Day 29: All the Best

This morning, Tippy hurt herself. We're not really sure how, all we know is that she could move only one out of her four legs. It seems to be an injury to her back. Pieter has sedated her and taken her into the vet. Hopefully she will be able to make a full recovery. Tippy and Jade have already lost a brother, so they don't need any more stress and hardship. It's not exactly the best way to start your last day, but I'm really counting on some good news later on this afternoon. If you pray, please keep Tippy in your prayers. If you don't, please just send good karma her way. She could use a little bit of good juju right about now.

Not much else is really going on...Dane and I went for a final bushwalk after we fed the cheetahs their bones. It was really hot today, so the animals were smarter than us and staying out of the sun. We only saw some giraffe and eland, but I really appreciated the chance to stretch my legs before I have to sit on a plane for 16 hours. Now I am just finishing up packing and writing this final Dell blog entry. I'll be leaving in about 3.5 hours for the airport, and be back in the states by 11:15 A.M. Cincinnati time. I am excited and sad at the same time. I don't really want to leave the people and the cheetahs here, but I also really want to see my family and friends back home. It has been a wonderful experience and the time has gone by way too quickly. Thank you to everyone who has followed me while I've been adventuring here - reading your comments always is a bright spot in my day!

See you all real soon!
Taylor

Day 28: Out of Time

Today at approximately 1 o'clock P.M., the Timex watch I purchased from Walmart five years ago ran out of batteries. It could not have chosen a more appropriate time, seeing as today was my last full day here at the Dell Cheetah Centre and my time here has just about come to an end. It does not feel like I will be going back to Cincinnati tomorrow, and it does not feel like I've spent 28 days here. It feels like I have only just gotten to know all of the people and animals here, and now I have to pack up and leave. I am mostly packed, believe it or not. But I still don't really believe that I am leaving tomorrow. Also, the prospect of sitting on a plane for 16 hours does not sound so appealing. I'd much rather spend that time with the cheetahs or chilling at Vaal Rock with Dane, Leante, the cats, and Sky. I do miss certain things about home, though...I can't wait to see my parents and my brother and my dog (don't worry, Guinness, I have not forgotten you)...I look forward to a shower that will not turn ice-cold just when I've gotten my hair wet...a mattress with springs...black raspberry jam...sleeping in a little bit...
At any rate, my last full day here was fairly normal. The day started off with early water duty and a cheetah run. We ran Nala today, and she did pretty well. She actually ran. This is probably due to the fact that Pieter was there and that there were guests watching, so I think Nala wanted to show off just a little bit. After we finished morning duties, Dane and I went for a bushwalk. There weren't many animals out and about today, but we did see giraffe, eland, zebra, and impala. Then it was back to Vaal Rock for some lunch and then cheetah time. My last cheetah time.It threatened to rain and thunder, but it didn't stop me from taking advantage of my last cheetah time. The rain held off for the most part, anyways. So I was able to sit with both Nala and Jemima today, and they both gave me lots of cuddles and purrs. I have a hard time believing that I won't be doing this again for a while (yes, I do plan on working with cheetahs again!). I also was able to say goodbye to Tigger, who was wobbly and adorable as always. The cubs, while not exactly playful, were not grumpy today and gave me some goodbye cuddles. All in all, a very nice day! After cheetah time, Dane, Leante, and some others went up to the viewpoint for a last sunset picnic. It was quite a show, especially considering that fact that it was thundering just a few hours earlier.

Eland

Giraffe

Dane, Nala, and I (photo courtesy of Leante)

Nala and I

Dane, me, Leante

So now I am just watching Evolution in the Den with Dane, listening to it thunder outside again. Most of my stuff is packed and tomorrow I give bones to the cheetahs in the morning and go for one last bush walk, and then head to the airport. I'll be back in the states on Monday.
I guess we'll have to see if the cats bring me any good-bye presents tonight...
See y'all soon!
Taylor

Day 27: Live Long and Prosper

Hello everyone! I realized this morning that I left out part of my Kruger adventure in yesterday's blog. This is actually a good thing, since I didn't do anything terribly exciting today. So now I get to tell you all about Moholoholo. Moholoholo is a wildlife rehabilitation center located about an hour away from where we exited Kruger. After exiting Kruger on Tuesday evening, we stayed overnight in a backpacker's chalet and then went to Moholoholo on Wednesday morning. I have mixed feelings about this center. Their aim is conservation through education, which I think is awesome. They rescue and rehabilitate animals such as leopards, vultures, lions, and pretty much anything else that gets tangled up in human messes. This is also awesome. The best case scenario with these rescued animals is that they are able to be fully rehabilitated and then returned back to the wild. The animals that are injured beyond repair or that become too accustomed to human contact are kept at the center to act as animal ambassadors to educate the public about conservation. The idea is a good one, no doubt, but I thought it was kind of depressing to see these wild animals in small enclosures being gawked over by a bunch of camera-happy tourists. I suppose I'd rather see these animals used for education rather than see them be euthanized, but when I was there it felt like everyone else was more interested in getting a good photo of themselves with this "wild animal" in the background than they were about the species's fate. The poor lions wanted nothing more than to just take a good swipe at and bite of these people sticking their fingers and cameras through the wires or putting their bums in the cats' faces so they could get a nice photo. I am also guilty of this, I will admit it freely. I took my fair share of photos during the vulture interaction time and of the African Wild Dogs.

I guess what it really comes down to is the fact that us humans have pretty much destroyed these animals' habitat and there isn't much of a chance for any sort of "natural balances" to be restored to the ecosystems. For example, Moholoholo might successfully rescue and rehabilitate a snared leopard. But where to release it? Kruger has reached its capacity as far as animal occupants go. Private game reserves are an option, but how many of those are willing to take on a an animal that eats several million Rands' worth of game every year. The ones that are willing to take on such an animal fill up all too quickly, and then what? The animal either is euthanized or becomes an ambassador like the ones at Moholoholo. And which option is more humane - euthanasia or a life on display? Hard questions with no real answer...
Man, do I know how to write an uplifting blog. My day today was far more mundane, but still wonderful because I was able to be with cheetahs! This morning I was on poo duty, but we were able to start late because it was a public holiday. It feels like there is a public holiday almost every week here in South Africa. Public holidays means that Rose and Alinah don't work, which means we don't get a cooked breakfast. Dane and I decided to take matters into our own hands this morning and cook our own breakfast this morning before we had to do morning chores. So this morning we feasted on pancakes (the real American-style ones. Not the paper-thin European kind) covered in strawberry jam and bananas. It was fantastic, if I do say so myself. After chores, Dane and I tagged along with Estelle and Pieter to the Vaal Mall. It was an absolute mad house, due to the fact that it was a public holiday. I've decided that I'm not a big fan of these public holidays. At any rate, I didn't buy much other than these dried mango rolls that are absolutely magical.
The afternoon was pretty normal. I sat with both Nala and Jemima today, so I was a very happy camper. Jemima did give me a little love swat today...I'm not really sure why. I was petting her on the head, where I was suppossed to, but she just didn't like something about it. It wasn't a hard swat or anything, more of a tap with her paw, but it was just enough to remind you that she is a wild animal and not some house cat. It was a reminder I needed, because I was becoming so used to cheetahs and forgetting that they are not pets!
The cubs were in a naughty, grumpy sort of mood today. For some reason, they decided that stalking Leante was a really good idea.

As for playing with us, the cubs wanted nothing of it. All we got were hisses and growls. They were much more interested in playing with each other and with NOT SHARING any of their toys.

 Also, the cubs haven't quite learned how to sit properly. Estelle likes to say that they sit like monkeys. I'm not sure what they sit like, but I think Jade was trying to say "Live Long and Prosper".

I can't believe I have only one full day left here at the Dell. The time has flown by so quickly. Everything feels so normal here that I have a hard time believing that I'll be going back to the U.S and to Cincinnati where there are no cheetahs in my backyard. Weird.

See y'all soon!
Taylor

Day 26: Look Who's Back

Hello everyone! I have safely returned from my Kruger adventure, and what an adventure it was! I'm going to do my best to summarize my experience without going into way too much detail, or else this post will turn into a novel. So here goes... My adventure started at 4:00 AM on Sunday morning with the pitter patter of kitty paws. This time I am not kidding. Surely, I thought, surely the cat is just chasing one of my porcupine quills or some other inanimate object. There is NO WAY there is a mouse in my room again. Alas, there was indeed a mouse in my room again and I had to go fetch poor Dane and make him try to get it back out. We (meaning he) were (was) unsuccessful in capturing the mouse, so it probably was a good thing I was going away for a couple of days and not having to sleep in that room with the uncaptured mouse about. Despite this bump in the morning, I was still ready for pickup at 5:15. Estelle picked me up and then we went and picked up Cinita, Pieter's sister. Then it was the road for about eight hours. We finally arrived at around one in the afternoon at the Phabeni Gate.

There was so much to see in Kruger that I could spend an entire year there and still not see enough. I had such an amazing experience there, yet I feel I have only explored a fraction of what this park had to offer. Nonetheless, in the short two days that we actually spent touring within the park, I was lucky enough to see lion, white rhino, buffalo, elephant, and leopard. That is all of the Big Five animals seen in two short days! I haven't even mentioned the birds we saw. Cinita has gotten me hooked on this birding thing. When you are driving in a park like Kruger all day, you are not going to see big game all the time. Birds, on the other hand, are always around and they are so much fun to spot and identify. Some of the special birds were Bateleurs, a Saddle-billed Stork, a Giant Eagle Owl, the Rollers, and the African Fish Eagle. But all of the birds, big and small, were so much fun to watch and photograph. I can't even imagine what I might have been able to see had I spent a week or two there...African Wild Dogs, Cheetahs, lions making a kill. The sights to see are endless, and it seemed like something phenomenal was waiting around every bend in the road.

Cape Buffalo

Elephants at Sunset Dam

White Rhino Crossing a Road

Leopard (!!!!!!!!)

Lion

Giant Eagle Owl

African Fish Eagle

Lilac-breasted Roller

Saddle-billed Stork with fish

At night, we stayed in these permanent tents at the Skukuza Camp that were actually very nice. They had two beds each, a fridge, outlets and lights. While I was sitting on the porch outside my tent (yes, there were porches on the tents), a warthog would stroll on up the street or a lion would roar. Hearing the lions roar at night rivals hearing the wolves howl at Yellowstone. It was incredible, beyond words to describe. The only complaint I really had was that I was living off of fries and grilled cheese sandwhiches, but that really is my own fault since I am a picky eater and a vegetarian. I found several things notable about my trip to Kruger:
1: WE SAW A LEOPARD. The mantra about leopards is "...and you'll be really, really lucky to see a leopard". On Monday morning, we drove past a bunch of cars stopped on the side of the road because a leopard had been spotted. The leopard was nowhere to be seen, however, and after about half an hour of fruitless searching, we moved on. On the way back to camp, we stopped at the same place for kicks and giggles. Lo and behold, I spotted the leopard chilling out in the undergrowth! We were the only ones there and had the boy all to ourselves. We were all giddy and so incredibly excited. In fact, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life, no joke.
2. Monkeys are really horny. I don't know if it's breeding season or if monkeys just like to have a good time, but there were several instances where the baboons would go at it right in the middle of the road. The vervet monkeys were a little more modest, keeping their business to the trees, at least.

3. Birding is a lot of fun. Yet another fact to add to my nerd resume.
4. I was super excited to see three black-backed jackals. I didn't get to see any Wild Dog or Spotted Hyena, so the jackals had to fill in for my canine fix.



5. I think I had the best meal of my entire life on Tuesday night, when we ate at a South African homestyle cooking resturaunt. This may be actual fact or may be due to the fact that I had been living off of fast food for the last few days, but the butterfish with rice and pumpkin and spinach was so so so so good. I am getting hungry just thinking about it.
6. On the way home from Kruger, we were passing through all of these beautiful mountains. It just made it even more clear that I was only getting a small sampler of what this country has to offer. Also, we stopped at a small craft market on the side of the road while passing through these mountains. Before I got out of the bakkie, Estelle warned me that the stall workers would "descend" on me. I laughed it off and got out of the car. Estelle was right. The women who worked these little stands surrounded me, telling me to visit her store, that she had the lowest prices, or that she had the best goods. It was overwhelming, to be sure. One woman pointed to a small baby and said that she needed to buy food so he didn't go hungry. How do you say no to that? Half of you are probably agreeing, the other half are probably thinking I'm really niave for falling for a sob story. I don't know what to think. I did manage to leave with R50 still in my wallet. That's pretty good, considering that I have such a hard time saying no to people.

Now I am back at the Dell, chilling with the cheetahs. It is hard to believe I only have two full days left with them. I have grown so accustomed to the cheetahs that I think I've begun to take them for granted. It is now normal to give a bone to a cheetah, or hear the low purr of Jemima or the squeaky chirp of Finley. Penny's snarls and spats have even started to seem more like smiles (not really). I will go through cheetah withdrawal when I get home. No offense Tacobob and Nachosan, but you guys are going to look rather puny when I get back home.

Well, I think I've managed to write the most important things down.

See you soon,
Taylor

Day 21: Pre-Kruger Briefing

Hello everyone! Today was not the most eventful of days, so I am not sure how much I will write tonight. But I'll give it a go anyways. The morning started out with the normal chores. Today I was on scat duty, so that was cool (/sarcasm). After that we had breakfast (not cooked today, so no excitement here) and then got ready to get picked up to go to this air show affair. Estelle picked us up around 9 AM. We stopped in Parys first because I needed to get some anti-carsickness pills and Estelle needed to pick up some new lights for the bakkie (truck) so we can see animals at night when we're in Kruger. That didn't take too long, so we were soon on our way to the little air show.
My first impression was that it was very small. Those of you Cincinnatians who are familiar with Lunken will grasp what I mean when I saw that this airport makes Lunken appear very large!This airport is only about 5 minutes from the Dell, and Pieter owns this really awesome green firetruck that he volunteers to take to airshows since the local fire department isn't that well equipped. Supposedly, it was some sort of aerial acrobatic competition, but it was hard to tell. The word of the day was "slow". The show got off to a slow start, the sun was baking and making me sleepy, and it took an hour for our lunch to be served. Considering that my lunch was a cheese and tomato toastie, I don't think it should have been that big of a deal...oh well! It was cool to be immersed in the local community, at least. Also, I bought some really delicious cookies from a local cookie baker. I hope I have enough self-control to save some for home!

We left after lunch and had a little break before it was cheetah time. Not much new here. I sat with Jemima and Nala for a little bit each, but they were both restless today because the weather was cooler and all of the cheetahs were more active than usual. The cubs were being their usual lazy selves today until Estelle came into the pen. Then they wanted to show off for their mama! It was so cute.

Sneak attack!

Worn out after all that play!

It started to rain just in time to feed the cheetahs. It was the first time I've had to do anything in the rain here, because it has been so sunny! It wasn't too bad, just a little rain. When we finished feeding the cheetahs, it was time to go home and cook some dinner for ourselves.
 I'm now just getting ready for Kruger. I've packed my little bag and I am charger my iPod. We leave at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning and the car ride is about eight hours long. And I am so excited. I can't wait. I probably won't be able to blog or anything until I get back, so don't worry if there are no posts for the next few days.
Here is the answer to yesterday's mystery photo:

It's a Red-eyed Bulbul!

Okay everyone, have a lovely weekend! Next time I'm here I'll have plenty to write about, I'm sure!

Adios!
Taylor

Day Twenty: Just another day in ZA

For once, I don't have any Fury and Thunder antics to report. They both were on my bed last night, but were unusually unobtrusive. I slept very well, and it was so exciting. That is, I slept very well until my alarm went off at 6:30. Then it was time to get up and get morning chores done so we could run Jemima. We have been having some bad luck with runs recently. On the one hand, the machine likes to get the lure string all tangled and it become a hot mess. On the other hand, the cheetahs have this tendency to jog instead of run. This morning, Jemima jogged all the way down the run stretch and then decided to dive into the hole where the lure is pulled into and subsequently pull the machine cover off and away. It was more funny than anything else, because all was put back together and no animals were harmed in the making of this morning comedy.
After this run, we went back for a cooked breakfast (!!!) and then went out to paint some more squares! You can just imagine our excitement. I wish I could write more about this other than the fact that there was a lot of wire squares and even more black paint, but I can't. It is what it is: boring and tedious, but necessary to maintain the facilities. The most exciting thing I can report is that the ostriches were watching us and on our way out they were eyeing me in such a manner that I feared for my life. Normal-sized birds make me uneasy enough...when these ostriches start looking at me funny with their beady little eyes, I get very concerned.

 After we wore ourselves out with painting, we went back to the house and Leante presented the Kruger Trip slideshow to me. I leave for Kruger at 5:30 AM Sunday morning, and the slide show just gave basic info about location and animals and rules. I am very excited for this trip, even though it involves a whole bunch of driving.
During cheetah time, I got to meet a different sort of cat. Since I haven't met Pablo the caracal yet, Dane accompanied me into his cage and he gave me lots of smiles:

Pablo the Caracal

Pablo isn't mean, he is just wary of people. When we finish with clearing away phase two, he gets a new enclosure in that area! I think he'll like it a whole bunch.
Also, I think this is a good time to mention that Dane is a fantastic field guide. In fact, he is so good that he can actually call the animals to him at will. Observe:

Technically, that Jameson's Firefinch he is holding is dead. WE DIDN'T KILL IT. It got stuck in the cheetah kitchen and we found it. It was a very pretty little bird, and South Africa seems to encourage a dark sense of humor. Thus this photo.
After this photo shoot, I sat with Jemima, who was feeling very cuddly today. We sat together for nearly an hour, which is pretty good for fidgety cheetahs. Finley (who shares Jemima's enclosure) was being stranger than usual today, chirping and climbing trees and almost running over Leante.The cubs were lazy, but so were we, so it all worked out okay.
Dane and I finished up the day with a lovely sunset picnic. We booked it to the top of the hill, just barely beating the sunset.

 After we ate, we went for a night bushwalk. It was very successful! We saw zebra, red hartebeest, impala, and blue wildebeest within the first ten minutes. A little later, as the sun was almost gone, some bushes ruslted and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The rest of the walk was pretty quiet until we startled a zebra, which was pretty cool. The stars here are phenomenal...so bright and clear, they can pretty much swallow you up whole.
Here is the answer to yesterday's photo question:

Giraffe is circled in red. Male eland is on the left in blue, female eland is on the right in blue.

Here is another photo...what can you see?

Tomorrow I think we might go to the air show at the airport next door. Hopefully I'll have some good photos!
Over and out,
Taylor

Day Nineteen: Where's Waldo?

Hello all! Let me show you what my bed looks like every night before I go to bed:

Can you see my dilemma? Those kitties are so darn cute! But I am so darn tired and they need to move because I have to strip the bed so I can fold up the comfortor and use it as back support (the beds here are just foam pads and my back is telling me all about it. Between the cats and my back, you can just call me the crazy cat spinster). So what do I do? I gently remove them and then re-make the bed to suit my sleeping needs. Once I have my bed appropriately arranged, I replace the cats. I'd show you the before and after picture but the only thing that would have looked different is the beds because the cats resume their cuddle positions without any difficulty.
Anyways, this morning I was woken up at around 5:30 AM because Thunder thought it was a good idea to burrow under my covers and stick his nose into my face, and then Fury thought my feet were fun toys. All's well, though, because I fell asleep really early last night anyways and I like to read in the mornings when everything is nice and quiet. We had morning chores like normal at 7:30 (I was on water duty) and then returned back for breakfast. After breakfast, it was time for everyone's favorite chore: slaughter. Today there was one horse and one donkey. When it comes to dealing with slaughter, I find that I either have to take it with a sense of humor or not take it at all. So don't judge me when I say I was hoping that the donkey that had been keeping me up for the last few nights with all of his braying and hee-hawing was the one to go today. I don't know if it was, but I guess I'll find out tonight. I'm not the only one with a morbid sense of humor - the guys who prep the meat thought that it was terribly funny that the little herd of donkeys was watching them as they worked away on the donkey. The horse that was turned into food today kept running even after it was dead. I mean it. I would start to cut at the meat and the nerves would go off and the muscle would start twitching. IT'S ALIVE! It was so weird. All of us were playing with the cheetah's food. It wasn't just me.
To pass the time as we were waiting to transport the meat to the kitchen, Leante tried to teach Dane and I how to count to ten in Afrikaans. I am starting to get the hang of it. I can also say: "Where is the toilet?", "Where is the pub?", "Ice cream", and "Where is the truck?". All very important phrases.
We eventually got all of the meat and bones to the kitchen and then got all of it packed away. We didn't finish until about 12:30, and by then we were very very hungry. It always feels weird to be hungry while you are doing slaughter duty...it almost feels wrong to be hungry...
Anyways, after that lovely morning, it was cheetah time! I sat with Jemima for a little bit today, and she gave me a wee bath and some purring and then decided she didn't feel like cuddling anymore. So mostly I just sketched. Next was cub time, and the cubs were being very photogenic but not very playful. They did finally get over their fear of the rope toy, though!Dane also spotted a lost kitty tooth, but I don't think cheetahs have tooth fairies...

I can touch my nose!

HALLO!

Tippy throwing a temper tantrum

On the way back home, I took this photo of the hillside. Can you tell me how many animals are present?

 I'll give the answer in tomorrow's blog. Extra points will be given if you can identify the animals!

Over and out!
Taylor

Day Eighteen: Picture Book!

This morning, at 2 A.M., I heard the pitter patter of kitty paws...just kidding. But I do have a riddle for you: If there are two cats that take up 1/2 of a twin size bed each, and they are sleeping on Taylor's bed, where does Taylor sleep? The answer? I don't know either. I am flattered to be loved so much by the kitties, but I would appreciate a little bit of room...
As I mentioned yesterday, today was my day off. Leante took me to Chazen Game Reserve, and it was amazing. We rode around in a big open jeep for nearly three hours. I don't think words are really going to cut it in this case, so I'm going to supply lots of photos instead.

The reserve is located in the Vredefort Dome.

Young Lion

Black Wildebeest

Cuddly Lions

Posing Lions!

Eland

Running Kudu!

Big Kudu with amazing spiral horns!

Giraffe

Meerkats!

Needless to say, I was very well occupied this morning! I was very lucky that Leante has connections there, because we were able to join a group of other American tourists on this game drive. They were all very nice and it was just an amazing experience. I don't think I stopped smiling or taking photos.
After the game drive, Leante and I stopped in Parys to pick up important supplies, namely chocolate and gum. Then we returned back and I went down to the river to see if there was anything interesting down there. Not much was going on today, but it was still nice because there was a wonderful breeze off the river that kept the day from being way too hot.
Because it was my day off, I was allowed to take photos at feeding time instead of helping. Here is what the cheetahs look like when they are hungry:

This is Penny. She is affectionately called the Wicked Witch of the West.

Finley says NOM NOM NOM

Cole says NOM NOM OM NOM

So that was my day. It was good, like all of the days have been.
Over and out!
Taylor