Benjamin Westlake

Blog 004

Volunteering in Paradise
Day 03
South Africa
2016, February 17th



Morning All,

Same as we did yesterday and will do every day apart from Sundays we cleaned out the Elephants.

1000 : Off to work we go, back to the 'British Set' this time with brooms too, last month at Glen Afric there was a gigantic storm with hail the size of golf balls, this storm not only destroyed a lot of windows back at quarantine (where we sleep and chill), but also alot of windows and part of the structures at different sets, luckily for us it is just some of the windows at the set.

Walk into the building and the floor is covered in dirt and glass, speakers go on, bottles go down and off we go!
Finally this floor is clear you can see the tiles and can look back into my memory about when this was on TV, I am stood where it was filmed! Never thought I would experience that.
Walking back with Sam we go to the natural spring, she explains to us that this spring is the cleanest water in South Africa, all of the water for the reserve comes from this spring and ever Woolworths South Africa will start bottling water from here too!
Before coming to the surface in Glen Afric the last time this water saw daylight was in Botswana... thousands of miles away!

1400 : Lunch is over, surprise time... we are told to bring water, cameras and our smiles!
What could this be? We walk to the animal training area, told to go into the 'Safe Zone', five or ten minutes pass and a truck pulls up with a trailer on the back, can here a few animals but not sure what it is..
Lions, they have brought the three girls, Bainet and Richard are stood with their food sticks and a small chunk of meat on the end, one lioness at a time they are encouraged with the food around the enclosure, this will help them with exercise!
Lions go back in and we are left waiting in the hot sun, we move over to the shade and told the wait will be worth it!
Tigers, they have brought the tigers and do the same with them, they came right up to the cage where i was stood, can here there breathing so clear, so loud, such a powerful animal.. WOW!
After the two are out for their fun they go back in and once again we are told to wait..
Roxi the Hyenas is next, her 'laugh' was one of the most amazing things i have ever heard but unfortunately today she doesn’t want to play, she just cautiously wonders around the enclosure, nose to the floor as she can smell the other Big Cats. One of the main thing Glen Afric pride with is if the animal doesn’t want to do something, they are not forced to do so, and today is no different.
She goes back to the trailer and we follow it back to the Lodge and then to the quarantine area.

Evening : Camp Fire Night!
Started off with an amazing meal, Stake and Chicken, even had some seconds... out to the fire pit and made the fire, lovely and warm, kept the fly’s away, chilling by the fire with music from the speakers!

Off now, check in tomorrow!




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