When Zoë Luhdo and the team at conservation group Wildlife ACT checked on camera traps in South Africa's Hluhluwe Game Reserve, they didn't expect to see a genet riding a buffalo.
"I can only speculate as to why this genet decided that hitch-hiking was a good idea, but can confidently say that this is fantastically bizarre.
"We are all wondering if this was a once-off occurrence or if this genet will be making a habit of dropping in and catching a lift with strangers in the dark," she says.
Wildlife ACT uses camera traps as a non-invasive form of wildlife monitoring on a few of the Zululand Game Reserves where we are stationed. The camera traps are placed strategically and usually in hard to navigate areas. They are triggered by movement and use a flash at night that doesn’t irritate the animals as is evident in this series of images.
5 comments:
Getting the bus to work.
I wonder if perhaps the movement of such a large animal as a buffalo would flush out prey for the genet? Plus, great mobile vantage point and very few predators to worry about.
Good point BoS!
I hadn't considered that possibility.
I was wondering if it was either the above, along with a way to avoid predators. Something that'd eat a genet probably isn't going to take on a buffalo.
Yes, I imagine there's an element of safety/self-preservation involved, Ratz.
Me ?
I thought I was quite well informed, but I have never heard of a genet before.
Most of my life reading every book I can lay my hands on, but …. nada about genets.
Now I know.
Being related to the civet, I wonder if they have their own 'brand' of coffee out yet ?
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