The 3 young ones with mum in the background

After being back for 5 week without seeing a big cat, I finally found Tommy feeding on a carcass of a 6-7years old elephant. He might even have killed it!

For sure, this is was HIS meal, not to be shared with anyone. Any hyaena that tried to get close this night got charged right away. Eventually, they all gave up...

This is how I left him this morning. I'm sure I'll find him back there tonight...

A big part of my job here is to monitor carcasses trough nights and days for hyaena and lion activities. When I heard that a big bull died next to the pan at Sinanga, I packed my slepping back and everything else and zoomed off there. When I arrived at the scene at 19:15, 5 hyaenas were alreday feeding. I was soon to doscover that there were actually 8 of my spotted friends around!! I spent the night parks 15m away from the deed ele, up wind to avoid its smell...

When the sun finally rose, after a really cold night, this is what I witnessed...

Now, look at the size of the hole below the ear compare to the one on the previous pictures... Hyaenas have their ways!!

Obvisously, an elephant has a lot of blood... ~ 180L to be precise!

Otherwise, hyaenas can also be beautiful!!

When there is food around, it's always an opportunity to re-assess your social status, especially for hyaenas. The presence of this one was apparently not to the taste of the others!!

And suddently, it happenned!! The hyaenas scattered in all directions in front of 4 wild dogs running into the open area around the pan. I just couldn't believe my eyes!! How can hyaenas run in front of wild dogs?? I have no idea, but this it what happenned, and the dogs whooped their asses!!!

And the winners were:

The dogs didn't feed on the ele, they are not scavengers. They merely came for a drink, a rest in the warmth of the rising sun ans then set up on their way, trotting away into the bush...

These 3 wild dogs had just killed a young kudu at Guvalala when we found them. What a nice spectcle to watch them eat the share and playing around with each other!