Wonky is a loved character here in Djuma and on WildEarth. He is a bull elephant with some deformities (right tusk curls downward, clubbed rear left foot, skull) yet he is a trooper and a gentle sole and often comes close to the vehicle.
There is a small troop of vervet monkeys that visits our camp frequently and sometimes raids our kitchen. They are so good that they can sneak in while people are actually in there fixing something to eat. They are also a lot of fun to watch. I have occasionally sat for little periods of times watching them and they are slowly getting use to me. Now I am going to sit with them for longer and follow them a little and let them get use to me and a camera so I can start getting some video of them.
They are quite fun to watch here are a couple quick pics.
Yup finally updating, and you wont let me stop lol
Finally I am going to update my blog sorry it has taken me awhile. I will probably just post a bunch of pics/videos to where here is the first.
It seems like people enjoy watching me eat things so here is me eating a mopani worm that Siphiwe brought in for me. It is the caterpillar stage of a moth which is eaten locally. There are various was to prepare it this one was dried like a beef jerky.
Another typical day at the office (so to speak). Get back to camp at 5:30am after spending the night in Dixie. Get things ready in the final control for the drive. After the drive suit up in the walk camera gear to start walking at 9:00am CAT ~9:10 find an elephant on foot and show it live to the world, 9:30am end the walk and head back to camp for chat at 10:00am. :)
Yup you read correctly today for the walk we once again focused on tracking an elephant, and this time we were able to find and approach one on foot. It was an interesting experience with lots going threw my mind, more so on hoping the signal is good, and picture isn't to shaky :) and of course thinking about what to do if the ellie came our way.
I wrote the top part earlier and have more to add from the evening drive. We saw the same elephant again. We also saw White Cloth (Female Leoprad) that was the first time for me to see her, and it has been a while since she has been seen in the area. It also looks like she has cubs. Also while at they hyena den another young pup started peeking its head out.
Nothing like a mejeje to start the day and celebrate Thanks giving
Hello Everyone, Yup to celebrate Thanksgiving here instead of turkey I tried a termite. Here is a video of it posted by one of the viewers. I started off explaining a little bit about Thanksgiving (that the person didn't show in this clip) than well you can see the rest :)
A great day today that started around 2:30am (CAT) for me to the beeping of the battery back up in the final control (my room is next to it) where the circuit breaker tripped. So after a quick flip of a switch and a few mouse clicks went back to bed for a few hours.
Then woke up again to the sound of much needed rain and a great sign that the season is changing and things will become more green, more animals will be around, and the snakes have been coming out. The past 2 drives we have seen some. Where I have been in the final control directing or off so I didn't see them in person but that changed today :)
We were waiting in the final control to see if we could go out even for a short drive and Pete spotted a snake in his cabin. So while waiting we went to try and ID it and release it in the wild. It turned out to be smaller than what Pete first thought so my snake tongs were way to big. He grabbed a box and I kept watch and we tagged teamed catching it (me grabbing it and him putting the container under it). Then we tried to ID it and found out it was a brown house snake and so we decided to give the viewers something to watch and well just see for your self :)
Pete dropped the container as the snake was coming out and that is me hand holding the small FC camera and picking the snake up again :) The beauty of live TV :)
Then we managed to go out on a short drive and saw a leopard tortoise and watched it come out of its shell.
So already a great day, and my first snake handling in Africa :)
an interesting experience with lots going threw my mind, more so on hoping the signal is good, and picture isn't to shaky :) and of course thinking about what to do if the ellie came our way.
