Vegans Love Carnivores

We have finally got working internet again, after a month with almost nothing!   When it was repaired a few days ago I sat in front of my laptop and didn’t even really know what to do because it had been so long that I’d been able to use it that I’d started to not care about using it.   It is however extremely useful for work to have net access to read journal papers , so I can finally get on with my research again.   I am currently writing a paper on the views and behaviours of communal conservancy members towards predators, which is pretty interesting.   Hopefully we shall get it sent for peer-review within a month or so. We’ve had a few social events over the last month.   We went out into town to a local restaurant (which turned out to be quite an effort to organise because you need permission to leave the site and a valid reason for going into town – apparently “escaping for a meal with friends” isn’t sufficient).   I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to ...

We’ve had really bad internet here for the last few weeks, hence the lack of update.   It’s still not 100% back to normal, but at least I can occasionally check emails! I’ve spent the last week or so doing the monthly game counts.   We were so lucky recently as we managed to see three leopards within about 5 days!   The first of these three happened only a few minutes after I was telling the other people in the car that leopards are so hard to spot as they stay in the bushes a lot and we probably drive past loads without realising!   Odd coincidence!   That first leopard was a beautiful subadult male, sat only a few metres from the road and was staring intently at us.   At one point he shuffled his footing around, as a cat would do before pouncing.   I was a little concerned for a brief moment that he’d come flying through the window at us! The second sighting was in the late afternoon: we came round a bend, and there he was, sat beautifully under a t...

I have now managed to catch five mice and rats in my (humane) mousetrap in my room.   The hole in my ceiling that the pesky rodents have been chewing up is about 10cm long and 4cm wide now, and it’s right above where I usually place my head on my bed.   Fortunately I have the choice of two beds in my room, so I decided to strategically move onto the other bed upon realising that some of the bloody rodents were peeing into the hole!!   Clever things if they have made themselves a makeshift toilet, but goddamn them for doing it above my pillow!   If you believe in divine retribution, a prime example of this may be the following story.   I usually give the mousetrap - complete with caught mouse in - it to the husbandry team, who take it out into the field and release it far away.   However, on Saturday I was going out to do road maintenance so I decided to take it out myself.   Alas, being the forgetful fool that I often am, I didn’t take it with me. ...

Evidently I’m not so great at writing in here regularly!   Here’s a rundown of what’s been happening here at CCF lately. Last week we had a farewell party for three interns that were leaving.   We had a really fun evening and I even managed to stay up until 1.30am – the latest I’ve stayed awake since getting to Africa!!   We were also up late the night before as it was Laurie’s birthday, so everyone came down to celebrate and we   ate far too much and listened to cheesy 80s music.   I felt kinda bad that we hadn’t got her a present, but she seemed to have a great time nonetheless. The cars here are a complete joke.   Or at least it seems that’s what some people think of them when they drive around here.   There is not a day that has gone by since me getting here that one car hasn’t been at the mechanics for one reason or another.   Just in the last month one car has got totalled twice due to “animals running out in front of them”, smashing into ...

We’ve had quite an eventful past week here at CCF.  Last week as we were driving back from a field count we found a baby bird in the barn with no sign of a mother around.  It was about the size of a newly hatched chicken and couldn’t even stand up properly, so I guess it must have fallen out of a nest somewhere in the roof of the barn.  I decided to pick it up and take it to the clinic with the hope that maybe we could at least give it some fluids and food.  When I got there no one seemed to be around so I got a shoe box and put the chick inside in the hope that it might calm down in the dark.  I got some water and tried to feed it to the little thing but sadly it died after taking just a few gulps of water.  Poor little thing, but I guess that’s nature. Whilst rhino monitoring earlier on in the week, I saw a green mamba (a deadly venomous snake) cross the road.  This was actually the second mamba I’d seen in a matter of days, as I saw one whilst dri...

Didn't realise it'd been so long since I lasted updated!  Here's a rundown of what's been happening here. Had a lovely Xmas Eve out in the big field, eating and drinking until we almost popped and watching the sun set over the Waterberg Plateau. Then on Xmas day we had a pretty chilled time having brunch and then lounging about watching movies.  Later on in the evening Laurie became Santa and passed around some gifts she bought everyone, which was cute. We all ate too much (again!) and watched the sun set (again - never can get bored of these African sunsets).  It was a really nice, relaxing evening and everyone had a good time. On New Years Eve I spent the afternoon going out black rhino monitoring, which turned out to be a fantastic way to spend my day.  I've decided I really like driving 4x4 cars in the bush!  Especially when they have great speakers and you can rock out to AC/DC whilst driving around with the air conditioning on!  :-)  It's...

Our early Christmas party round Laurie and Bruce’s house was… interesting.  We decorated a dead and leafless tree, whilst I stood around watching people drink alcohol I couldn’t drink and eat dessert I couldn’t eat.  And then we were forced to sing Christmas carols.  At that point, I decided to leave.  Here’s hoping Christmas Day itself will be slightly better, although I fear what they may try to make me in the vegan department…  Salad and sauceless pasta, probably?! After all the felid delight of last week, we also stumbled across (or should I say, nearly ran over) a small serval as we were driving back from a waterhole count.  Servals are smaller felids with spots like cheetahs, long legs and short tails – they look very out of proportion but are adorable nonetheless.  It was amazing to see one, especially as they are so rare and illusive. I got woken up last night to the sounds of jackals yapping, hyenas wooping, dogs barking and baboons wahooing...