The Training Experience

“Oh my God I’m in South Africa!!” This has been the phrase I’ve been repeating to myself all week; when I’ve had the chance to actually sit and catch up with myself that is. So much has happened it doesn’t seem possible that we’ve only been here one week! It’s really hard to explain and even harder to condense it into a short story but here goes.

People that up until 7 days ago I’d never met are now great friends that I can see myself being in touch with for a long time. We’ve learnt so many new species, skills and techniques such as reading tracks, first aid, and telemetry – not to mention the new vocabulary that is quickly becoming second nature, Skankank (meaning Cheetah) being my personal favourite. What have I missed? Oh yeah – THE ANIMALS! We’ve already had some amazing sightings which for me is a completely new experience to see them as wild animals in the reserve. The first time you hear Zero (our dominant male Lion) roar just meters away from the truck as you look on whilst he lets the almost fully grown cubs know who is boss will send you rushes of emotions and stick in your mind for sure!
I’m so excited for the coming weeks and as we learn more and more about the animals the more special the encounters will become. The hectic training week ended with the whole group relaxing in the middle of the bush enjoying a camp out. As I sat by the fire, sipping a cider looking up at the stars it hit me again – My God I am in South Africa, wow!

Tara Devine, Volunteer, UK

The Training Experience