Malembe

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Malembe is the Shangaane (local tribe) word for the Black Rhinoceros. One of the megafauna of Africa, they are territorial and shy. Smaller than the white rhino, they are also called the hook-lipped rhino, adapted to browsing rather than grazing. White rhinos are also larger and have a hump on their shoulders and rump, but more docile then the black rhino. I know each rhino by name now, Duchess, Zoli, Khuza, Thokamisa, Zulu, Buza, the list goes on. Released into the reserve three months ago, they are all young and still establishing their territories, which means their movement patterns are sparodic. Thokamisa has been the most reliable, almost always near the same lodge.

Yesterday we had our first rhino siting, Deena watering near one of the damns. Francios spotted her through the trees, quite far off, and both parties froze. She stared towards us before heading for the bush. Rhinos have notoriously bad eyesight, relying on their hearing to pinpoint danger. We slowly made out way forwards, finding her hiding behind a screen of Grewia bushes. She warned us off with a loud snort, pawing the earth before heading deeper into the bush. Again, we found her hiding, but this time she let us watch her for 20 minutes. She was onhigh alert, someitimes grabbing a nervous mouthful of grass, and then resuming her vigil. For me, this was the most exhilerating sighting so far, to finally see one of these animals we had been tracking for two weeks. As with the elephants, to identify the individuals a clear picture of the horn and ears is essential. Deena had a large chunk out of the left ear and a smaller one from the right. She was powerful and dangerous, elusive but not afraid.

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