IN LOCK DOWN WITH LIONS
Bolts are are being bolted and keys turned in locks. The people of South Africa are locking themselves inside their homes as of today. In our case it is a matter of zipping up the tent.
I can hear the lions romping and running, their feet pounding on the earth the sound reverberates through the canvas walls. I hear two of them have a tussle, lion moans turn into a few quick growls answered by snarls. Lions do this, they have spats, the thing is that spats from large cats are more intense in sound than that usually heard in alleys. But it is quickly over and the snarls evolve into roars. The royal proclamation is take up by surrounding lions and within seconds, 6 of the lions are in full roar.
The baboons answer in a frenzy of screeches. I can hear rocks hitting rocks as the baboons throw smaller ones down onto the boulders below. Birds of a dozen varieties whistle and sing. In fact, as I listen I am amazed at the number of sounds I can here from my lock down spot in the tent. There is a world of sound outside.
But I will not be remaining inside of the tent, the lions need to be fed, the fences need to be checked and most of all, our immediate project is to build species specific homes for our 4 new cats, the jaguars and pumas.
We have laid out the fence lines and today the digging begins. The jaguars are to get wetlands, pools, thick low foliage and privacy. The pumas are to get high ground, rocks, long grass, views and privacy.
Privacy as you can tell, is important to us. We feel that these zoo cats have spent their lives being gawked at and we owe it to them to now give them the dignity of privacy.
We have planned it that we will be able to observe and check on both pairs of cats from up on tall rocks next to the enclosures, so that they can enjoy long grass and thick foliage whilst still being properly managed.
If we lived in an ordinary house, we would have planned a Home Project for this period, we would have quickly stocked up on paint for the walls, plants for the garden, cement to make ponds... we would have used this time to build puzzles and draw pictures. But in a strange twist of fate, what we are going to do is create homes for pumas and jaguars as our "around the home" job for this Lock Down period.
In order to get all the necessary materials for this project, we joined the pre-lock down shopping frenzy. The whole country came rushing out and about after the President's address to the Nation. Whereas in preceding days, people had been going about cautiously thinking twice before going into public spaces and practicing social distancing, after the announcement, people ran around as if the virus had been given a starting point. You could begin catching it from midnight on Thursday 26th March. Which, depending on your interpretation, meant from either late on Wednesday night or late on Thursday night.
Last week it felt as if the world away from the sanctuary was under threat. But in contrast, the post Presidential address N3 highway looked the way it does on Easter weekend. Driving down Van Reenen's pass to fetch a dead cow, I sat in a queue of 4x4s pulling caravans, family sedans towing trailers, SUVs studded with children's bicycles, bakkies full of furniture.
The reshuffling of the South African population had stopped by the time I went out to fetch a dead horse today. Eerily quiet, the roads had little traffic and the drivers I passed all stared with a Why are you out and what is your business? stare.
We have had to get permission letters stating our business and we have had Lion Feeding stickers posted onto our collection bakkie and trailer. This is unreal.
Will we become desensitized to the madness of everyday people wearing masks and gloves in everyday places?
We have beautiful open vistas from up here on the mountainside, the lions are roaring and the jackals howl. The stars shine in bright clusters from a pitch black sky. For me, the sense in it all lies here with the animals. Their questions are worlds away from ours.
I can hear the lions romping and running, their feet pounding on the earth the sound reverberates through the canvas walls. I hear two of them have a tussle, lion moans turn into a few quick growls answered by snarls. Lions do this, they have spats, the thing is that spats from large cats are more intense in sound than that usually heard in alleys. But it is quickly over and the snarls evolve into roars. The royal proclamation is take up by surrounding lions and within seconds, 6 of the lions are in full roar.
The baboons answer in a frenzy of screeches. I can hear rocks hitting rocks as the baboons throw smaller ones down onto the boulders below. Birds of a dozen varieties whistle and sing. In fact, as I listen I am amazed at the number of sounds I can here from my lock down spot in the tent. There is a world of sound outside.
But I will not be remaining inside of the tent, the lions need to be fed, the fences need to be checked and most of all, our immediate project is to build species specific homes for our 4 new cats, the jaguars and pumas.
We have laid out the fence lines and today the digging begins. The jaguars are to get wetlands, pools, thick low foliage and privacy. The pumas are to get high ground, rocks, long grass, views and privacy.
Privacy as you can tell, is important to us. We feel that these zoo cats have spent their lives being gawked at and we owe it to them to now give them the dignity of privacy.
We have planned it that we will be able to observe and check on both pairs of cats from up on tall rocks next to the enclosures, so that they can enjoy long grass and thick foliage whilst still being properly managed.
If we lived in an ordinary house, we would have planned a Home Project for this period, we would have quickly stocked up on paint for the walls, plants for the garden, cement to make ponds... we would have used this time to build puzzles and draw pictures. But in a strange twist of fate, what we are going to do is create homes for pumas and jaguars as our "around the home" job for this Lock Down period.
In order to get all the necessary materials for this project, we joined the pre-lock down shopping frenzy. The whole country came rushing out and about after the President's address to the Nation. Whereas in preceding days, people had been going about cautiously thinking twice before going into public spaces and practicing social distancing, after the announcement, people ran around as if the virus had been given a starting point. You could begin catching it from midnight on Thursday 26th March. Which, depending on your interpretation, meant from either late on Wednesday night or late on Thursday night.
Last week it felt as if the world away from the sanctuary was under threat. But in contrast, the post Presidential address N3 highway looked the way it does on Easter weekend. Driving down Van Reenen's pass to fetch a dead cow, I sat in a queue of 4x4s pulling caravans, family sedans towing trailers, SUVs studded with children's bicycles, bakkies full of furniture.
The reshuffling of the South African population had stopped by the time I went out to fetch a dead horse today. Eerily quiet, the roads had little traffic and the drivers I passed all stared with a Why are you out and what is your business? stare.
We have had to get permission letters stating our business and we have had Lion Feeding stickers posted onto our collection bakkie and trailer. This is unreal.
Will we become desensitized to the madness of everyday people wearing masks and gloves in everyday places?
We have beautiful open vistas from up here on the mountainside, the lions are roaring and the jackals howl. The stars shine in bright clusters from a pitch black sky. For me, the sense in it all lies here with the animals. Their questions are worlds away from ours.
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| Van Reenen's Pass Traffic (pre-lock down) |
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