This week has been one of the most interesting and fun weeks of my life – this is no exaggeration. Not only have I learned about the wildlife here and the workings of the lodge, I have learned the value of a hard day’s work and about the amazing people who operate this program – Hein, his wife Kim and Piet. Every day is different and there is always a lot to do – there is never a dull moment. I will give you a brief overview of the highlights of my week here; to list everything I have learned and experienced this week would require a book!
The accommodation is great. We sleep in very comfortable, warm tents that really give one the experience of being out here. I hear the animals during the night and always sleep very well in the fresh, crisp air. Nothing is better than the sound of light rain on one’s tent and it actually stays dry inside! This is the perfect way to sleep out here and I prefer this to sleeping inside. The common area has internet and a kitchen, hot shower and everything one needs; nights are usually spent catching up with friends around the world. Many are living vicariously through me on facebook following my experiences daily.
I think my favourite thing this week has been feeding the animals with Piet. Piet is a wealth of knowledge, always polite and a lot of fun to work with. Many times I drive the truck so Piet can scope out the location of the animals - which is great as it is right hand drive and again, it is a first for me. He makes me feel very comfortable and I feel very safe working around these animals when Piet is there.
Many of the animals have to have their diets supplemented due to the drought. In the mornings we load up the truck with lucerne and go looking for the zebras, kudo, rhinos, giraffes and buffalo. It is an excellent way to get a close up of the animals and really watch their behaviour and see their physical make-up. I have never been this close to animals before and I have a difficult time putting into words how I feel. No matter how many times I see a rhino, each time is like the first. It never gets boring to see a zebra or look at a giraffe in awe of its timidity and sheer size – it’s a conflict of two realities.
The reserve itself is very pretty and I love driving around looking for the different species of animals. Sometimes we can’t find them, other times they find us. One day while feeding the rhino an eland approached the rhino baby and they were locking horns with one another over the food; this was a very rare scene to witness, it was very exciting.
After we feed the animals out on the reserve we get to feed the cheetahs that are in the breeding program here. There are some young ones, some genetically challenged ones, one recovering male who has had a major leg surgery and some healthy adults. Patrick usually prepares the meat for them but sometimes Piet will butcher the meat. The cheetahs are incredible creatures; again to get so close to them is brilliant.
The elephants here require a lot of work. This week their groomer Harrison was on holidays so we tended to them every day. Their names are Selati, a bull and Kidibone, a cow. Kidibone has a very distinct personality; she is a bit of a joker and every morning when I go in and say hello to her she throws sawdust in my face. It’s funny and I don’t mind as this is the first time an elephant has ever thrown anything in my face! Every morning we start by distributing branches and hay out in the elephant fields. We then clean the bomas which is a great way to warm up while it’s still cold out. Every afternoon we head into the town of Albertinia and cut branches for the elephants. We use machetes and it’s difficult for me so I usually just end up loading up the truck. I really enjoy this time as well; regardless of what we are doing it’s all a new experience for me and I make the most of it; even if I’m not very good at it!
One day Piet and I had to collect old telephone poles from the elephants’ area. The poles were very heavy and it took both of us to get them on the truck. The elephants were very curious in what we were doing and came over to investigate. They kept trying to take the poles off the truck and weren’t scared when Piet yelled at them. It was very funny and I am still laughing several days later about it.
One day we had the opportunity to feed the lions. They are fed every seven to ten days and it was awesome! The lions are fed a cow that has had its legs removed. The carcass is loaded into the back of a pick-up truck. When we entered the camp the lions could smell it and actually chased the truck. Piet reversed down a hill and slammed on the brakes so the meat would roll out the back. It was so cool to again get that close, to watch a lion rip apart the cow and to have another lion circling the truck. Melanie looked like she was going to have a heart attack! I was so fortunate to be there and have the opportunity to experience this, it is something I will always remember.
Another highlight of the week was going back into the lion camp to plant trees. I never thought that planting trees could be so exhilarating but it was. We had to keep a close eye on the lions and make sure they didn’t get close. In the back of my mind I couldn’t help remember the story Piet told me about the time some staff members were in the lions camp and their truck wouldn’t start. We planted the trees and everything was fine – but it was very exciting. Piet has a quota of about 70 to plant every month.
Again, the week was full of so many experiences, I have learned so much and enjoyed every second. Kim and Hein go above and beyond to make sure I am happy and are very accommodating; one knows they are in very good hands here. There were two final memories I would like to include and those are the cheetah kill and darting a rhino.
Inyanga is a female cheetah that has been released onto the reserve and a big success it is as she is making kills and being self sufficient. It is ayoba that she has been able to integrate back into nature. One day she had killed a small, pregnant antelope and Piet and I were able to get very close to her and the kill and see it – that was amazing; but the best part was that she was acting in typical cheetah behaviour.
The resident male rhino was very aggressive towards the elephants and in fact they were fighting through the fence. This rhino killed an elephant before so he can be very dangerous. His mate has had a baby and her aloof behaviour towards him further increases his aggression. In an experimental program, Hein has been giving the male rhino hormones that decrease his testosterone levels thus decreasing his aggression. It has been successful thus far and on Friday Hein had to give the rhino another dose. The rhino had to be darted in the back of his leg just above the knee to ensure he couldn’t see the dart which would further upset him. Hein darted the rhino so quickly and perfectly it was over in less than a second. Its amazing that even rhino can get hormone replacement therapy!
There were many other things we did this week, too many to list here! In summary it has been an awesome experience and I wouldn’t change one moment of it. I am so happy to be here and will be very sad to leave. All the people here are bright, kind, hard working and a pleasure to see everyday. Thanks to everyone for an experience that will last a lifetime!
For more details on this project visit www.EDGEofAFRICA.com and www.facebook.com/EDGEofAFRICA
By Melissa Haynes
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