I spent a lot of time studying for my trails guide exam, which I didnt feel I went well in, and wasnt sure I would pass (there were 3 sections and you had to get a minimum of 60% in each section and an overall average of 75% to pass. One section, on rifles, only had 20 points so get one question wrong an you would fail, considering I made a lot of those answers up, my confidence wasnt high!!!) The result is I did actually pass!!! Miricles do happen :)
Almost as soon as we had finished our exam we all headed off on our placements. I am just down the road at Karongwe, with a volunteer organisation called GVI, doing research. This involves two drives a day (spread between all the staff, so I am not on two drives a day every day), trying to find all of our focus animals each drive. Our focus animals are a female cheetah called Ketswiri, two male Cheehtas called Jabu and Djuma, and 4 lions, Maggie, Lisa, Zera and a sub adult male. We also collect data on any sightings of leopard, elephant, hyena, or anything unusual such as pangolin, honeybadger etc.
I have had some really great sightings, we walk in on the cheetahs every day to check on them, this is an amazing feeling to be so close to a wild animals with no rifle etc. The other animals we only view from the car. For the first two weeks I was here I was just a passenger, learning the roads etc, but for the last week or so, I have been driving, and really learning the roads, the next step is actually trying to use the radio which I am slightly scared of.
I have had some amazing sightings while being here already. I have seen a leopard make a Jackal kill just next to the car, seen baby hyena who are so cute, a 2 day old buffalo calf, leopards trying to mate, lions on a kill, cheetahs on a kill. No matter how many times I see the animals, I always love it.
