Baboons, Lions, Mongoose, Oh MY!

Here in Namibia, schools end their academic year and shut down for most of December, and open back up mid-January. During this month-long break, the PC gives us the 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year's as "free". In other words, we don't get charged leave during these "Cultural Weeks", as the PC names them. Many PCVs go home to the States or decide to travel around Namibia or Africa. Well, I hadn't saved up enough money quite yet to explore Africa, and really, the only thing that really goes on during this December time, is going to Swakopmund, the beach. December is the summer time here, and so this seems to be THE place to go at this time of the year. Well, I've already been there (I know, I still haven't shared these pictures yet!). It's beautiful, and wonderful, but I wanted to do something different. And sure, I'd love to enjoy a nice restaurant, touristy things, and "western life" outside the village. But if I keep doing these things, I'll never really see Namibia - or Africa - for that matter. I wanted to do something different, and yet something with a little Namibia flavor. I decided that I wanted to take a break helping people, and help animals!

There are a few volunteer organizations throughout Namibia, but the one I decided to visit was N/a an ku se. It's about 40k north of Windhoek. Not only is it an animal sanctuary, but also helps employ San Bushman people of Namibia, with a pre-school for their children. They also have a research facility a few hours away, as well as one of the 3 wineries in Namibia, and the owners also run a health clinic in eastern Namibia for the San Bushman people. The owners are a married couple. He's a doctor. She grew up around the Bushman people and baboons, and her mother also owns an animal sanctuary, Harnass. They are a great couple, and I even was able to talk with him about visiting his clinic, and potentially bringing some of his methods of running the clinic, back to my clinic. (He has had this clinic running for 10 years, by way of donations, with a doctor, and wonderful, FREE healthcare for the Bushman people - who were given low levels of care by the public clinics.)

I was there for 2 weeks, over Christmas and New Years - helping to keep the sanctuary up and running. We help clean, put the food together for the animals, feed the animals, follow the staff when checking the electric fences, and any other project work that is needed.  During the time I was there, we had to dig a trench in one of the baboon areas, to run electric wires. Anyway, it was such an amazing time! I've never done anything like this before, and have decided that I want to find other places as this,  and to be around the animals. In the future, I definitely want to volunteer with "big cats", and even marine animals - including dolphins and sharks!

Here at N/a an ku se, they take in "orphaned" and injured animals, "problem" animals reported by farmers, and help Namibian farmers by tracking these wild animals who are hunting and/killing their livestock - usually these are cheetahs, leopards and/or lions. With these animals, they really do try to get them back out into the wild. Though, sometimes, these animals have had too much human contact, and would end up getting killed by humans, if put back into the wild.

They have cheetahs, leopards, lions, meerkats, mongoose, baboons, vervet monkeys, a dyker, a jackal, ostriches, ducks, goats, cattle, peacocks, a tortoise, a porcupine, and so many more that I'm probably forgetting! At night, you have the option of signing up to take a baby baboon for the night. You first go into the cage, get your baby for the night, and then feed it with a baby bottle. Then, you take the baboon into the shower, and clean it. They usually cling onto you while you're washing them, and most of them love it. After drying them, you put a nappy (diaper, here in Namibia) on the baboon, and then we usually just hang out for the rest of the night with the other volunteers, keeping the baby wrapped up in a jacket or sweatshirt. They seem to love being next to you, and warm. During the night, they usually sleep in the bed with you, and sometimes even cuddle! I tried having a baboon twice. Both times did not go too well. For my first time, I had Hansie. He was fine until about 3 am. Then he, and the other baboon in the room which my roommate had, decided to jump around and play. After that, he wouldn't come back to me, and ended up sleeping with my roommate and the other baboon. During my second attempt, the baby would not come to me at all, and so my friend Marice took her. I think, because she gets passed around every night, she was just scared and not happy. I was going to try for a third time during one of my last nights, but ended up getting sick. But these baboons were really cute! 

We would also take the baby baboons on walks, out to a nearby tree, just to let them play. And we would play with them, as if they were small children! They also loved to come up to us and would "groom" us, but looking through our hair. Then, as a sign of friendship, we would do the same back. I'll admit, at first I was a little nervous about these wild animals. They would run and jump up on you, and it could be a little frightening at times. But I slowly got over my fear. I also learned how to speak "Baboon"! I wish I could go back and play with them now :(  I will tell you, though, one of my first experiences with the baboons, was not that pleasant. As soon as we walked through the gate to begin our walk, one of the baboons, about 1 year old, came up to me, and bit me on the shin. Let me just say, it hurt - a lot! The other volunteers were also shocked it happened, and I really wanted to leave the walk, but the owner, who was there with us, said that it would be bad for me to leave because the baboons would try to leave as well, plus, it would show that the baboon "won". Apparently, I was bitten because this was an alpha male, and he was testing me, plus showing me he is in charge. As we went on the walk, and finally sat under the tree, the other baboons did come up to me, and almost felt bad for me. But, it did scare me. Yet, I decided I was going to face this fear, and over the next few days, I made every effort to be with the baboons and gain my confidence back. See, baboons, like many animals, can sense if you're scared. And if they sense that, they will use that to their advantage. So, you need to go to them with confidence and be assertive. Then they will just love up on you like little babies. So, it was definitely a learning experience!

Speaking of being bitten, I also got bit on the leg by a mongoose. This other volunteer and I were trying to feed them, and they were in a new cage, where there is a door to close them off of the area where we put their food. Well, this smart little guy dug a hole under the door, and got out...and ended up chasing me around the cage and bit me! But not much harm was done. It was just kind of a shock! The other volunteer was finally able to lure him away with food, and we got him back in the cage....

A normal day consisted of many activities, and all of the volunteers (about 30) were split up into groups, and we rotated on a daily basis, doing different things around the sanctuary. So at times, we were with the researches, tracking snakes, or driving out in a truck with lots of raw meat and heads of horses or oryx or donkeys, to feed the wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and lions. 

Let me talk about the big cats for a second. They are my favorite! The cheetahs are beautiful. There was one, Samira, who was older, and we would feed separately. She was by herself, and when we were done feeding, we could go in and groom and pet her. Her purring was amazing loud! I could only imagine what it would be like to curl up with her, falling asleep to that purring! And when feeding the big cats, the lions were always last. They have a male and female. Let me tell you, when I saw them walk out to the fence, I was shocked. These beautiful animals are very big! Even the female. She was just massive, and full of muscle. I definitely am going look into volunteering more with lions.

For Christmas, we went to the preschool, where they handed out presents to all of the children. They danced (traditional dance) for us, and took pictures with us. The children were so cute and sweet! And they were thrilled to receive some presents! That night, the owners had a wonderful dinner for all of us, with some tasty, amazing food. And then for the New Year's celebration, we had a great dinner as well, along with some karaoke. We all jumped in the pool at midnight, and it became a big hug fest. The people I met while there are all amazing, from all over the world. I met people from Sweden, Switzerland, US, England, Australia, Denmark, South Africa and Brazil. Now that I've made friends all over the world, I plan on visiting all of them :)

Weekends have a little more down-time (during the week, we're working from 8-5). On one Saturday, the owners took us out to this pond for an "Amazing Race" type of activity, ending with a braai (barbeque). We had so much fun! We were put in teams, and had to put together a raft. The only materials we had were jerry cans, plywood, nails, a hammer and wire. After the raft is put together, we have to push the raft across a very dirty pond, with one person on it, holding a flag upright. Well, I was the chosen one to sit on the raft, and our raft started falling apart while on the pond. I ended up falling off, losing my favorite sunglasses! I managed to get back on, and once we finally made it to the other side of the pond, we had to pick one person to climb a tree and grab a bucket with uncooked meat in it, which we would use to cook for our team. Well, again, I was chosen. I climbed that tree, grabbed the bucket, and then realized that I had to get down, the adrenaline wore off, and I wasn't sure how I was going to get down, without falling, now that my clothes and shoes were all wet. Luckily, the cameraman for Naankuse helped us use the rope so I could climb down. I then had to get back on the raft, which was barely held together, and without falling in the water again or spilling the meat into the water, make it to the other shore of the pond. We finally made it, needless to say, in last place. We then had the braai and some drinks, and the owner decided there was a tie with the race (which I believe was lie, but still fun!) and so he had us pick someone from each team, and they had to swim across the pond and back. We chose our teammate John, but in the end, we did not win. But the entire day was one of the best days of my life. Good friends and good times!

Also, while I was there, the female caracal had 2 babies! We didn't know, until the day we went to clean out the enclosure, and 2 of the volunteers found them, hidden. Apparently, the female was hiding them from the male caracal because it's very common for the male to eat the babies. After we found them, the staff put in a smaller enclosure within the caracal enclosure, to keep the male away from the babies. On my last day, I was able to go in with the babies and play with them for a bit. They were so precious!!

Lastly, one other exciting time was when we were feeding one of the cheetahs, and as they lifted the water dish to clean it out, they saw a puffadder snake under the dish. We called one of the researchers, Stu, who came and caught it. It was a pretty big snake, and I was very happy that I was outside the enclosure, up in the truck! Check out the video for some snake-catching action...


I know I'm probably forgetting some other fun events, but I'm not sure I have room to tell everything! I've added a slideshow and a video, to give you an idea, even more, of what my experience was like...

I highly recommend this type of vacation for you, if you have any interest in animals! There are places all over the world - with all different types of animals. 

Here are 3 different slideshows of my time there...and sorry there are so many pictures, I just had to capture EVERYTHING and want to share it all with you! 

N/a an ku se:

An album of only baboons!

A N/a an ku se New Year's Eve 2013!

A video collection of some of my adventure.....