Since introducing our latest adventurer it seems the staff have endeavored to keep her quite busy. Between butchery duty, schmoozing with the Centre’s many residents, trying to capture crafty servals, and warding off Karen and Tabs’ motley collection of ‘kids’, it’s amazing she even found time to write us an update! Unfortunately she hasn’t had time to send any photos, but promises to make up for that with her next update!

FROM MARNEL

So far my time at HESC has been quite enjoyable. Nungu Camp is very peaceful, but far from boring with Karen and Tabs’ ‘kids’ (a baby warthog, a dog and a 3-legged African wild cat) running around, the frequent visits from animals like waterbuck and warthogs, and the braais (barbecues) with the staff.

One of the highlights of the week was trying to catch Hendrik, a serval they plan to release soon.  He definitely out-smarted us!  After making a big effort to safely set up the cage with a step-triggered door and then coaxing Hendrik inside with a chicken, we waited anxiously for the door to fall shut.  But it never did!  He managed to walk in and then reverse back out with the chicken in his mouth without putting a foot on the trigger!

The daily routine of preparing, feeding and cleaning up food, working alongside the great staff, and seeing all the animals, is definitely worth the smelly clothes after a day’s work with raw meat. The special trips in addition to the pleasant daily routine are a bonus. I’ve now been on a boat tour down the Blyde River Canyon (the third largest canyon in the world), and I visited  the Khamai Reptile Centre, where I saw many impressive and slightly scary reptiles. Let the adventures go on!

Remember to visit Facebook or Flickr to see what I’ve been up to!

Greetings from Africa,

Marnel