The ranger house that is used to store for items confiscated from poachers (mainly lots and lots of snares) has collapsed. The rainy season devastates most local buidings with their bamboo and mud construction. It is being rapidly repaired before the big rains hit...any day now.
While it was being completely dismantled today by Adamo a snake was found and quickly killed. It was an African egg-eating snake, a harmless thing with a small head and interesting adder-like markings. We are fairly sure of the ID but it did not have a black inside of mouth – a defining feature. So it may in fact be a viper? Poor thing dies slowly with an arrow through its head.Early afternoon - once again D tries to fill the Toyota to bursting with bamboo, we did the same yesterday and it all slipped off in the river bar one very small bundle. Another lesson for today – ‘less is more’, somehow I think this is a lesson he will never learn! But this time with two straps and five rangers on top the huge pile of bamboo arrives home.
Due to the mince hiccup (see earlier blog!) he cooks supper and I enjoy the fresh oil more than ever on spaghetti. We sit on the veranda and the moon is nearly full and the night forest quite clear. Then the lion calls – a lower more growling painful song than usual and SO close. Apparently he walked past the house one night while D was in Pemba. Gosh I really think he is close by and again he sings. (Here they describe lions as 'singing' not 'roaring'.)
Now D has activated the second lot of super 25 km radios, very kindly supplied by Jay and Blue Sky Botanics. I am finishing my blog and he has taken his radio to the bathroom to update me on...any updates. Nothing unusual happened there but now we have just found a lovely frog in the bag with the radio chargers in. Enough blogging and wildlife for one day.
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