Human wildlife conflict: In memory of Poppy, killed by a hyena

 

From left to right, Poppy, Maji and Moto

We've got a few dogs at camp, ostensibly for security but in reality they are basically doing their own thing. All the dogs are local breeds (most likely ancestors of Basenji)that come from the local villages which is important in our environment due to the many hazards of disease (mainly African Trypanosomiasis) and wildlife (snakes, lions, hyenas, etc). The local dog breeds are robust and independent but still have the ability to form strong relationships with those at their home. 

Our environment is truly harsh with limited veterinary care. In my five years we've lost four dogs, one to snake bite, two to disease, and one to a hyena. The latest casualty is pictured above left, Poppy. Poppy was one of the largest village dogs that I've ever seen and when we got him on a good diet he became seal-like in his proportions. We couldn't get a collar on his neck because his thick hyena-like neck caused all the collars to slide off. He was a true warrior; he lost most of his vision in a bout with trypanosomiasis, and lost the rest of it when he was bit by a Black-necked Spitting Cobra (he was in fact, bit on two separate occasions). Although his senses were not what they once were, it never stopped him from trotting around camp and pursuing any food scraps that he could find. One of his most notable characteristics was his helicopter tail wag. 

One night there was a hyena roaming through the villages. All the households communicated with each other noting an aggressive hyena, possibly rabid. By the time it came through our camp the dogs tried to drive it off and apparently Poppy got bitten in the head. His jaw was likely broken and he couldn't eat so we had to make the tough decision to put him down. He was around six years old, a decent age for a village dog to live, and we'll sorely miss him at camp!

August dry season

Classic sunset.

Some nice color of the sunset in our backyard

 

I'm trying to blog more this year but August has been a light month due to taking my annual leave in July and August. It's been a frantic return back to work and thus I haven't had much time to get out and enjoy myself. 

We usually take our annual leave in July/August and it's always shocking to come back to the heart of dry season. In May and June you can still feel the transition from the rainy to dry season but by the time August comes around the dry season has settled comfortably in. The landscape is mostly bare and the dust gives way to epic sunsets that Ruaha is famous for. 

The temperatures are not quite so high yet and the nights remain very cool. There is a windy season around this time that picks up in the evenings and night time. As the primary water dry up, lions and other wildlife huddle around the nearby river to lock down any existing water source. As a result we hear lions from camp relatively frequently this time of year, something which is always a treat.

Flora and fauna: Combretum purpureiflorum

 

The striking red flower. The seed pods are also pictured here, very typical shape of the combretum family

A large shrub, you can see how they stick out in the dry landscape

One of the most distinct early dry season flowers is that of the combretum purpureiflorum, a distinctive climbing shrub that comes alive with vibrant red flowers in August. The birds in the area feed frantically off the pollen and this time of year you can see the birds with distinctive red color on their beaks. This plant is a very common on in the acacia-commiphora ecosystem. There is a very similar plant, Combretum longispicatum, that looks nearly the same except it has a much larger flower and due to it's horizontal nature, it's known as the "large toothbrush tree". This smaller plant is known as a "toothbrush tree" by westerners but this is not to be confused with the other "toothbrush tree", which is named not for it's visual similarity to a toothbrush but rather for its actual use as a toothbrush.

I'll try to get a photo of the birds and update this post because they frequently come to our birdbath to clean up and it's evident that the plant is one of the only few that producing anything edible. 

Update: Here is a photo of a weaver with residue. They naturally have NO red in their plumage!

New camp in Rufiji

A short walk leads down to the river.

I've written about our trips to the Rufiji River before but I've got more news to share now that our organization is opening a branch there. We are building a small field camp on the shore of the Rufiji River and we're delighted to have such a nice spot. Although it's very close to the village it still receives a fair amount of wildlife passing through and the area still has the feel of being relatively wild. We need to be extra careful about seasonal flooding but I feel like we've got a pretty good spot.

Classic riverine habitat.

The water hole

Sunrise

Sunset

Dusk

There is a waterhole about a half hour away from us and yesterday I had an amazing day experiencing several different parts of the day there. 

In the morning we showed up well before sunrise around nautical dawn. There was fresh elephant dung everywhere and we know that lions use the area as well so we decided to stay in the car until the lighting improved. The air was dry and chilly, I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and fleece jacket. There is a smell to the air in the dry season that cuts hard into the morning air. It's a combination of the dry grasses, scents of animals, and all the different plants in the area. We could hear the birds slowly come to life led by the scrub robins and doves, with the booming ground hornbill echoing throughout the landscape. As the sun came up we circled around the water hole looking for various animal tracks and we saw a fresh lion track in the mud.

Lion print, fresh

There was also eland dung and plenty of tracks of elephants and bush pigs. We heard the helmeted guinea fowl chattering about and then 20 of them finally coming down to drink across the watering hole. We finished up our work and headed out with the plan to return in the evening. 

In the evening the weather was completely different from the morning. My trousers and fleece jacket were replaced with shorts and a light cotton shirt. The air was still heavy when we arrived with the sun likewise very hot. We parked under a tree for some shade and then surveyed the area. We noticed plenty of fresh signs of elephant. A large group had obviously used the site between when we left and around 4pm. I had a feeling that our presence in the morning was likely preventing some animals from coming for their morning drink. We carried on with our work and the sun began to drop closer to the horizon. When the sun sets the weather often turns from a scorching dry heat to a crisp and cool desert night*. Around five knob-billed ducks flew in to feed but quickly moved on. A black-backed jackal passed by in the distance, possibly annoyed at our presence. As it got darker we climbed back in our vehicle and waited patiently. 

We heard a group of elephants before we saw them and right away we knew that they were skittish. We were in close proximity to a village and it still wasn't quite dark so they took their time coming out. We could see the tops of trees shaking and an occasional guttural vocalization but they remained hidden for about 15 minutes. Eventually a small group emerged and I saw they had a very small calf. The small group trumpted at us and showed their displeasure by parading around and eventually back into the trees. When it finally got dark four very big elephants led the way to the waterhole eventually followed by over 20 others. They came down and some drank, others splashed water and mud on themselves. It was an intimate sighting and I was pleased after the initial tense moment. They seemed very comfortable with our presence and we could enjoy watching them from a safe distance away.

*This is due to the dry conditions and low humidity. Water vapor in the air traps heat close to the ground and stops it from dissipating into the atmosphere. Air with high humidity also requires more energy to heat up, meaning it also takes more time for that energy to dissipate and for the surroundings to cool down. Therefore, a lack of humidity in deserts allows these arid places to quickly heat up but also rapidly cool.

Creatures of the thatched roof

Our tent is located under a thatched roof made of grass. Whether it is weavers picking the grass for a nest or the surprisingly cute arboreal acacia rat making a nest of it, the dried grasses can become its own little ecosystem.

This past week we had two unusual and notable events occur, both of which had never happened before. The first occurred while we were on the phone with someone and we were startled by a rustling at the very top of our roof. We were initially afraid it was a snake because of the loud rustling. We got out our binoculars and saw it was a...white-throated monitor lizard?! It was a pretty massive reptile that had wedged itself in the top of our roof and was making himself very comfortable. He spent the night and in the morning we could see him basking through a hole that he had unfortunately (for us) poked.

You can kind of see him here.

Zoomed in.

 

White-throated monitors can be BIG and are in the same family as the more well known Komodo Dragons (Varanidae)

Later that day we were inside the tent and when looking out the window we saw a Flap-necked Chameleon hanging from the roof. It was a funny scene and I helped the chameleon find a safer location. My efforts were not appreciated as it was hissing and attempting to bite me the entire time but I will also admit that I appreciated its dramatic change of colors. I had never seen one with such a deep orange which was visually stunning though a by-product of the stress that I induced. At least it was only temporary as I photographed him and then quickly sent him on his way within some shrubs.

Hanging upside down, looking for a way out

It changed colors dramatically after I handled it. It was NOT happy about being handled.

Iringa restaurant: Italian Delights

 

Italian Delights from the main road

A few years ago I heard about an Italian NGO that sold handmade Italian food. We were initially attracted by their bread and ravioli but we soon realized they had a wealth of other delicious food available. They were tucked up in the hills of Wilolesi and had a very professional kitchen with sleek new ovens and kitchen gadgets. We were really impressed with the handmade tagliatelle laid to dry and well stocked freezers with lasagna, meatballs, veg and meat ravioli, and an entire separate pantry for biscuits and sweets. 

We were pleased to see that after a few years operating out of their base, they managed to open a restaurant/shop in downtown Iringa. It has a great location next to the clock tower and they've slowly expanded services since they initially opened. The arrival of the espresso machine was a nice addition and then the outdoor pizza oven put things over the top. There are a variety of cakes and sweets available as well as the frozen goods and delicious fresh bread (I recommend the potato bread!).

Iringa doesn't have a lot of foreign food restaurants and it just so happens there are two very good Italian options though the other is a little ways out of town. It's nice to have this low key location for anything from a quick coffee to a pizza lunch. I highly recommend this place not only for the delicious food and drink but much like the other Iringa staple, Neema Crafts, it was created for and continues to support vulnerable groups.

The interior, limited seating