Birds and Cats can be friends…
Hello All!!
I haven’t been able to update the blog in a while due to living in the middle of nowhere while poor internet! Well that and I just keep forgetting….
The last 5 months have been the best of my life!! It’s a shame that I’ve got less than a month left here, but all good things have got to come to an end; and there’s no doubt that’ll I’ll be back again soon
There’s so much to talk about that I will have to limit myself to this week, which has been pretty animal orientated! As there are no courses in at the moment, we have been doing lots of admin work getting things ready for the future, and sorting out various things at the Crane Sanctuary which is where I am spending all my time this week! It is currently breeding season for the Wattled Crane who are currently ‘Critically Endangered in South Africa with numbers standing at around 249! At the sanctuary we have two breeding pairs, one of which have already laid two eggs! So my job is to observe their behaviour and to make sure everything is okay. This may seem like quite a simple job, buuuut it isn’t… I have to do this without disturbing the birds at all… So every hour from 7 to 5 every day I have to climb onto the office roof where I can see them from a distance, but they can’t see me. I do quite enjoy it as the views from the roof are amazing! But when there’s ice on there like this morning it can be quite interesting! And things got a little more interesting this morning with the arrival of an abandoned baby Servile (basically a mini leopard)! He came to us in the hands of our boss who found him by the side of the road. As I am apparently the ‘animal man ‘ at the centre he’s asked me to look after him! Which involves feeding him, checking on him and from time to time cuddle him to keep him warm, in fact I can hear him crying now, so I better be off! Photos will follow.
Till next time…
Easter
Me and the rest of the Entabeni team decided to something a little for Easter Sunday instead of the normal Sunday activity’s. So we had a good old Sunday roast with a full roast chicken, roast potatoes the works!! So we cleaned the house top to bottom, moved the dinning table into the sun room so had the amazing view of the valley at sun set. It was fantastic, the food was great, except the Yorkshires that were more like scones ahaha!! And it was all topped off by everyone playing some dinner games! It all made for a remember-able Easter!
And the fun doesn’t stop there, on Monday we are all going to St Lucia in eastern SA for a week for staff training and a bit of relaxation.
Till Next Time…
Still here!!
Sorry for the lack of updates on here in while, it’s been a very busy time for Entabeni! In the last few weeks we’ve had some very intensive courses, including an all-boys school from Joberg, with 80 grade 11 (17-18 yrs old). Their entire course was based around their life sciences project. So we had to teach them about human impact on the earth, and about current conservation projects in SA. It was different to anything I’ve ever really done, but it was brilliant!! Great kids, great teachers, and I learnt in the process as well!
As well as courses coming in I have also been busy try to start the President’s Award (equivalent of DoE) here at Entabeni, it’s something that we’ve heard of here at the centre but we have never been part of it. So I’ve been put in charge of trying to get it started here at Entabeni! It’s hard work as there’s lots of phone calls and emails trying to organize meetings ect, but it’s a huge responsibility and a great opportunity. But its looks to be paying off, as were almost there!
And of course there’s plenty planned for the future! Between the 8-12th of April we are travaling up to St Lucia which is up in the East coast of SA for a little staff vacation/training! Up there they have a big 5 game reserve with a bush camp that we will be staying in, a Wetlands nature reserve (so will hope to see some more wild Blue Cranes!), and amazing beaches!! Not bad for staff training ayy ahaha. The end of April is also going to be a good one!! We have some very special guests coming to visit, followed by the biggest cycle race in SA (Joberg2c) coming to our doorstep, so will be manning a hydration tent which should be good fun!!
Also on Monday it was decided that the crane sanctuary here at the centre will in charge of Wattle Crane AI (artificial insemination), which means we are going to be swapping most of our Grey Crowned, and Blue Cranes for Wattles. It may not sound like a big thing, but there are only 249 Wattles left in South Africa, and quite a lot of them a human imprinted, meaning that they will not mate with other Wattles. So if we can perform it successfully we will be making a big difference!!
Exciting times!!!!!
Till Next Time…
My Life
These past couple of weeks have made me realize how amazing South Africa is, and I keep having to pinch my self to believe that I am really here!! You have to think on your toes out here, as things can change with a click of a finger. One minute you can be hiking on a mountain with a school group basking in the sun, the next thing you know your being confronted with a massive lightning storm, and your rushing to evac all the kids from the mountain! It’s all about quick thinking and problem solving here!!
Baby Crane Time!!!
Hey everyone, sorry I havent done a blog for a while as I’ve been so so busy!! Having an amazing time, the schools that we are having are great!! The kids are brillient, and are so intrested with everything that we teach them! The staff I’m with are brillient, we are having regular braiis and are always finding new things to do like ice climbing trees, swimming in rapids and redecorating the staff house!! Loving every second of my time here! And just to top it off, two of our Blue Cranes at the sancuary Courtney and Mombassa have have a little chick!! I hope everyone back in England are all good, I may not be able to do another blog for a while as we have 3 groups coming in back to back, so busy busy busy, and fun fun fun!!
Till next time…
Busy Busy Busy
Found out today that I will be course director for a school course at the end of February, which basically means I have to organize the whole course, from the activities, to the food, and even transport!! So since 8 this morning I’ve been working away hard in the office, and to my disbelief am almost finished!! Little bit nervous, but can’t wait to see how it goes!!
I just want to quickly thank everyone for replying to these blogs, all the support really means a lot, and I love hearing about everything that is happening at home! 
Can’t believe it’s snowing up there, it was the hottest it’s been all month here!! I will be trying to upload some photos soon, it’s just that the Internet can be a little unpredictably here.
Till next time….
News from Entabeni
I’ve finally got to a computer!!
I got to the Entabeni outdoor environmental eduction center late last Tuesday to find that there was a school of 160 waiting for me, so straight into the deep end!! I got a little period of time to get to know the other staff and to familiarize my self to the center, and then it was straight to work!! The next day I was graced with the beauty that surrounds me, the plains of the Vally that stretch for miles, the stunning mountains including The Giants Castle, and of course……..Boston, who is a Gray Crowned Crain, which is a type of bird that the center looks after in the Crain sanctuary. Boston was brought up by hand last year, so he is too friendly with humans to be let out into the wild, so the center adopted him as a pet. All the kids that come to the center love him as he will do everything he can to get attention.
Ive had a great first week at the center! Been taking a few groups from the school up a local mountain via a stream that goes through a forest, as part of an activity called ‘Master the Mountain’ which the kids seem to love; once they’ve finished that is! Another activity that I’ve been leading a lot is the obstacle course, which is like nothing i’m used to at home as there’s no safety helmets or harnesses, but it keeps the kids more on their toes and is a lot more fun!
Overall this place is amazing! I’m surrounded by so much wildlife and natural beauty! It’s a world away from anything I’m used to, even to get hot water we have to make a fire underneath a barrel of water, in a contraption that is called a donkey boiler. But I’m with a fantastic group to people, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead!
