what to do at the weekend

Well, I had an interesting weekend in terms of wildlife!  It started on Saturday evening, when the late shift of staff returned to the Lodge, telling us that their route home was blocked by a rather bolshy elephant and her calf walking along the access road, who they had not been able to move off the road to let their motorbike go safely past.  So the Lodge owner drove along the track in his big car, tooting at them and banging on the side of the vehicle as he got to the elephant, so that it moved into the forest and let the guys behind go past on their bike.  I was cross with myself that I hadn’t taken up his general offer, “Anyone want to come along for the ride?”.

The next morning I decided to take a walk along the access road, as it gives a slightly different view of forest wildlife to that seen from the small trails cut through the forest.  I was pleased to see a flock of plumed guineafowl on the road at one point, as well as a clearly identifiable white-crested hornbill flying overhead - I was enjoying the walk.  Then, rounding a slight bend in the road, I saw an elephant ahead of me…  It didn’t feel like a dangerous situation as the elephant was simply crossing the road from one bit of forest to another, and not looking in my direction (although they have good hearing so it would have known I was there). But still my heart rate went up a bit!  “What do I do??”  Then my brain started working again and I realised that what I should do was to take a photograph of it – sadly by this time its head was already partly obscured by bush, but here’s the pic anyway.

It was interesting that the experience of coming across an elephant whilst on foot, on my own, was SO much more powerful than seeing one whilst with a guide. It felt as though this animal was somehow more ‘wild’ than one in a national park (this was protected land, but not within the bounds of the park).  Wow!!

Then after lunch, trying to get a little bit of sun on my legs, I sat right on the edge of my balcony rather than in the shade on the chair (the rooms are all raised above the ground on wooden stilts).  I’d not been there long when there was a rustling below me, and when I leant forward to look down to see what was there, I was surprised to see a metre-long black and yellow striped monitor lizard!  He was a little surprised too, but did not run away as they normally would, but rather moved cautiously out from under the balcony and across a bit of bare ground towards the vegetation.  Then, still looking at me, he stopped on the bare ground and started doing press-ups!!  I later learned that this is threat behaviour – but I have to say that I did not feel threatened!  He also started flicking his long, thick tongue, with its forked end, in and out; sniffing the air I suppose.  He must have been there for ten minutes.  I wish I hadn’t left my phone in my room charging, as a video of this behaviour would have been nice, but at least I had my little camera with me.

Later in the day I made my way to the bar area, to watch the sun setting from the terrace there, but as I walked in I was shouted at by a very flustered owner that I had to get out, there was a snake!!  Thankfully I did not leave immediately but asked where, and he allowed me a quick view before I had to leave.  It was a Jameson’s mamba – beautiful but highly venomous.  A bite from this, without anti-venom to hand, would be deadly.  So I walked away and joined the frightened staff down the path, whilst the very experienced guide who was visiting the lodge with clients was summoned to help the owner deal with the snake.  Apparently they eventually got it to go inside a long piece of tube, which they quickly sealed whilst carrying it to the other side of the little stream at the side of the lodge grounds, but not until it has got pretty angry and at one point slithered between the owner’s legs!!

There are of course challenges in spending six months in a place so remote from the rest of the world, but there are so many good sides.