September 2023 – Hoanib Fieldwork
Sunday 1 October 2023
The latter part of August 2023 was committed to both the brown hyaena study and the monitoring of predation and food intake by both the Hoanib lioness Xpl-114 “Charly” and the Floodplain “Orphan” lionesses and small cub.
Brown hyaena study
Finding and fitting new GPS radio collars to key individual hyaenas of the Skeleton Coast Brown Hyaena Project was relatively easy at the start and four hyaenas were darted. The remaining three radio collars are earmarked for three individual adult females, two of whom are wearing inactive radio collars. Finding these individual hyaenas have been rather difficult.
Following eight unsuccessful nights (5, 2 & 1 nights) at Amp’s Poort during Jul/Aug 2023, an additional seven consecutive nights at Amp’s Poort, followed by two nights at a giraffe carcass on the eastern edge of the Floodplain, were invested. This brings the effort – to locate & fit radio collar to the three individual hyaenas – to 17 nights without success. Several brown hyaenas were observed, but none were suitable for darting.
Guideline used to identify the target hyaenas that approached the bait at night.
Thermal images of hyaenas visiting the bait
The adult male Xhb-28 “Karlowa” was fitted with a satellite radio collar at the end of July 2023. His movement patterns after the first month provides an interesting concentration of activity on the western section of the Hoanib Floodplain.
Movements of the adult male brown hyaena Xhb-28 “Karlowa” during the month of August 2023
Lower Hoanib & Floodplain action
Due to the extensive floods earlier in 2023, the lower Hoanib riverbed and the Floodplain has remained a flurry of wildlife activity.
Springboks and a journey a young giraffes on the banks of the Hoanib River.
Raptor – possibly a juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk
Hoanib lioness Xpl-114 “Charly”
After spending a few days in the southern mountainous habitat of the Mudorib River, the lioness returned to the Hoanib and moved northwards. On 22 Aug 2023 she killed an adult ostrich in a narrow gorge 5 km north of President’s waterhole. During the night of 26 Aug 2023, whilst still feeding on the ostrich, the lioness moved to drink at the waterhole. On her way back to her carcass, she encountered and captured another adult ostrich. The second ostrich was dragged up and into a cave / rock-overhang. For the next three days the lioness moved between and fed on the two carcasses that were 1.5 km apart.
Xpl-114 “Charly” sleeping & moving along the Hoanib riverbed
Adult male ostrich caught by the lioness Xpl-114 “Charly” in a narrow gorge
Xpl-114 “Charly” laying a the cave where she stashed her second ostrich
