Wednesday 19th September 2007 – group 3
Awakening under the early Namibian dawn – with colours seeping back into the dark sky from the previous nights slumber. Greys turn to soft blues with watercolour washes of orange & pink. A majestic cheetah sleeps peacefully with her noble and gentle head resting on the pillow. The first morning birds sing in a chorus to welcome the new day and the lions still roar in the distance – a new day at Harnas begins.
The baboon babysitters return from their adventurous night with good news of a quiet night - except for the usual antics from our mischievous Jacob – bless him for his consistency if nothing else.
The morning feeding went smoothly and the day had a bustling energy as the Family of Harnas packed for their departure to Europe for promotional purposes.
The afternoon activity was an enjoyable ride in the new luxurious safari car, out to a beautiful house in the bush, where guests can enjoy 180 degree views of wild game. We fed the meercats and watched the new working guests take photos and laugh at their ferocious feeding habits. Careful of your fingers – as they do bite as we found out!
That evening was a celebration and fairwell for the departing group and dinner was served, a classy Lapa 5 course meal with wine. The night ended for some, very jovially with a big bonfire and a few cocktails to celebrate and exchange stories from the day.
Friday 21st September 2007
Yesterday we took the baby baboons on an afternoon walk, in preparation for sleeping with them that evening. I was somewhat apprehensive, but as we had been told they were perfect angels, and my baby, Donovan, showed me so much love in the morning he did not want to let me go. This made for a challenging situation trying to get his nappy off (which was full of “kaak”!) Of course I didn’t succeed, and as soon as I removed his nappy, he latched back onto my leg and proceeded to climb his way up to my shoulders and head, wiping his dirty little behind all over me. I was literally covered head to toe in baboon poo! Back at the working guest village, I had a cold shower to wash it all off me and out of my hair, only to be pooed on AGAIN by Poepie the vervet monkey, whilst cleaning his cage after feeding. Oh well, I just keep telling myself monkey poo is full of nutrients and remind myself of Frikkie’s favourite saying …. “This is a once in a lifetime experience, enjoy it!!!”
Diary entry – Mike Stubbs Thurs 27th September
I woke up this morning for breakfast with 29 females. Life is tough being one of only two male working guests! There is of course Juan as well, but I have my suspicions about him!
As we sit over our three course breakfast (bread, butter & cheese), Frikkie lays out the plans for the day. Basically, we will be knee deep in dirt as soon as we have finished food prep & feeding (another opportunity to have my hand up a chicken’s bottom before 9am!)
I love feeding the cheetahs. There is something about standing there and telling a natural predator that they will not get their chunk of meat that I’m holding over my head, until it stands on the platform.
Rachael (from UAE) is still nurturing her baby squirrel that she adopted as her own child. There are clear indications that its a male, as it spends all it’s time fumbling around down her top. The baby baboons are in fine form. They are loving their daily walks, as it gives them ample opportunity to collect sunglasses, water bottles and hair clips before shitting down your back. But to be fair, they do give you a very thorough grooming beforehand, so I may be covered in pee but at least I have no fleas! We finish the day with a sleep-out and brai under the stars. Excellent!
Saturday 22/9/7
Harnas received a phone call from a farmer regarding 4 wild cheetahs on his farm. The farmer said he would kill them if Harnas didn’t come and collect them asap. Schalk went immediately to pick them up. Meanwhile, Frikkie and some of the working guests built an enclosure for them in the corner of the 15 cheetahs enclosure. It is not possible to put new wild cheetahs in with the others as they need to develop positive relationships first and foremost!
A few days later we realize that the enclosure is not strong enough for them, and as a result two of them escaped. Thus we had to set up box traps to catch them, and of course reinforce the fences in their enclosure. One was caught very easily. Frikkie took some of us with him to pick up the escaped cheetah and return it to its enclosure. It was very exciting to watch and although the cheetah hurt his nose whilst running around the box, it was soon safely released back into its enclosure with the others. Unfortunately, the 4th cheetah is still on the loose, and we have found a sheep killed by the cheetah. We hope to catch it soon.
Lost – Beginning October 2007
Well, when Frikkie said its time to go to Gobabis, the last thing I expected, would be to take Lost, the little leopard cub. Frikkie is worried someone will feed it incorrectly, as they lost a lion cub by a bush woman force feeding it milk – it went into its lungs instead of its stomach. So little Lost accompanies us to town. She finds this the most perfect idea, since she is to be centre of attention for the entire day.
We travel with her in a cardboard box, up front between us. She is not impressed by this and spends the entire journey, and day for that matter, climbing out of the box for a better view! We visit numerous places in town, first to his nephew’s to get the bakkie fixed, then to the old peoples home to pay his mother a visit. She is 92, but as sharp as a button and although she is blind, you can see the sheer pleasure in her eyes when she holds littleLost.
We took a trip to the petrol station and to the local supermarket for some food. This was another real eye opener to a western animal lover like myself. As we walk around with Lost in our arms, people begin to show signs of real fear. Frikkie explains how it is their culture, and how they are told stories about how animals hurt people. We walk through the supermarket, and people disperse as if we hold a bomb in our arms. Some even run and hide in the other aisles. Their fear is clear, but totally unfounded – this little bundle could not hurt a fly! I now understand why animals are so badly persecuted in Namibia and why there are so few left. How hard it is to change these opinions, and I wonder if they will change before all the animals are gone forever.
The day finishes in Marieta’s kitchen, as we try to watch rugby, but all seem drawn to watch Lost bouncing about the floor with the dog and African wild cat– occasionally stopping to listen to the cries from the baboons in their cages. This should be surreal, but in fact nothing is strange anymore, this is just normal for Harnas!
Diary – Beginning October (Rachel)
Giving Cleo wings!!
Whilst the Korean film team where here at Harnas, they asked if it would be possible to film a cheetah in an airplane. Harnas were rather dubious about this, since putting animals through any stress is not acceptable, but Cleo is so relaxed about life and new situations we decided we would give it a try and see what happened. If Cleo showed any signs of stress, we would pull the plug on filming immediately.
So, they flew in a plane from Windhoek and that’s when the most bizarre day of my life began. I sat in the office, minding my own business – trying to look at the accounts, when Juan & Frikkie decided they had to concentrate their attentions on the volunteers that day. This meant someone needed to take over looking after the film crew. They looked at me and said “can you take the film crew?” I told them yes no problem, but what do you want me to do? They replied “take Cleo in a plane with the film crew!” I was honoured they thought I could handle her, but I wasn’t so sure! I went off to find the film crew and to collect Cleo. Frikkie drove Cleo to the plane with me. At this point my fear about looking after Cleo has gone, and I’m more concerned at the thought of getting into an airplane about the size of a shoebox! Despite doing my parachute jump, it hasn’t helped my motion sickness – and I’m wondering whether I am going to be looking after Cleo, or is she going to be looking after me! I climb in the plane, and Frikkie carries Cleo into me. I get her to sit quietly and she looks rather excited by the opportunity to ride in a plane. I tell the pilot that if there are any problems, he must stop the plane immediately. The film crew climbs in and the doors are closed – no going back now. I’m wishing I had given breakfast a miss this morning!
We taxi down the runway and take off, Cleo is loving it. I’m constantly stroking her to reassure her, but in reality I think she is reassuring me! We take off and she is staring out of the window (I dare not look!). The film crew proceeds to take lots of shots of her, and do some interviews with the presenter. Finally my stomach is about to give way, and Cleo is looking bored of her new surroundings, so I ask the pilot to bring the plane down, just as soon as safely possible.
We land and I’m feeling rather green, but I need to concentrate my thoughts on getting Cleo out of the plane and into her enclosure. The trouble is, and is often the way at Harnas – there is no transport waiting for me because they had to use all the cars for the volunteer’s activities. So I call on my radio, “Lapa Lapa Lapa kom in!”. Thankfully Louis replies and says he will send me a vehicle. Meanwhile during the 10 minute wait for the car, I am left trying to stop Cleo attacking the planes leather seats.
Finally a car arrives with the tour guide, Lucas, however it wasn’t the most ideal form of transport – an open sided Mitsubishi! Lucas carries her from the plane and I jump out, grateful for the fresh air since I am now a nice shade of green, yellow and white! We load her into the back of the truck and I climb in after her. I’m wondering how on earth we are going to make it back to her enclosure without her bounding out of the truck. We pass springbok and oryx; then the horse corral, then past sheep and goats! Lady Luck was looking after us thank goodness and we made it back in one piece!
Once safely back in her enclosure she ran off, straight to Pride where she sat down and looked as if she was detailing her amazing experience to her. I just wish I could have sat and understood what she was saying.
The Bat-eared Foxes Escape – Group 4 Mon 8/10/7
While waking up in Simba (baboons room), after a lovely night sleeping with the baby baboons, one of the volunteers asked “do we have bat-eared foxes around here?”
“No of course not!” They had escaped through a hole in the wall of the volunteer house, which is under reconstruction! We went and woke up Juan to help us catch them. The tamest fox was caught quite easily, but the 2 foxes left were obviously enjoying their new found freedom. We tried to move them back by forming a line and walking towards them, but that didn’t work. Then we tried food, which all the cats around are fed on. Finally the foxes were convinced by the cat food and we were able to eventually get the second fox, despite him complaining heavily and biting Juan on the leg! The third gave in and just followed his poor playmate and thankfully they were all home safely before breakfast!
Diary – Group 3 11/10/7
The morning started by each group being divided into two – one half did sheep and goats (injections) and the other half did food prep and feeding. This was a very warm day, and later Frikkie took us for a bushwalk. We started walking about 3pm, and the sun was really strong (there was a lot of red noses by the end of the day). As we walked, Frikkie told us stories about the wartime and explained about the different trees, footprints from different animals, and he taught us how we could survive in the wild. We were especially amazed by plants that could contain water! When the sun started to set we arrived at the treehouse, and there was a campfire waiting for us. The three tame meercats came out to greet us and we cooked our own bread sticks. Andreas, out great chef, had prepared lovely food at the village and we all ate by the fire.
Tallula, one of the meercats, fell asleep on Monicas lap, she was so sweet!!! As the darkness came, the “African sky” appeared. Frikkie asked us to turn of all our lights, and he took us on a little walk away from the fire. We layed down and everything was completely silent. We could see the Milkyway, Scorpion and Jupiter. It really was one of those days where you think you could stay here forever! When we got back, the people sleeping with baboons overnight had to put nappies on the baboons. Luckily they were very tired too, and fell asleep right away as the clung to you holding their bottles! During the night we couldn’t help laughing – but you don’t want to wake the baboons up, once they have fallen asleep!!! Hehe. Love the silence, the lion roars, and the feeling of peace that you get here I Love Harnas!
November 2007 (Rachel, Tamara, Deanna)
Today wild dogs are extremely rare in Namibia, which is why we are so excited here at Harnas to have received wild dog puppies.
The puppies arrived from Northern Namibia, next to the Angolan border. The working guests named them—Dave, Nils, Bella, & Stella.
Last week the vet came out to give the puppies a health check and take DNA samples. DNA testing is undertaken to provide Harnas valuable information concerning the possible pack grouping of the dogs.
When they first arrived they were very shy and fearful of human interaction. However, over the past few weeks they have grown more curious and have become more adventurous each day. They are easily entertained and working guest possessions are of particular interest (bags, books, shoes!)
Saturday 17/11/07 (Anika Proske)
Have you ever had a baboon rob you?
Have you ever had a baboon strip search you?
Have you ever met a baboon in a nappy?
This is a daily occurrence in the life of a Harnas working guest. The 5 baby baboons – Jacob, Ita, Moses, Vambo & Donovan; are experts at stealing your property. Their favorite toys are sunglasses, bangles, hair clips, and jewellery. With their quick thinking and hands of a thief they are able to get whatever they want even through their cage! Whether they are in their cage or with you on their daily walk, you should be aware of what you wear and what possessions you have! In their free time they take pleasure in untying your hair and pulling it as well as undoing your bikini top. They will search you from head to toe, looking for things of interest in pockets, down tops and pants, and even ply open your mouth to feel what is in there. While the sun is out they are never tired of jumping from tree to volunteers heads; but when the sun goes down they become helpless little creatures who are always looking for re-assurance and protection.
It is amazing to feel their bodies shake with fear as you walk with them through the darkness to the Wendy’s. The night is quiet and peaceful while a little baboon lays on your stomach. After many hurtful attacks you have to face your fears and never give up. That’s the only way to get their respect and to work on a great relationship. Sometimes, I’m just sitting in front of their cage watching them play or eat. These are the moments when I forget that I’m looking at little baboons. One look into their eyes makes me feel that I’m sitting next to a little human being.
Houdini – November 2007 (John Sullivan)
My story is not one about the cuddly big cats or cute meerkats, it’s about a very lonely baboon called Houdini, who has been denied any kind of normal life because of mankind.
Houdini has been taught to steal from people as well as how to escape from his enclosure. Because of this he finds himself in solitary confinement, in a small dark cage which has to be double fenced. He gets very few visitors although he must watch people walking around the courtyard all day.
He sits at his window looking towards the other baboon troops. This story is made even worse because Houdini is one of the nicest, careful & intelligent baboons I have ever met. You can feed him fruit straight to his mouth or if he does take it from you it’s with great care and understanding. He picks the leaves from small branches with such finesse, it is sometimes hard to tell that he is a wild baboon. I even managed to get him drinking from a water bottle!
Just one look in his eyes and you can see that he is not the one who should be behind bars, it’s the evil selfless humans who have trained him and ruined his life…. And humans are supposed to be the master race … don’t make me laugh!
Colourful days at Harnas – 9th November 2007 (Jullian Gunnigle)
My mother once said to me that life is like a colouring book with a new page to colour in every new day. Here at Harnas, I feel like I’ve been given a magical colouring book with infinite pages and the most vibrant spectrum of paints to colour every awe-inspiring day. My soul has been laid bare. The routine and maternalism that control my daily life back home, feel like chains hanging on my heart. Harnas has broken down these emotional barriers and I find myself falling in love with this compelling place. Being here in these magnificent surroundings, I am re-discovering who I am and what is really important to me. Essentially, what makes me truly happy. Through spending precious moments with the animals, I am learning the art of silent communication and embracing the power of mutual trust and respect. I feel humbled and honoured to be here, experiencing and sharing the beauty of Harnas.
Klippie arrived with us on Sunday 18th November 2007.
She is just one week old, and the first giraffe to arrive at Harnas to be hand-reared.
Currently we have two wild adult giraffes, and their calf which was born a few weeks ago. They live in our game camp area, and often frequent the waterhole at the Working Guest village.
Sadly, Klippie’s mother was too old to care for her, and hence how she came to be at Harnas. It is not possible to introduce her to the other giraffes, and thus we must hand-rear her.
Giraffes are notoriously hard to hand-rear, and are especially difficult to start on a bottle. They fight you every step of the way, and can kick hard with both their front and back legs — even at such a young age! After several bruises and much consultation with zoos around the world, who have successfully hand-reared giraffes, we seem to have found the milk mixture she likes. She finally took to her bottle just 24 hours after her arrival, and promptly polished off 4 litres of cows milk mixed with condensed milk. She is currently living in an enclosure on the lawn, but will soon be moved to a bigger area once she has fully settled in.
Obituary
It is with a heavy heart that we must say a sad goodbye to some of our loved ones:
Poepie (Vervet Monkey)
Despite always being somewhat of a trouble maker, Poepie was one of the most playful and compassionate monkey at Harnas. Sadly his cleverness was the reason he lost his life. He managed to undo his gate and escaped into the caracal enclosure. He will be sorely missed by all.
Tallulah (Meercat)
Tallulah was brought by Marieta’s daughter as a baby in November 2006. She was sadly bitten by a snake whilst living at her new home at the Tree House with her babies. Her babies are surviving well without her, but the working guests will miss her a lot. She was always the most friendliest of all our meercats, here at Harnas. We hope her babies will do her proud and carry on her kind hearted nature with them.
Mercury (African Wild Cat)
He was found with a large swelling to his mouth by the working guests, and quickly taken into the veterinary clinic for further examination. He was sedated and the swelling drained, but unfortunately he died during the night. On closer inspection we believe he received a snake bite. He was a very affectionate cat, and the working guests used to sleep with him most nights. Sleep well.
Celine Falconnier - 18.12.2007
I have been on Harnas since more than a month and everyday here is a treasure.
I have always loved cheetahs but here I’ve experienced more than that. This is just amazing to spend time with them, touching them, playing with them and so on! I still can’t believe it! In Europe, you only see cheetahs on TV but here you interact with them.
I love when they purr, it’s even better than our domestic cats because it’s a cheetah purr!
I’ve been sleeping with them a lot of time and I can tell the big difference between day and night. During the day, they are real cheetahs but during the night they become much different. As soon as you step in their world, they come to you. When you start preparing your mattress and your sleeping bag for the night, they are already there waiting for you.
Last night was one of my last sleepout with Duma & Joany. It was magical! It’s impossible to explain, you need to experience it to know what I am talking about. All I can say is, this is just amazing, they are magnificent beyond the reach of words!!
