Vigilance is Key

The first thing I learned when I arrived in bush camp training a month ago was the importance of always being vigilant, always watching for the animals that could potentially harm me. The guides and instructors tested us time and time again and ensured that we were always aware of our surrounding and alert. Having lived around animals all my life and encountering certain animals during their “moments” I have taken these lessons to heart. In turn, I have developed great respect for the wild animals that roam the game reserve, especially the elephants. But with all the lectures on safety and survival there was one area that was quite lacking. The lecturers failed to inform us about the feral creeping roots, the viciousness of 2-inch thorns, and the ferocity of the hanging branches. All along I should have known to look out for such dangers... I should have been wary of these incredible menaces.

This morning two new OpWall recruits arrived, meaning that the night before Heike had told us we wouldn’t be going out to find the elephants until at least 10:00am. So, this morning I was up at 8:00am and ready to run laps around the camp. In the past my workouts have been very uneventful, I had become accustomed to the route I ran every morning, weaving in and out of trees, but I had forgotten the most important lesson... always remain vigilant. What had begun as the usual workout to start the day had, in a matter of seconds, turned from being a semi-happy experience into one that was definitely not enjoyable. As I made my way off the gravel road and onto the area along the fence line, immersed in thoughts about home and elephants, innocently running along, the shape of an old shrub stump emerged from out of nowhere. But it was too late. Before I even knew what was happening I was airborne, my right shoe had caught the edge of the bush, there was no saving myself now. Had any bystanders witnessed what was unfolding, they would have seen what can only be described as my body superman-ing forwards, my ipod grasped tightly in my left hand. I hit the ground palms first, followed by my left shoulder, then my knees, and lastly my left hip. I skidded to a halt in two or three feet, shards of tiny shale rocks piercing my skin and scraped palms. Today would also be the day I decided to wear shorts and tank top whilst running. I turned over on my back and lay motionless for a minute or two before hauling myself up and attempting to continue my run. When I had finished my lap (30 seconds later) I had no choice but to stop due to the streams of blood and grotesque appearance of my knees and elbows. I made my way back to my room to clean myself up and when Louise appeared in the doorway and asked what had happened I could only reply with a measly “I fell”.

By the time the newcomers had arrived I had showered and had already removed the Band-Aids off my knees. In such a situation there is nothing worse than Band-Aids that won’t stick to your skin because of their location, knees being the worst. When I introduced myself to the newbies, Lydia and Emily, my knees had started to bleed and my palms were oozing. I always knew how to make a great first impression.

We set out just after 1:00pm and unlike our first day when we saw the AB herd in all its glory, Lydia and Emily had no such luck. Manzini was occupied by hunters, as was Mpalane, leaving Leeuwspoor as the only accessible area. Two bulls, Ngani and Kohlewe, were in the area but after three hours we only managed to glimpse them twice. When we arrived back at camp we decided to catch up on our data entry, I was exempt due to being head chef tonight. I had many options because this morning we finally received our delayed grocery delivery. I had decided to cook an assortment of vegetable, garlic mashed potatoes, and pork sausages. I started the potatoes on the stove at 5:30pm with the intention to cook the sausages and vegetables while mashing the potatoes.... two hours later I finally pulled the potatoes out of the microwave as potato wedges and swapped in the cabbage and carrots. After attempting to fry the sausages on the stove I eventually moved them outside and onto the bbq. At 7:45pm, I finally called everyone into the kitchen to dish up.

Tomorrow calls for sunshine and after three very slow days in the Ele-truck hopefully we can find the AB herd and show Lydia and Emily the ins-and-outs of 30 minute scans and focal samples. There are seven of us in total now, not including K, and another researcher, Sara, sponsored by the Disney Corporation. The Ele-truck is completely full up and if we don’t get any action soon I will be forced to finish my fourth book by tomorrow afternoon.

Random stats:
Days in Pongola – 22 days
Slices of toast with PB and PB sandwiches – 67
Pages Read -  approximately 2230