A Week’s Worth of News

3 Jul 11

Sorry for the break but things have been a bit hectic here over the last week or so and then when I finally got my internet connection working I managed to spill coffee over the computer keyboard.  I have just finished putting it back together and it appears everything is working.

Key events over the last few days include a day trip into Tzaneen (a town about 50 km away) for our monthly grocery shop.  Also managed to buy a stack of things that I needed like a sleeping bag, as it is freezing here of a night and we spend most nights out either in an ambush or guarding the rhinos.  It was also nice to have lunch in the pub and a couple of beers.

On Sunday we went out to a neighbouring farm to help out the owner who had been threatened the day before and had prowlers around the house that night.  He had previously been kidnapped and robbed about a month ago, so he was fairly nervous. We swept the bush around his property and generally made ourselves noticed as a group of armed men in camouflage uniforms.  It was as much a PR exercise as a practical one.

More ambushes each night and guard duty this week.

Me sitting in the back of our 'awesome' Mahinda 2WD ute while on s vehicle patrol.  Probably not the best choice of vehicle for the team, but I am sure it was cheap!

I had an interesting experience on Monday morning when looking for our two white rhinos.  We found a kill site where a leopard had killed an impala, then dragged it off about 100 m to hide what it couldn’t eat.  After killing the animal, the leopard opens it up and empties the stomach and bowel contents on the ground, thereby removing all of the smelly bits.

A curious/friendly Zebra (the striped one - for you Australians), Oertjies (the brown and white one) and AJ (black jacket).

Elephant coming out of the bush towards the car.  Its amazing how something so big can hide so well.