Monitoring number 251

    Since I last wrote, the poaching threat has continued at a high level with as many as three groups of poachers known to be operating at one time. After the contact on the Botswana border we have also had a contact at Tshakabika in which five Zambian poachers were located. They had stopped to rest but cleverly they were sitting on the edge of some bush at the end of a clearing and they saw rangers who were following their spoor and fled. Unfortunately none of them was captured but they abandoned a lot of their equipment including a great deal of food and parts of a rifle so they will not be able to continue in the field.

   Today Robins Camp rangers also had a contact with poachers, thought to be the same ones that were surprised at Tshakabika. At the time of writing I don’t know if any were captured.

   Meanwhile Sinamatella rangers have been following spoor of a group of poachers for the past three days. Yesterday they got very close, finding a still-warm fire where the poachers had cooked a meal then later finding fresh signs that they had killed a warthog. Unfortunately rain late in the afternoon washed out the spoor and the rangers had to start all over again this morning.

    With all of this going on, I have been spending the days monitoring rhino number 251 who is, we think, very vulnerable because he is living in the same area the poachers have been searching. Two days ago we found him in such thick bush that I never actually saw him all day. It was the same yesterday and for most of today. Monitoring a patch of bush with a sleeping rhino somewhere inside it can be pretty boring but today was enlivened by a giraffe who didn’t detect us until he was very close.

   Even when he eventually smelt us he wasn’t at all sure where we were and simply ambled away looking puzzled.

    Late in the afternoon the rhino woke up and came towards us, feeding occasionally if he saw anything that looked tasty. We moved parallel to him with the wind in our favour and I eventually saw him for the first time in three days.

    He was so engrossed in feeding that we had a bit of time to try to set up a photo – Bigson in the foreground and the rhino behind.  

  The rhino is that little grey blob by Bigson’s hand. No photographic prizes here!

     

   Two days later……..

  Well nothing much has changed in the past days. No sign of active poaching gangs but we have continued monitoring number 251. He always seems to be in the very thickest of cover where he is difficult to follow.

 

  Moving through places like this certainly gets the adrenaline flowing.

  Yesterday I was out with Prosper Chikande and ‘Major’ Mbewe.

      Another poor photo I'm afraid. Prosper and "Major", bottom right, with telemetry!

      It took us just over seven hours to find the rhino and then we came upon him so suddenly and were so close that he mock charged before turning and running. Mbewe, who was hospitalized after the rhino attack last June was a little shaken to be subjected to a charge at close range again but, to his credit, he stood his ground and will no doubt be on patrol again tomorrow!