We saw many beautiful animals again today. A herd of about 200 cape buffalo migrated up from the water in one sweeping arc this morning, followed shortly by a congress of baboons making their way to the water. Some babies clutched onto their mama’s belly, toddlers riding on their backs, and juveniles messed around and got corrected by their mamas. Others stopped to pick nits off each other’s backs, bellies, ears, heads, etc. Later on, a pride of elephants crossed the road in front of us.
I was so excited to come across three jackals in our later afternoon ride. They pair for life, so the three of them must have been a couple with their adolescent pup. They tolerated us until they didn’t. After we gawked and photographed them for about five minutes, the couple got to their feet and trotted off. The young one yawned and then reluctantly got to his feet. He began sauntering in their general direction until they were well ahead of him, at which point he picked up his pace and galloped down the hill after them.
I never knew how beautiful the jackal is. The name doesn’t sound very pretty to me; how deceiving. They look like a mix between an Australian shepherd and a fox. They’re not too far down the pecking order. We came across a cape buffalo that had been killed by lions (which helped our guide, Tsono, find the full-bellies apex predators), and a jackal was feeding and shooing away vultures that tried to get a piece. Tsono told us the hyenas come right after the lions, followed by the jackals, and then the birds of prey. So, it’s not so bad being a pretty jackal with a partner for life.
My Corner of the Village 