The last month has been chalk full of new experiences and sightings as well as excellent travels with mum and dad.
Karongwe Sightings
My time spent on Karongwe was nothing short of amazing. Everyday brought something new, whether it was a new animal or a new animal behaviour. It is difficult to sift through all the memories and days and pick out ones to write, they all come together in a blur. I will miss the people and the time spent at Karongwe.
One rainy afternoon…I saw the lions play, saw them kill and eat, and saw them sleep without a care. However, I think the memory that will stick out the most for me was when I was on base duty one rainy day, and got a radio call from the research truck on drive that their battery had died and they needed a jump. However, this was no ordinary car jump, as the pride of lions were on location and Zero (pride male), was only 20 meters down the road and not interested in moving. Sandra (staff) and I hopped into the spare truck and drove along the tar roads to the stranded vehicle, all the while discussing what the location could look like. Maybe the lions were pacing around the vehicle like sharks circling, sensing the prey’s vulnerability.
When we came around the corner to see the vehicle, we noticed that the lions were not circling the truck, and Zero was lying in the road without a care. Nevertheless, Zero was not the worry. The two pride females Lisa and Maggie are the worry. We picked up a strong signal for Maggie’s collar (within 100m which she could cover in few seconds), so we had to be careful. We positioned the truck in order to block Zero’s approach, if he decided to take interest. We watched the shrub carefully for any movement. I noted how badly human’s sensory perception really is and how fragile our bodies are, once removed from the steel cage of a vehicle. We then successfully jumped the other vehicle and went home. Not overly dramatic I know; no stories of me fighting off two female lions with my bare hands, or even the close call when one sprang from the shrub for a meal. The story just ends with a successful jump on one rainy afternoon in Africa. It was just another day. And I think that’s why it sticks out.
Other sightings
Each day kept bringing something new. I had the opportunity to see cheetahs in full out chase of impala. When I say see, what I mean to say is, witness for a few brief seconds (though it plays longer in my mind). I think my thought process may have been something like: ‘man those impala are running fast, I have never seen impala move…Hunt! Something is hunting them! CHEETAHS! Holy crap’ and in that space of time it was over and done with. Still very impressive.
One day we came across hyenas on a warthog kill (I swear, I have seen more warthog get nicked than any other animal, I am not sure how they survive). This was a great sighting because it was in broad daylight at about 9AM. Hyenas are usually very secretive about their kills, and because they are nocturnal, usually kill in the dead of night. We watched as the one well known female, Giggles, stood over the kill wagging her tail. To me, hyenas seem to have personalities closer to dogs, with the way they organize their social structure and behavioural traits such a wagging their tail when excited. However, I am told, that genetically they are closer to felines. Anyway, very cool sighting and immediately after, a Tawny eagle swept down in front of us and nabbed an Egyptian goose gosling. Got to love Africa. 
Around base
It was tough to see the people that I had lived with for ten weeks go. They were all good people; relaxed and easy going. On the last night we had a Greek themed party, where we all dressed up as gods and heros. I was Achilles, and I had masterfully turned an old brown bed sheet into my war dress. I think the crowning achievement was getting a broom head affixed to the top of an old work helmet and then covering it with tin foil (the helmet not broom) for my war helmet. I even made cardboard armour for my forearms. I thought I may have gone overbroad with it, but everyone else, staff included, all put lots of time into it.
I will also miss Wilber. Wilber is a male warthog who was the closest thing to a wild pet anyone could have. He didn’t fear humans, came right up on the back lawn and ate grass. He had enough sense that you couldn’t touch him, but he was comfortable nonetheless. He was also the loudest eater. He would wrap his lips around the base of the grass and instead of snapping it off, run up the entire length of the grass, stripping it in a way. This would make a funny sqeeky sound which was followed closely by him smacking his lips loudly. He provided me with hours of entertainment.
Travels with Mum and Dad
The last two weeks in March were spent traveling the countryside with mum and dad. We started in Karongwe, where mum and dad were able to come on a research drive with me and walk in on some cheetahs. I know that it was one the best experiences that I had, and I hope mum and dad enjoyed it (they seemed to indicate so). After that we spent an afternoon in the Blyde River Canon where I was doing the biodiversity work, and we went to the “potholes” which are large, sculpted holes in the rock where the water has flown through.
We also did a day in Kruger, where mum and dad had probably one of the best wildlife sightings I have ever seen. We were told about a leopard walking down the road further ahead, so we drove down and found it slinking through the grass. We stopped at a tree it was eyeing and waited (well, I was praying a little too). And there, 10m from the car, the leopard, in two graceful leaps, put herself into the tree for an afternoon nap. I think mum and dad understood how rare it was to see, especially from my repeated stammering “you don’t know how lucky you are”. In summary, over a combined three to four days of wildlife viewing in total, my parents saw 4 out of the Big 5, and close to 30 different mammal species (my mum can tell you exactly, she has the list at home).
The Garden Route that we took wasn’t overly impressive. We all felt the time was better spent in the parks and reserves watching the game that South Africa has to offer. The Garden Route is fairly commercialized throughout, and it gives that ubiquitous taste of “I know I have been in another country, but what did I see?”. In Port Elizabeth we stayed close to the Boardwalk Casino, which had the only eateries nearby, including “Oriental Village” and a Greek place that served sour cream as tsatski. It wasn’t all bad though. For the most part the accommodation was comfortable and food eatable. The highlights were the natural features. The large limestone caves near Outshoorn, the perfect rollers in Jefferies Bay, the penguins near Cape Town, Tabletop Mountain in Cape Town, the ele’s of Addo, and the endless soft sand beaches of the West Coast National Park.
I really enjoyed the two weeks with mum and dad, and was very happy to help them see some of the Africa that I have grown to love. I think the lesson that we all carried forward from this trip was that if you decide to visit Africa, give plenty of time to see the wildlife.
Question Corner
Well the wildlife questions have dried up a little, but the one question that seems to repeat is:
Do you think that this type of work is something that you will pursue in the future?
Right now the most important factor is that I have an amazing girlfriend who supports me, and the choices I make. Maybe one day Kat and I will live in Africa while I study lions… or maybe not. All these choices will settle out in time. But yes, in essence, the Africa experience has focused my passion for conservation and ecology, and given me the indication of where I want to spend my professional time in my adult life. Plus, in this job, I always get the corner office with the best view.
PS
