Close Encounters

I had a restless week, so I thought I’d share what had kept me awake. During my first “beefy” call with Nilsa, clatter in the background disrupts our conversation. She politely informs me that she needs to place the phone down because she wants to see the hyena that’s been spotted in the campground. “Yes, Mom. There is a hyena in our campground.” Hmm, I think this is odd. I don’t dwell on it, though, thinking maybe it has something to do with the conservation program or maybe my warning bells were disconnected because I so much wanted to hear my daughter’s voice. We continue our talk and a bigger commotion ensues. “Oh my god, there are four more hyenas in our campground,” she interrupts. My adrenaline kicks in, but without sending her any alarms, I tell Nilsa that now is a good time to end the phone call so that she can pay closer attention to her surroundings. I don’t know much about hyenas, except how evil they are in “Lion King.” I hang up trying to convince myself that there’s no danger since TTS would not place them in a risky position. However, I couldn’t really stop thinking about it because my maternal instincts were on overdrive. A week passes before I speak with Nilsa again. (In the meantime, I had written an e-mail to Jim and in a nonchalant manner had asked him “whatever became of the trespassing heinas in the campground?”) During the span of a week, Nilsa seems to have forgotten the hyena episode, so I bring up the subject. “Oh, they weren’t really in our campground. They were on the other side of the fence, which we couldn’t see because it was dark. Mom, did you know that they can crush your bones in a single bite?” No, I didn’t. Thank goodness. After the call, I received Jim’s response confirming Nilsa’s story.

p.s. Thank you, Gennifre, for posting your magnificent pictures and writing a lengthy update. Keep them coming.