Into the Wild

Hello Y'all!

I am so excited for this post because today has moved into my top 15 favorite days OF MY LIFE. After 2 weeks in Africa we finally got to see WILD ANIMALS (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). They weren't elephants, but we got to see several of the animals on my 5 favorite animals list (FYI- 1. ELEPHANTS 2. Tie between giraffe and zebra 3. whales (all whales, I don't discriminate) 4. turtles/tortoises 5. dogs/cats (including BIG cats).

Today we went to the Kragga Kamma Game Park and to the Seaview Lion Park which are both about 30 minutes from the Beacon Lodge. We made an appointment at Kragga Kamma for a guided game drive at 10 this morning. We = our environmental group. It was only 165 Rand per person to go on a two hour guided game drive all through this park. At about 20 bucks for person we thought it was a no-brainer and quite the bargain. Anyways, we were able to get the driver that takes us to te university to stay with us the whole day and drive us to and from the parks.

On our drive into the park we saw giraffes, zebra, wart hogs, rhinos, and ostriches, ALL within the first five minutes into the park. Needless to say, I almost had to be sedated. We have been promised zebra sightings on almost every game drive/walk we have gone on and have not seen them. They are quite elusive. When I realized we were finally going to come faec-to-face it was almost too much to handle. I am not entirely sure how to prepare myself and those around me for when I finally get to meet an elephant. I may go into cardiac arrest.

Anyways, we got into our truck vehicle (it was large, uncovered and windowless) for the game drive and set off. Right by the parking area there were wart hogs (PUMBA) and nyalla. The driver told us that nyalla are very shy and people rarely get to see them so we were really lucky. You can imagine how someone who already feels like they are over the moon feels when they're told that the game drive is starting off on a lucky foot (I'm not sure if that's an expression..my heart is still racing just thinking about how much fun I had today). Right after that we came across a herd of giraffes (!!!!!!!!!!!!) feeding. It was awesome. There were tons of impala, springbok, and wart hogs just lounging everywhere. I have concluded that baby anything are the cutest things ever..even baby warthogs.

After the giraffes we saw a herd of zebras and then moved on to see the rhinos. I'm not sure if y'all are aware about the recent increase in rhino poaching. In the past 3 years poaching has increased exponentially because of a myth that it cures cancer has spread. Their horns are made out of keratin and they are essentially the same thing as our finger nails. The myth is false and the rhinos are in danger of extinction because of the cruel and ruthless ways that the poachers remove their horns. Most of them end up bleeding to death. It's awful. If you're interested in more about this atrocity you can google it and there is tons of information about it. Kragga Kamma is a big supporter of saving the rhinos. The rhinos that live at the park have had their horns filed down to deter poachers from attacking them.

We got to see the grandmother, mother, and daughter rhino all feeding together. They have a bull, but he was off hanging out alone. the driver told us that they normally hang out as a family, but this bull just arrived at the farm so they are just getting acquainted. We moved on and got to see a bunch of wildebeest (for you Lion King enthusiasts- the ones that the hyenas got to run over Mufasa), waterbuck, and water buffalo just hanging out. It rained pretty much all day yesterday so the path we were on was pretty muddy in areas. Due to this mud our truck got stuck. It took about 15 minutes, two kind game park goers, and a strong chain to get us unstuck. It was quite the ordeal and all the time we knew that we were in the little grassy area between a herd of wildebeests that can stampede and run over a lion and the three grazing rhinos...so it was a little worrying. We finally continued our drive and got to see several ostriches before going into the cheetah reserve (!!!!!!!!). They have 9 cheetahs staying in the reserve and they were all basking in the sun when we saw them. Cheetahs are so pretty and they looked like little kitty cats stretching and yawning in the sun. They were all cuddling together and they blended in so amazingly with the grass that we almost didn't see them. They were so so so cute.

After our game drive we drove about ten minutes to Seaview. On our way there we saw a horse running full speed towards our van. I guess it broke out of the farm it lives at and was just enjoying it's new found freedom. On our drive up to where the lions, tigers, and other big cats were we saw more giraffes and zebra. It was so exciting and I was pretty much bouncing off the walls. We got to wear the lions and tigers were and we got out. They were in a fenced in area ad they were all divided up. The tigers were in an area and the lionesses were separated from the male lions who were also separated from one another. The fenced in areas weren't that big so it was kind of upsetting to see these mighty animals still coped up..even when in Africa, but it was a game reserve so I'm assuming they have their best interests at heart.

We drove through the fenced in area and the lionesses were eating some carcass of an animal. They are so beautiful. After that we drove up to the nursery where they keep the cubs. They keep the cubs up there until they are 14 months old to keep the male lions from eating the male cubs...I think, that's what someone in our group said they did. We got to walk around on this boardwalk type thing that goes above where all the cubs are kept and watch them play. They are seriously the most precious things ever. Like I said, baby anythings are the cutest things ever. We then discovered that you could pay to go in and play with the cubs....so we did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done.

Addison and I decided to go in and play with the lion and tiger cubs. The other people in our group did the same, but also played with the hyena cubs. The hyenas were actually really cute (of course) even though they aren't the cutest adult animals ever. The boy hyena cub was named Edd, like in the Lion King. Addison and I went into the lion play pen together with 5 workers from the park. They had 4 lion cubs and they were precious. Three were male and one was a female and they were brothers and sister. They were so cute and they were pretty big, I don't remember how old they were..I want to say like 6 or 8 months old. We got to pet the three males, but we didn't get to pet the female because she was in a really playful mood and they didn't want us to get scared. They told us not to run and not to shout, even if they started playing with us because that would scare the babies. It was such an amazing experience.

After the lions we moved onto the tiger play pen. There were 4 of them too and I can't remember how many were male or female. We went in and petted one of the tiger cubs that was napping in a tree house. The tiger cubs had really soft fur and they were so pretty. I have concluded that Addison's cat Sassy must be part tiger since her fur is sooooo soft. After that we got to pet Ruby. She was a little tiny cub that was gorgeous. They told us to approach them from behind and to pet them near their tails because they really liked that. We got to pet all of the little cubs and then we moved on to Orr. He was the biggest cub they had and the oldest at 8 months. Whenever we started petting him he turned his head and started nudging it towards us playfully. They told us to step back and he got up and pounced on the little cubs and even one of the workers. When we first went in I wanted them to play with me, but then I remembered that they were strong wild animals and that I probably wouldn't be laughing if he pounced on me. 

Today was absolutely amazing and I had so much fun getting up close and personal with the animals of dreamt of meeting after all my trips to the zoo! While we were going through  the park I found myself humming Hakuna Matata to myself and wishing my family was with me. I wanted to share meeting the animals that we have fallen in love with thanks to the Lion King and the zoo. I have decided that after I become whatever it is I will become I'm bringing you guys to Africa. Promise.

Tomorrow we are leaving for the Great Fish River Nature Reserve at 10:00 in the morning. We'll be there for the night and will update once we get back on Tuesday!!

We love all of y'all and miss y'all tremendously!

Love, Natalia and Addison