So its been a week since I arrived on Harnas and it has not stopped!! Its been pretty hectic and lots going on. On Tuesday we had to dart Tom the wild dog who was being attacked by the other dogs in his enclosure. We went out to his enclosure, schalk darted tom and then once he was asleep we picked him up and drove back to the clinic. Erin (animal caretaker and vet nurse) worked on cleaning his wounds and checking he was in general good health and then we put him in an enclosure. All went well and he is now out in an enclosure with a female. All with the aim to form a new pack of wild dogs.
Then Wednesday night was lapa night, the theme was animals on harnas (orginial!) so Tess (volunteer coordinator) and I went as zebras. At dinner it was announced that the wild leopard who came to Harnas a month ago would be released back into the wild tomorrow and there was space for a volunteer to go with the car to release. We all put our names in a hat and Herman picked one out. Unbelievably I was the lucky one.
So at 3am that night I had to get up and start the 12 hour drive south with Charlotte, a German volunteer who came with us as the film crew who are living on harnas making a german TV documentary were also coming to film the release! And Patrick, who is helping run the volunteer programme. We arrived on the farm at 3pm the next day after the most treacherous journey up a mountain which was on the edge of the desert. Spectacular scenery and a real challenge to get the car up the mountain, There wasn't even a road so it took some time. The 4x4 course i went on with dad a couple of months ago came in handy when i had to guide patrick up the mountain. Sadly i wasnt able to drive. The leopard was in the back of the car with us for the whole journey. Dont worry she was in a cage! She was pretty much silent until we found the right spot to release her when she went a little bit crazy!
We roped up a lever to a tree so we could all be safely in the car when we opened the cage. She initially just sat in her cage looking around for a while and then made her escape and ran off into the bush. 12 hour journey for a 3 minute release but it was worth every second. Seeing her get her freedom back was awesome. We then spent the night in the mountains at a tiny little farm house with no electricity. Luckily one of the guys had picked up a big curly sausage which we braaied and found a random bag of rice to cook as well. We weren't planing on staying overnight but the journey took way longer than planned. We also went for a walk in the mountains and climbed to the top of a peak where there was the most amazing view over the Namibrand National Park. Photos to follow soon!
Friday was spent driving the 12 hours back south, however we were only 60kms from Sossusvlei which is the second oldest desert in the world and is a national park with the most amazing dunes. It would have been a crime to drive 900kms and not drive an extra 60kms to the dunes so with a bit of persuasion Patrick drove us to the park. Charlotte and I climbed Dune 45 the biggest and best and it was totally awesome. I feel so lucky that I could be involved in the trip and get to experience both the release and the desert! We got back to Harnas at 7pm on Friday night absolutely knackered. How Patrick drove for 24hours in 48 hours is pretty incredible! And now I have seen so much of Namibia! Such a beautiful country.
12 vols left on thursday, 9 arrived on friday and now we are 32 people which is a really nice number. Its an awesome group right now, most people in their early 20s and from Norway, US, Denmark mainly. I am the only person from the UK which is unusual.
Yesterday we had a small Harnas Olympics competition which my group the Houndogs won! Today is sunday so a day off, and this afternoon we are playing paintball!!
Thats about all for now, everything is great and having the best time! Jo is back this week so I may end up in the office by the end of next week. Really enjoying normal volunteer life right now and trying to make the most of it before the office beckons me!
Weather is hot during the day about 26 degrees and pretty chilly at night about 3 or 4 degrees.
Will try and update again next sunday
Hope all is well with you, it would be great to hear your news.
x
No comments:
Post a Comment