Friday 19 October

White rhino emergency

Later that evening John picked me up again and explained the feeding routine for Meerkats, Mongoose and Genets. There are 2 different Meerkat families (with cute pups) and multiple mongoose families. Meerkats are incredibly active animals, one constantly on guard and others digging. At SanWild they are given a daily diet of chicken meat. I had the ultimate pleasure of feeding them with my own hands. Later that evening, Carl, John and myself had beer and cooked dinner and went late to bed around 11.30 PM

Around 5.30 AM, I heard lions roaring. It was the best natural alarm for me. I got up early and John picked me up around 7.00 AM. I had quickly learned the daily feeding schedule for Meerkats and mongoose, cleaning their cages, giving fresh water. Around 10.00 AM we drove Carl to Phalaborwa Airport for his return to Cape Town. We had lunch at local restaurant and just before we started our return we got a call from Louise that White Rhino pair is separated and female is not to be seen anywhere. We got a bit concerned and rushed back to the camp and started driving to see if we can locate. I asked for Lord Ganesha to keep female Rhino Sound and Safe. I guess my prayer were to be answered soon.

In the mean time Louise had arranged for a helicopter to do Arial survey and within 15 mins female Rhino was located to south most end of the park. It was a huge relief for all of us. Around 5.00 PM John and I drove to farm plains and had couple beers each. It was a very relieving day that we could locate the white rhino female soon. Other than that it was a normal busy day working with animals.

Back To Sunil's Diary