Teary good-byes ....
Well, here I am, back in London already. Got home by 2pm. Didn't get much sleep on the plane and feel I haven't really slept properly for well over 3 weeks now so I am not sure I'll be much good at work tomorrow, but never mind... I'm sure they'll be understanding!
The last 3 days in Africa were very much the same as far as duties go and yet there are always little surprises. One night Princess (don't they all have great names?), the main 'vet' for the tiny cubs, asked if she could spend the night with us as she had just been given a 1 day old lion cub to take care of and it meant being up every 2 hours to bottle feed him. So, of course we agreed as it was better for her than to sleep in the nursery (esp. as the smell of pooh in the morning can be seriously overwhelming for all the bad reasons). She had to bring in more stuff than for a human baby I tell you... hot water bottles (stuffed in soft toys!), kettles, heaps of blankets, etc. As soon as the 2 hours were up, no need to use an alarm clock, the little cub would scream his head off, just as loudly as a human baby - his vocal cords made as much sound as 4 cubs put together, I'm not kidding... which is probably nature's way of saying 'don't you dare ignore me, my life is in your hands'. Which is why human babies are always so seriously irritating when they screech, right? SO THAT we just cannot ignore them !!!
It has been really interesting actually to see how she monitors its progress and how they have to record every single feed for all their cubs... The amount of work that goes into saving one single cub is astronomical. The dedication of the staff was really moving. They totally live for theses cubs whist on the premises. Their whole schedule is dictated by their needs - and boy, are they needy! So I could see that volunteers would be useful to wash all the bottles, sterilise them, etc. so that she'd be freer to deal with the more important stuff. The one thing I didn't do was cut the meat for the bigger cats...
The following day, yet another cub was found. A Polish tourist came to me whilst I was on duty at the gate collecting the entrance tickets and told me that she'd been driving around Camp 3, where all the bigger lions are kept and she had witnessed a lionness throwing a cub in the air, as a cat would do with a mouse, to play. She was horrified. Reported it straight to the guard who called Princess, who rushed to the rescue... Getting the bigger cats away from this little helpless cub was the hardest job. But somehow, they managed. The poor little thing was shaking from head to toe when she managed to save him and cuddled her against her breast. I'm sure it must have thought his last hour had come. It's strange how nature can be so incredibly cruel sometimes. Lionnesses are usually very sociable and happily share the nursing duties, but sometimes they refuse to do so.
Anyway, so with 2 cubs now to take care of, she said she'd have to sleep in the nursery for the 2nd night as she was going to need to make lots more bottles, etc.
We also had a wild dog give birth 2 days ago, they'd been watching her closely as she had buried 'by mistake'(?) her 2 previous lot of pups by trying to dig a bigger hole for them. But though we gave her lots of food so she wouldn't have to stress about feeding them, she still ate them. The theory is that maybe the public was a bit too close to the den for her liking (even though they were kept behind fences)? Or maybe she didn't want them to be born not free ??? Strangely enough, though wild dogs are officially the most endangered species in Africa the park didn't seem too fussed at having lost yet another set of pups because wild dogs are worth nothing on the market. Whereas if they sell a lion, it can fetch up to $15,000 which, in African Rand is an enormous amount of money. There is a lot of controversy actually about so many lions being kept in captivity in Africa... it kind of begs the question as to why since of all cats, they are the ones that have the healthiest population.
On our last night we went to Monte Casino, which is an amazing place that ressembles Tuscany. It was designed in the same way as the Caesar Palace in Las Vegas. With blue skies on the ceiling, even at night, and other bits had moonlight effects. With gorgeous Italian-like houses and restaurants (Disney feel) to make it feel like the real thing and a casino area in the middle. It was just magical. The buzz was incredible... and it was like a completely different world from our tents in the bush ! It was like: wow, there *is* life out there, just 15mns away... We all managed to get by, just enough, to last the length of the meal, then we went our separate way. There was still a lot of tension in the group and a big divide and we all felt that this Aussie girl in particular, who bullied everybody around had totally spoilt it for everybody else - she was so loud you could almost hear her a mile off. She was really driving me crazy... trying to remain civil was oh so difficult !!!
3 out of 7 of us left first thing on Monday morning and we didn't even say good bye to each other the night before... it was like: nobody could even pretend to like each other anymore. We had no interest in keeping in touch with each other. The one bloke was SO opiniated and was 'always right'... and drove us all crazy too. At 20, he knew it all. Pathetic. Totally immature.
The only saving grace in all this mess was the cubs, always the cubs. Totally innocent, happy with everybody... constantly grateful for our attention. I went to see all my favourites on the last afternoon and got seriously teary. I sat down in their enclosure, and as usual they were fighting for the best spot - between my legs (like having 2 hot water bottles on each side). I usually had one or two chewing my shoes and one trying to chew my cardigan or T-shirt sleeve -- or my flesh, whatever they could put their teeth into. I picked them all up and kissed them good bye and they felt all soft and lovely as we had washed them the day before (most of the time you couldn't even kiss them because they were seriously stinking of wee and pooh !!!). And it really upset me to think that I will never hold them again... that time with them in over. In just 2 weeks we had watched them grow and change so much already. They were a lot bigger and heavier (7 kgs!) and their temper was very different too. I loved them to bits but knew that even if I went back to the park in 6 months' time, they would not recognise me or know me. They would also be far too big to be picked up or to even play with. Past 6 months the cubs are usually left to their own devices to find their own instincts again. And so I was holding these little ball of fluffs wondering when I'd ever get the chance to play with lion cubs... such an amazing experience. I still pinched myself right until the last second. I never took any moment with them for granted - it was just PURE joy and totally freeing. I just loved them unconditionally.
Then I went to see Masai, the cheetah cub, the most special cub of all to me. I've seen lots of post cards with cheetahs on and none look just as gorgeous as he does. He had such a beautiful face. I will never forget the intensity of his dark brown eyes. I was totally mesmerised by them. It was probably as close to 'being in love' as I could be. I could have gazed into its eyes all day long. And I couldn't tell if, like humans, *I* felt he was the most gorgeous cheetah of all, because *I* knew him 'intimately'. Because we were play mates and had shared so many games... a bit like people we know look better to us, as time goes by, as we grow to appreciate their inner beauty too???
The whole thing has been such an interesting exercise. I am glad I have the Bolivia project lined up for next Easter with the jaguars, pumas and ocelots, otherwise I'd definitely try to do something like that again once a year. My soft spot for big cats has just tripled since this trip. I will never look at a lion again in the same light. I will feel I know them so much better, in the way they cry, move, play, etc.
And Purdy, the giraffe... what a darling. On my very last afternoon, 5 minutes before my cab arrived she came out of the bush, as if to say good-bye. We had all given her big hugs the day before, and had taken pictures of us listening to her heart beats (giraffes have got the biggest heart chamber in the world). And strangely enough, when I put my head on her heart she would stand completely still and let me hear it as if she knew what I was trying to do, as if she sensed I was trying to 'connect' with her. It was just incredible. What a gentle giant. Purdy was 3 times higher than any of us and yet was one of our 'mates'. Again, I will never look at a giraffe in the same light again. Just the night before she had managed to outsmart me to steal my dinner but I still loved her to bits. She would always push her way into the kitchen area (the gate always proved useless, she just gave a big push with her chest and nothing resisted her force) and then she'd lean her head over our heads trying to suss out what was in our plates that she could have... and even though I had covered my salad with both hands, because I was one inch above my plate, she managed to scoop it all out from under my hand just with her tongue. Giraffes have hugely flexible tongues (very long ones!) that are similar to the ones of chameleons... take my word for it ! She often managed to grab our food just as it was on the way to our mouths. Very clever cookie.
She stayed by the cab right until the end, as if she had come to say good-bye. It was eerie. Again, I'll never know if she sensed it... it might have been a complete fluke but it meant a lot to me. I would have been sad leaving without seeing her again one more time as she definitely was a mascot and hightlight for us --- and an evening without Purdy was never as special - even though she mainly came for the food !!
And so it is the end another chapter. I remain enthralled by Africa and all of my peers agreed. Most had never been to the dark continent and I warned them on the first day that it would cast a spell on them. They all had to admit that I was right... one even wanted to spend 2 years over there, another extended her stay by one week, couldn't bear to leave... As one said 'I live in a council flat, a concrete tower block, and here I have this vast plains outside my tent, with zebras and antelopes grazing away, ostriche and giraffes in the compound... I'm playing with lions all day... this is paradise compared to my life in England, how will I ever settle back there again happily knowing how much more beautiful life is here?'. Life isn't easy here though, and it is a bit too cheap for my taste... but it is certainly aesthetically beautiful. I love it when something / someone takes my breath away, and I definitely experienced this every single day.
The grandeur and majesty of Africa cannot even be put into words. It has to be experienced... with all your senses -- even the 'touch' sense... to feel the coat of all the different animals.
So, it's back to work tomorrow and back to reality... not for long, thankfully. I cannot believe how much London has changed since I've been back... all the fowers, all the leaves on the trees, the days are even so much longer. It all helps me realise that time goes by, slowly, quickly, inevitably... and so it is that we should always go for what makes us tick... discover what it is that would make you the happiest and just GO FOR IT. Life is a gift... a multitude of gifts. Keep unwrapping them and you'll never be disappointed... there is SO much that is 'up for grabs' if we only dare go out and experience it ... Be daring ! :)))
Well, here I am, back in London already. Got home by 2pm. Didn't get much sleep on the plane and feel I haven't really slept properly for well over 3 weeks now so I am not sure I'll be much good at work tomorrow, but never mind... I'm sure they'll be understanding!
The last 3 days in Africa were very much the same as far as duties go and yet there are always little surprises. One night Princess (don't they all have great names?), the main 'vet' for the tiny cubs, asked if she could spend the night with us as she had just been given a 1 day old lion cub to take care of and it meant being up every 2 hours to bottle feed him. So, of course we agreed as it was better for her than to sleep in the nursery (esp. as the smell of pooh in the morning can be seriously overwhelming for all the bad reasons). She had to bring in more stuff than for a human baby I tell you... hot water bottles (stuffed in soft toys!), kettles, heaps of blankets, etc. As soon as the 2 hours were up, no need to use an alarm clock, the little cub would scream his head off, just as loudly as a human baby - his vocal cords made as much sound as 4 cubs put together, I'm not kidding... which is probably nature's way of saying 'don't you dare ignore me, my life is in your hands'. Which is why human babies are always so seriously irritating when they screech, right? SO THAT we just cannot ignore them !!!
It has been really interesting actually to see how she monitors its progress and how they have to record every single feed for all their cubs... The amount of work that goes into saving one single cub is astronomical. The dedication of the staff was really moving. They totally live for theses cubs whist on the premises. Their whole schedule is dictated by their needs - and boy, are they needy! So I could see that volunteers would be useful to wash all the bottles, sterilise them, etc. so that she'd be freer to deal with the more important stuff. The one thing I didn't do was cut the meat for the bigger cats...
The following day, yet another cub was found. A Polish tourist came to me whilst I was on duty at the gate collecting the entrance tickets and told me that she'd been driving around Camp 3, where all the bigger lions are kept and she had witnessed a lionness throwing a cub in the air, as a cat would do with a mouse, to play. She was horrified. Reported it straight to the guard who called Princess, who rushed to the rescue... Getting the bigger cats away from this little helpless cub was the hardest job. But somehow, they managed. The poor little thing was shaking from head to toe when she managed to save him and cuddled her against her breast. I'm sure it must have thought his last hour had come. It's strange how nature can be so incredibly cruel sometimes. Lionnesses are usually very sociable and happily share the nursing duties, but sometimes they refuse to do so.
Anyway, so with 2 cubs now to take care of, she said she'd have to sleep in the nursery for the 2nd night as she was going to need to make lots more bottles, etc.
We also had a wild dog give birth 2 days ago, they'd been watching her closely as she had buried 'by mistake'(?) her 2 previous lot of pups by trying to dig a bigger hole for them. But though we gave her lots of food so she wouldn't have to stress about feeding them, she still ate them. The theory is that maybe the public was a bit too close to the den for her liking (even though they were kept behind fences)? Or maybe she didn't want them to be born not free ??? Strangely enough, though wild dogs are officially the most endangered species in Africa the park didn't seem too fussed at having lost yet another set of pups because wild dogs are worth nothing on the market. Whereas if they sell a lion, it can fetch up to $15,000 which, in African Rand is an enormous amount of money. There is a lot of controversy actually about so many lions being kept in captivity in Africa... it kind of begs the question as to why since of all cats, they are the ones that have the healthiest population.
On our last night we went to Monte Casino, which is an amazing place that ressembles Tuscany. It was designed in the same way as the Caesar Palace in Las Vegas. With blue skies on the ceiling, even at night, and other bits had moonlight effects. With gorgeous Italian-like houses and restaurants (Disney feel) to make it feel like the real thing and a casino area in the middle. It was just magical. The buzz was incredible... and it was like a completely different world from our tents in the bush ! It was like: wow, there *is* life out there, just 15mns away... We all managed to get by, just enough, to last the length of the meal, then we went our separate way. There was still a lot of tension in the group and a big divide and we all felt that this Aussie girl in particular, who bullied everybody around had totally spoilt it for everybody else - she was so loud you could almost hear her a mile off. She was really driving me crazy... trying to remain civil was oh so difficult !!!
3 out of 7 of us left first thing on Monday morning and we didn't even say good bye to each other the night before... it was like: nobody could even pretend to like each other anymore. We had no interest in keeping in touch with each other. The one bloke was SO opiniated and was 'always right'... and drove us all crazy too. At 20, he knew it all. Pathetic. Totally immature.
The only saving grace in all this mess was the cubs, always the cubs. Totally innocent, happy with everybody... constantly grateful for our attention. I went to see all my favourites on the last afternoon and got seriously teary. I sat down in their enclosure, and as usual they were fighting for the best spot - between my legs (like having 2 hot water bottles on each side). I usually had one or two chewing my shoes and one trying to chew my cardigan or T-shirt sleeve -- or my flesh, whatever they could put their teeth into. I picked them all up and kissed them good bye and they felt all soft and lovely as we had washed them the day before (most of the time you couldn't even kiss them because they were seriously stinking of wee and pooh !!!). And it really upset me to think that I will never hold them again... that time with them in over. In just 2 weeks we had watched them grow and change so much already. They were a lot bigger and heavier (7 kgs!) and their temper was very different too. I loved them to bits but knew that even if I went back to the park in 6 months' time, they would not recognise me or know me. They would also be far too big to be picked up or to even play with. Past 6 months the cubs are usually left to their own devices to find their own instincts again. And so I was holding these little ball of fluffs wondering when I'd ever get the chance to play with lion cubs... such an amazing experience. I still pinched myself right until the last second. I never took any moment with them for granted - it was just PURE joy and totally freeing. I just loved them unconditionally.
Then I went to see Masai, the cheetah cub, the most special cub of all to me. I've seen lots of post cards with cheetahs on and none look just as gorgeous as he does. He had such a beautiful face. I will never forget the intensity of his dark brown eyes. I was totally mesmerised by them. It was probably as close to 'being in love' as I could be. I could have gazed into its eyes all day long. And I couldn't tell if, like humans, *I* felt he was the most gorgeous cheetah of all, because *I* knew him 'intimately'. Because we were play mates and had shared so many games... a bit like people we know look better to us, as time goes by, as we grow to appreciate their inner beauty too???
The whole thing has been such an interesting exercise. I am glad I have the Bolivia project lined up for next Easter with the jaguars, pumas and ocelots, otherwise I'd definitely try to do something like that again once a year. My soft spot for big cats has just tripled since this trip. I will never look at a lion again in the same light. I will feel I know them so much better, in the way they cry, move, play, etc.
And Purdy, the giraffe... what a darling. On my very last afternoon, 5 minutes before my cab arrived she came out of the bush, as if to say good-bye. We had all given her big hugs the day before, and had taken pictures of us listening to her heart beats (giraffes have got the biggest heart chamber in the world). And strangely enough, when I put my head on her heart she would stand completely still and let me hear it as if she knew what I was trying to do, as if she sensed I was trying to 'connect' with her. It was just incredible. What a gentle giant. Purdy was 3 times higher than any of us and yet was one of our 'mates'. Again, I will never look at a giraffe in the same light again. Just the night before she had managed to outsmart me to steal my dinner but I still loved her to bits. She would always push her way into the kitchen area (the gate always proved useless, she just gave a big push with her chest and nothing resisted her force) and then she'd lean her head over our heads trying to suss out what was in our plates that she could have... and even though I had covered my salad with both hands, because I was one inch above my plate, she managed to scoop it all out from under my hand just with her tongue. Giraffes have hugely flexible tongues (very long ones!) that are similar to the ones of chameleons... take my word for it ! She often managed to grab our food just as it was on the way to our mouths. Very clever cookie.
She stayed by the cab right until the end, as if she had come to say good-bye. It was eerie. Again, I'll never know if she sensed it... it might have been a complete fluke but it meant a lot to me. I would have been sad leaving without seeing her again one more time as she definitely was a mascot and hightlight for us --- and an evening without Purdy was never as special - even though she mainly came for the food !!
And so it is the end another chapter. I remain enthralled by Africa and all of my peers agreed. Most had never been to the dark continent and I warned them on the first day that it would cast a spell on them. They all had to admit that I was right... one even wanted to spend 2 years over there, another extended her stay by one week, couldn't bear to leave... As one said 'I live in a council flat, a concrete tower block, and here I have this vast plains outside my tent, with zebras and antelopes grazing away, ostriche and giraffes in the compound... I'm playing with lions all day... this is paradise compared to my life in England, how will I ever settle back there again happily knowing how much more beautiful life is here?'. Life isn't easy here though, and it is a bit too cheap for my taste... but it is certainly aesthetically beautiful. I love it when something / someone takes my breath away, and I definitely experienced this every single day.
The grandeur and majesty of Africa cannot even be put into words. It has to be experienced... with all your senses -- even the 'touch' sense... to feel the coat of all the different animals.
So, it's back to work tomorrow and back to reality... not for long, thankfully. I cannot believe how much London has changed since I've been back... all the fowers, all the leaves on the trees, the days are even so much longer. It all helps me realise that time goes by, slowly, quickly, inevitably... and so it is that we should always go for what makes us tick... discover what it is that would make you the happiest and just GO FOR IT. Life is a gift... a multitude of gifts. Keep unwrapping them and you'll never be disappointed... there is SO much that is 'up for grabs' if we only dare go out and experience it ... Be daring ! :)))
posted by Sylvie at 3:49 PM
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