Carnivore Crazy!

Over the last week we have had plenty of carnivore action...


I have a story about a leopard that should go here for you...



...but the images and story are embargoed until one of our large sponsors has chance to publish it. The exciting thing is if it is published a lot of the images were taken by me and I would be so proud to have my pics on their website (NatGeo). Watch this space, as soon as I can share with you I will....

" I just use my muscles as a conversation piece, like someone walking a cheetah down 42nd Street." -

 Arnold Schwarzenegger

One afternoon last week we got the opportunity to dart two cheetah - to check their health, collar them and then release. They were already in a capture cage, so we prepared everything, headed to the cage and darted them. 


Ten mins later they were down and we could begin our work. Transporting them to the table we work quickly to check heart rate, temperature, respiratory rate and measure them. They were covered in cheetah flies and ticks so we had to pick those off and frontline them like domestic cats. 


"Of all God's creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain


Whilst some of the team were working on one cat I had to put down my trusty marketing camera and work on the other with one of our biologists. Putting in eye drops, covering her eyes to protect them from sunlight, timing her breathing and heart rate and helping with the other checks and collaring.

Soon the collars were on and the reversal drugs were in, they were soon up and awake again and tomorrow they get to move to their new home in the south.


"Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?" - Mahatma Gandhi

Box of tricks

checking the dart is properly prepared (not the start of a balloon animal!)

about to dart the cheetahs

the boys carrying over the capture cage

cheetah 1 coming out the cage

on the table we start our work

eye drops in

measurements taken

and here ends the pics as I am needed to help with eye drops and eye masks, heart rate, respiratory rate, measurements, parasites and collaring of number 2 cheetah. Its a shame not to have images, but great to have had that experience. All in a days work...

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play. his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly know which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both." - James A. Michener

In more carnivore news, I jumped in a car on Sunday going on carnivore with just a couple of members of staff. We got to the first cheetah camp and counted 4 out of 5 cats. Then we spotted something off in the distance and realised it was a cheetah. Could be wild, could be one of ours.....well if we call and it comes it must be ours....

'come, come, come, come'

Up trots a cheetah 'yup one of ours!', we quickly made a plan, opened the gate and threw the meat in as the cheetah approached and (luckily for us) in she went. Phew!


"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

The day after we got a call to say there was a cheetah seen on the baboon walk, someone was needed to help. We soon realised it was the same one, so we jumped in the car and sped off. We found the cheetah on the far side of the river bed and two of us walked her back to the camp with a piece of meat, lots of encouragement and sticks to stop her getting too close! There were a couple of nervous moments as she pounced and spat at us, but luckily cheetahs tend to be all front and we were fairly safe. We coaxed her into a cage and now we are waiting to moved her a day later into a camp with some electricity in order to contain her and one of her coalition for company.


"When written in Chinese the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." - John F Kennedy

Saturday we did a wine tasting up at the lodge, 5 wines from a wine and conservation company (Pained wolf) and a lovely dinner. Lots of fun and giggles.

Had a lovely relaxing Sunday, some work, a nice walk, and some play with my friends son.

It's amazing how a 2 year old can keep you amused for hours, not sure who was having more fun with the stickers me or him?!

"Childhood is the world of miracle or of magic: it is as if creation rose luminously out of the night, all new and fresh and astonishing. Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing. When the world gives you a feeling of "déjà vu," when you are used to existence, you become an adult." - Eugene Ionesco 

Stickers everywhere!

You don't need a sticker book when you have a face!

"Children's games are hardly games. Children are never more serious than when they play." - Montaigne

"Stay a child while you can be a child."- Stephen Sondheim

Came home the other night to a horse on the lawn, which shot up as soon as I approached - quite scary in the dark.Today it was a herd of cows.

"Holy cow!" - Harry Caray 

Today I was called in to move the zebbies and donkey from the front gate to the compound so the film crew we have here at the moment could get out without them coming in. They played along quite easily and I managed to get them out of the road and into the bush. As soon as the film crew pulled out Donsie stamped her feet and galloped after the bakkie, 'eyore eyore' she called as she went (still more like a creaky door than a donkey). The defiant little thing wasn't for being told what to do and blamed the crew and the car determined to track them down, galloping a good half a km after them!! By the time I got to the top of the road, calling all the way they had somehow put her off and she was now galloping and eyoring full pelt in my direction, where we narrowly missed a collision - what a character!


"I am... stubborn, and I admit it, so it's OK." - Mila Kunis 


Look at this cheeky face!

Benny is now so big we seem to have reversed roles with me sleeping on him rather than the other way around, some how I get away with lying my head on his belly whilst he is lay down and so far I have not got tangled in his legs or kicked, probably only a matter of time with a tamed wild zebra, but so far her seems to know to be careful.

Today I had the final breakthrough with the herd and seem to have cracked all their characters - Benny I have looked after so long I seem to know his moods and how best to interact with him 99% of the time, Donsie seems to love being hugged and roughly tickled and squeezed and squished and given lots of rough cuddles and little Frankie, who has always been so shy, revealed today that a good tickle and a scratch is the best way to bond with him.

This Sunday consisted of a relaxing day in town, picking up a few essentials and heading to Joe's Beerhouse, one of the most 'famous' bars in Namibia. It is known as THE place ot try all sorts of different meats - kudu, springbok, oryx, zebra, crocodile etc, this week they had lamb, beef and oryx on the menu - having had oryx regularly and grown up on the other two not so exotic, but never mind!

We also got a new baby baboon this week -  Sheila, she is only a few weeks old and still mostly pink under that fur (their skin darkens as they age)

"Well! The buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot...And the baboons are going ape over this. Of course, the giraffes are acting like they are above it all..." - Zazu, Lion King

Unsurprisingly Sheila is stealing hearts all over the show!

"Heartbreaker, you got the best of me , but I just keep on coming back incessantly. Oh why, did you have to run your game on me? I should have known right from the start, you'd go and break my heart." - Mariah Carey

And a couple of thoughts for you...

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”- Anatole France

"Happiness is not being pained in the body or troubled in the mind" - Thomas Jefferson

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" - Theodore Roosevelt

my extraordinary ordinary life

Long day today, the end of the tourism expo and one of those strange days where you feel like you are trying to catch up with yourself and failing all day, not always through fault of your own. 

"I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream."- Temple Grandin

"I was an accomplice in my own frustration." - Peter Shaffer

Some days are long and stressful, with crazy tasks and unexpected happenings at every turn, you plan for one thing and you can guarantee its the one thing that will not happen in your day, but in some ways that sort of suits the sort of person I am. Despite some frustrations and knowing that living here can be intense and crazy I often look at the alternative, the 9-5, the rat race, the white picket fence and 2.4 children, the day to day and wonder what I would do if I didn't wake up to a caracal in the chicken pen, a baboon out, a bird in my bedroom, a conversation about how to make a baby carcal poo for the first time, baby zebras walking into the office, baby zebras being found in the junior baboon camp (twice) baby zebras full stop, a leopard in the bushes we can't catch, filming permits to sort out for Sky 1 shows and (most importantly) the impact we have from the work we do, what we change and why it matters and I know (despite there being draw backs) I will never live like this again.


"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein



This is my extraordinary ordinary life.


"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results."- Wade Boggs

By the end of the day I was ready for a relaxing evening and luckily on my way down to the farm for a few drinks - which may have turned out more hectic than planned or needed after a long week - I was invited for drinks and a braai, and had a lovely relaxing evening - just what I needed!

It's amazing what people cook on the braai here - in the UK we pick out the two days of summer and BBQ - usually cheap sausages and burgers- or if you are fortunate nice sausages, home made burgers and kebabs. Here everything can be braaied (definitely a Namibian verb) pork, steak, sausage, ribs, bread, pies....yes, we made something called Kwaai Braii Pie the other week- like pizza pie done on the braai. Look out UK, when I finally come home and we get a day of summer I'll teach you about the braai .v.the BBQ!

Kwaii Braii pie Inside

Outside

Woke up this morning with a crimson breasted shrike in my room, flying between my side of the house and the other side (open roof across the whole house). Not sure how long he had been in there, but he was in a real flap (pun intended) and managed to fly into the wall and land under the wardrobe. I got him out from under that, but couldn't get him out of the house. Looks like he is out now since I have gotten home.

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark."- Rabindranath Tagore

Today was quiet for here, Sunday's tend to be 'down days' where even if it is your working  weekend you just have to be around to help if needed, things have been so busy recently though that I have still been doing lots of office work on a Sunday. Today was no exception - but at least I feel ready for the week! I also had some guests to show around today - who had popped in with donations on their way to the airport. I drove up to the lodge with the drivers door swinging open periodically, something I hadn't been warned about when I hopped in the car! I went to pick them up and parked up, only when I got out did I realise the car I was driving had a load on the top and that I had squeezed the land rover underneath the shade tower with only an inch to spare. Between me and one of our lodge staff we managed to tie the wires from the shade netting and averted a potential reversing disaster - much to the amusement of one of my colleagues as he pulled in next to me with his guests! Luckily my guests remained blissfully unaware.

"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." - Oscar Wilde

 

Similar to the car I was driving today

Similar to the car I was driving to and from expo

Every time I drive one of these monsters I always find myself telling anyone who will listen how I am usually only used to driving a Renault Cleo twice a year to my Grans, and how the tube is a wonderful invention - that I have used successfully for the last 6 years!

Finally with a smooth exit I set off with them in tow to see the school and the farm, half way down the road my door flew open and wouldn't shut until I fiddled with it after the 15 min drive to the farm, so I had to drive down with one hand keeping it closed!

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." - Horace

...such as driving one handed holding a door closed so you don' fall out of the car! But as my mother commented 'so much easier than the passenger door flying open dear, at least you can hold it shut' - ever the pragmatist.

Came home and parked the car taking the keys into the main house and sharing some lekker cinamon/sugar pancakes with the family.

 



After a good sleep I woke up to another busy day, lots of meetings with our team strategising the future and a very important meeting with the MD and Head of CSR of one of our biggest sponsors. Luckily they were lovely people and along with getting some really important things discussed, which we are very optimistic about!! We spoke about the importance of our project, introduced them to the wine from our winery, and discussed how we could take our relationship forward. Luckily they are great people and spending time with them was interesting, we rolled home about 10pm and headed out for breakfast about 7am with them. We are releasing two leopards shirtly so they got a unique experience in being able to watch the darting and preparation of these two juveniles this morning. Learning all about what drugs to use, how to dart and animal and how to look after the animal to ensure its well being. Being so close to such a wild creature is such a privilege. 

Leopard number 1 darted and ready to be checked over

Amazing paws

recovering and coming to

Leopard number 2 - close up

"A leopard sprawled in the crook of an acacia tree, rising now and then to bite on the remains of a gazelle had had tucked away in a nearby branch, as one would get up from a  couch to find some inviting edible in the refrigerator" - Horace Sutton

I have had some quality zebbie time this week, have a look at the pics below to see how much they have grown! It is also very strange to see how well I am accepted into their herd - they know I am different, yet know I am 'one of them'. The other day, Benny and Frankie were all cuddled up with Frankie's head on Benny's bum, I managed to get my head on Frankie and arms over Benny as he lay down on my legs and we all had a little nap for a half hour. I think that was the moment I knew I really had their trust and they see me as a weird sort of zebbie. Even the volunteers have taken to calling me Tannie Zeebbie (Tannie is like Aunty and respectful to an older person or more senior person - would make me feel rather old of zeebbie wasn't added onto the end!). Being 'one of the herd' has its disadvantages though, whilst giving Donsie Donkey a good tickle today I got squarely booted in the back of my leg from Benny it a fit of jealousy. I found myself shouting at him like a real mother'


'Benjamin, you should know better at your age, how dare you, pull yourself together and just behave'


errrrr....he's a zebra, not a child?!

cute little donkey nose

Benny snuffling in the camera

Alpha struggles

Frankies cute little face

My handsome boy

Zeebie bums

Zeb and donkey snuggles.

Look at what was found on border patrol the other day...

a Cobra found shot and the meat removed, most strange.

I have been out on the reserve more this week and finally managed to see the baby giraffe - so cute and still so small. and surprisingly chunky (I suspect the chunkiness is more fluff than fat just like that donkey)...








"God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things." - Pablo Picasso


"You can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream." - Frank Zappa
 
Been to town today for a change of scenery, same as anywhere else in the world, had breakfast, bought some boots and some groceries and then looked down at me and laughed as I was covered in farm sand! On the way in to town it has started to dawn on me that this is no intermission, this is where I live now - for now.


Came back to a carnivore feed of the tour animals - the ones the staff and vols rarely see as they are fed by the lodge tours. Saw lots of free roaming antelope along with the 3 cheetahs, wild dog puppies, 3 lions and 3 lodge leopards - nice and different feeding tour.


So far this week has been as busy and crazy as the last one, will update you all soon.....


“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.” – Fitzhugh Mullan


“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” – Alan Keightley

“Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut

 “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” – Hilaire Belloc

Being Dad's anniversary this week and other bad news from home (again - my poor mum constantly having to break death news to me!) for the first time since being away I really could do with a week at home to see everyone.

“A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a faraway place. A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse… and thinks of home.” – Carl Burns.

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey