Another super weekend was spent with Elize and Eugene. We motored up to The Crags, on the Garden Route, where we visited Birds of Eden and Monkeyland. Birds of Eden is the world’s largest free flight aviary – a feat of engineering housing 100s of re-homed birds. Monkeyland is also a sanctuary housing squirrel, capuchin, howler and vervet monkeys as well as gibbon and lemur. They all swing about freely in a forest surrounded by an electric fence that keeps the baboons out more than the monkeys in. Courtesy of Elize and Mantis we overnighted in a luxurious villa at Lake Pleasant where the restaurant served us in our own dining room. Sunday was rather gloomy day on which we relaxed, walked on the beach and poor Elize drove us home in the pouring rain.
We arrived back at Addo on a very cold and blustery Monday morning where we were treated to more fence patrol on which we saved at least 2 tortoises.
The rest of the week was spent taking down fences which involved hard manual labour in the hot African sun. Lugging great timber poles and chucking them onto the back of trucks, tortuously untying wire bindings whilst avoiding electric fencing. Nikki became an ace at tossing the caber.
One morning we were up at 430am for a trip with the Lion and Buffalo Researcher. Tracking these animals via a radio signal connected to collars on the lions and some buffs. His research is two pronged...the dietary analysis of lions which involved the collection of lion dung (what is it about animal researchers and their attraction to dung??)...they like meat. And the behavioural change to the Buffalo herd in response to the introduction of lions into their environment...apparently they form defensive groups and repel the attacking lions.
We successfully located 4 lions one with a fresh kill of kudu which it was jealously guarding. Interestingly given the dense undergrowth in Addo the male lion is not the laid back sheik of the savanna but actually earns his keep and hunts for himself.
One of the highlights of the week was a side trip to another part of the Addo National Park called Zuurburg Mountains where we undertook a 4 hour hike in the most glorious surroundings high above the surrounding countryside, there was not a lot of game to see but we did come across a secretive little bush buck doing its thing in the undergrowth. It was hot and we got through 5 litres of water between us.
The weekend was spent relaxing in PE with Elize and her Mum and brother we had a Braai (bbq) on both evenings the second of which was locally caught squid mmmm delicious. One of Elize’s friends runs a fleet of squid boats out of PE most of which is exported to Greece and Spain. Sunday morning saw us tucking into the best pork sausages known to mankind at the Shamwari Townhouse a boutique hotel with the superb decor and food, well done Elize!
Sunday evening saw us return for our last week at Addo...little did we realize what was in store for us.
We arrived back at Addo on a very cold and blustery Monday morning where we were treated to more fence patrol on which we saved at least 2 tortoises.
The rest of the week was spent taking down fences which involved hard manual labour in the hot African sun. Lugging great timber poles and chucking them onto the back of trucks, tortuously untying wire bindings whilst avoiding electric fencing. Nikki became an ace at tossing the caber.
One morning we were up at 430am for a trip with the Lion and Buffalo Researcher. Tracking these animals via a radio signal connected to collars on the lions and some buffs. His research is two pronged...the dietary analysis of lions which involved the collection of lion dung (what is it about animal researchers and their attraction to dung??)...they like meat. And the behavioural change to the Buffalo herd in response to the introduction of lions into their environment...apparently they form defensive groups and repel the attacking lions.
We successfully located 4 lions one with a fresh kill of kudu which it was jealously guarding. Interestingly given the dense undergrowth in Addo the male lion is not the laid back sheik of the savanna but actually earns his keep and hunts for himself.
One of the highlights of the week was a side trip to another part of the Addo National Park called Zuurburg Mountains where we undertook a 4 hour hike in the most glorious surroundings high above the surrounding countryside, there was not a lot of game to see but we did come across a secretive little bush buck doing its thing in the undergrowth. It was hot and we got through 5 litres of water between us.
The weekend was spent relaxing in PE with Elize and her Mum and brother we had a Braai (bbq) on both evenings the second of which was locally caught squid mmmm delicious. One of Elize’s friends runs a fleet of squid boats out of PE most of which is exported to Greece and Spain. Sunday morning saw us tucking into the best pork sausages known to mankind at the Shamwari Townhouse a boutique hotel with the superb decor and food, well done Elize!
Sunday evening saw us return for our last week at Addo...little did we realize what was in store for us.
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