Olketa Smol Hunter wea Naes for Lukim
FROM MAN WEA RAET FOR WEKAP! LONG SOUTH AFRICA
HEM standap long tufala bak leg bilong hem long big sun, hem hol strong long olketa thin branch and balancem hemseleva witim tail. Hem barava gard gud and lukluk long skae and graon for eni saen bilong danger. Hem mekem smol saond olsem brrp and peep for letem olketa fren bilong hem, wea go ahed for lukaotem kaikai, savve no eni danger stap. Hem bae gard kasem taem wanfala long olketa fren bilong hem changem hem—nomata diswan bae nara hour moa!
Wanem nao disfala animal? Hem meerkat. Disfala smol animal wea kaikaim insect garem body wea 40 centimeter from nose kasem tail. Olketa laek tumas for kaban tugeta long olketa grup wea garem 10 go kasem 30 member, wea waka klos tugeta.
Evri morning, taem olketa meerkat kamaot from hol bilong olketa, olketa bae laen ap and feisim sun wea kakamap for hotem body bilong olketa bihaen cold naet. Long there olketa klinim each other and semtaem mekem naesfala noise olsem olketa fren. Olketa naesfala wei hia savve tek haf hour or moa. Bat no longtaem nomoa olketa lusim ples for go hunting.
Hunting bilong olketa meerkat hem organize gud dastawe olketa nating savve short long insect and smol reptile. And olketa savve kaikai big tumas! Hem big waka for kasem kaikai bilong olketa, dastawe long midolday klosap evriwan long olketa sleep anda long olketa tree and samfala digimaot hip sand wea cold for olketa lei long hem.
Bat why nao olketa needim gard? Bikos olketa tu target bilong nara animal. Taem meerkat waka hard for digim strongfala graon—samtaem graon wea hem muvim hem staka taem moa hevi winim hem for kasem wanfala insect nomoa—hem barava gud target bilong wild dog or bird.
Waswe sapos gard hia feelim danger? Bigfala krae wea hem seknomoa givim kosim olketa narawan for ran for laef go insaed hol klosap. Bat, sapos warning bilong gard hem markem kakam bilong wanfala difren grup bilong meerkat, olketa bae no ranawe. Bat, bae olketa stand tugeta witim body and tail wea point go ap. Disfala grup bae mekem olketa sharp noise taem olketa gogo for olketa enemy, samfala long olketa jamp ap and daon olsem olketa duim war dance. Planti taem wei wea olketa muv tugeta olsem grup hem inaf for raosem olketa enemy.
Waka Tugeta
Staka taem olketa meerkat waka tugeta. Diswan hem barava showaot long wei wea olketa lukaftarem baby bilong olketa. Insaed first tu-thri week bihaen olketa born, olketa baby hia nao main interest bilong evriwan. Olketa nara meerkat evritaem visitim mami and olketa baby. And barava bigfala welkam nao olketa kasem taem olketa kamaot from hol for firstfala taem! Evriwan long grup kam for babaetem nek bilong mami, wea singaot witim hapi, and for rab body witim olketa smol baby.
For tu-thri week, full grup help for lukaftarem olketa baby hia. Staka bae tek-tan for lukaftarem olketa baby taem olketa narawan go hunting. Body bilong samfala woman meerket bae wakem milk for help susum olketa baby—wea katem daon hevi for mami. Evri waka hia mekem wan wea gardim olketa baby no garem taem for kasem kaikai. From diswan, samfala barava lus weight taem olketa lukaftarem olketa baby!
Taem olketa baby fit for lusim hol and go hunting, olketa full-grown wan bae tek-tan long patient wei for teachim olketa young wan hia hao for hunt. Planti taem, best kaikai olketa faendem bae go for olketa young wan, nomata diswan minim olketa full-grown wan bae no garem inaf kaikai. Sapos gard givim krae for warnim olketa meerkat for ranawe go insaed hol, wanfala bae mek sure olketa young wan hia kasem there sef tu.
Naes for Lukim Olketa
Olketa meerkat isi for kamap tame and olketa laek fren. Disfala buk Maberly’s Mammals of Southern Africa, hem sei: “Tru nao, smol animal hia wea interesting hem wanfala long olketa mammal wea barava naes, garem gud wei and pipol lovem tumas long south Africa and wea evritaem man hapi for spendem taem for lukluk long olketa.”
Alain, wea mekem olketa video abaotem olketa meerkat for staka year, hem agree. Hem tingim taem wea wanfala mami meerkat kamaot from hol and karem foa-day-old baby long mouth bilong hem and, witim wei for krae long hem, hem leim daon long feet bilong Alain. Alain tingse hem dae finis. “Bat taem mi pikimap, mi lukim hao hem laef yet, mami hia laek for showim long mi firstaem bifor olketa nara meerkat ran kam long hem for hapi witim hem. From mi hapi tumas, mi forget for tek-foto.”
Sylvie, wea for staka year bin studyim olketa meerkat long bush, hem rememberim wanfala morning wea hem leidaon saed long hol and olketa meerkat kamaot. Olketa laen ap olsem olketa duim evritaem, tu-thri centimeter from Sylvie, and startim wei bilong olketa for klinim each other and for cuddle. Taem hem story long olketa, olketa ansa bak witim kaen noise bilong olketa. Witim finger bilong hem, Sylvie rabem first wan, wanfala girl wan, go kasem ear bilong hem. Hem enjoyim diswan and start for duim sem samting long next wan long laen. “Olketa acceptim mi insaed cuddling ceremony bilong olketa,” Sylvie hem sei. “Hem nambawan privilege!”
Olketa wea spendem taem witim olketa meerkat garem staka interesting story for talem. Tru tumas, olketa hia olketa smol hunter wea naes for lukim!
[Olketa piksa long page 30]
Raosem olketa enemy
Duim waka for gard
Hotem body long sun bifor olketa go aot for hunt
[Credit Line]
All photos: © Nigel J. Dennis