Fence Patrolling at Nyati

Today was a day allocated to fence patrolling and a change from the past two days of game capture. It was back to routine and a few of us decided to head to Nyati for fence patrol. Since it was a big park, the volunteer group was usually separated each day with each group moving to different locations. I had heard that Nyati was beautiful and interesting and decided to head there.

Tracks on the walking path

Once there, we stopped for a short break and further divided ourselves such that each volunteer was with 2 rangers. One ranger was armed with a loaded rifle as Nyati was known for lion activity. The aim of the day was to walk the entire fence region, checking the fences for short circuits as well as the regularity of the electrical pulse. The walk along the fence started off simple and easy but was to change soon.

Invasive species

The walk took on a more serious note when fresh footprints of a lioness was spotted by the more senior ranger, adept at tracking. I was pretty amazed that what looked like nothing more then dirt could be a tell tale sign. The rifle was cocked and the patrol took on a more grim tone as we walked on glancing warily at the bushes on our left.
The fence patrol was mostly on a terrain of loose rocks and sand and as the hours went by became more weary.

Rest point view

 It was a never ending walk of ups and downs, sometimes really steep and at times requiring us to climb. Stopping awhile for a break, I was glad I had brought along my camelbak and we carried on shortly, stopping occasionally to clear some part of the fencing of shrubs and checking for invasive plant species.

It was really good that the rangers were friendly and humorous, keeping the pace easy enough for me to follow and cracking jokes along the way. The journey ended several ups and downs later, so much so that I lost count of them eventually and we lay down, waiting for the bakkie to come pick us up. All three of us were tired and it had been a decent patrol for the day.

Getting a free ride back

Returning back to main camp, I took a shower and decided to head down to thirsty herds, located at the same compound as the orange elephant backpackers for a drink and to chill out.

A few other volunteers followed as well and we got a ride back in the evening from Lorraine, a student who was staying at ADDO as well. The bar at Orange elephant backpackers was one of the nearest to the park and we would make multiple trips to this place because of the really good internet network and really tasty pizzas. I was pretty much shut-off from the world at the park and this was a good place to reconnect.A few hours of chilling and it was time to head back on the back of a closed bakkie.

A tiring yet fun day.