Day 1: HESC, waterfall and game drive

 Today we petted a cheetah.

I could probably just stop there and some of you would understand what an amazing day we have had! Now I'm sitting on my bed with Carli's dog Fila, trying to organize my thoughts without posting 5630 pages today. 

We got a nice relaxed start this morning, not having to leave until 7:40. Everybody had plenty of time to get ready, pack their lunch, fill the coolers with water and snacks, and load up the van. Carli was impressed that everyone was in the van and ready to go by 7:35! (Apparently some groups are not so prompt and organized as these students!) 

Our first stop was Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center (HESC), where we watched an introductory video, then took a tour of the facility. HESC is a rehabilitation center with a main focus on cheetahs and rhinos. They have a few animals that have been to badly injured to be released back to the wild, as well as quite a few younger animals that are being rehabilitated and are expected to be released. They also serve as a breeding center for cheetahs, which are increasingly endangered. 

The first thing we did was get tied up in a crash....of rhinos! Esme is the longest resident rhino at HESC--she was a baby the first time I came here, and is now a young adult female, with 3 other younger rhinos, an Anotolian Shepherd dog and 2 sheep for companions. All of the rhinos are very used to humans, and were very curious about our game viewer vehicle, so they came right over. One of the youngsters licked all the way along the side of the truck! Our guide got our to try to move them out of the road, and was promptly butted--by one of the sheep! (The rhinos moved only after they were good and ready!) Because the hope is to release these rhinos back to the wild, we are not permitted to touch them, but they were certainly close enough to touch!

A stop at the Vulture Restaraunt came next. Vultures are quite endangered here due to frequently being poisoned. Poachers typically kill an animal, take the parts of interest (rhino horns, elephant tusks, etc), then lace the remaining carcass with poison. This ensures that there will not be a large group of vultures flying over the kill site, giving away the poaching. Some birds are also inadvertantly poisoned as things put out for other animals may be scavenged by them. So HESC feeds the local vultures with any slaughterhouse leftovers that are donated, as well as unused animal products left from preparing the diets of the resident carnivores. Vultures are essential to keep dead animals cleaned up, so a healthy population is needed.

Next we observed some of the resident cheetahs, including 2 young male king cheetahs. King cheetahs have 2 copies of a recessive gene that makes their black hairs longer than their tan hairs, and gives them a black "mane" along their spine, as well as a more striped/blotched appearance than the typical cheetah spots. Many of these youngsters were orphaned for one reason or another; hopefully they can be released to continue to expand numbers and genetic variation for the species. In case you don't know, cheetahs are the fastest land mammal, reaching speeds over 100 kilometers per hour. They can only sustain this speed for about 60 seconds, so efficient hunting is a must! If a cheetah is unsuccessful, they are too exhausted to hunt again the same day; they have to rest and recover and try again the next day!

HESC also currently has a young leopard. This animal was initially orphaned, then a farmer attempted to foster him; he was then brought to HESC, as appropriate care is very time- and resource-intense. Unfortunately, he will not be able to be released into the wild: He has imprinted on humans and approaches and attempts to interact with them. In the wild, the moment he strode confidently up to a person, he would be considered dangerous and would be shot. So he will reside at HESC. In the South African winter landscape, it is amazing how well camoflaged these creatures are! Even having had him come very close, as he walks away, he just disappears into the landscape.

Lastly, we got to look in on a group of 3 juvenile African Wild (Painted) Dog littermates. They had eaten yesterday, and were still visibly full and very lazy! They were sleeping together under a tree, and barely bothered to lift their heads to notice us. Each wild dog has a completely unique coat color and pattern. They have a strict pack heirarchy, and hunt as a pack, with constant communication with each other. At HESC, the feeding truck comes into their enclosure and drives aroudn somewhat quickly, forcing the pack of 3 to organize and "hunt" it. Typically one slips around in front of the truck and blocks the track, while the other 2 approach from the back and left side, pinning the truck against the fence, and earning their meal.

After a short stop in the HESC gift shop, we headed to a local baobab tree to explore and have lunch. Except the site was closed, since it is Sunday. So we backtracked a little and lunched at a local waterfall instead.

We arrived at Tshukudu Reserve for our game drive a little early, so we used their indoor plumbing (something these students may not take for granted again for a long time!), then crossed a creaky suspension bridge to a wildlife observation platform overlooking a water hole. The area has been very dry, so this is one of the only water sources on the reserve at this point, since this is the dry season. When we arrived on the platform, we first spotted a rhino cow with her calf, about 9 months old. They came quite close, and paused for the baby to nurse. While we watched, a pair of giraffes emerged into the clearing, followed by a second pair, then several warthogs and a few zebra. So many amazing animals in one place!

Our game driver/guide then told us we were earlier than expected, and asked whether we might be interested in seeing the young cheetahs they were fostering. It was not a difficult choice! So we boarded the game viewer (a pickup chassis with a platform mounted where the box would be, and rising rows of seats for optimal viewing. He drove us to a large enclosure, and indicated we should get off the vehicle and enter the enclosure with him! We could see the 3 cheetahs lying under a tree, and they remained there as we approached. We were able to get within 1-2 meters of all of them! Then he told us that the male liked attention, and we could pet him! So we all posed with him (he was very good-natured about his fandom), and petting his head just right elicited deep purrs! I could have stayed there forever!

At last, we got back on the game viewer and began our drive. We spotted the rhino cow and calf right away, and watched them from quite close up. Rhinos don't see very well, so they tend to approach things quite closely, and, I swear, they squint like they are nearsighted! When the vehicle started back up, the calf was startled and skipped away, but the cow refused to turn her back on us, and backed away, keeping herself between us and her baby.

Not far away we found the giraffes again. There were 4, at least one of which was a large dark-colored bull. They watched us over the treetops, and strolled effortlessly away when they tired of the spectacle. Zebras again, incredibly well disguised in their unlikely stripes. They blend well with the brush and grasses. A nice pool with a pod of hippos was next. We also saw impalas, nyalas, sables, a kudu and an eland (all species of antelope). We were looking for elephants, and although we found fresh tracks (round and bigger than a dinner plate!) and places where they had dust-bathed, we didn't find them.

We did, however, come across a pride of lions! The male was crossing the track right in front of us, and a lioness and her cub (the sole survivor of a litter of 3) were nearby. We watched them for a time, until they moved away, following the male. We followed them, and were able to watch them for some time. Clearly, they are cats! The cub stalked his mother's tail, and she hissed and swatted at him. He pestered her until she got up and moved a little further away. Then he proceeded to sit in that familiar cat pose of one hind leg up behind his head, and cleaned his privates for all to see. He rolled playfully on Mom, then followed Dad a bit further into the bush. 

The students teamed up to clear a fallen leadwood tree from the track so we could pass, so they earned their supper today! As is usual this time of year, the sun seemed to go down quite fast, and it cooled off quickly. The sky put on a glorious showy sunset to keep us clicking photos until it got dark. We spotted more antelope on our way back to the lodge, and had to contend with multiple duikker (dog-sized antelope) trying to jump out in front of the van on the road home.

Supper tonight was dry-rubbed ribs, chips (french fries), baked pumkin (small dark green individual vegetables, split and baked similar to what we do with acorn squash), homemade bread (resembling Portuguese sweet bread), a sweet bean salad, and a green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes and avocados with an oil/vinegar dressing. Everyone was too full for dessert tonight!

The students spontaneously rated today 10+ out of 10! I think we all really felt like we were truly in Africa and had seen and even touched some of the most amazing animals on the planet! 

Tomorrow we will be working here on the Osmer reserve with Rita, the vet. Not sure exactly what we will be doing, but it will be great. And, our call time is only 7:00 am, so nowhere near as early as it sometimes is! (And Surprise, our chef, made his famous bran muffins for tomorrow!) The only thing I am not looking forward to is how quickly the days go by.