Starting the day off really early today, 6:30 is a little much for us but it was definitely worth it to see the sun rise from the dining hall balcony. Breakfast was surprisingly refreshing with yogurt, granola, fresh fruit and toast! After breakfast we had a presentation from the wonderful Dr. Nokubonga Mgqatsa about biomes of South Africa and her 4-year project about elephants toppling trees affecting microclimates and the small wildlife. We don’t know much about plants but it was really interesting! After our presentation we got a surprise activity of scavenging for 20 different types of plants found in South Africa; such as NumNum, Bitter Aloe, Mother in Law’s Tongue, Euphorbia Milkrope, etc. It was a competition and we lost… However, it was still fun to learn a lot of new species of plants and interesting facts we’ve never heard before. After we were finished we had about 30 mins for free time and then lunch! While we were eating a group of elephants walked by our balcony and you could see the babies!
The herd of elephants passing the dining room decking.
We then all gathered on the balcony to enjoy a lecture about the history of dinosaurs in this area from Mr. Giles Gush. We learned that the first dinosaur discovered in South Africa was found in the area right in front of us. Shortly after that we settled into the game trucks for one of my favourite parts of the day, a game drive! We first came across a pair of elephant bulls fighting, it was insane to see such huge animals, that close. We also came across a cheetah, lying with a kill, she was so relaxed and absolutely gorgeous. We are now preparing for supper and will be having a lecture on carnivore research from Dr. Jess Comley.
Two male elephants about to have a conversation
The same male elephants having a little disagreement!
Signing off Vincent & Bailey
This is so amazing! What an opportunity for all the students. It is especially great to read all the information and facts on this blog. Looking forward to the next one!! Keep them coming!