and then there are . . . .

     What a shame that so many of the very most interesting of the animals of the Kalahari have been identified as menaces to the farming business!  No different, of course, from the U.S. farming business which persists to this day to see predators such as wolves, coyotes, and cougars as evil incarnate and to strive for their eradication.
     Lions certainly have been viewed this way in the Kalahari, but they are not alone.  Notably, wild dogs, leopards, and hyenas suffer from the same bad image.  Leopards still manage to be the most plentiful wild cat in Africa, and they have adapted amazingly well to human habitation, even URBAN human habitation.  They are very much feared, because they apparently hunt by stealth and are very good at it, sometimes even to the detriment of people.  But oh my, are they beautiful and majestic!  Check this article out for sensible alternatives!  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/india-untamed/2015/jan/08/mumbai-residents-learn-live-with-leopards

Here is one of the two kept in compounds at the Grasslands, having just received her twice-weekly ration of meat . . . .  and NOT about to share it with anyone.

What a fabulous creature.  I prefer them to lions, I think, but then, who has to choose?




     And wild dogs!  Not too long before I went to Africa, a child at a U.S. zoo was killed by wild dogs when he fell into a compound from some sort of high observation post.  So I was disposed to dislike the animals and see them as brutal killers, a disposition that apparently I shared with a majority of Africans.  Because wild dogs have become very rare indeed, having been killed on sight for years.

     I understand that wild dogs, long vilified as wily, sneaky, bloodthirsty beasts, are now being seen as having qualities too--such as extreme loyalty.  That is, loyalty to the extent that individuals will sacrifice their own lives for the sake of the pack.  Take a look at this pack being fed and see whether you think they have redeeming features!

I for one was rather taken by them.  They constantly whined at each other and seemed to be always aware of each other.  They teased and played and were undeniably voracious eaters.  And their coloring was just magnificent.  I hope they make a comeback.