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Blogs
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Balule
Conservation
Project
South
Africa, Greater Kruger
National Park
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Volunteer
from a few days to a
few months!
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| Sep
2011 Blog 2 -
Vehicle Voodoo...
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| Well
I haven’t written a blog
in some time. The past
month has been rather
draining and it feels like
ground hogs day in
paradise. It was the month
of Land Rovers and we have
poured every last cent
that we had into these
bloody Landies. How we
could be so obsessed with
these things I can’t tell
you. We finally managed to
get, ‘Beelzebub,’ back
from the mechanics after 2
long years. ...read
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Sep 2011 Blog
1 -
Update from
Craig regarding recent
events in Balule
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Just thought I would write
to keep you all in the
loop on some of the
goings-on in and around
OWNR. There have been some
significant improvements
and happenings in the past
few months: 1. The rather
infamous “Tremisana Wedge”
as we like to call it, has
been addressed! ...read
more |
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Aug/Sep 2011
Blog -
Operation Wet Spot!
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It has been a while since
we all had a shower! We
stink and civilians run
for cover when we go into
town. I think Francois
managed to kill a few
birds by lifting his arm
and waving – birds fell
from the sky, leaves fell
off the trees. Even Tim’s
great big bushy beard lost
pigmentation! As I am sure
most of you that have been
to camp will know……our
ancient water trailer
broke and is no longer in
service and the little
fibreglass one that we got
as a gift is only 650
litres...read
more |
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Balule
Conservation
Project
South
Africa, Greater Kruger
National Park
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July 2011
Blog 4 -
Save The Elephants
Partnership!
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| Transfrontier
(Afreco's partners) has a
formal relationship with
Save the Elephants (StE),
situated in the Timbavati
region of the Greater
Kruger National Park. We
work closely with Dr.
Michelle Henley and her
team of researchers on a
daily basis to assist them
with the photographic
finger-printing of
elephants in the field as
well as monitoring the 36
elephants that have been
fitted with satellite
collars in an effort to
monitor their movements
and habitat preferences...read
more |
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July 2011
Blog 3 -
Bush-whacked in
Balule & Cheetah
News
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| I
am writing to you from
Paradise Camp for the
first time since our old
generator snuffled off its
mortal coil! The sound of
our happy new Yamaha
generator drowns out much
of the bush sounds as well
as my rantings as I try to
spell words that have more
than three letters in
them! The team has just
left to embark on the
monthly bore-hole
monitoring and there is
promise of some exciting
elephant data en route. We
bumped into a large herd
of 35 animals last night
at camp and managed to see
one of our collared
friends amongst them - we
think it was Erwin the
young bull! We hope that
the team will be able to
pick them up again!...read
more |
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July
2011 Blog 2 –
Just another
happy volunteer!
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| Are
you ready to experience
“wild” Africa? If so,
you’ve come to the right
place. The crew at
Transfrontier Africa’s
Paradise Camp are the
perfect people to guide
you through a once in a
lifetime (or maybe twice
in a lifetime if you’re
lucky) opportunity. I’ve
only returned from my
visit just over a week ago
and though my time at camp
was short, I stayed 3
nights; I’m trying to
figure out how to get back
there again and to stay
longer...read
more |
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July 2011
Blog -
Volunteer
Robin tells us about
the project...
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My
time at paradise camp
and working with
Transfrontier Africa. I
came to Paradise Camp
with rough idea on what
to expect, though it was
a nice change when I
arrived and had my
luggage brought via
tractor. I was greeted
at the airport by Stefan
and three other new
volunteers. We made our
way to Paradise Camp
which is situated within
the Balule National Park
part of the Greater
Kruger National Park and
met rest of the team,
Francois, Tim and head
of it all, Warden Craig
Spencer...read
more
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July 2011
Blog - Long awaited
catch-up
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It
has been a while since I
wrote a blog and there
is so much to tell you
that I do not know where
to start. Perhaps I will
start with the news that
Goosie, our resident
mongoose, seems to have
run off with a wild
horde of the same
species. My
rugged-ranger image is
ruined after chasing
around the camp trying
to call her with my
high-pitched
"Goooooosie, Gooosie,
Gooosie"..... Well, she
is missed by us all and
we wish her well with
her new family....read
more
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February
2011 Blog -
Transfrontier Africa
helps Elephant
research in the APNR
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On
the 3rd of
February 2011, the
Transfrontier Africa
team assisted the
scientists from Save
the Elephants,
based in the APNR
(Associated Private
Nature Reserves), in the
collaring of elephants
to further research in
the
Greater Kruger
National Park.
This is the third
consecutive year our
team has contributed to
this research and this
year we managed to
replace broken collars
on two bull elephants
and captured important
morphometric data at the
same time...read
more
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January 2011
Blog - New Year
update - Blog 2
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The
past few days have left
us drenched in despair.
We’ve all been wearing
winter clothing and as a
result haven’t done an
animal survey in at
least 3 days. We listen
to the game drives and
get the impression that
there aren’t any animals
walking within Balule.
Things here truly are
awfully quiet...read
more
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January 2011
Blog - New Year
update
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Paradise
camp is awesome!
We
have a great routine
here. Every night,
(when the weather
allows for it,) we
make a huge fire chat
about our day, and
have dinner. Well to
be quite honest, Bwana
Craig has been down at
Metsi, doing the
reports and the
weather hasn’t cleared
long enough to make a
fire...read
more
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September
2010 Blog - John
updates us...
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The
thermometer is rising!
It has been a while
since I reported on all
the happenings from the
bush. Our website was
stolen by a hairy palmed
computer geek thus I
have been unable to post
my incoherent ramblings
for some time - but we
are back, alive and well
in cyberspace and there
is much to tell...read
more
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September
2010 blog - Craig
Spencer updates us...
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Our
position as Ecological
Managers of this section
of the Greater Kruger
National Park was
secured for another year
following the annual
general meeting in
August. As if we do not
have enough work to
do….we have now taken
over the entire
management burden of the
Olifants West Section.
This includes the
administration function,
infrastructure and staff
management as well as
the security and
anti-poaching. This has
placed a massive burden
on our resources and
poor old John will never
get that elusive
girlfriend at this rate!...read
more
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July
2010 Blog - David
& Goliath
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I
am most pleased to say
that we have been
blessed by multitudes of
elephants here in Balule
as of late. Pop down to
the shop to buy ciggies-
there are elephants.
Taking a morning pee in
the garden; as you yawn
and wipe out your eyes-
there are elephants.
Take a nice afternoon
stroll down a riverbed-
there are elephants.
There are truly
elephants everywhere...read
more
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June 2010
Blog -
Warden's
report
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Herewith
the latest quarterly
report from your
management team. This
report covers the time
period from 31st
March 2010, until 24th
June 2010. Our Olifants
West is still looking
good and we can thank
the late and rather
extended rainfall that
we enjoyed this year. We
are still supporting an
impressive grass biomass
and the resultant herds
of bulk grazers such as
buffalo and white rhino...read
more
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May
2010 Blog - Zebra
Rescue
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The
bush is going yellow and
the water is beginning
to dry up, but the
Olifants River
still flows strong. I
love the transformation
of the bush from lush
jungle to arid desert.
As always we never know
what challenges the day
will hold for us.
Yesterday one of the
rangers spotted a female
zebra with a snare
around her neck and we
spent the entire day
crashing through the
bush trying to keep
sight of her till the
vet arrived...read
more
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April
2010 Blog
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Catch-up and
Eva The Camp Mongoose
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Finally
a computer that works.
We have been out of
action since that
fateful night Eva the
Mongoose decided to pee
on the last working
computer. There was
sparks, and smoke and
the smell of burnt
mongoose urine and fur
stung our nostrils. Now
I am typing on a
computer that was around
in the era of Cro-Magnon
man, but it works...read
more
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