Diary Entry - Day 14 - Catch Up

I hadn't realised I hadn't written a post for so long! This is partly because I have been helping with many office tasks at Africat, which are probably not particularly riveting for eveyone, and because I have no new pictures to put up. I hope soon to be tracking the rehabilitated cheetah with Louis on some mornings, which will provide more exciting stories and photos (especially for the posts I promised on the local game and carnivores).

Meanwhile, I have been assisting every day with feeding the lions. Shavula ("Rain"), Thimba ("Lion hunter"), Shenzi ("Leader of the pack") and Kilimanjaro (no explanation needed) are all boys who were moved down here from Africat North, as I mentioned in Diary Entry 8. Shavula and Thimba are brothers and share an enclosure, whereas Shenzi and Kili live by themselves.

To feed them, we pass through a three-metre-high electrified fence, required by law where dangerous animals are kept. Slightly smaller electric fences make up the enclosures within this large perimeter fence. Pieces of meat weighing about 4kg are thrown over, which the lions attempt to catch in mid-air, sometimes succeeding. Whilst they are happy eating, we fill their water troughs up by pouring fresh water through a tube which is fed through the fence and into the trough.

When we drive through the gates in the fences, I jump out to unlock the chains which secure them. I've become much faster at this very quickly, because two of the gates are right next to Shavula and Thimba's enclosure, and the hungry cats prowl up and down the fence baring their teeth and growling at me. So far, Shenzi is my favourite because he has been the least aggressive.

I have also been out riding. I only started learning four years ago, so am relatively unexperienced, but 'bush style' riding is nevertheless quite different from the way I have learned! Luckily I haven't struggled too much with the transtion, because it is in many ways more instinctive. After a lesson on Monday which I felt had been slightly disastrous, the hack I went on yesterday was surprisingly enjoyable and easy; by the time we arrived back at the stables, I already felt my stability had improved. Now I can't wait to go out again!