The things we find!

Lets get the cute animals out of the way first...Bobby and Alfie have become the best of friends and play fight together quite a lot, here is a snap of them chilling in the shade as the volunteers and staff were splashing round, raft racing and mud fighting in Cheetah Dam the other week.

Alfie (left) Bobby (right)

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend."  - Albert Camus

As the staff in the serious business of splashing one another tantrum stylee in the muddy puddle.

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." - Albert Einstein

Ten minutes later saw the staff team split up, two raft racing and two cheating trying to pull others off their rafts, despite losing we declared ourselves the winners.

 I hate to lose more than I love to win.  - Jimmy Connors

Now to the less cute animals...

Its amazing to see the animals we are both aware live here and we don't know have taken residence. This baby tiger snake was living in the old tyres that are the base for one of our tables up at the lapa (kitchen and outdoor area)

This is a non-venomous and non-poisonous snake so a few of us did get to handle it, it felt amazing, really silky and soft.

A few weeks ago we played whats in the bucket, here is game two....

Any guesses?

Lovely, a scorpion.


It's amazing the weird and wonderful creatures that occupy the same office space as us some days, as I said the other week, don't ever peek in the bucket! You certainly wouldn't get such dangerous and poisonous creatures in an office in the UK!

Gives you a healthy respect for what's around you!


"Do what you fear most and you control fear." - Tom Hopkins


Yeah, stick your hand in the bucket and grab the scorpion!


Last week saw Namibian Independence Day, a national holiday, we have so much going on that we couldn't all take the day though, so our team split it, I did the morning shift and headed to our lovely lodge for a relaxing afternoon and a few glasses of vino, I love it here, so relaxing.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - Ronald Reagan

Independence day also saw a stroke of luck for us, we have been struggling to ensure we have enough meat for the carnivores and have been hunting on an almost daily basis. Having advertised for unwanted horses and donkeys we managed to get 9 at a great price. We will skim over the details of getting the donkeys from farmer to cat, but lets just say on Independence Day and he following few days the smell of donkey was ever present on the farm and a few of our staff looked like extras from a zombie movie.


I have to add in here that I really do respect the members of our team that have to hunt or collect donkeys / horses for meat, humanely slaughter and butcher them as its one of the hardest tasks to do on the farm especially for a bunch of animal lovers, yet the bigger picture of carnivore conservation has to be seen. 


"If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die."- Maya Angelou



As Benny grows he seems to get both stronger, more playful and aggressive yet weirdly more trusting and affectionate, the last couple of weeks have seen him become so relaxed he will often lie down next to me and put his head in my lap for a tickle or let me rub his belly like a big dog! I am yet to capture this on film, but here is a snap of him in the office.

This last week has also seen the release of a coalition of cheetah, which most of the staff and volunteers attended, this has to have been one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.....


[cliff hanger.....this one deserves its own blog entry]

And just a few things I have realised this week:

"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to." - Author Unknown

"People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing." - Will Rogers

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks."  - Warren Buffett

"However confused the scene of our life appears, however torn we may be who now do face that scene, it can be faced, and we can go on to be whole." - Muriel Rukeyser
 

"Strength is a matter of a made up mind."  - John Beecher 

"Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong." - Calvin Coolidge 

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength." - Ralph Sockman