Before I went to bed last night, I heard to familiar scratching sound that a country girl knows too well.  There was a rat under my tent. With one good foot kick. I stomped the bump in the night & it stopped moving.  I gave it another couple of kicks just in case.  With the morning light, I investigated under the tent to find a huge rat.  Apparently, I’m the first in the camp to successfully kill a rodent.  They have named me Killer Sprinkle & Rat Hunter!  Go me!
Also, a princess (the daughter of a chief) reported a small elephant in the area.  So the day was put on hold to go look for an elephant. It took most of the day. We drove to the scout camp where we picked up one of the scouts who knew the most about the report.  Then we went from tiny village/ hut trying to get info. Then we were set up in different areas trying to track it.  Apparently it is a rather large juvenile & it has been seen for 2 weeks now. We never found it, but we believe that it is probably old enough to survive & will eventually attach onto a herd. We have alerted different people including scouts to watch for it. 

Also, thank you for all the concern about lions -- see below for the lovely lion prints stocking our camp:

In response to the following question:  "How's the food?  Are you eating the african food or more western cooking?  I'd like to hear more about camp life in your blog.  By the way, what was the game you were playing?"

I spent most of the time in the city the first week & we arrived at "real" camp in the bush on Friday.  I've tried some of the mealie meal which is a corn based grits-like meal. This is the staple diet of the native Zambians and they eat it two times a day, but we cook out own meals at camp.  We have chicken and rice and vegetables.  We made chicken stir fry with noodles and veggies last night and tonight we may try to cook fajitas.  So, we basically try to cook more western food.  They Zambian cooks do make this really good bread just in a pot and coals. I'm going to try to watch one of the cooks tomorrow so I can make it at our next family camp out or reenactment.  
I'm not sure what you mean by the game we were playing.  If you are referring to the "game capture," game is a word for wild animals.  When you need to take tests or transport a wild animal, the vet is called & he/she makes a tranquilizer dart containing the necessary drugs, & they go on a "game capture".  We dart the animal (remember my rhino hunt?).  There is a team of guys that jumps out of the truck and tries to gently get the animal down.  They reverse the tranquilizer quickly (especially with giraffe, b/c they are so sensitive) & quickly get the samples needed (blood, hair, etc).  The animal gets a blind fold & cotton in the ears to make them less aware of surroundings.  Then if the animal is to be transported, it is lead into the transport vehicle when it can rise & walk.  Once in the truck, they removed the blind fold.

Please, feel free to comment & ask questions!!!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sunday is the one day off, so we slept in & then Sport and Rachael took us on a safari through the park to the Nah lodge which is managed by Brad & Ruth.  Jackie & I sat on a wooden box in the back of Sport’s Landrover as we drove. 
On the way we saw Impala, warthog, wildebeest, Oribi, a genet, etc. 

We arrived at the lodge at about 2:15pm & we met Brad & Ruth. The lodge is beautiful with this beautiful covered area with a wide view of the savannah to observe wildlife. 
Brad & Ruth also let us take a hot shower before we left – paradise!! 

It got dark quickly & we wrapped up in coats & blankets on the way back.  I laid down and watched the stars – which are amazing out in the Bush with no other lights. 

We had dinner waiting for us at Sport’s tent.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

                We arrived at camp yesterday. I have my own tent that is right next to the dining area. I will wake every morning to a small lake with hanging trees. I have a bed , so I don’t have to sleep on the ground! Rachael took us to see the elephants. They are located about 0.5 km away from the main camp, so they won’t become accustomed to approach camp sites in the future.  These eles (Kafue) are older than the babies & are closer to be released into the park.  Technically they can leave whenever they desire. They are housed in the boma only at night to be protected from lions.

The scouts have seen lion tracks circling the camp recently, so they have started to keep a fire going near the eles. 

                There are 6 elephants at the Kafue camp: Chodoba, Chamilandu, Batoka, Tafika, Kafue, & Rufunsa.  Rufunsa is the youngest & is currently have gastrointestinal problems.  Rufunsa & Kafue are still bottle fed every 3 hours.  Kafue was the only elephant that was rescued in the Kafue National Park & he is now just under 3 years old.  In the wild, elephants will nurse to about 2 – 2.5 years old, but EOP has decided to continue the bottle feeding until around 3 depending on the need of the elephant.
There are also semi-wild Side-striped Jackals that stay near the camp. These were pups that where brought to the camp and were released, but still stay close to the camp.

Today, we woke at 6:30am to go visit the elephants.  The temperature was so cold! It was 37oF or 3oC.  Luckily it warmed as the sun rose. 

                We had a football team (aka soccer) from Lusaka come called the Mazungu FC (Mazungu is what they call Caucasian people).  The opposing team is a local team called the Leopards, which Liz (our very own Kafue supervisor) is the assistant coach.               

There was a HUGE turnout from the community. Dozens and dozens of kids played all around and on the back of the EOP truck during the match. 

                Jackie even got to be a side referee which we were told was novel for this area. 

                The local kids seemed very interested in us white folk.  They played with my hair and touched my skin. I even had one boy about the age of 10 claimed me as his girlfriend – oops guys, now you have to steel me away!   

                The game ended in a draw (4-4) – a good way to end.  The community cheered for both sides – they were just so excited.     

Suni is the newest member of EOP.  She is healing from wounds due to a human attack.  She has wounds that have now healed on her neck, but the wound on her back is still causing her some trouble.  The injury affected her spine & she has still not regained full mobility of one of her hind legs.  She may need a cast to correct the alignment of the foot.  If you are interested in helping us --- please, Raise money for SUNI!! Just follow this link to find out more:  https://www.justgiving.com/Game-Rangers-International-EOP

May 22, 2012
We got to see 2 giraffe releases with Dr. Parsons & Dr. Square at the Lusaka National Park. This park is not open to the public yet. We also got to see 2 white rhino named Thabo & Christine. 

Game capture!!

May 22, 2012 (7:10pm Lusaka; 12:10pm Huntsville)

Today, Rachael, Jackie, & I were invited to go on a giraffe game capture.  The two veterinarians that we met were Dr. David Square (the ZAWA vet) & Dr. Ian Parsons (lived in South Africa).  Dr. Ian Parsons is a widely respected vet; vet senior to Dr. Square and another veterinarian that Rachael refers to.  Dr. Parsons is very busy & doesn’t take any veterinary students, but has allowed a graduated veterinarian to be his assistant for a month. 

On this game capture at the Kafue Fisheries, we were transporting a female juvenile giraffe for the Zambian President.  VThe capture went very smoothly – which of course is a rare occurrence.  It was so much fun to ride in the back of the truck with the capture team.  It was so much fun to watch. The veterinarians let us get out & we were right there with the team. Dr. Square took a blood sample, tail hair sample, & a few other vitals.  We arrived back at Lilayi at lunch to help take care of (which I now call “mine”) our baby elephants. 
Dr. Parsons also came by to exam Suni & make a recommendation of further treatment. I think he suggested gentamycin, amoxicillin IM, limited exercise to 100 meters around the Boma. He believes she is turning in her foot b/c of loss of sensation & neuromuscular issues. If rest doesn’t produce improvement over the next week or so, a cast may be the next treatment of choice.

Meeting the Baby Elephants

May 21, 2012 (7:50pm Lusaka; 12:54pm Huntsville)

Taylor is the current Animal Welfare Supervisor Lilayi Lodge where the baby elephants lives, & she picked Jackie & me up at 6:30am to also pick up Rachael to go to Lilayi. 

We got to meet Suni 1^st thing when we arrived at the Lilayi lodge which is where the baby eles have now been kept since August/September.  Lilayi lodge is actually a resort on land owned by 5 brothers, each of who run a different part of the property/ business.  Sport is Rachel’s boss & runs the investment side.  The EOP at the resort keep the babies here & the other elephants remain in Kafue National Park.  Lilayi has plans to make a special & upgraded area for the EOP & the babies in another location on the property, but they are just in the “slashing” stage, which is where they are beginning to cut the grass to start building.

There are 5 eles total at this park.  Suni is the most recent addition. She has been at the Lodge for a month now due to a human-induced ax wound to her back & neck.  The pressure of the swelling of the wound affected control of her right hind limb. She improved greatly, but in the last week or so, she has regressed in her treatment in that she is now seems to be turning her foot inward as if she has no feeling in it as she walks. She is not going on walks with the keepers currently b/c of recommendations from a veterinarian.

Suni also likes to tease the youngest ele, Bezi, a 7 month old male who is feed with Suni for at least 2 feedings.  Bezi was found orphaned at 1 month old & has been quite the worrisome little patients, but he has now begun to put on weight & is just as cute as can be. Bezi does get to go on treks with the other eles & keepers.  The other eles are Kavala (the only other female), Maramba, & Musolole. All named after the site/town that they were found. 

Jackie & I mainly shadowed Taylor & the keepers on treks, feedings, dietary preparation, wound management, etc.
Dr. Chet also came to do pressure release therapy on Suni & Bezi.  In my words, pressure release is where they use pressure points to reconnect the brain and the muscles (neuromuscular & proprioception).  It was interesting to watch him work & he is really fun guy. He used to do Zambia Rugby, polo & a bunch of other sports. It was also fun to think about nerves in elephants. 
At lunch, which was provided by the lodge (a really nice buffet), we discussed Zambian’s way of life.

Arrived!

20 May 2012 7:46pm (Zambia). 12:45 PM (Huntsville)

I am now sitting comfortably in the dining area of Bongwe Safaris inn (www.bongwesafaris.com)  run by the very nice Emma, in the city of Lusaka.  Bongwe has an outdoor pool & restaurant (“The Bongwe Barn” ).  It is very nice with about 7 rooms, kitchen, dining area, & lounge area. The inn provides us corn flakes, whole wheat crackers, homemade bread & a large selection of jams, honey, & marmite (yeast extract – I don’t care for it) every morning for breakfast.  Hot tea is also available.

I arrived at the Lusaka airport & while getting through customs took a while, I had no trouble.  I had already gotten my business visa, but my co-vet student intern purchase hers right at customs very easily (almost scarily too easy).   Even though it was more work & in the end more expensive, I liked knowing that I already had my visa & was assured the correct visa type. 

We are currently staying here at Bongewe for a few days while we work with a small group of baby eles recently located at the Lilayi Lodge, which is closer to Lusaka than the Kafue camp. 

Soon after Rachael (the EOP project manager dropped us off at Bongewe from the airport), Emma (the Bongewe manager) took us to the market. The market is open every Sunday & dozens of locals set up their tables to sell their wares. It consists of wooden animal sculptures, paintings, beaded figures, instruments, some clothing, etc.  The sellers are very pushy & followed us all around saying “My sister, my sister, please look at this.” Make sure to barter prices with them.  This is where Jackie bought all of her souvenirs – (much more the impulse spender & more quickly persuaded than myself).  I just bought one thing for Andrew (brother).

While I’m writing this, I met a girl (Heather) who works at UAB & is here doing research/work with the hospital.  Go figure, two Alabama girls at the same Zambian inn.  I also met one of the safari guides who said that while the best time to see lots of animals is August/September, he has had good sightings right now! Yay for us.  

On my way

19 May 2012.  6:09AM (Huntsville time).  1:11pm (Frankfurt).

So, Willkommen to Frankfurt, Germany. My first flight was an 8.5 hr flight from Atlanta to Frankfurt. On the plane, I sat between a quiet German man & an irritable (I think Spanish-speaking?) black woman. She and the poor flight attendants were very lost in translation.  It was my first flight & I'm a little nervous, so I just went with the flow, but the lack of sleep may be troublesome later.

The plane was well supplied with things to do. I had movies, tv and music on demand.

I pulled out some of my dusty German & I actually had one flight attendant addressing me in German, but that was based on my very limited # of words.  It has inspired me that I may try to brush up on my German when I get back. 

And here I wait in Frankfurt during over my 12.5 hr layover (that is not a miss-type). Oh, did I mention, I'm too early to get my boarding passes since I change airlines, there is a limited amount of places that I can go and not have to go thru passport check or completely out of the airport, no free internet, not much to do, oh and I don't have any euros.

But my long journey is already showing a great diversity of people & cultures.  I've heard many languages & seen lots of ethnicities.  Reminds me how small I really am in this giant world.

Getting Ready

So, I leave tomorrow out of Atlanta, GA.  Here are some of the key things for my packing.  I was told that the "Biology, Medicine, & Surgery of Elephants" by Fowler & Mikota is the "Bible" text for the Elephant Orphanage Project. So, I'm taking it no matter how much it weighs.  This is also not a luxury trip, so I need camping gear like head lamp, bug spray, good boots, etc.  I've got my wonderful filter water bottle too & plenty of granola bars, protein bars, and peanut butter crackers.
Tomorrow is the start of the 2 day journey just to get to the Lusaka, Zambia airport.

Date of departure:  May 18, 2012
If you are interested in more information about the Elephant Orphanage Project follow the links below:  http://www.davidshepherd.org/project/000002/crime/
http://www.thesilentheroes.org/projects/elephant-orphanage-project.htm