Hybrid fight

Today I needed to go to Kamok to get more fuel. The roads are still bad, so I asked if there was an alternate route to Kamok where the roads are ok. Apparently the road just inside the northern boundary fence has been all gravelled since last year. It is a longer route, but less chance of getting stuck so I went that way. It turned out to be a really good road and I got to see part of the conservancy I haven't before. There were a few places where you had to drive through a literal pond, but the road was gravel underneath, so no chance of getting stuck in mud. You just keep driving through the water.

On the way I found a hybrid. This was a male that appeared to have a harem of 1 female and (I presume) her colt from last year. While I was watching, a bachelor male came over and started challenging the hybrid. They started trotting, then running, then biting and kicking at each other. I have a lot of it on video. But in the middle of the battle I lost sight of them in the bush! I tried to see if they would come back out, but no luck. So I continued on to Kamok.

While there I got fuel and went to find Mathenge's office to see if I could talk to him a little more about my project. He wasn't there right when I walked in, but another guy called him on his cell phone and Mathenge came to meet me. I told him about the delay on the cages and being unable to find clips for the cow collars. He is going into town tomorrow, so he said he will check at several stores and let me know if he finds them. Then I can go back to town with Kim on Friday (when she is going in to meet another grad student from UC Davis who is coming here to research) and buy them.

Mathenge also introduced me to Giles, the head cattle manager. I told him about my project and he seemed very supportive, so it was a good meeting. I also made a plan to meet up with Mathenge again on Saturday so he can show me one of the sites we chose that I have never been to before. It is in the far northwest corner of the property. There are no cows there now, but they are planning to move some there soon. So this will hopefully be a crucial "before cows" site that then becomes a "during cows" site so I can see how the wildlife respond. Giles said that if I only need 2 weeks to get "before cows" data, they can hold off on moving the cows there for me for 2 weeks. So that was nice.

On the way back I drove by the spot where the hybrid had been trying to fight off a challenger and saw the hybrid alone-- without his female. So it looks like he lost the fight, and his harem to that other male! Poor guy. As a hybrid, he was much bigger than his challenger, so I don't know why he lost. I will have to check back in the next week and see if I can find that hybrid again and see who he is with now.

(The hybrid and his female, before he lost :( )