratch behind the ear.
I often marvel at the small size of their world. They go absolutely bananas at new stimuli, I remember one time a hedgehog found its way into their pen one night. They were terrified and barking until it was removed and then even the next evening they were hesitant to return to the pen. They showed similar fear at the tortoise and even a chicken that was brought for slaughter.
The dogs enjoy a leash and cage free life, with a diet of dog biscuits supplemented a few times a week with "dog meat" from the butcher in Iringa. They certainly serve their purpose of being a security tool for the camp while also companions for the staff. Both have matured into their own distinct personality with Moto being a much more disciplined, affectionate and personable dog while Maji retains a scrappy "food over everything' run of the litter type attitude. Both Poppy and Hodari have since passed so now it's Maji and Moto's time to rule the camp!
