Day 8 - Livingstone

---

Awoke at 7.30am - miracle!! and went for breakfast at 8am. Sat and watched the river for a while and then had some tea and branflakes. Then had bacon, toast, beans and sausage. Watched Sky News for a bit and then had a shower. The others went into Livingstone and I stayed behind to write my diary but ended up falling asleep.

At 2 I went over to the bar, but changed my mind a couple of times on clothes to wear etc, so I arrived just as our taxi did at 2.30 to go to the crocodile farm, with Hilde, Roeland, Ben, Becky and Christa. It was only a short drive til we arrived and Morgan showed us around. The first croc we saw was an albino - yellow with pink eyes. They are very rare and this one was on a farm but was saved from becoming a handbag because of it's colour. It was not being very active, so we moved on. There were lots in the next enclosure, but two near the walkway - a male and a female. Abnother female was sitting on her next. They looked like models until Morgan clicked his tongue and they moved their heads. He got in with them and moved one's tail (where they store their food) and explained that they use it as an attack mechanism before dragging the victim into the water, drowning them and eating them.

The next enclosure had even more but they had lots of space and a larger pool beyond. There were some noticeboards about 3 of the crocodiles:

1. Had smashed a local canoe apart and ate one of the villagers. The other man managed to swin away. They found only an arm left. This croc was captured otherwise it would have been shot.

2. Had eaten someone and whilst being captured was harpooned and dragged a 1 tonne boat and 9 people for 15 minutes before tiring. This was the 2nd biggest in the park and was huge (about 4.5m).

3. Had a penchant for people's backpacks but then one day 'accidentally' took someone's leg too.

He fed of the crocodiles a leg of meat but it was so slow on land, heaving its weight around on stumpy legs. The smaller ones were more agile. But it's jaws were so quick and one gulp and the leg was gone. Because crocs have their eyes on the top of their heads close together, they can't see things on the ground and so occasionally bite each other's feet off. We saw one with only half an upper jaw. The croc's mouth and head is so quick that it makes you jump! He demonstrated this by getting in the cage with No2 croc and some other big ones and bonking it on the head with a long stick, whereupon they hissed and growled and snapped. He then had fed one (eep) and I felt sure that he would be eaten but he was very careful. You couldn't have paid me enough money to get in that cage!

We then went to the nursery and saw some nine month old babies! They were very quick and alert with beautiful eyes. I know this because I held one and looked very closely at it. It was amazing that hey would grow up to be huge maneaters although more likely a steak or a handbag. It was very cold and a bit like a snake to feel. The ridges on the tail were not hard but bendy. All too soon I had to give him/her back. I would have liked to have held it for ages! Then we saw some snakes including a gabon adder (like a puff adder), a black mamba, a boomslang, a vine snake and a grass snake (v green). The first 4 are dangerous to humans. Ben and I watched a Spotted Bush Snake (which I misread as Scottish) climbing the wall using its scales to climb up. Then it was time to go after Ben held a rock python. One cage with a lizard had no label on it, but Morgan said it was dinner for one of the pythons. I felt sorry for it!

We came back to camp and I had a snooze until the rain had stopped and read my book, finishing it. I went to the bar at 7pm and after a lot of discussion we ordered pizzas. It was really nice, but not really authentically African!

After talking for a while I drifted off to bed and heard the others coming not soon after; well it was 9.30pm afterall! I didn't sleep that well, I kept waking up, but I was warm and dry and didn't care!

Love,
Sally
xxxx

---