Walking in circles in the raisin berries
Sunday, 18 May 2014
The repaired sun-pump pan in the southeast — dry. A leak in the liner. East to the border fence and a good-sized spoor at five to eight in the morning. The bush on the east side of the road is low mountains, very thick, full of ripe raisin berries, full of other elephants. Our bull loops and loops. By twelve-thirty we have covered seven point two kilometers — all of it inside a square kilometer.
The repaired sun-pump pan in the southeast was dry. Felix checked the pump — it ran the moment the sun was strong enough. A leak somewhere in the liner, then. We drove east toward the Botswana fence and at five to eight picked up a good-sized spoor.
Cold dung right at the start, but the feeding sign said he was close. He looped us west, then back east, then crossed back over the dirt road. West of the road was open ground and some bush; east of the road was low mountains in thick cover, full of ripe raisin berries. Plenty of food, plenty of other elephants.
Three more cold dung piles. A sleeping spot — his left-tusk mark on the ground, long and thick. One of the most difficult tracks we had ever followed. So many other elephants in the country. The bush was thick, the grass snagged the feet, the bull followed a course that did not resemble a line. By twelve- thirty we had walked seven point two kilometers and were inside the same square kilometer we had started in. We called it.
After lunch we drove. No fresh spoor. A pair of young kudu bulls with a few cows in the late light.
