Archive for January 16th, 2001
Day 13
The doc had a mission today. A couple of lions at a neighbouring reserve were showing symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency (wide eyes and disorientation, apparently). I got to know the doc a bit more on the way over there.
We met Ross, the main keeper of the reserve, with a fresh wound on his eyelid from a claw swipe by a cheetah. He showed us a pair of tiny lion cubs - I couldn’t get my head around how they start off so small and grow to be so big!
The two lions to be treated where young adults, in fine condition - playful and active, if a little wobbly on their feet from the vitamin deficiency. It was obvious even to me that they wern’t quite a hundred percent.
The doc darted the pair of them so he could treat them, and that was it finished.
Later in the day Tyse taught me about management of the veldt (another term for the African bush, or open, undeveloped rural land). The types of grasses growing are very important to the health and sustainability of the veldt. For example, Kapama has been over-grazed, leading to a high ratio of annual, thin grasses, with little nutritional content. This is because Kapama actually has too many grazing animals, and is only being sustained at its current state by above-average rainfall in the past few years.
Tonight I have been extremely lucky. Three magnificent wild rhinos came to my camp while I was having an evening dinner by the fire. Two adults and a young calf. I was just in awe of them, they were so quiet despite their huge size. I have been waiting for an opportunity to use the charcoal sticks I have brought from home to use on my sketch pad, so I climbed onto the roof of the lavatory block, and sat there taking as many sketches as I could in the fading light, until sadly they wandered on.