Assessing the situation
I don't know who it was this time that informed them, but I suspect it might have been the Bontebok. They where close by when I was setting up the cameras. After a while they seemed to be getting a little tired of me and eventually one or two gave an insulting snort in my direction. I got the message and swiftly left the scene of the crime. Unfortunately it seems like they informed the Secret Police of my presence.
Evidence of a Bontebok (Bontebok) and some Helmeted Guineafowl (Tarentaal) at the scene of the crime
They must have been after the reward money. Those tags in their ears can't be cheap!
The latest trend at Tygerberg is to get tagged
Regardless of who informed them, the result was the same.
A relentless onslaught
And they even brought in the new recruits for some on the job training.
Young officers learning the finer intrecasies of camera trap stakeouts
The senior officers where drilling the slackers hard. They gave it their all and I must admit they did a good job at keeping my camera under constant watch.
The classic "I'm not looking" act does not fool me anymore
The other camera didn't slip by them either.
Always on the lookout (or on an important secret mission)
The result? They managed to fill up the memory card in no time and where on 93% of the 846 images (with animals on). I can't think of any way of evading the law, so I will just have to take this police brutality like a man while I'm at the pond. Maybe I'll be able to shake them off when I move to a new location...
Good one, mate. That variety of cop is edible, though tough, I believe.
ReplyDeleteWell told. Sounds like you are well underway in writing the South African version of the "camera trapper's blues" - a poem/song we mumble when a set goes sideways... :)
ReplyDeleteIn California the "cop" niche is often filled by wild turkeys, but deer and squirrels can be equally card filling.
mmm I've never had cop before... I think I'll try it out next time I'm at a restaurant that serves it. I'm not desperate enough for the taste of some cop to track one down and roast him myself. It is much easier to find their bigger cousin, the Ostrich, at the supermarket. I guess Ostrich is easier to farm (and maybe tastes better than Guineafowl).
ReplyDeleteRandomTruth you should maybe one day send me a copy of the "camera trapper's blues" to help me get started on the South African version :)