It was somewhat unsettling when Edson gave Duncan and I a quick talk about what to do if we stumble across various dangerous animals in the dark, especially as most of the advice is followed by “and if you do that maybe you can get away”. Considering that I have not long got over my apprehension of nightly toilet trips the talk was perhaps less than helpful!
The fact that various creatures can be found close to camp at night is evident from the variety of sounds I hear emerging from the dark as I lie in bed. Owls and baboons are often heard, as is the late-night frog chorus and the scuttling of lizards across the tent roof. The deep bellowing grunts of a male lion sometimes adds to the racket along with stranger noises that I am unable to identify. Occasionally the animal sounds are accompanied by the pattering of rain, booming thunder and the howling wind. With all this going on the night-times can be incredibly noisy here!
One night I heard what sounded disconcertingly like a leopard as I walked back to the tent from the toilet. I told myself that it couldn't be a leopard, they are very rarely seen in this area and it would be unlikely for one to come so close to camp. The next morning I ask Edson what the source of the noise that appeared just before the baboons starting screaming was. “Oh that was a leopard” he cheerily replied.
It now seems that the chance of a leopard appearing out of the long grass in from of me in the dead of night has slightly increased. Perhaps worryingly, whilst the idea of anything suddenly emerging from the grass in the dark is somewhat unnerving, the thought of seeing a leopard excites me more than it scares me. That said, my heart still leaps into my mouth when a nightjar flies up in front of my face when I almost step on it one night!
Written Monday 19th July
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