Friday, September 05, 2014

Genet riding buffalo caught on camera

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:

BoS said...

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.

arbroath said...

Good point BoS!

I hadn't considered that possibility.

Ratz said...

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.

arbroath said...

Yes, I imagine there's an element of safety/self-preservation involved, Ratz.

Williamrocket said...

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 ?