The Dingoes of Cripple Creek
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:10 pm
I’m back from my first stint a little earlier than anticipated, I won’t bother you with all the reasons, but thought this little story might be of interest to some - Terry
THE DINGOES OF CRIPPLE CREEK
It was a balmy night just made for sitting around the campfire. The camp oven slowly simmered with that evening’s meal, and a tiny spiral of steam rose lazily from the billy. It was one of those perfectly still nights with the only sound an odd cricket calling its mates. I had switched off the wireless by now as I was fed up with the arguments over the Carbon Tax; it was all thankfully far away from here on the upper Ashburton at this place we call Cripple Creek
Then I had this strange feeling that someone or something was watching me. I looked around but at first saw nothing, then suddenly a small movement in the shadows that rose and fell to the flickering flames of the campfire caught my eye. I was sure by now that there was something skulking close by and picked up my Dolphin torch and searched among the trees nearest camp. And then I saw it, a Dingo, as it quickly moved into the deeper shadows out of sight again. Although I only caught a glimpse I was sure that it was only a young one about two thirds grown, and I had no sense that it was a threat in any way.
I had my meal and was sipping a mug of tea when it suddenly appeared again, this time laying down in full sight of me, about 20 feet away. If I got up and moved it would also move a bit further away but would come back and lay down again when I sat down. You could easily think it was partly domesticated, but this is a remote place and looking at the overgrown track coming in, I was sure no one had been here since my last visit nearly a year ago. More likely it had recently been kicked out by its mother and was looking for a bit of company as young dingoes sometimes do, eventually it disappeared and I thought no more about it.
A couple of days later I was getting my motorbike loaded to head off prospecting when I turned around to find him standing about two metres away, I hadn’t heard a thing. I soon recovered from the initial shock and realising once again, that he was not a threat, and I started talking to him.
Over the coming days he would appear as though out of thin air, I never heard him, he would just suddenly be there. I sometimes sensed his presence and turn around and see him watching me. As time went by he became increasingly confident often lying a couple of meters away watching me detect , If I dug up anything he would come and inspect the area when I move on. Once when I was digging a signal he started trying to remove a rock from the earth with his mouth. In the early days he would snarl and growl and occasionally snap at the chain I dragged to show what area had been worked, I wondered if he thought it was a snake, now and again he’d start howling, going on and on at times.
When the day came to move on he suddenly appeared after having not been seen for a couple of days, I’m sure he sensed I was leaving and hung around my camp and showed no sign of leaving. By the time I was packed up to go he was (this might be my imagination) looking quite sad and as I drove off he followed for quite awhile, the last I saw of him was standing in the middle of the track watching me drive off. I never fed him realising he was a wild animal and had to learn to fend for himself. But I must admit I felt a tinge of sadness myself as I drove away.
Cheers Terry
THE DINGOES OF CRIPPLE CREEK
It was a balmy night just made for sitting around the campfire. The camp oven slowly simmered with that evening’s meal, and a tiny spiral of steam rose lazily from the billy. It was one of those perfectly still nights with the only sound an odd cricket calling its mates. I had switched off the wireless by now as I was fed up with the arguments over the Carbon Tax; it was all thankfully far away from here on the upper Ashburton at this place we call Cripple Creek
Then I had this strange feeling that someone or something was watching me. I looked around but at first saw nothing, then suddenly a small movement in the shadows that rose and fell to the flickering flames of the campfire caught my eye. I was sure by now that there was something skulking close by and picked up my Dolphin torch and searched among the trees nearest camp. And then I saw it, a Dingo, as it quickly moved into the deeper shadows out of sight again. Although I only caught a glimpse I was sure that it was only a young one about two thirds grown, and I had no sense that it was a threat in any way.
I had my meal and was sipping a mug of tea when it suddenly appeared again, this time laying down in full sight of me, about 20 feet away. If I got up and moved it would also move a bit further away but would come back and lay down again when I sat down. You could easily think it was partly domesticated, but this is a remote place and looking at the overgrown track coming in, I was sure no one had been here since my last visit nearly a year ago. More likely it had recently been kicked out by its mother and was looking for a bit of company as young dingoes sometimes do, eventually it disappeared and I thought no more about it.
A couple of days later I was getting my motorbike loaded to head off prospecting when I turned around to find him standing about two metres away, I hadn’t heard a thing. I soon recovered from the initial shock and realising once again, that he was not a threat, and I started talking to him.
Over the coming days he would appear as though out of thin air, I never heard him, he would just suddenly be there. I sometimes sensed his presence and turn around and see him watching me. As time went by he became increasingly confident often lying a couple of meters away watching me detect , If I dug up anything he would come and inspect the area when I move on. Once when I was digging a signal he started trying to remove a rock from the earth with his mouth. In the early days he would snarl and growl and occasionally snap at the chain I dragged to show what area had been worked, I wondered if he thought it was a snake, now and again he’d start howling, going on and on at times.
When the day came to move on he suddenly appeared after having not been seen for a couple of days, I’m sure he sensed I was leaving and hung around my camp and showed no sign of leaving. By the time I was packed up to go he was (this might be my imagination) looking quite sad and as I drove off he followed for quite awhile, the last I saw of him was standing in the middle of the track watching me drive off. I never fed him realising he was a wild animal and had to learn to fend for himself. But I must admit I felt a tinge of sadness myself as I drove away.
Cheers Terry