05.12.2018

05.12.2018 15days at buffelsdrift

Working

This morning was the first breakfast without Larissa. The average volunteering age has greatly plummeted since she left.

We headed down and started first with finding the cheetahs. They were not in their usual spot so it took us a while to find them with the antenna.

We then grabbed some long sticks to move leftover metal fences again. Since these were already laying there for a while, a lot of thorn bushes and plants had grown into them. So we had to rip them out of the thicket and carry them to a pile near the road.

Last time we had 2 more people when we did this, so it took us a while.

On the way back, we checked the lion fence and then went for lunch.

In the afternoon, we started with the elephant enclosure. Also, they had a big pile of tires and sticks which they played a lot with yesterday. So we had to get all the tires and sticks back into a pile.

Done with that, we started the elephant food and then cleaned the second meat freezer. So we took all the frozen meat out, grabbed a little brush, and started brushing deep frozen pieces of leftover meat and blood from the box.

After washing out all the blood and getting rid of the evidence, we grabbed a few bags.

These we had to fill with elephant dung again and carry them back to the car. During that, we were visited by a tortoise. Lea put it next to the water so it could drink, but instead, it just fully dived into the water. So we pulled it out again.

With the bags of poop in the car, we drove to our tents and filled a little vegetable garden with it. Or at least it's supposed to become one. I just hope it's not for our vegetables.

Already at the tents, I quickly shook out my shoes and went for a shower. I really needed it today. However, there was almost no water pressure. So that took a long and cold time to get clean.

After that, we had dinner. Lea organized some more with Mariné's surprise gift, and we watched the springbok trap that was now closer to our tents at a new position.

We saw that a few animals went in, but Chris didn't trigger the trap and we didn't understand why. So we kept waiting and wondering if maybe the trap was broken.

But then suddenly, he activated it and we saw a bunch of animals run out. Chris's son Tyan started running towards it. I wanted to go as well, but Lea told me that they didn't catch anything.

We still walked down just to help, even though Lea didn't really want to. But then we saw Chris drive to the trap and getting out a towel.

So me and Lea started running, and there actually was a springbok under one of the nets, and Tyan was holding its horns.

Chris grabbed the entire net with the bok tight, and we helped load and hold it on the back of the car. Then we took off towards the other part of the reserve.

It was a bumpy ride. Lea held the towel over its eyes to keep it calm, I held the very spikey horns, and Tyan held the legs should it kick.

It got dark fast when we finally reached the other land. There, Chris helped us get it off the car. While we held it in place, he and his son slowly started to get it out of the net.

Then we all went behind the animal and let go of its legs and horns at the same time. Quickly, the antelope got on its legs and started to run off into its new home...

That was a really cool experience. Chris drove us back, and me and Lea went to bed early since tomorrow we were going to join a meerkat safari at 6:00!!!.