Well I am now under four weeks until I depart for another three months in South Africa.
I'll be heading to Lydenburg to help at the Ingwe Leopard Project (ILP).
The ILP are a team of dedicated researchers gathering reliable scientific data on the density and behaviour of leopards outside of formally protected areas, as well as searching for the elusive black leopard. The majority of African land mass does not fall within game reserves or national parks. It is in these unprotected areas where there is no sufficient reliable data on leopard numbers and movement patterns. It is also in these areas where leopard hunting takes place. Using camera traps and GPS satellite collars, the ILP can identify and follow the movements of individual leopards and look at the conflict issues between leopards and livestock.
My role will be varied but I will generally be involved with predator tracking, spoor casting and analysis, camera trapping and predator capture. They are also setting up a new honey badger project which is due to start in March, so some of my time will also be spent on that.
The thought of going back to the bush is pure and unadulterated bliss. Every single time I go back and take my first breath of the fresh wilderness air I get transported back to being a child. I'll be in Mother Earth’s best and most beautiful playground, full of wide-eyed curiosity and wonderment, running around and eager to learn.
I will be privileged to be in the presence of knowledgeable and passionate individuals, who genuinely care about their cause and are making a real difference to conservation.
It’s easy to get lost in a single moment out in the bush, just being part of nature’s most beautiful story and all her complexities. Watching and listening as life and death goes on all around, as you stand still for just a few moments, taking in the rawness and purity of the scene that is unfolding in front of your eyes.
You begin to realise that we humans, as a species, are no different to any of the other fascinating creatures that stand in front of you. We all have the same basic needs, desires and primal instincts. We share this Earth alongside these fellow animals; it does not belong to us. And they deserve and demand the same respect and admiration that we give to each other. Their existence no less important than our own.
I am excited about being able to give a little back and help to conserve and preserve such a magnificent predator like the leopard.
There really is no place quite like the African wilderness. A single scene in this environment can evoke an array of emotions; some of which you might never have known that you could feel, and maybe a few that you don’t even quite understand. But all of which will get you thinking and wondering.
But the bush is not the only thing that defines Africa as being such a wondrous land. The people, the culture, the general way of life all mix together to make it so extraordinary. Just being and existing in such natural beauty is what it is all about.
Africa gets in to your veins, in to your blood, in to your heart. It is like a drug. But the best, most wonderful drug you could ever imagine. And once you have taken that first dose, there is no going back.
I am hooked and could never imagine my life without the Africa drug.
