Finally I Have Internet!

Firstly sorry for the complete lack of updates since I have been in SA. Getting to the internet is pretty difficult, so this is the first time in a month that I have had chance to update.
I have been writing blogs but just not having chance to post, so I'll try and upload the couple that I have written.....

14th March 2009

Well I’ve been back in South Africa for just over two weeks and already I have seen and done so much.
My first few days spent in Kruger National Park were a lot of fun and were full of awesome and interesting sightings.
I camped for four nights and every morning I woke up to the sound of lions roaring and hyenas whooping. Before we even reached the gates of the park on the first day we watched a clan of hyenas chasing each other around on the road and emitting a whole range of vocalisations.
The park looked so green and lush, a complete contrast to when I was there in September; it looked like a whole different place.
We had some great sightings during the three days of game drives, including six lion sightings of three different prides. One pride had brought a giraffe down right on the side of the road, so we watched them eat, sleep and the cubs play on three different occasions. On our last morning they came within a metre of the vehicle and we could hear them breathing, an intense but extremely special moment.
On the first night we went for a sunset drive and within five minutes found a young cheetah walking through the bush. I would guess it would have only been around a year old, and we followed as it walked down the road, perhaps in search of it’s mother.
We also found three huge male lions on the night drive and watched as they began their evening hunt. They were pretty spectacular.
We had the most fantastic encounter with a bull elephant that came within metres of our vehicle. He stood in the middle of the road, so relaxed and curious of us. He was probably the biggest elephant I had ever seen and he was not fazed by our presence in the slightest. We stayed with him for about 20 minutes and it was probably the best encounter of the whole Kruger trip.
There were lots of other great sightings of general game, as well as buffalo, hippo, genet and some amazing bird life. We found a flat-necked chameleon in the road so took the opportunity to have a closer look at him. They are fascinating creatures.
It seems Kruger never fails to deliver.
I arrived in Lydenburg to start my volunteering with the Ingwe Leopard Project on the 4th March and it has been pretty much none stop since.
My base is a beautiful little cottage in Kudu Game Ranch, with a balcony overlooking the reserve and the Lydenburg mountain range. It is breathtaking, and the sunrises beyond beautiful.
The first week consisted of a lot of training with project manager Will Fox, bush god Gerrie Camacho and head research Anton Van Loggerenberg.
We went over to stay at Paperbark Valley for a couple of nights and on our drive in to the valley we spotted a huge black mamba on the side of the road. The reality of life in the bush hit us hard!!
We stayed in a rustic house with no electricity and shared our shower with frogs and enjoyed candlelit dinners whilst listening to the sounds of the bush.
Whilst we were there, we went on a mountain hike with Anton. We started off positive looking at tracks, enjoying the views and the nice weather. Four hours later we collapsed back at base hot, sweaty and completely exhausted. But the view from the top had been well worth it.
A lot of the training has been trying to learn the art of tracking which is a lot more difficult than it looks. Baboon are slowly becoming the enemy as their tracks can easily be mistaken for leopard and on several occasions have caused us to get very excited for no reason.
Most days are spent walking in the bush looking for spoor and trying to find ideal spots to place camera traps. On one such walk we went on to a hiking trail and came across what we are quite sure to be leopard spray marks of urine. We found four lots along the route, each one getting fresher so that is where we have decided to place a couple of our camera traps. As yet no luck, but who knows what might show up in the coming weeks.
We have also been to visit a couple who live on the reserve to speak to them about an encounter they had with a leopard a week or so back; it had been staring in to their house window so that was very interesting to hear about.
This week we have been given a quad bike to help us get around the reserve. So far we have been walking everywhere, averaging about 12kms a day, so having the quad will allow us to reach the opposite side of the reserve at a much quicker rate.
However the first outing was anything but a success. The quad does not have a battery, therefore has to be manually started. Problem number one, neither Kate nor I are strong enough to start it. So we collected it from Will’s house got him to start it and set off on the half hour journey back to our cottage. Problem number two occurred when we stalled the damn thing after about 10 minutes and still were not strong enough to restart it, therefore embarrassingly having to call Will to come and rescue us. Once he had restarted it, we set off again and hit problem number three, getting completely lost without a map, compass or GPS!
We drove roads that did not exist on the map nor were really fit for a quad bike, all the while terrified that we were going to stall it again and not be able to explain to anyone where the hell we were or even worse, run out of petrol.
Eventually we came across a sign directing us to Windmill Dam, which is an area we have walked regularly, so headed to there and from there to home. The half an hour journey turned in to an hour and a half and Kate and I were both so relieved as we pulled in to our drive.
So all in all not a very successful initiation for the quad, surely it can only get better from on……
We have seen an array of wildlife since being in Kudu Game Ranch. Surprisingly the game is pretty relaxed whilst we are on foot and already we have had some great sightings of impala, kudu, eland, warthog, giraffe, wildebeest, baboon and other general game.
Even at our cottage you can’t escape the wildlife. On our second night we stepped outside to find a large spotted genet sitting on a rock about four metres away from us. We watched for a few minutes before he slowly meandered off in to the bush. We also have rock dassies nearby as well as a very cute group of dwarf mongoose.
But the best sighting by far happened a couple of nights ago on our balcony. We opened the door and sitting on the corner of our balcony was the large spotted genet. We thought as soon as we moved he would run away but he surprised us by staying there and staring at us curiously.
Kate and I slowly sat down on the floor and the genet edged closer to us. He jumped on to the ground to join us and walked within a couple of metres of us. He sat and watched us watch him, completely relaxed and at ease in our presence. Once he had had enough, he walked to the edge of the balcony, and hopped in to one of the trees.
Words cannot describe how special those few minutes were. That really is the magic of the bush and I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of our genet friend.
The next couple of weeks are going to be pretty hectic with a lot of different things going on. We will be doing more training with Gerrie, who I cannot speak highly enough of. His knowledge and experiences are just out of this world and already we have learnt so much from him.
We will also be exploring other parts of the reserve looking for spoor and good places to set more camera traps in the hope of finding out where the leopards and honey badgers reside.
So I’m sure there are plenty of interesting and exciting times ahead.

The Countdown Is On

48 hours from now I will be sitting on a plane starting my 18 hour journey back to South Africa.

It all seems a little surreal at the moment, and will only probably feel like it's actually happening when I touch down in Johannesburg.

I'll be spending my first few days in Kruger National Park, enjoying the sights and smells of the bush as a tourist before the real work begins.

I'll be heading to Lydenburg on the 4th of March and will be based at Kudu Game Ranch where a lot of the ILP's leopard research takes place. This is also the base for their new honey badger project. The reserve is home to leopard, rhino, buffalo, eland, sable, giraffe and many other general game species, as well as an abudant of bird life.

The schedule is going to be pretty hectic, working long days, 7 days a week but I am sure it will all be worth it.

The first week will consist of training which will include intense sessions on how to identify spoor and learn how to track animals, as well as how to use the camera traps and just a general introduction to life with the ILP.

From there it will be straight in to initial surveys on the leopards and honey badgers, and whatever else crops up during my stay.

It is likely there will be both leopard and honey badgers captures whilst I am there which I should have some involvement with.

It is going to be an interesting and varied three months. I am sure I will be on a steep learning curve, but the bush really is the greatest classroom.

Here's to another experience of a lifetime....

Departure Date Is Looming Closer

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.