"genet with goat meat" |
I'm happy to tell you everything about my experiences with the wild
Genets.
It was shortly after the safari in the Ngorongoro/Serengeti area in Tanzania. We were camping for 2 nights with our group of 12 just outside the parks to visit some local tribes. It wasn't really a camping but some sort of green oasis in a large dry area, with no facilities, just a small creek to wash yourself and our own tents. We had a few cooks who did an amazing job every night by cooking us excellent fresh meals, on the ground, of course without any gas or electricity. There were a lot of food leftovers like vegetables, fruit and meat in their "kitchen" and that's when my girlfriend noticed something moving, around 10 o'clock in the night.
At first we thought about "Bushbabies", rather ugly animals that are often seen. But then I saw an incredibly large tail and beautiful spots so it had to be something else. We checked some wildlife book and found it: The large spotted Genet, a strictly nocturnal but very common animal in Africa.
We took chairs and sat very quietly next to the food to spot more of this animal. After a few minutes it came back, and it kept coming. It was amazing to see. It reminded me a lot of my own cats, in the way it was standing with its legs on the plastic crates to see what's inside and the way it was scratching its chin on the edge of the crate. While watching this one, other ones were appearing out of the dark. At a certain point we saw 5 of them, but not more then 2 at once. I think we've been sitting there for over 3 hours, enjoying the show and taking loads of pictures. We used our flashlight to illuminate them but it doesn't scare them, obviously they don't notice light, even not the flasher from the cameras. But the slightest sound makes them disappear right away! I've seen a lot of (big) wildlife in that vacation but this was one of the best sightings!
The 2nd evening was even better. Shortly after dinner the Genets were already interested in the food. This time they also seemed much braver, since they came closer and weren't scared off that easily. We gathered more people to come and watch and I thought of a plan to attract them. We had eaten a goat that night and there was this BIG chunk (I think the ribs) left, it was still poked on a stick, roasting on a fire. I took the chunk of goat, with the sticks still in it, (nearly 1 meter) and put it on the ground in front of our chairs. The idea was that all the genets would come out and take small bites, giving us the opportunity to observe them from a close range and take pictures. But the plan went different!
The first Genet came out, put his nose up in the air and smelled something. Following her nose she reached that half a goat. What happened next was simply amazing, it was hilarious, and you should imagine us sitting there with 10 people or so in the dark, being quiet and the Genet is entertaining us. The Genet smelled the meat, put her teeth in it and disappeared! That whole huge piece with sticks and all was taken! And the most amazing of all was that the Genet made no sound - at all - not even dragging when she was dragging it into the bushes (well it was not dragging, she just had it in her mouth, they must be strong!). We assumed the show was over for that night - they would have enough food for the coming week!
So far the experience.
I have more pictures and I will upload them now. If anyone can adjust them (these are even darker) then please do so! There is one picture where the genet takes that goat; you can see how big the chunk is with the sticks.
My father who was also with us took really excellent pictures with a professional camera and a big zoom - highly detailed and fabulous. I promise to scan them and upload them here as well as soon as possible.
Reply by Martha:
Dylan,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. It was a joy to hear the story. It brought back a recent incident to mind when my husband and I left the house for a little while. Upon our return my husband tells me Khira (our genet) had something big in her mouth. I saw something big but could not identify it as she ran into the dark bathroom. When I turned on the light I realized she had a pork chop in her mouth. I had forgotten to put the leftovers in the fridge and Khira had decided to help herself while we were out. She ran around with the pork chop in her mouth to prevent us from taking it. We finally got it and cut it up for her but at that point she was no longer interested in it. I guess food tastes better for her if she has stolen it!
Martha
