Wildlife Encounters: at home and abroad
Wonder is a choice, and we can find it if we look for it. Seth Godin
Striped Hyena ©Mike Christina
#1 Catch and Release
When I sat down to write this week’s blog I caught some movement in my peripheral vision. A tiny deer mouse hopped out from under my desk and paused three feet away. The little fur ball seemed unperturbed by my presence. “Well hello,” I said, scanning my office to see what I could use to catch it. Bare hands? Eewwww no.
Deer Mouse ©kathykarn
Banning thoughts of Hantavirus and where there’s one there are many, from my mind, I grabbed a Kleenex. Perhaps I could catch it with this protective layer? As I bent down to nab the two-inch invader it hopped out of my grasp and disappeared under the bookcase. One for the mouse, 0 for me. I returned to my desk. The mouse came back!
Reaching for a drinking glass I stalked the rodent into the family room. It did a circuit under the couch and returned to my office. I deftly (herding mice is a talent I was unaware I had) cornered it between the door and the bookcase and lowered the glass. Gotcha!
Gotcha! ©kathykarn
I slid a card under the glass and inched my way to the back door with my prey. Gripping my trap in both hands I extended a finger and opened the door. I stepped onto the patio and tossed the mouse into the garden. In hindsight I could have been gentler, I’m embarrassed to say it didn’t occur to me at the time. I went inside to find my phone, unfortunately the mouse had disappeared into the great beyond by the time I returned. A documentary photo essay of my first catch and release effort was not top of mind when I released the mouse back to the wild. Be free little mouse and kindly don’t return!
Striped Hyena @MikeChristina
Part 2:
Mike Christina, an American wildlife photographer and annual safari goer sent me an email in response to last week’s Striped Bandit story. “I thought you might like a few shots I got of a striped hyena in 2013, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area a little south of Ndutu (Tanzania). It appeared that he/she stole a kill from 3 cheetahs, but the bloody ear suggests they put up a bit of a fight.”
Mike’s images tell a great story and show the banded thief in broad daylight chowing down on the cheetah’s forfeited meal. The fact that Mike took these photos in 2013 and travels to Tanzania every year proves how rare sightings of striped hyenas are. Thank you for sharing your images, Mike!
Striped Hyena defending its plunder ©Mike Christina
©Mike Christina
Making off with the prize ©Mike Christina
Battle Wounds ©Mike Christina
Finally, for those who asked, my Tusk and Trunk image came in second in the London Camera Club’s Curves and Lines competition.
Tusk and Trunk @kathykarn
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