Name: Tia Thompson

Class Year: Junior

Hometown: Honolulu, HI

Internship: The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa

Location: Pretoria

Lions, Giraffes, and Caves Oh My 

  It is week 4 of my internship, which means there is only 6 weeks left in South Africa. The idea of going home is bittersweet because of all the great memories, experiences, people, and animals i've encountered here. The hustle and bustle of Pretoria, and the wake-up calls of the animals will be missed, but I will cherish all the time I have left!

  This past weekend was spent at Mokopane, the zoo's breeding center. We weren't there for business but for pleasure. Michelle, who is another resident vet at the zoo invited us along with her family to enjoy the small vacation. We left Pretoria around 3pm and arrived at the facility just as the sun was giving way to the brilliant moon. The accommodation rests near the perimeter of the fence. Pulling up into the driveway there was a nice fire pit and stone house waiting for us. Mark, the manager at Mokopane let us in and showed us the house. That night, and every night following our stay, the lions could be heard in the distance. Their deep moans and groans were my lullaby as I drifted off to sleep. 

Morning had come quicker than I would have liked, but nevertheless I got up and made some coffee. That morning the gibbons were howling. Their enclosure is a few feet away from the accommodation. They were the songs of the morning just as the lions were the songs of the night. 

  This Saturday had been full of adventures and experiences. We had met Mark after breakfast because he had planned a drive around the zoo during feeding. We sat on raised benches on the back of a truck. It felt like we were going out on a real safari. Our first stop had been to the African Buffalo. They are one of the Big Five here in Africa. The male was easily distinguishable by the thicker, larger horns that glistened in the sunlight. The average adult weighs approximately 1,300lbs. He seemed much heavier.

  The drive continued passed the pygmy hippos, and into the reserve area. In the reserve we were lucky enough to catch sight of two male impalas sparring. The only problem was they both didn't seem to realize there was a large fence separating them. So, in reality they were just sparring the fence. We also saw a newly born roan antelope hidden in the bush. It chirped, like a bird for its mother, who was a few yards away. She was watching us, watching her baby. For its safety and our own we did not disturb the newborn.

  The hot African sun bore down as we managed to spot a few other animals. The most impressive being a herd of giraffes. We managed to catch a heard of eleven individuals. Their heads just visible above the trees. We watched as these giants crossed in front of the truck. The most exciting crossing was a male whose coloring was 5 shades darker than the rest. His spots shone black in the sun. It was beautiful. Mark said that darker fur comes with age, and this particular giraffe was born darker than the others. We waited patiently as the herd passed before we continued on our way. We came across a herd of zebra as well. One of the zebras had a broken leg and could not walk properly. The leg was extremely swollen. Before we knew it, we were at their post-mortem facility and the female zebra was on the table. It is always sad to see life taken away but the animal's quality of life was more important. We did get to see the broken bone in her leg. The break was a few weeks old, and there was already necrotic tissue around it. Michelle had said "She must have been in a lot of pain." I learned a lot about zebra anatomy that day. I even got to hold her heart. It was heavy and smooth. I was in awe with it. 

  That night, we went on a night drive through the reserve. It was very peaceful, and the sky was lit up by the moon and stars. There is no light pollution in the area so the stars were so visible. The Milky Way shimmered in the heavens, and the constellation of Scorpio was so prominent against the dark background of night. Those few minutes we stopped to stargaze will be one of my favorite memories on this trip. That night I fell asleep to the lions and the constellations dancing in my head.

  Sunday morning we had planned a trip to the Makapan's Caves. There, we walked through various caves where bones of animals, and Australopithecus Africanus were found. It was a pretty amazing experience to see the bones encased by years of sedimentary rock. The bones were discovered while mining for limestone in the 1900s. Now it is a World Heritage Site. There are many caves dotting the valleys but we only saw three. 

Overall this weekend was great. Now it's back to work!