Fire breaks and Leprechauns!

Yesterday was probably one of my favorite days here so far.

Ed (One of the senior staff here) approached the Volunteers yesterday and asked for help creating fire breaks. Mr. Connolly (The owner of Antelope park) asked that the entire center of the park be burnt in order to encourage greenery to grow and thus have the game gather in the middle rather then the outskirts (Which is always being burnt due to fires from outside the park leaping the fence). We were warned that it would be incredibly hard and hot work and that it was not for the faint of heart. I, of course, volunteered to do it the entire day rather then the one session that most chose. It was indeed hard and hot work but it was great fun! The flames were spectacular and it was very satisfying setting large swaths of long grass aflame. The work was split into two parts. One group would light the fires and one group would use large branches to put the fire out.

The only downside to volunteering to do this for most of the day was that I burnt off most of my arm hair! It looks strange having mostly bare arms. Hopefully it grows back.

After burning the central area of the park down we returned to have dinner and then a going away party for Jackie (One of the staff members that is moving to Zambia to assist with the new project there). It was great fun. The Deysels (general managers of the park) allowed the lion handlers and other Zim staff to attend the party and good times were had by all. At one point in the evening Lucky (One of the lion handlers) dressed up in Bazz's (An Irish photographer) Leprechaun suit. Everyone could not stop laughing. To top it all off, I had this morning off and got to sleep in until 8:30! Around here an extra two hours sleep makes all the difference.

Tomorrow I go to Victoria Falls with the newer group of Volunteers. This is very good, as I get along with them infintely more then with the older group. On top of that, Shelton (of the two project managers, hes the one we like more) is going to be our driver and guide. I'm looking forward to doing the white water rafting and eating some good food. Part of me is looking forward to doing the Bungee and part of me is dreading it. It should be an interesting six days.

Checking in

In the past few days nothing momentous has happened, just the same enjoyable activities.

I've gotten to know the cubs here very well. I particularly like Echo because hes such a big teddy bear. Very affectionate and always rubbing up against your leg and wanting a cuddle. Its easy to forget sometimes that he could kill you without even breaking a sweat. He and his brother have gotten quite big. They are going to be retired, i'm told, sometime in December. They're getting way to big to walk at 18 months old!









I've been on several snare sweeps in the past week and a half and have enjoyed them immensely. This makes me seem a bit strange in the eyes of most Vols here as the majority of them dislike it...but oh well. Not the first time i've come across as strange and it certainly wont be the last. I've got quite the nack for finding snares, too. Taka, one of the lion handlers here, is always joking that I should get a job in anti-poaching. It wouldn't be the worst job in the world but I couldn't stand not being able to work with the lions.

I've been on a few more horse rides and i'm getting passably skilled at it. I have the trot down very well and hopefully i'll be mastering the canter next. I've been sticking to my trusty mount Cassio as we get along very well.

On the nineteenth I will be going to Victoria Falls on the boarder of Zim and Zambia. It will be a nice change of pace and food. It is alot easier to get food in Vic Falls as it is on the boarder and people make regular trips across to Zambia to purchase goods. I plan on doing many things up there, among them being white water rafting and a bungee jump (if I can gather the courage to do it!). I will certainly take many a photograph and have multiple updates on how it went upon my return.

Some nice landscape pictures

As per requested, here are some decent pictures of the terrain that i've taken.

Oluphunts!

Today it was my extreme pleasure to go on an elephant ride, take a long walk with the four elephants, and then go swimming with them. I got pictures of the first two and the dvd/photographer Adam got pictures of the swim. After spending most of the day with these prestigious pachyderms I fell in love with them. They are extremely intelligent and actually answer/recognize their own names. They can be quite mischievous and silly too.

Later this afternoon I went horseback riding through the park for the second time. My first time I found myself astride Cassio, a very large and stubborn bush horse. Clayton (One of the stable hands and my instructor for the day) said I handled him very well. I enjoyed riding Cassio quite a bit. You just need to be dominant and provide constant encouragement when cantering and trotting-lest he slow to a walk. Today, on the other hand, my not so trusty steed was Jackson. Jackson is the polar opposite of Cassio. While very stubborn, he randomly breaks into trots, canters, and occasionaly gallops and so you are required to keep him on a very short leash.

Now, for the pictures...

A Plethora of Pictures!

We finished meat preparation and cub feeding early today, so I decided to take the opportunity to upload some of my favorite pictures from the last few days.


One of the things we do is clean up "Vultures Restaurant". This clearing is essentially where they dump all the rotting meat that is not fed to the lions in order to encourage the Vulture to take up residence in the park. Its a very amusing activity with the right people because everything has been in the heat so long it has turned into leather. This cow, for example, was as stiff as a board. Its hide had entirely turned into brittle leather. We had alot of fun down there. Pictures, catch, and using brittle skin bits as boomerangs.










The following morning, myself and two other volunteers went on a long walk (Five hours) with the two Es. They were very affectionate and well behaved. We would walk for an hour or so and then sit and relax with them for an hour or so. Very enjoyable. I forgot my ipod, though, and as a result took up whittling. I actually got fairly good at it.

Catching up

In the past few days, we have had a few events of modest import.

We have had two night encounters. A night encounter involves taking out fairly full grown lions to hunt game at night. We accompany them in a vehicle and assist them with a spotlight so they can find game easier. The first night encounter we took out Lossi and Luengwa and we had some decent chases but no kills. On the second we took out the boys from Hunters enclosure. Some very good chases but again, no kills. It must be said, however, that fully grown lions at night are both magnificant and somewhat intimidating.

A rather famous explorer by the name of Sir Ran paid us a visit with his family and was kind enough to grace us with a set of stories from his travels. He has done alot. He's been all over the world and has broken/holds several records including transversing the world by passing through both the north and south pole. A very impressive feat. On a morning lion walk we had an interesting conversation about the state of the world, travelling, and surprisingly enough-philosophy. He actually holds the same philosophy on life that I do. A very relaxed view that makes it a point of enjoying life. What brought him 'round to the same philosophy that I follow was his trip to the Catacombs of Paris and the fact that there are over 6 million bodys buried down there. All without names. Yet, they each had their own stories, dramas, successes and failures. Six. Million. It is our nature, however, to see our own lives as so very important. A roaring fire surrounded by flickering candles. We are self centered by nature. In reality, we are as a single ant in a colony. It was interesting meeting someone with the same views as myself. As for Sir Ran, he was very impressed that I had come to the realizations that I have at the age of nineteen. He, on the other hand, said that he only adopted it at the age of 55 and has been living it for eight years now. He said he has been incredibly happier.

It is now time to go on a snare sweep. Hurrah. I'll most likely put up some more pictures later tonight.

And now for something completely different

In this update I will, oddly enough, be deviating from my usual topics of animals, complaints, and my most magnificent self. In this post, I shall speak of people. Now, I can practically hear the masses crying out in unison "But...but...you hate people!" This is true. However, not even *I* can be so heartless as to scoff at the people of Zimbabwe. I have never met a people quite like them. They have it hard. No, I dont mean four dollars a gallon hard. Or not being able to afford the newest playstation (Oh, the humanity!) hard. Nor eevn having your house forclosed on hard. I am speaking of the hardship of living in TRUE poverty. Of thirty people living in a hut the size of ones living room. I am speaking of the near imposibility of finding a job, let alone one that can sustain your family. Of gas being five U.S. a LITER (Five liters to a gallon) when it is even available at all. Of not even having clean running water or plumbing. This is the condition roughtly 80% of Zimbabwaens live in.




Yet , despite all this, nearly every Zim I have come across is friendly, polite, and rarely complains. It really makes one ashamed about the times when you've complained about the price of gas or a slight rise in food prices.

Today we went on a trip to a local familys abode. It consisted of a small hut, a ramshackle pen for their goats, a chicken coupe made of broken pottery, and a cooking area shielded with rusty sheet metal. All this to sustain an extended family. Regardless of the little that they had, they welcomed us with open arms and granted us every guest right. The scary thing is, this family is considered middle class. Those that actually have money cant even get it. The banks only allow a total of 50,000 zim dollars a day to be withdrawn per person. So after standing in line for an entire day to get this meager amount, you have a measily 50,000 Zim to show for it. A trip to town will cost you 15,000 and another 15,000 to return home. Thus leaving you with a whopping 20,000 Zim dollars. This is barely enough for you to purchase a coca-cola.

What is truly humbling is that although they face severe hardships, they are infinetely more polite and kind then Americans. Being in this country certainly makes you feel both grateful for what you have and somewhat spoiled.