27 May
I’m starting to think that I’m just not meant to see a pygmy hippo in the wild. I came back to Kenema today, promising some new colleagues a lift back with me as they had spent the night on the island. When I arrived at the campsite where they’ve been staying on the island late in the morning, I could tell from their faces that something wasn’t quite right. One of the group, Kelly, had gone for a short walk and just a few minutes away from the camp had bumped into a couple of pygmy hippos! She’d heard them before she saw them and as she went round a corner, ever so slowly, there they were, resting on the forest floor. It took them a couple of minutes to realise she was there – just enough time for her to take some photos. She’s so lucky! We’ve been here for weeks and still haven’t had any luck.
Photo by Kelly Witkowski. She was lucky enough to have time to take this brilliant photo before the hippos realised she was there.
29 May
You can practically feel the frustration and desperation that’s descended over the camp. We had another close call this morning. Whilst checking his traps this morning, Alusine spotted a pygmy hippo taking a bath in the river, close to two of our traps. Having seen Alusine, the hippo ran off in the direction of the traps, but managed to avoid them. It stayed in the area so Michele headed out with her dart gun. Unfortunately, the undergrowth got too thick before she could get a clear shot.
Hopefully the hippo will stick around and we’ll get another chance.