South Africa - down to work

some zebras we were studying

Having geared myself up for a nice little holiday in South Africa, I was thrown into a lot more work than I expected! Everyday we got up around 6am and didn't stop until about 11pm. We had to start work early to avoid the midday heat. We'd go out for a few hours in the morning and concentrate on a particular survey technique, come back for lunch and analyse/write up our results then we followed the same pattern in the afternoon. Although it was exhausting, I had no complaints about spending my time in the bush studying zebras and wildebeest!

Swallow against the backdrop of Pilanesburg

We spent most of our time doing plant surveys, dung surveys and behaviour surveys, but one morning we had a talk from the guy who runs the reserve, Dougall. Although it was several hours long, it was hugely interesting, especially the history of the reserve. The site used to be a buffer zone for an explosives factory, where Dougall worked. Some of the workers became concerned about the wildlife that had been accidentally fenced in, which some guards used to take advantage of by poaching. After voicing their concerns, the workers were given permission to look after the animals. However, the factory eventually closed down and workers were either made redundant or sent to Johanesburg to work. But Dougall was given a different option. He was invited to run the buffer zone as a game reserve, on behalf of the company. Although he accepted, Dougall had to cover all costs himself, so he farmed ostrich and sisal to sell. He started to trade animals to build up a more diverse community and eventually made it the tourist spot it is today, complete with the prized possessions of Mankwe, the rhinos.

The lion

  Halfway through the trip we had a day off. We went to the nearby Pilanesburg National Park, which is based in a volcano crater! Being there Just feels like you're surrounded by hills but it looks pretty impressive on a satellite map. We spent the morning at the swimming pool and went on safari in the afternoon. A group of elephants walked right in front of our vans and we were lucky enough to see a lion, albeit from a distance. It turns out that in day to day lion language, one doesn't roar; the sound the lion made was more like heavy panting!