Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Wednesday was an interesting day because as usual Jess and I went out to do observations. We went to the cheetah Cruise first which was the farthest away. After some difficulty of seeing him in the pen we decided to drive to the other side. It turned out to be the ideal looking spot and we sat on top of the car for the best view. This was also great because we could easily see the four boys Cruise is next to and get a better idea of how he interacts with them. The rest of the observations also went fairly well, which is nice because then we easily make it in time for lunch. After lunch I spent my time with Matt and some others to move cages around and finish feeding. I was going to go with him to release two of the cats at Bellebenno, but Suzie wanted me to cut her hair and while I did that they had left. On the bright side I had never cut short hair before and I did a surprisingly good job. I just had brand new paper cutting scissors that worked well, but I hope it doesn't cause any problems later. Suzie is this really funny middle-aged Australian, and she was going to town this weekend and wanted to look good of course. She loved her hair and now every time she sees me she asks "How's my hair stylist."
Thursday was my off day for the behavior study so I was able to help box cats for their examinations in the morning. I had never gone before so it was fun. You have to sort of herd the cats into a box and close it. One cat we weren't sure we would be able to lure into the squeeze cage since Shadow is so skeptical of anything different. However we concocted a sneaky plan and it worked! We were also able to get her from the squeeze cage into the box easily as she slowly moon-walked backwards into it. We decided we were so good we called ourselves Matt's ABS (Allie-Bridget-Shanna). After that we went to feed the cats in Bellebenno which I had only done once but we had the wrong truck. Normally we drive through the pen (it's 64 hectares) and while we drive you throw out meat to the cats while they run behind you. It is quite a sight to see 12 cheetahs running alongside a truck and taking the meat you've thrown them. Afterwards we had to clean all the boxes for the cheetahs and they were pretty bad. I smelled like cheetah crap and was covered in soapy water. The worst part about that was we threw a small get together for Rosie's birthday just after that so I was not at all in mint condition. Nevertheless we had made her a sign and a crown that says Lady Rosemary with our "family crest" that we had made up. It looked awesome. One of the Boskop guys named James arranged for us all to go to this hut in the field that looks out over the bush for a perfect view of the sunset. Matt had even brought his I-pod so we had a nice little party with music and drinks before dinner. It was also a celebration that annuals are officially over! The vets that were here actually left right after lunch. I was really sad that Diana was leaving since she is from Argentina, but we exchanged e-mails. There is also a possibility she might go to work at the Oregon zoo!
Friday was pretty low key. Jess and I went out to do observations this morning. It was much more difficult this time. This time we did not have a car so we went by foot to the closest cheetah pens. Our first two cats we couldn't find so we skipped them to Rosy nearby. She was pretty easy, but we had another good scare. We saw something shaking part of her pen and at one point we heard a deep growl. Knowing there could be leopards somewhere we went inside the cheetah pen. Something was agitating the wild males next to Rosy's pen and they were growling a lot. Rosy didn't seem disturbed at all so I didn't think it could be a leopard and then I saw the culprit. A baboon walked across the top of the fence from the wild males pens to another pen. They didn't come near us or anything, but I had to notify the keepers later to check on the fences and the cheetahs because they have had problems with baboons before. James said it might be time to get out the paintball gun. We still had a lot of trouble with the observations that day. Yoran is this really awesome Swedish guy that speaks very broken English and is apparently kind of famous for his mechanical garages in Sweden. He is so much fun and such an animal lover. He took us to the solitary male cheetah Cruise who is the farthest away and not available on foot. We were lucky he could help us out. The rest of the day was pretty boring because most people were gone and taking a half day or the day off since annuals just finished. I helped Meg in the goat kraal ear tag some of the baby goats but that was about it. It was still a great day.
Saturday testing went really well surprisingly and Jess and I finished all the tests by 11:30. Meg and I helped Matt finish the feeding and everything before lunch. After feeding the Chocolates (cheetahs) we went in the pen to clean up the leftover bones and collect fecals. I'm used to go fairly close to them to get collections so I went into the pen where 3 of them were to get some bones. Chanel is the boldest cat in there and I think she was very threatened as Meg and I both walked in there through the only entrance. Instead of moving away like I expected she moved towards me. I couldn't back off because Meg was there so I just stood my ground. Matt saw us and started making loud yells at Chanel and she backed off. She's been getting more and more aggressive apparently so if I ever do that again I will have to take a stick with me, or just wait for Matt to collect the fecal samples. It was crazy because she had never acted like that before. I wasn't scared, but concerned because Meg decided to come in with me (two is better than one) but I think Chanel found thatmuch more threatening especially when blocking the only exit. Anyway the rest of the day was great because since Matt was taking a half day Kate, James, and him were going into town. Luckily they allowed Meg and I to go along. We went to a nice restaurant for lunch. It was nice with just the five of us and we had a good time. Also, I finally got to have ice cream after nearly 50 days of going without. They had Magnum ice cream bars at the grocery store and I was so happy! James I discovered earlier likes rock-climbing as well and we decided then that we should get a group to go to a place he knows nearby that is really cheap to get an instructor and rents equipment as well. We're not sure what weekend yet, but I'm so excited I might be able to finally go rock-climbing outdoors and practice all the stuff I've learned at OSU!
So that night we were going to celebrate Rosie's 21st birthday at Boskop. I had to drive a car back to the centre that we had borrowed to go to town and then we tried to recruit people for the party. Unfortunately it was a bad weekend for most people and many weren't in the mood. In the end we only got a couple people to go back with us and it was kind of a dud. Nevertheless Allie and I danced a ton, we played darts, and for the most part us girls had a lot of fun.
The next morning Stacy and Jess came to Boskop and picked Meg, Rosy, Allie, and I up to go to the Waterberg Plateau for a hike. We packed sandwiches and things for lunch and headed out early. It's a long drive, but we sang Disney songs and whatnot. Stacy joked about how she felt like a girl scout troop leader or something. The hike was great and the view from the top was spectacular. I'm so glad we went. Also, it's Allie's last weekend and I was really happy we were able to do one great final thing with her. She leaves this upcoming Saturday and will definitely be missed. Many will be leaving in the next couple of weeks and it will be sad to not have those people here anymore, but that's what happens in a place with so many volunteers. It's been a wonderful day and I'm glad Meg and I still have a bit of time left. Time flies here and I feel like so much has happened somehow.
- comments
Karna Thanks for keeping up with the blog! It is never dull!