Snakes and spiders and everything nasty!

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When you stay somewhere like the Kruger park for a long time, you definitely get to see some out-of-the-ordinary animal experiences. This includes the really cool stuff like the lion chases or baby jackals, or seeing a bush baby with its tiny baby. Unfortunately it also includes things you might have preferred not to see. One such experience was a giraffe that we saw lying by the river on its side as if dead, but every so often it would struggle and try to stand up but fail. If it failed to get up, it was obvious that the lions or hyenas would find it. Very sad to see. Jake and Kyla were very concerned for him so when we got back to camp we mentioned it to the ranger. He said he'd go to check it out immediately. We ran into him later and he said the giraffe had a large tumor on the back of his head, probably from fighting other giraffes, and it had probably burst when he reached down to drink, killing him. By that afternoon, he was dead thankfully. By the next morning, there was a male lion feasting on it and several large crocodiles lying in wait. As the days went by, the lion left and the crocodiles and vultures moved in. The circle of life I guess, but it's still sad to see such a beautiful gentle animal lying dead.



One of the most un-endearing animals in Africa are the baboons. Sure, they are comical when you watch from from the safety of your car, but they can get into camp and can be quite vicious. One morning, I saw something that didn't help my feelings towards them at all - a large male baboon eating what appeared to be the remains of a baby baboon. Creepy! I asked around later and apparently baboons often kill and eat the babies so that the mother is forced to stop breast feeding and will be ready to mate sooner. Charming animals!



Another "animal" experience that I'd rather not have had was the inevitable eight-legged kind. Yes, spiders. Anyone who has known me for a reasonable amount of time will know that spiders are my number one fear. Up until six weeks or so into our park experience, we hadn't seen but a tiny one. Then, my bubble suddenly burst. We came home around lunch time one day and scott went to open up the hut while I grabbed a few things out of the car. Then he suddenly said, "Don't come over here. You don't want to see this!" I knew it must be a spider! Scott was never particularly scared of spiders before, but the longer he's been married to me, the more afraid he gets. My fear seems to rub off on him. It was apparently above the door and the biggest spider he'd ever seen. Not promising! I decided to stay by the car and not look at it (ignorance is bliss!) and Kyla stayed with me. Jake, of course, wanted to see and seemed afraid too. A South African walking by saw it and offered to get a branch to help. Unfortunately he scared it into running behind our bug frame, one step closer to inside the house! He then somehow managed to scare it into running to a corner of the patio, but apparently it fought back a bit, rearing up! Soooo glad I stayed away! He then left. It was still far too close for comfort so when we saw a parks employee walking by, I asked if he could help us. He nonchalantly used a towel to get it and walked it off into the middle of the grass and set it free. Unfortunately I glimpsed it as he walked away. Part of me needed to see evidence that it really was removed, but I wished I hadn't. It was the stuff nightmares are made of: big, hairy and black. Right afterwards we went to the pool and every time the strings of my bikini touched my skin I freaked out! Ever since then, scott and I have been a little more jumpy, shaking towels out before using them etc. The kids don't seem phased though. They have fun at night using a flashlight to check around the room for any bugs, and anything they find gets smashed under a flip flop! Not sure of the ethics we are teaching them, but sorry, in my mind, bugs don't count! Having said that, we spend a lot of time rescuing drowning bugs every time we are at the pool. Hopefully the good and bad karma evens itself out!



Since the spider experience, we have mentioned it to a few people. It turned out that some girls in the next building had had the same experience a couple of nights before, and they'd also seen a black mamba snake in camp. Black mambas are the fastest snake in the world and highly venomous. Scott read about a family who'd had one get into their tent in the night in Kruger and it killed all of them! One of the cleaners said they'd seen a juvenile black mamba in the bathroom block just the week before. So scary! Since then, we have been putting towels under the door at night to block the gap! I'm hoping there won't be any updates to this blog!



Update, November 2nd!!!

As I've not had Internet and therefore have been unable to publish this blog, I guess I should write this update. Yes, we had another one! We had changed huts within the same area and again found one near the door. Some zoology students were staying close by with their professor so scott asked if they'd be interested in seeing it. I just wanted to get rid of it quite frankly! The professor came to see it and confirmed that it was a baboon spider, named for their baboon-like hair! She also said that they are rare and might even be endangered. I hope so, but it doesn't seem like it! The professor's eight year old daughter got a glass and a plate and calmly collected it and deposited it far far away, at my request. I wish I could be totally unafraid like her but I never will be. I REALLY hope there are no more updates!



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