When the Giraffe was electrocuted in Hwange

PREDATORS in Hwange National Park were treated to a rare early Christmas party in December. It was one of those few occasions when prey just presented itself to hungry meat eaters, whose lives are characterised by daily struggles and sacrifices in the fight to bring food to their families in the hot and hostile jungles of one of Africa’s last outposts for exhilarating expeditions.

The Hwange National Park is home to scores of wild animals. These include large herds of kudu, zebras, vultures, elephants, and even the remaining generations of rhinos and the painted dog, which are facing the threat of extinction due to mindless poaching. In the dog eat dog world of the wild where only the fittest can survive, predators have to expend a lot of energy lurking behind bushes for many hours, and then striking on unsuspecting prey only at the right time. Otherwise there won’t be food on the table.

But with prey adopting new methods of evading death, Hwange’s sandy jungles have slowly become the hot spots for new methods of hunting and evasion. But rarely do meat eaters get to have food as easy as what happened on the fateful day for the giraffe that met its death in between power cables in the national park, before it was dragged to secluded bushes to feed packs of hunters and scavengers.

The giant browser had strayed into path of the live power cables that transmit electricity to the national grid from the nearby Hwange Thermal Power station. It then made the rare mistake of rubbing its tall neck against the lines. It fell to the ground and died on the spot. Soon, vultures in flight were making huge circles over the area, and scores of predators followed their signal, which led them to the scene of the Christmas party.

The power lines pass through the 14 000 square kilometre wildlife estate, which is home to scores of wildlife species, including the big five — elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and cheetah — the pride of Zimbabwe’s jungles. Towering over the extensive and scenic lash green forests, the power lines are well placed to make sure even the tallest browsers cannot get into contact with them.

If any animals have been electrocuted before, this has not been seen, at least by the present crop of tour guides and game rangers. But on the rare occasion a few days before the 2014 Christmas, the giraffe is reported to have crossed paths with the live power transmission lines, briefly knelt and collapsed. The incident sparked a frenzy of partying with lions, jackals and other predators camping around the carcass for four days of feasting.

On an early morning game drive in the national park on December 20, our tour guide took us to the place where one of Hwange National Park’s most prominent creatures met its unexpected fate about four kilometres south west of Hwange Airport. It was deserted. But what confronted me was the sad picture of watching the huge dry hide of the once proud and smart giraffe heaped on the edge of a pool of water, its long bones spread all over the vicinity. It was an indication of the vicious battles that ensued as soon as it fell.

“Lions and other predators camped here for four days,” our game guide explained.

“They were here around the clock, and people came here to watch them feasting on the giraffe,” he said.

“The giraffe was big, and it was very tall. It could be the reason why it came into contact with the power cables. It is very rare for an animal to be electrocuted here, in fact I have never seen something like this before,” he said.

Meanwhile, tourists booked at the magnificent Hwange Safari Lodge on December 19 were treated to one of rare incidents of the jungles. Cheetahs cornered an impala on the bushes close of the lodge in full view of holiday makers from all regions of the globe. Exhausted after battling for a long distance to save its life from the hungry and vicious big cats, the impala gave in. Its neck shredded in a few moments before the predators kicked off their own feast on the fresh kill.

“You were a little bit unlucky,” Hwange Safari Lodge general manager, Mildred Matebwe told me over breakfast.

“If you had come early, you would have witnessed the fight,” she said.

She didn’t notice the disappointment that swept through my face.

newsdesk@fingaz.co.zw