Shot of the Month – May 2008

Let me share one of my fondest safari memories.

It was a special day in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana.  You would never believe that it was the desert—It was the rainy season and the desert had transformed itself into this wonderfully lush, WET, bountiful oasis.

On this day we counted 64 Black-backed Jackals!  They were all in high spirits since the rains had unleashed an eruption of frogs from underneath the ground.  The jackals were having a feast.

And that leads us to this photo.

We found 6 jackals running along, with one jackal carrying this massive African bullfrog.  It was clear that none of the jackals really wanted this bullfrog.  One jackal would put him down.  Another would come over and reluctantly pick him up.  Their instincts told them that they simply couldn’t leave such a meal behind.  But they had soooo much food around them; they didn’t really need the bullfrog.

So we laughed and laughed as one jackal after another repeated the sequence. Pick the frog up, run a bit, and put the frog down with a look of great angst and shame.

Next!

Pick the frog up, run a bit, and put it back down.

Finally, at wit’s end, the last jackal put the bullfrog down and the pack bounded off intent to escape any further predator dishonor.

Amazingly, the bullfrog had survived the ordeal and hopped off no worse for wear.

Until next month….:-)