After a 2 hour flight from Johannesburg after an emotional farewell with the incredible staff and children in Concordia Township, I arrived in Livingstone....Welcome to Zambia!!!!!
Myself and the other volunteers were met at the airport by a project co-ordinator called Mulenga. A very bubbly and friendly person who has made us all welcome and given us a detailed induction into what to expect from our time at lion encounter:-)
Then after waiting for each arrival, the magnificent seven were born... Clemens, Richard, Steffen, Josephine, Meghan, Julie and myself.
We were so lucky to click and get on from the start and our friendships developed with each incredible experience shared.We were whisked from the airport to the lion encounter onsite volunteer house to quickly drop off our rucksacks before being told we were lucky enough to be able to join a lion walk this afternoon. Any feelings of tiredness and jet lag that people had were soon forgotten, when given this opportunity we were all full of smiles in excitement.
Friday the guide, gave us a safety briefing when walking with lions STAY ALERT he repeated, DON'T RUN he said...they will chase you and win haha, DON'T CROUCH as they will then be at your eye level and they will think that you want to play and...
...USE THE STICK to raise above your head if needed to increase your height to show assertiveness if you see a lion giving you a naughty look (also known as stalking) as seen below haha, cheeky.
We were given some information about the lion encounter programme..
The Mission
Livingstone Zambia: Contribute to the welfare and rehabilitation of the cubs as they undertake pre-release training in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park; take part in a research program to better understand the ecology of elephants in the Park and join our conservation education and community programs to involve communities in conservation as part of our holistic approach. Enjoy time spent walking with the lions along the banks of the mighty and beautiful Zambezi river, with the potential of witnessing them chasing down game in the National Park as well as getting involved in important tasks related to the conservation and preservation of this noble beast.
Friday also gave us a brief introduction to each stage of the programme...
It is the lions in this phase that we are able to work with as after this first stage, human contact is withdrawn to help the lions to progress and develop independence within the african bush, plus beyond this stage the lions size and strength would pose a higher safety risk.
So without further delay, we were then able to go meet the lions for the first time...
Above is Charles a head scout, who has years of experience alongside the lions and he also keeps us safe on walks ensuring that we are directed away from any unexpected encounters whilst on lion walks such as wild elephants that may charge us.
Such beautiful creatures and this was the first lion encounter I had with Kovu. He's a male lion who likes to be in the middle of the action.
Kovu has to hold his own as he lives with his four pride sisters so he definitely has his paws full showing them who's boss.
Two of his sisters were on the walk with us today Kasama and Nembwe.
Hence 2KN means there are 2 'K named lions and 1 'N' named lion.
It was mesmerizing to watch these animals play and climb the trees by the Zambezi River. They are good at climbing up but look terrified trying to get back down.
Our first group experience with the lions by the mighty Zambezi River
Wow...check out those teeth!!!
Incredible experience on arrival setting the tone for some incredible experiences to come whilst volunteering here!!!
After the excitement of our lion walk we returned back to the volunteer house to unpack and meet the others that have been working here.
The sign by the entrance to the volunteer house in the wilderness.
The 'whitehouse' that was painted beige during our time here to enable it to blend in better with the natural environment. This is where most volunteers sleep, eat, relax and it is here where the morning 6.45am meetings are held to discuss the days rota.
Juice, tea and coffee available all day by the resource room that holds some activities and resources that are used in the schools and community education programmes.
bathroom...enough said
...and bedrooms which each have 3 beds in, the mosequito nets hanging over each bed. I stayed in room no 1.
After a good nights sleep, alarms were set bright and early ready for the 6.45am morning meeting where Cara (project and lions manager) and Mulenga would always amuse us. Great personalities:-)
The meeting gave us the opportunity to start our induction into the different roles and jobs that will be undertaken each day to enable the lions to be cared for effectively.
LW= is the one we all get excited to see on our schedule for the day as it means it's just us and the guides walking with the lions = quality bonding time.
Dambwa is a secondary site which holds some of the larger lions who are progressing to the next stage of the programme. These lions are still monitored so their behaviours can be assessed to ensure they are adapting and developing skills needed in the bush environment.
Each job is carried out on a rota basis to give each volunteer the opportunity to get involved with all necessary roles and activities each week. This variation keeps you on your toes and adds the learning experience as everyday brings new demands and experiences.
The board also shows key information such as the amount of meat that needs to be weighed and prepared for the lions. The babies are still on different measures of milk formula at present for morning and evening feeds which will change as they grow and develop.
The main daily duties are carried out to the following schedule...
Morning Cub Feed- 5.45am
6.45am staff meeting
7am- Depart for first activity session (example lion walk)
9am-10am- Breakfast
10am-12.45pm second activity session (example dambwa research)
1-2.30pm Lunch
2.30-5.30pm third activity session (example lion walk or behaviour enrichment)
5.45pm evening cub feed
6.30pm- Dinner Time
We also are given additional responsibilities each day so as you can see below as I point to the second large board...
Today we were able to visit Dambwa the release site.
"On the 26th of August 2011, Lion Encounter in partnership with ALERT released a pride of six female lions into a stage two release site in the Dambwa Forest release site in Zambia, and then on the 11th December 2011 Zulu, a male lion joined the pride.
This release site is the second stage in our 4 stage rehabilitation program, where a carefully selected pride of lions and lionesses, are released into a fenced and managed eco-system. In this site there are various game species that the pride can hunt and feed from. In addition, they are provided with scavenge feeds to encourage this natural foraging behavior also.
These lions will have no human contact, but are monitored closely by a research team from a vehicle.
These lions once walked at Lion Encounter (stage one), which is how they have been prepared for this stage. By giving them the opportunities whilst on walks to learn and explore their natural environment, as well as practice hunting, we know we have done everything we can to ensure they’re given all chances possible to be well prepared for life in the release pride".
the lions run straight to any food...
the lions make light work of the donkey...
and in a matter of minutes, this is all that remains...!!!
Luckily for us, Sunday the handler was there to show us how it's done. A lovely guy.
After a short journey back to thorntree lodge volunteer house we were back onsite ready for breakfast! Busy times.
As we returned on site, some of the workers children were playing outside which was lovely to see them full of smiles. Even more incredible is how un-phased they were as the elephants passed behind them.
Incredible :-)
After breakfast, todays scheduled activity for me was BE = Behavioural Enrichment which involves making toys for the lions to encourage their curiosity to stalk and hunt.
All sorts can be made but if you have Sunday helping you are onto a winner...he's the king of BE:-)
First you have to go out into the bush to find natural resources that can be used, branches, sausage tree pods, palm leaves are used to make string to tie things together, elephant dung is often stuffed inside the toys too....and you can imagine the competition to carry that haha!
Sunday shows us how to make his famous Impala's from the natural resources gathered, that the cubs love to destroy...
After a fun morning getting creative, lunch time beckons and today its a traditional Zambian dish "n'Shima", Pip, Emma, Sandra and Rich leading the way...
Every wednesday at Lion Encounter all staff and volunteers eat together and forks are cheating...hands only to eat this dish.
Yummy freshly made bread, meat in delicious sauce and the n'shima is the staple food in Zambia which is made from ground maize, or mealie-meal. The mealie-meal is boiled until it reaches a thick, pasty consistency and when you pick it up, it should then be rolled in your hand before dipping in the sauce. It is bland without a sauce and the texture is very smooth, I enjoyed eating with hands only and for those of you who like mash I think you'd like the n'Shima too.
The toy destruction didn't take very long haha ....
...but it was great to see how inquisitive these cubs are and how cautiously they approached the toys whilst sussing them out and stalking.
and pounced....
Yes...I got one!!!!
I absolutely love spending time with these incredible animals...
you gotta watch for those claws though if they paw you lol!
But by the afternoon when the suns high...they are sleepy lol
But after a little rest the cubs are up and ready to play again...
...and get very protective of their finds!
They are incredibly curious and so easily distracted if you get involved in the play with a stick ....
Think its safe to say they have us all completely smitten!!!
Ahh, just like a baby. They all have lots of spots which will fade as they age.
a catch in their paws....
and a nibble whilst they are sharpening their milk teeth (which they keep for up to 15months!!!) they are always occupied.
You can forgive these little monkeys anything with one look especially when they look so angelic when they fall asleep after tiring themselves out...ahh:-)
This particular afternoon....Me, Clemens and Josephine were standing on the back of the truck heading out to a local school.
So as always we were taking in the sights on the way towards livingstone town with lots of locals waving as we pass through which was lovely :-)
We saw so much in town including the high court...
clothes for sale...
Then it made me smile in the centre of livingstone, as you won't find McDonalds anywhere but
you can grab a fast food bite if you wish at the aptly named...
Me and Clem were excited to have found a chocolate fix, can't beat a little diary milk...yum!!!
We arrived at the school to deliver a conservation education lesson that is optional for the children to attend to learn about the environment, I love their enthusiasm to learn as it was the school holidays and still half attended.
So here goes...the teacher goes first to introduce the topic Weathering...Chemical and Physical weathering. Yep it was a learning session for me, Clem and Josephine too haha after not doing geography since year 9 at school!
Such attentive children...
The classroom was brightened up with some work that the children had done, such as information about the Zambia Coat of Arms...
...and information about what each part of the flag represents...
Some great characters which made it a lovely afternoon for us which we all really enjoyed.
...such as a Rhino stopping the traffic whilst crossing the road...we were so lucky to see the rhino's let alone have it stop right in front of us...Incredible.
CULTURE DAY
The following day for us was a memorable one as we were able to go to one of the guides houses and meet his family to enable us to learn more about the zambian culture.
Once ready, off we went with Robert to drive us...think hes in training for the Rally championships, always at high speeds through the Zambian bush but lovely guy.
We passed some locals en route with their working animals...
and passed this lady visiting the local mud hut shop with her child.
The drive was incredible seeing the real africa, with mud huts villages, children wandering through the wilderness, the ladies carrying the heavy loads on their heads and the children playing in the local school.
Then we arrived at Freds house!:-)
We were welcomed and then were told about the different roles to be fulfilled. The women were shown the kitchen as our roles for the day were to cook for the men and look after the children.
So we got straight to it, I helped Fred's daughter preparing the meat for lunch... The meat eaten is always fresh as they farm their own animals and Fred would bring his family fresh meat as and when needed.
Everything used is made naturally including the broom to keep the house clean, simple yet so effective...
 |
| One of Freds younger children was very creative and wanted to style my hair whilst dinner was simmering:-) I think she'd make a great little hairdresser! |
This little mud hut was the bedroom where all of Fred's children sleep...
...with a hammock above the straw bed for at least 5 of them to share. I'm sure you'll agree it looks a little different to some of the children's bedrooms we have seen back home.
Whilst we were cooking...the men returned with fire and building wood after being taken out by Fred and his little boy...they looked shattered.
Upon their return we had to pour water over the mens hands so they could wash, and whilst one of us poured, the other lady in this case Julie held the bowl to collect the water so it wasn't wasted. This water was then used to water freds newly planted trees.
I attempted to learn the drums with Fred's daughter, a lovely young girl who could play well. Each of the children are encouraged to learn different skills...i.e. some sing, some dance, some the drums so that when families come together, they can do everything.
The little boy to the left was amazing at it...he'd got rhythm.
He let me be his backing drummer haha however think I need a few more lessons, it's definitely harder that it looks finding the right spot on the cow skin drum to get the sounds that he makes!
Then we were called...back to the kitchen time to check the food...
So with the meat cooked...
The family gathering in anticipation...
We made the n'Shima in mass...which what hot and heavy work!!! Fred's daughter was so strong mixing this! Naturally we got stuck in to help but she was really good at getting it to thicken to the right consistency. However she copes with the heat in this small kitchen space and the smoke...so much respect for her, as a real woman's work is never done.
The family gathered ready for dinner as we prepared to serve the men first in line with tradition.
Our guys liked this, us kneeling to pour the water over their hands to make sure they were clean before eating the n'shima which is eaten with hands only. Think Clem, Rich and Steffen could get used to it haha!
Fred's family were lovely but you can imagine the giggles when we had to kneel before them as our culture is so different especially with the shift in roles between men and women.
Dinner is served, n'shima with meat and meat juice to dip it in. The meat was lovely if i say so myself:-)
After lunch we were roped into some traditional singing and dancing to the drums, this a a great afternoon so giggles..
Go Steffen, go Richard and yep the little boy picked me for his dance partner haha...
After lots of singing and dancing, there was time for a few pics with the family that had made us so welcome...
Before a little more dancing where a man had to pick a partner to dance all the way across the circle with...
Go Clem!!! 
Meghan working it:-)
Julie and Steffen showing us how to wiggle...
This was a truly amazing day with such lovely people, Fred's got such a hardworking and strong bonded family that all work together to care for each other.
It was lovely that Auphilia has brought us here, to sing, dance, cook, understand the roles that men and women have to fulfill within daily life in Zambia and give us a real insight to life over here, think we'll all be thankful and certainly more knowledgeable for today's experience. T.I.A= This is Africa.
So as the sun went down we headed back to lion encounter ready for more incredible experiences to come...
