Last week’s article included a note informing readers that I had come across a grey mongoose while cycling in the vicinity of the Renishaw causeway. This past week I was once again cycling in the same area when I came across something unusual, and as my mind wandered, the unusual sighting caused me some anxiety.
As I entered the farm road into the sugarcane field, I noticed three dogs lying on their sides fast asleep.
They were sheltered from the wind by the sugar cane and lying in a patch of sunlight. I slowly approached them thinking that they had been poisoned. Only when I had stopped right next to them did one wake up, and then the other two followed suit.
All three of them ran off into the sugar cane. It seemed to me that they were the type of hunting dogs that usually travel in much larger packs in the company of one or two locals.
There were no other humans around, so I wondered whether they had simply been hunting on their own and were resting after their efforts. The presence of the dogs intrigued me as I had never ever come across any dogs, let alone hunting dogs, in this area.
A little bit further on I reached the point where I had come across the grey mongoose last week, and the thought crossed my mind that if these three dogs came across the solitary grey mongoose, it was most likely going to become a tasty meal for the dogs.
If there were a large group of banded mongooses, the chances of the dogs catching one of the group would have been slimmer as the dogs would not have concentrated their attention on a solitary mongoose. There is truth in the expression, “Safety in numbers”.
A solitary mongoose would see the attention of all three dogs focussed on it. I just hope that the grey mongoose has a safe refuge in case these dogs are hunting in the area again, and the dogs catch a whiff of it.
This past weekend saw the end of June and the end of the Proteas cricket campaign in this year’s cricket World Cup.
This came about for many reasons but, in my opinion, the standout reason for their embarrassing exit from the competition is Cricket South Arica’s insistence of implementing the quota system.
The rugby world cup is on the horizon and one wonders how the Springboks will fare, also being saddled with the government’s demand for the national teams to reflect, not the best players, but rather the demographic make-up of the population. A few local dates for July.
The Scottburgh Classic Car Show will be held at the Scottburgh High School on Sunday, 7 July.
Don’t miss it – remember the lyrics of the song, The Big Yellow Taxi sung by Joni Mitchell – “You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone”. Schools start the following week and then on the weekend of 20 and 21 July, the Scottburgh Mountain Bike Race and Trail run will start and finish at the main beach. Watch the local press for further details – there is much on offer for all ages, shapes and sizes.
Oh, and the sardines? Well, they’ll come if, and when they choose – let’s hope it is another bumper year for the little fish to generate a great deal of excitement.
