My 4th week on the Big 5 Wildlife Project

My 4th week on the Big 5 Wildlife Project

By Elise van der Heijden

Wow, a month has passed since I first arrived here on the project. It’s just amazing how fast time moves here. I guess it’s true what they say - time flies when you’re having fun!

This week started off with me paying a visit to another EDGE of AFRICA project - the Predator Sanctuary Project! Kim and Malan drove me up to project where Daleen (sanctuary employee) and Tammy (fellow EDGE of AFRICA volunteer) were awaiting my arrival. They showed me around for a bit at first, explaining what and where everything is and what the aim of the sanctuary is etc. Then Tammy took me into the enclosure of Phoenix, the 5 month old caracal and introduced me to him. He was very cute, playing with his little teddy bears, but don’t be fooled by his pretty face because his nails are already very sharp and dangerous (just check Tammy’s arms for proof)! After that we got to build a shelter for the tigers in the sanctuary, using wooden poles and nails and we had to take down a fence in the cheetah’s enclosure to provide them with more space. I also got to meet the cheetahs, as they were in the enclosure when we were taking the fence down and they licked my hand, which was a really cool experience! Last, but definitely not least, I got to join the ‘regular’ tour and feeding tour around the sanctuary, which was very informative and interesting. Thanks Predator Sanctuary!

Another exciting day was when I finally (!) got to meet Roger (EDGE of AFRICA Co-Director), who came to drop off famous French journalist, Thibault Jean-Jean, at the reserve. Thibault is currently working on a book on volunteers and their projects, so he was visiting all the EDGE of AFRICA projects and interviewing the volunteers. We took him out in the reserve and did all the things that constitute a typical day for a volunteer on the project - fence checks, cheetah feedings, checking up on the rhino’s and other animals etc - basically took him on a game drive with benefits! After Hein and I showed him the reserve, we went to sit down at the lodge, which is where he interviewed me for his book (and took way to many pictures of me haha)!

This week has been all about feeding the big cats at the reserve. On Tuesday, Patrick and I went to collect a dead donkey at the neighbouring farm, which had only died that morning. We took it back to the butchery at the reserve and removed all the legs, which are cheetah food for the following days. The rest of the carcass was meant for the lions and as such we took it into the lion enclosure. The idea was to quickly drop it off by driving in reverse and then breaking so that the carcass would fall off the car... But somehow the brakes were not as strong as they needed to be so in the end I had to pull the handbrake simultaneously with Patrick braking which was pretty funny, and we managed to get it off in the end!

The two free roaming cheetahs out on the reserve managed to get hold of a proper dinner as well, when they made their first springbok kill on the Tuesday. It was amazing to see them eating their first springbok out in the reserve again and they consumed it so quickly that they looked like they were pregnant! But that’s not all, because early Friday morning they managed to take down another springbok... Guess what springbok, Bobby and Victor are back on track!

Another big project we had going this week was the front gate. We had to make a new proper front gate out of two old gates and some scrap metal pieces. So we were in need of a plan! And as they say in South Africa “n boer maak 'n plan” – directly translated to mean ‘a farmer makes a plan’. In other words South Africans can be very resourceful! We decided to use one of the gates completely, a couple of metal poles and the middle part of the other gate. Hein and Piet taught me how to grind and weld on the spot and that’s how we got started on the project! It took us two days to put all the pieces together and we then moved it up to the front gate and put it in place, after which we painted it black. It actually looks very neat and professional!

Another thing that kept us busy during the week, was fixing all the fences at the elephant camp - thank you for that Selati (naughty reserve elephant)! He kept breaking all the wires around the milkwood tree, the wires around the boma to try and get in, and just fences in general. It was like he was doing it on purpose to keep us busy! We will be trying out a new system on the wires around the milkwood tree next week though to keep him from breaking them all the time, so here’s hoping that that’s going to work!

After a busy week on the reserve there was some time for relaxing on the weekend! On Friday afternoon Tammy and I took the BazBus all the way to Knysna, where Roger collected us from the Knysna pick up point and took us to the volunteer house. He then took us out to a bar at the waterfront for drinks. A little while later we drove downtown and that’s where we met up with the other volunteers - Alex (Germany), Carla (Netherlands), Chun (UK), Katy (UK) and Philip (USA). We spent some time at the Swing Café (local live band venue) and then returned home to chill by the fire.

On the Saturday Joash (another EDGE of AFRICA staff member) took all of us on an excursion to Oudtshoorn in the Karoo! We went to an arts & crafts market, the Cango Caves and an ostrich farm. The caves were absolutely stunning and it was very interesting to learn about the different kinds of formations that grow there. The best part of the excursion was definitely the ostrich farm - we got to feed and ride the ostriches! That was totally awesome!

That night all of us went into town again and had a great time hopping from bar to bar as they closed down one by one.

Then on the Sunday morning (way too early), Roger took me and Tammy to the Knysna heads for breakfast, which was really very nice! So, all in all a great week and a wonderful weekend up in Knysna!

Until next time…

Elise van der Heijden (from Holland in case you didn’t guess)

EDGE of AFRICA Volunteer

Big 5 Wildlife & Conservation Project

November 2010

Big 5 Veterinary Volunteering in South Africa

http://edgeofafrica.com/news/blog/My third week on the Big 5 Wildlife Project

Another week has gone by ever so quickly here on the reserve, filled with exciting stuff that has happened and the necessary labour. We started the week by working on the buffalo boma we’re building next to the house. This is where the buffalo will stay for a period of 6-8 weeks before the two bulls get sold, to test for TB. The plan is to get it done by next Friday, but it looks like that’s wishful thinking! Furthermore, we have checked all the fences for holes because we were planning on releasing cheetah this week, any and all holes we found have now been closed with rocks. I’ve also had the privilege of learning how to drive a tractor when Hein and I were reconstructing a road down in the reserve, and I must say it looks easier than it actually is, it’s definitely the weirdest thing I’ll ever drive...!

Over the weekend there had been a bad case of rhino poaching in the Western Cape (only three hours away!), where all the rhino’s on a farm have been poached within two nights, absolutely outrageous and horrible that people can do something like that! This has us quite worried about the rhino’s on the reserve and as such we have been checking up on them every morning, sometimes till late in the afternoon since they’re very capable of hiding. Luckily, all three of them all still doing great!

Then we arranged for the wildlife vet to come visit us on the Wednesday, because there were some things going on with the animals. First of all, we wanted to move a zebra stallion into the reserve with the ladies to go do his business, so the vet darted the dominant stallion of the four zebra. We then moved him into the reserve where I was allowed to administer the antidote IV, which was totally awesome!

After that we had the buffalo cow darted to check up on her red eye, which turned out to be conjunctivitis. The wildlife vet took care of that with some antibiotics and painkillers. We also had him look for signs of pregnancy and we learned that she is around 9 months pregnant, so that’s great news!

Next up was the release of the cheetahs, Bobby and Victor, two inseparable brothers. The vet darted them as well and we then collared them so that we can keep track of their location, average speed, temperature etc. Then we moved them into the reserve and once again I got to wake them up with the antidote IM, so very cool indeed! Because they seemed to be waking up rather slowly and were still quite groggy, we decided to stay with them the rest of the day to make sure they would be all right. Now they are doing great, are starting to get more active by the minute (making the springbok go crazy) and we’re anticipating their first kill out in the reserve this week!

Furthermore, we dug up a cheetah skeleton that was buried around about two years ago after that cheetah had died a natural death (old age). So I have also been very busy working on that skeleton as it is now my job to put it together for the conservation centre. It is very interesting to do, but not really that easy seeing as how there are lots and lots of tiny little bones! I’ll be sure to put pictures up when (if) it’s done...

The last veterinary experience I got this week was when we heard about the baby gray rhebok that was just lying down all the time and seemed to have a torn lip. Hein and I immediately drove there and checked the baby out. She was absolutely covered in ticks and her lip was indeed torn up, she was in bad shape and couldn’t even stand up anymore! So we decided to bring her back to the house where I put her on the table to have a better look at her. We then gave her painkillers and antibiotics and took out a lot of the ticks (especially the bigger ones) and then sprayed the rest of them. I was getting ready to stitch up her little lip after cleaning it thoroughly, when we suddenly saw her jawbone sticking out of her mouth! Unfortunately, she didn’t make it!

All in all, it has been a very exciting week! My first week without my fellow volunteers Hanna and Alma (miss you guys!), but luckily Hein, Kim and cutiepie Malan are still here, still very caring and welcoming towards me, so that’s great.

Being a veterinary student, I just loved the fact that I got to do a lot of veterinary work! But, even though we got a lot of stuff done, the list of things that still need to be done is even longer so I’m looking forward to next week!

Elise van der Heijden

Netherlands

EDGE of AFRICA Volunteer

November 2010

2 weeks on the Big 5 Wildlife Project, South Africa

Two weeks on the Big 5 Wildlife Project

By Alma Wallin Hedén & Hanna Träff (From Sweden) and Elise van der Heijden (From Netherlands)!

Ever since the first day on our project we have been feeding the elephants, Kidibone and Selati. It was a little bit scary at first, but it only took that first day and it had grown on us. Now we love it when they chase the vehicle to get their trunks on the pellets one before the other. Cleaning the elephant boma was also a part of our duty, but even this dirty work didn’t put us off, especially with Corne, who was always great fun to work with! Meeting the elephants in the evenings, before they go into the boma, you really get to know their personalities when they show off their tricks for treats!

Recently, the farmers surrounding the reserve have had trouble with a caracal that has been killing their lambs and sheep. It seems that this caracal is no longer killing just for food, but it is simply killing for the sake of killing. We had to go out at night on a bucky and drive around the property to search for it. It was really exciting even though we didn’t find it. Because standing in an African night, in total darkness and hearing the lions roar is a memory that will last forever!

The other daily routine, a bit more frightening, is providing the cheetahs with dinner. At first they look like cute little kittens, but as soon as they smell the meat they turn into the wild predators they are and always will be! Cutting the meat was also a part of this routine and having Elise on our side was a big contribution to the team when it came to that. Hein tried to convince us that you could be safe inside the cheetah’s enclosure as long as you show that you have authority and confidence. By taking us inside Inyanga’s enclosure with nothing more than a branch and a couple pieces of chicken he proved his theory right. What a thrill!

One day Hein and Corne took us up to the mountains in a valley, to teach us how to handle rifles. We got to shoot at targets from 30 metres and 100 metres with a 0.22 and a 0.308 Calibre, respectively. The whole thing was exhilarating but Hein’s compliments on our shooting made it even better! After the introduction to rifles we had to bring our skills into practice, when it was time to feed the snakes that are starting to feel hungry now that the temperature is rising. Unfortunately, summer time isn’t good news for every animal on the reserve, this time several small birds were unlucky... It felt bad, but sometimes it’s the law of nature!

Snakes weren’t the only reptiles whose appetites were awakened by warmer times, now also the crocodiles were ready for some food! Luckily, a local farmer could provide us with some chickens so we went to pick them up.

With the reptiles becoming all active again in summer, one of them, the Cape Cobra, even managed to escape its enclosure, but it didn’t get far and quickly got caught. After we discovered our talent in interior decorating and design the snake could be returned into its brand new enclosure!

Other important tasks in a game reserve to keep the animals and the guests happy, is general maintenance. Our duties in that area have been conservation work with planting trees. To make this gardening a little more exciting we got to plant them in the lion enclosure, so one of us had to keep an eye on the lions throughout the planting. Furthermore, there were a lot of roads that were flooded and muddy so they were a risk for the game drivers to get stuck in. In order to prevent that, we had to fill them up with rocks collected on the reserve. Also, with the cheetah release coming up, we needed to put up signs on fences all around the property about both the risk of dangerous animals and the voltage.

Something else we have really enjoyed doing in any and all weather conditions, was feeding Lucerne and pellets to the giraffes, buffaloes and rhinos. It was amazing to be so close to these animals and just watching them eat and behave naturally.

Last, but definitely not least, we would like to mention how welcoming and caring Kim and Hein have been to us since day one! They have been so dedicated to making sure that we would be able to make the absolute best out of our stay in South Africa. We couldn’t have wished for better hosts, there is no way to thank you enough! Surely, we will not only miss the work and all the animals but also very much the people, the hospitality and of course all the wonderful ‘braais’ (South African bar-b-que)!

For more details on EDGE of AFRICA wildlife & conservation projects visit: http://www.EDGEofAFRICA.com/

'Living on the Edge' A journal of the African Big 5 Wildlife & Conservation Project by Terri Dekker

Living on the Edge, Lessons of Life, “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world, remains” Miracles are waiting everywhere…. Don’t Audit life…just show up and make the most of it. Life in Africa, by Terri Dekker

South Africa, 2010 It began as a dream, years beyond my memory. It’s now my reality, a destiny of a life time. It seems so ambitious, somewhat selfish and crazy to some…to leave my family, and those I love, to travel across the world on my own, to a faraway place of risk and uncertainties. It’s temporary, yet so exciting. Go ahead redirect your responsibility, for two weeks, for four weeks, step up allow yourself a once in a life time experience. Humbly give your time and energy to another world, to another life, to make a difference. It may be a small part of an ambitious goal, but it’s yours to give.

Life isn’t Fair, but it is still Good Life isn’t Tied with a Bow, but it is a Gift. To give the Gift of your Life, to Make Good for Another is my depiction of The Circle of Life.

I have never considered myself a scholar or a literary writer in the least. It’s just a temporary passion, a method to find meaning among the reams of notes that I have taken over the days and how they will shape or reflect my life going forward. They are the voice that I cannot speak.

This, my journal is my illustration of my life’s journey to South Africa. I don’t often share the pages of my journal, until now, just this time. I offer my journey to you, All My Friends, My Family, My Children And those considering an incredible journey with Edge of Africa

Every vision I share, be it through the words you read or the photos you see, every word and picture is real.

I arrived in George South Africa on Saturday July 17th, it was 20 degrees C. Yes very cold!!! The security customs at the small airport was so brief, such that I thought I had not passed through them. I was welcomed with a sign displaying my name held by Josh.

I’m safe was my first thought, my next was “now take me to the animals”.

I met the other volunteers, who have traveled from various places around the world to give a piece of them-selves. More about my new friends later, once we master the hurdle of our different languages and accents.

The Volunteer house, much nicer than I expected, of course despite the common perception, there is running water and a toilet, while it was bitter cold (winter in Africa can be) we were welcomed with our own hot water bottle. First I thought it strange, soon to realize how valuable a warm bottle could be. I slept with it between my feet, and plunked it on various spots of my body throughout the first cold night. We all adjusted, quickly and it became no big deal.

We were all hungry, as we chatted and egged one another’s excitement of the days to follow. A hot meal arrived to the house. It was traditional, plentiful, it complimented our new environment.

~ Although not every day’s journal leaf is offered, today’s entry goes…

My Aspiration;

A Safari

Save the children who are lost,

Save the creatures that are living but not human;

My safari or journey this time is different,

It is an excavation of My Spirit, My Soul, My Being.

It is 7am and slowly I make it to the common area of the volunteer house. Soon discover that “initiative” will be the key to survival. The coordinators are wonderfully kind, but emphasize it’s up to you…each of us, what we take out of the project, what we give to the project. “It’s not boot camp, but we will gladly accept your opinions, your energy, your hard work won’t be rejected”

Beyond the description and direction within our elected programs and the concern for our safe well being You must step up to make a difference. Food is provided while basic it will address our needs. We made our way and unconsciously developed as a united group, a team approach to all the tasks at hand. A group of individuals, new to each other, who quickly became united for a cause, we quickly became a family.

Project Two: August 2010 Albertinia, South Africa, The Garden Route Game Lodge

African Big 5 Wildlife& Conservation Project

The first week was off to an exciting start. The Big 5...Incredible, beauty at its best! Sleeping in a tent isn't so bad after all.

Day 1

Off to feed the elephants!! What magnificent creatures, huge would understate their body mass. They are beautiful, simply roaming in search of today’s winnings from the Bakkie (pick up/safari jeep) wagon. Buckets on fresh offerings fruits, oranges, pineapple apples and lettuce leaves left over trimmings from the lodge restaurant. That’s still not enough so in their Bomas, waits whole trees and leafy branches. About the size of four Christmas trees! As we approached, fear set it for some but I could barely wait to touch, to befriend them, to understand them By God they are big brilliant animals. They quickly and independently find their space within their Bomas. They immediately flipped their trucks expecting the droppings of sweet fruit. Impatience set in and they began the dominant tangle. Who would get more and who would get the remaining pieces from the buckets? They used their large weight and trumpeting voices which escalated with demands. It was truly amazing to be a part of their lives for that moment. Expecting free roaming, soon you learn the sadden lives of capture and circus behaviour…it’s what they know. It’s what we are about…putting the wild back into their lives that was taken away by human. Our goal – Rehabilitation to the Wild, Protect and Reproduce

The day was lovely.

Day 2

Mholo, Unjani (hello, how are you) if u could hear as I type u would hear roaring lions. I'm in my tent...they feel just a little close! Today is Bitter - Sweet an e.g. of the “Circle of Life”. I began as routine feed of elephants and clean their bomas – a very physical task but not difficult. Feed the giraffes, a clear site of beauty. A mother and her newborn café, we must stop and observe, photo after photo. They are incredibly elegant and swiftly move to the Aloes that we have topped with flakes of lush green hay. While they roam freely, she needs a supplement and extra nourishment for her off spring. The dominating buffalos also are feed due to the lack of greenery caused by the months of drought. The game count begins, the reserve has recently increased the game, but missing are 4 zebra and 4 Kudu. We found most, but sadly ta baby zebra didn’t make it. We were able to locate her, she was young and beautiful her life cut off short. As devastating as it is, she becomes the saviour to the lion. The lion that due to human intrusion did not learn when they were young to independently hunt and fend to their needs. While they have their natural instinctive behaviours to chase and hunt they quickly give up and sadly are dependent. The young Zebra is its saviour.

The circle of life!

Day 3

Whew…I made it, the day started off great. We began our routine fed Ellies, Giraffe & Buffalo. We were able to track the 3 zebra and drive them to the main zebra herd. The radio blares …Yikes a cheetah roaming freely at the Game Lodge...where guest reside while on their vacations. The day’s routine is quickly ended and our tasks are re-prioritized. This could be dangerous. We located the young cub who clearly was able to manipulate the fence structure. We used chucks of dripping meat to lure him back the breading area. Three rangers and myself who is still very new and green in knowledge, worked together to get him back to the enclosure. The meat worked. I quickly discovered a match to my fear. Time to fix the fences...Umm you want me to what…in the enclosed cheetah domain - tools & 3 hungry cheetahs…8 feet away.

Breathe...

Day 4

Today’s entry goes...Start off on routine…feed the ellies, the radio blares…all else has to wait…again! Another cheetah that is still not ready for the wild is out. And so the search begins...feels a bit like “the hunter becomes the hunted“ you know how the story goes…encourage him to follow with chunks of dripping meat...my heart is beating fast – I realise I have beads of sweat a long my forehead…thank goodness, he’s in , success! Fences need repair again, something a little more meaningful. The guys and I are up for the task. Struggling with wire, cutters and a skill I’ve yet to master, I continue to fumble yet my eyes don’t leave the cheetahs…well for just a second! I drop my .work gloves 5' from me and a cheetah sneaks up and takes one...check out the remains in the photos!

Day 5

So the coolest thing happened tonight...I went to feed the elephants "ellies", and they still have not decided if they trust me or not, so usually every night Kidbone draws in a bunch of dirt and sprays it at me EVERY NIGHT...finally tonight I said NO, it's not nice. She literally laid down, on all fours, turned her trunk so I could hand feed her...OMG- beautiful!!! It's 2:30 am it’s time to get up, an unexpected off-load of 7 wildebeest and 2 kudu, off the Bunkie (truck). It’s pitch dark outside and somewhere in the middle of the reserve we meet the truck and trailer. We manipulate the latches, as our adrenaline runs high. The gates are open, some quickly and boldly unload and hit the ground running, while others drift slowly off the trailer. Sadly one wildebeest gave way to the struggle and stress of the translocation. She didn't make it...circle of life once again.

What a week!

African Big 5 Wildlife & Conservation Project - June 2010

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