Monday, January 26, 2004
Life, Death and in-between.
These sneaky, sneaky delusive creatures, thought they'll get away with it. The little cows, little white sneaky mad cows. No,not this time.
Not again shall i walk on vain.
Cliffs were climbed, paths tracked, leads were followed, thorns avoided. Thought they'll sneak their ways out of Assafistan. But i followed them. To the edges of Oryxia they went. Yet i walked after them.
They sent signals north, then west, then east again, sent me running up and down mountains as if I were a mare rabies fox. But no escape. No escape for the white double-horns. Not this day. Freezing winds they sent to stop us, wild horses to confuse are minds. A pair of vicious mad crews, sharp thorns, nuclear mines. But non could stop us. After 5 hours of constant walking,
determined as ever, E & me got a good eye sight of these 7, and quite a lousy picture.
In order to understand what exactly happened, I need to take you to last week events, a day after the eastern Oryx group, lacking the 2 males and one female which mysteriously disappeared, where sighted at their usual abode.
After a nice ride with N. In my car and her parents following in their car, we reach a point where few Oryx were to our south, i what assumed to be a walkable distance, and few in unknown location to the north. N. parents decided they had enough, and have to leave. They took N., left me some vegetables, and drove away.
I decided that south it we'll be. Not an easy decision, as going north may be to a new location where i never seen Oryx before. But south i walked. After a while, I met a single female Oryx. She didn't get confused, and run away immediately. i was surprised to see a female Oryx on her own, and wondered whether they are more around.
a not-too-weak signal from the receiver implied that there is another female around.
Did I mention that the Oryx are delusive, and they're signals are not to be trusted.
I walked down stream and west, more and more, and then had to climb more and more up a steep mountain, till i got to the edge of a high cliff, and there she was, the second female. Alone as well, miles from her friend. From such a distance, the Oryx thought I might be an Oryx as well - at last the white cloths prove efficient- and walked a bit towards me. Then, she started to make signals with her head and walk the other way. I said, sorry babe, it's too late for me. Too late i was. The sun was setting and i had to rush. Some how i got the tendency of getting to the most remote places when I'm alone. I've located a transmitter of a dead Oryx from that mountain, which reminds me of the week before that one...
wasn't so sure where to go, i followed a road threw a wadi I've been a week before (see below, the last post). Since i was in a low narrow wadi, i had to stop once in about 1.5km to sniff around. And i one point where i stopped, while passing through the presets on the receiver, just to get to the Oryx i wanted, i got signals from an Oryx i didn't receive for a few months, and thought the transmitter was dead. It wasn't the transmitter that was dead. FHI had a history of getting into trouble.
She got her transmitter when she was found entangled in a parachute.
The signals of death came from a narrow wadi, about 500 meters from where i was,
no signs to what had led the beast to such an end.
Don't think that this is the rate the Oryx die, it's just that in the past few weeks i got lucky in finding radio-collars that's was assumed lost.
anyway, it was too late to search for the Oryx, but we met them on the way back, in the last rays of light, not close to where we were looking for them.
Did I mention they are sneaky creatures ?
Not again shall i walk on vain.
Cliffs were climbed, paths tracked, leads were followed, thorns avoided. Thought they'll sneak their ways out of Assafistan. But i followed them. To the edges of Oryxia they went. Yet i walked after them.
They sent signals north, then west, then east again, sent me running up and down mountains as if I were a mare rabies fox. But no escape. No escape for the white double-horns. Not this day. Freezing winds they sent to stop us, wild horses to confuse are minds. A pair of vicious mad crews, sharp thorns, nuclear mines. But non could stop us. After 5 hours of constant walking,
determined as ever, E & me got a good eye sight of these 7, and quite a lousy picture.
In order to understand what exactly happened, I need to take you to last week events, a day after the eastern Oryx group, lacking the 2 males and one female which mysteriously disappeared, where sighted at their usual abode.
After a nice ride with N. In my car and her parents following in their car, we reach a point where few Oryx were to our south, i what assumed to be a walkable distance, and few in unknown location to the north. N. parents decided they had enough, and have to leave. They took N., left me some vegetables, and drove away.
I decided that south it we'll be. Not an easy decision, as going north may be to a new location where i never seen Oryx before. But south i walked. After a while, I met a single female Oryx. She didn't get confused, and run away immediately. i was surprised to see a female Oryx on her own, and wondered whether they are more around.
a not-too-weak signal from the receiver implied that there is another female around.
Did I mention that the Oryx are delusive, and they're signals are not to be trusted.
I walked down stream and west, more and more, and then had to climb more and more up a steep mountain, till i got to the edge of a high cliff, and there she was, the second female. Alone as well, miles from her friend. From such a distance, the Oryx thought I might be an Oryx as well - at last the white cloths prove efficient- and walked a bit towards me. Then, she started to make signals with her head and walk the other way. I said, sorry babe, it's too late for me. Too late i was. The sun was setting and i had to rush. Some how i got the tendency of getting to the most remote places when I'm alone. I've located a transmitter of a dead Oryx from that mountain, which reminds me of the week before that one...
wasn't so sure where to go, i followed a road threw a wadi I've been a week before (see below, the last post). Since i was in a low narrow wadi, i had to stop once in about 1.5km to sniff around. And i one point where i stopped, while passing through the presets on the receiver, just to get to the Oryx i wanted, i got signals from an Oryx i didn't receive for a few months, and thought the transmitter was dead. It wasn't the transmitter that was dead. FHI had a history of getting into trouble.
She got her transmitter when she was found entangled in a parachute.
The signals of death came from a narrow wadi, about 500 meters from where i was,
no signs to what had led the beast to such an end.
Don't think that this is the rate the Oryx die, it's just that in the past few weeks i got lucky in finding radio-collars that's was assumed lost.
anyway, it was too late to search for the Oryx, but we met them on the way back, in the last rays of light, not close to where we were looking for them.
Did I mention they are sneaky creatures ?
Sunday, January 04, 2004
2-3/1/04
This weekend has started with a message in my cell-phone. "Give me a call" said G, the ranger who works at the eastern side of my kingdom.
So i did.
"A funny story" he said. "One of the Oryx came back to the breeding center (HAI-BAR)"
I couldn't see what's so funny about one of the 2 males that carry a transmitter, going back to the closed reserve. i guess he just had enough - must have thought "fuck it, I'm out of here, all day long looking for food, loads of scary creatures are always around, you have to walk miles for a drink - better off in the breeding center where you get breakfast to bed, and loads of Oryx-chicks as well. I'm going back !"
at the time, i was on my way to the western land, where after not-a-long walk I've seen an Oryx lazing in the sun, enjoying the warm winter sun. He wasn't alone, and soon after he spotted me and stood up, the rest of the gang showed themselves, and fled as fast as possible. The poor Oryx had some strings messed-up on his rear foot,
Hope it won't bother him.
the next morning i had a little deja-vu. "Give me a call" said the voice of G on the answering machine. I did.
" another Oryx male Oryx has showed up in the breeding center, this time with no transmitter."
it's just female #4 that i can't find anywhere. Been all around the region. No trace.
excellent view points, but not a single beep. 8 of the group in one place, 6 on the other. 2 had enough of living in the wild but no sign of #4. Hope she's not a Jordanian Shishlik.
while looking for her, i had to through a strange village. The gate was locked so i had to press the button and ask for someone to come and open the gate. The person wants to know why. It's a long story, and not really a believable one. "looking for oryx in the desert ?" i didn't really expect a reply, always surprise when people buy the story, but it's too long to explain in a walkee-tolkee. They are nice people in this bizarre village .
but no lost Oryx.
A beautiful desert sunset. It's time to go home.
So i did.
"A funny story" he said. "One of the Oryx came back to the breeding center (HAI-BAR)"
I couldn't see what's so funny about one of the 2 males that carry a transmitter, going back to the closed reserve. i guess he just had enough - must have thought "fuck it, I'm out of here, all day long looking for food, loads of scary creatures are always around, you have to walk miles for a drink - better off in the breeding center where you get breakfast to bed, and loads of Oryx-chicks as well. I'm going back !"
at the time, i was on my way to the western land, where after not-a-long walk I've seen an Oryx lazing in the sun, enjoying the warm winter sun. He wasn't alone, and soon after he spotted me and stood up, the rest of the gang showed themselves, and fled as fast as possible. The poor Oryx had some strings messed-up on his rear foot,
Hope it won't bother him.
the next morning i had a little deja-vu. "Give me a call" said the voice of G on the answering machine. I did.
" another Oryx male Oryx has showed up in the breeding center, this time with no transmitter."
it's just female #4 that i can't find anywhere. Been all around the region. No trace.
excellent view points, but not a single beep. 8 of the group in one place, 6 on the other. 2 had enough of living in the wild but no sign of #4. Hope she's not a Jordanian Shishlik.
while looking for her, i had to through a strange village. The gate was locked so i had to press the button and ask for someone to come and open the gate. The person wants to know why. It's a long story, and not really a believable one. "looking for oryx in the desert ?" i didn't really expect a reply, always surprise when people buy the story, but it's too long to explain in a walkee-tolkee. They are nice people in this bizarre village .
but no lost Oryx.
A beautiful desert sunset. It's time to go home.
