The cool mornings start with coffee and tea served about 6:30 and then we head out for the morning duties. There are two groups that work, individually monitoring game and both together doing community work. Tuesday and Thursday are game monitor days. Wednesday is community service day. We don’t know about Fridays and Mondays yet.
Our first and, so far subsequent, monitor days have convinced us that the program needs to change its name from Big Cat to “more plains game than you ever want to see, let alone count, and, if you happen to see a cat then let us know.” Not exactly what we anticipated, but fun and “educational” none the less. Each afternoon we do have a game drive where we try to find the big cats and anything else interesting.
Accommodations are equally “interesting.” VERY basic tents and the three of us are sharing one. There is a cinder block building that is one room serving as mess hall, meeting room, etc. The other building contains two long-drop toilets….yes, that means no flush…..and two “showers.” (Personally I prefer to call them “sprinkles.”) At night game does come into camp. We have had hippos every night and hyenas once. This is not nearly as exciting (scary) as it sounds. We just have to be watchful before leaving the tents after dark. Ask me about the emergency bowls later! Last night a pride of lions was very close to camp and they were very noisy indeed.
Our community service activity yesterday was repairing a road on the conservancy by finding rocks in the nearby fields, carrying them to the road, and filling up a rather long stretch to about 1 ½ feet trying to make it passable for game drive vehicles. All that work in my backyard helped prepare me for that one!
So enough of all this. From now on it may be mostly photos with just a little text. I cannot see the photos, so am just sending blind. I’m sure there will be much better ones once I get home and download them.
