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Diary of an Africa Safari to Zambia, Day 13 - 17, by Mr. Leslie E. Tassell
In memoriam
Mr. Leslie E. Tassell
02 Feb 1908- 19 Mar 2004
DAY 13 - 17
(Summer 1982) Day 13 - Lions put on quite a show for us last night, roaring very close to camp. A big herd of buffalo went through and the lions were following them. Behind the lions, the hyenas with their haunting cry, picking up the pieces the lions leave behind. We try to find the herd in the morning but cannot.
Check our leopard bait and find that one has fed in the night so we will prepare the blind ready for the evening. This is our last bait so on the way back to camp I shoot a reed buck for tomorrow. This animal is about half the size of a deer and I hit it clean at 400 yards, l-u-c-k-y- s-h-o-t!
My back is giving me trouble. I suppose
it is from bumping long hours over rough terrain and this
lousy Toyota
hunting car. John has an attack of malaria, chills, fever and vomiting.
I have diarrhea and hope it is not malaria - could be. Because of the big
rush and change of plans I did not take my medicine when prescribed.
Put up the reed buck and what's left of the buffalo and returned to camp. In the evening, go sit at the lion bait, but nothing comes.
Day 14 - Up at 4 am and we go to the lion bait in the dark. He came in the night, ate the reed buck and off he went. Lions made quite a lot of noise again, near the camp. We need a new bait, so we are off to "beat the bush" again, John says, in the brachystegia forest.
Three hours of smashing our way through the bush and finally shoot an Oribi. Too small for bait but good for the table. One hour later we see a big bull hartebeest and I make a nice running shot. We now have our bait, so we go to hang it up.
The ant hills here are huge - up to 20 feet high and 50 feet in diameter. They actually are not ants but termites who eat the sand before depositing it on the hill. It makes a good clay for bricks, as it is very hard.
Back to the bait in the late afternoon. There is a big troop of baboons in the trees around the bait, growling, barking and making a racket. They are so noisy I thought they were fighting leopard, who is there natural enemy, but John says, "no, that's normal social behavior." With all this racket, leopard is not likely to come, John says. Very big dog baboons can give a leopard a rough time.
John has been sick all day, but carries on, and we return to camp.
Day 15 - John is still not well, but I'm okay, off we go to the bait in the dark but nothing came as the baboons are still there. The jungle is getting so thick and green the only place you can see the animals is on the dambos and the animals are staying in the jungle. We see two nice kudu bulls but I have shot better on previous safaris so we leave them alone. Had a good shot at a zebra and missed, again. They seem to bear a charmed life with me.
There is a big green, gray snake - as big as my arm and about 7 feet longggg, in a small depression. I said to John, "lets kill it, I would like the skin." The snake's head and body were poised high to strike and John moved away, saying "leave it alone, it's a Mamba. If it bites you, you will die in two minutes. They are aggressive and if you strike it, it will strike" - so we move on.
Day 16 - Up at 4 am and to the bait. No lion or leopard have come, only hyenas had taken some of the meat. Bait very rotten, need to put up another. Flies are getting so bad I am about to chuck the safari. My wrists and hands are swollen. The damn things are in your face all the time, in your nose, ears and everywhere. I am told only the female bites, has to have blood to breed and lay eggs. No good shots today.
Day 17 - Still get up at the same time to check the lion baits, nothing came, only hyenas. A few miles further a big lion crosses our path and trots into the woods. Our hopes rise and we follow, search for about half an hour but cannot find any tracks. The wind is wrong again. Looking for some bait, see some wildebeest and zebra but they keep moving down wind, far out of gunshot. The wind - the wind - the wind. Here John taught me the importance of wind direction. At times animals will stop and stare at us quite close. They will even sometimes trot toward us, but as soon as they get your scent, they flee in terror. Apparently the smell of humans strikes terror to all the wild animals until they become quite used to it in parks, zoos and so forth. They will either run away in terror or will demonstrate anger.
We find a nice waterbuck and I shoot him. We throw the old bait to the vultures and hang up the new one. Come into the blind at night. Vultures have found it and are tearing it to pieces wherever they can reach it. Darkness falls and no predator, so we return to camp.
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