There is a Hyena in my Tent
I went inside my tent. I noticed that the zipper on my tent had a hole between the two lower zippers (the horizontal ones) and the high zipper (the vertical one).
– That’s not good. Snakes can enter through here very easily- I said. I decided that would be a problem for tomorrow.
I decided to join the group to have dinner. After dinner, we all gathered at the campfire sharing tales and jokes for a few hours.
It was late, and we had to wake up super early tomorrow. So, I decided it was time for me to go to bed. I grabbed my head torch and headed back to my tent. Luckily it was the first one, so I just had to walk 20 steps. I entered my tent and closed all the flaps. I left two windows open, with only the mosquito net.
Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta).
The campfire and my tent on the left.
The sounds of the bush were amazing. Everything sounded very loud. The people talking around the campfire, even though they were 10 meters away, it sounded like they were inside my tent. Talking and laughing. Time would pass, and I could hear one by one leaving the campfire.
After 2 hours of trying to fall asleep, finally everyone was in their tents. The sound from people talking was replaced by the sound of the bush. Frogs took over, then some Nightjars (nocturnal birds). I heard some Zebras calling in the distance. The hippos also went vocal, and the dam where they were was far away. Some impalas started alarm calling. Then in the distance I heard a “woooo”. Hyena alarm call.
– A hyena – I thought.
The call was far, but I knew the hyena was on her way to the camp. So, I did my best to fall asleep, with no use. Every time you try to fall asleep on purpose it only delays it. 10 minutes later I heard it again “Woooo”. This time it was louder, and closer. 10 minutes later again “woooo. Woaaoooo”. Louder and closer. And then “WOOOHOOO”.
Total silence! All the other animals got quiet. There was no sound. Then I started to hear it. I started to hear some footsteps around my tent. It walked slowly. Then I started to hear it smelling. It was smelling something. I tried my best to not make a sound. I controlled my breathing. Sadly, my toes decided it was the best time to start cracking at every movement. “Pack!” “Pack!” My toes went. It started moving slowly to the front of the tent, where the hole was.
The quiet and dark night.
It was pitch dark. I looked into the dark where the opened window was. I couldn’t see anything, but I swear I felt something looking into my eyes. The only problem was that I couldn’t see it, but it sure could see me. It moved away from the window and went to the corner of the tent, and then I heard it!
Scratching the tent. I decided to turn my head torch on to see what that sound was. From the corner of the tent I could see the tent moving with the scratches. I thought to myself:
– If this is the way I’m supposed to go, then I’m going to give it a hell of a fight for it!
Not sure what to do I grabbed my swissarmy knife, my little knife. Smaller than a butter knife.
– I’m not going to do any damage with this- I thought.
I thought that maybe I should make the hyena think that inside the tent there is a difficult challenge that it should be avoided. I decided to grab my boot and throw it to the wall of the tent where the scratching was coming from. Then I yelled:
– GO AWAY! YOU PISS OF SH&T! – in Portuguese.
Well let’s say that there were more words on that yell, and not the pleasant ones I’m afraid. The moment the boot hit the tent and I yelled, the hyena started running. But it wasn’t just one hyena around the tent, there were two more hyenas on each side of the tent.
I felt my heart pumping hard. I got up for a few moments to relax a bit. I went to my bag to grab my water bottle. I was sweating like a pig. When I opened my bag, I saw all the bags of biltong I had bought at the station.
– Sh#t! – I thought – No wonder they were coming to my tent. Even I can smell the biltong.
Trying to block the whole in my tent with my outside mat.
There was no way to go now and drop the biltong at the kitchen. To do that I would have to leave the tent, to the middle of the bush with a bag of meat while three hyenas are looking for that bag of meat.
I heard the hyenas returning so I rushed to my bed. Again, they went scratching the side of the tent where my bag was. I grabbed my other boot and again threw it to the tent. Again, the hyenas ran in fear. I got up, so I could “reload” my boots. For what it looked like an eternity, I fought the hyenas. Even one managed to put its nose inside the tent through the hole in the front of the tent.
Then the hyenas returned but they didn’t come to my tent. I heard them passing by my tent and continuing in the direction of the other tents. Lawrence, my neighbour was snoring this whole time. Snoring like a lion! But then stopped. I released a little giggle thinking:
– That’s Lawrence’s problem now.
Welcome to the Camp!
2 Comments
Sue
How fun. I felt like I was there!
Why on earth did you have food in your tent?
Hee hee – glad it was just a hyena problem!
Look forward to the next tale. ?
Bea & João
Hi Sue.
Hehehe it was a mistake. It was supposed to be on the kitchen fridge locked away. I had it on my backpack because I took it with me for the sunset. Then forgot to drop it at the kitchen.
The next morning I took it to the kitchen.
But even then, the hyenas returned every night.
Next episode is already on the making. It is a very funny story.