In The Jungle

Last month I arrived on African soil for the first time and started a 2 week adventure with no regrets.. except for maybe Johannesburg. The first 3 days I spent travelling around Kruger park checking out the wildlife. From Cobras to Giraffes, Lions to Antelopes and a bit of everything in-between. Elephants were as common as wallabies back in Tas however I am yet to see any elephants who died as a result of road-kill. My favourite sighting was the family of Hyenas that lay across the road on our last day. They weren’t going anywhere and it was a satisfying to just watch these guys as they took their time getting out of our way.

The rest of my time was spent volunteering at a wildlife reserve called Zingela Predator Conservation Project in the NE of South Africa near a city called Alldays. The main purpose of the reserve is to provide sanctuary for cheetahs, leopards and other predators that are threatened by local farmers. It was pretty dramatic from day one after poachers came the night before and killed some of the warthogs. Along with poacher stake-outs we fixed fences, fed the Roans (a type of antelope), tracked cheetahs, leopards & hyenas plus did whatever else was required. We worked 8 hours a day and did nothing during our free time. Needless to say it was a lot of fun. I normally only leave updates on this blog so that people with short attention spans don’t get overwhelmed *coughkuiperscough* but I did have a once in a lifetime experience and those who are interested can read on.

During one of the lunch breaks i was doing some sprints and turning back I saw the silhouette of what looked like a dog at the other end of my course. It was looking at me and then behind as if trying to figure out what i was running away from. As it got closer the light revealed that it was in fact a leopard tracking me down. I walked back slowly to my cabin/tent, if I went too quickly Jackal (that was the leopard’s name) started to jog a bit too so i slowed down. Once in my tent I saw the Leopard walk into our site and gradually follow my tracks back to my tent. Once there he saw me through my flyscreen and whined like a big cat wondering why I wouldn’t come out and play. It took a lot of will power to resist the invitation. He then did a circuit of the tent trying to find a way in. After a lap he saw me through one of the side ‘windows’ and jumped up to put his paws on the tent. The tent collapsed and the big cat scrambled to find its feet again and reclaim some dignity.



Shortly after that the reserve owner and creator Anthony came with his co-worker and paintgun to scare Jackal back into the bushes. Jackal is one of the few predators that Ant has rescued from the bush and keeps on the reserve. Ant is an incredible guy with an amazing life. He spent years rescuing big cats from farm areas and relocating them to wild reserves. He once spent 6 months living in a reserve making sure his cheetah was strong enough to kill wildlife and avoid being killed by the lions. He spent 3 years working in Dubai solely to pay for the 50km electric fence required for the reserve that he currently runs. Along with his army of African workers he, his wife and 1.5 kids they live and work at the reserve and are looking to expand to accommodate lions next year. It’s a bit hard not to be awed by how much he has done for these beautiful and endangered animals. Definitely the right place to go if you ever want a genuine African experience.

A lion with his pet Buffalo

A very belated birthday blessing to my little sista Pippi. I hope you enjoyed your special day and got all the presents you wanted. I may be bringing back a leopard with me that can use a new home.