Another week in paradise

Sunday only means one thing, a long awaiting lie in to prepare for another week in the field. I spent the day reading and chilling with everyone else in the project. In the afternoon our baboons walked past camp so Caroline and I followed them to take pictures for the ID's, after five minuets a low loud ominous roar of thunder pierced the air. Within seconds the heavens opened and the dry season came to an end in spectacular fashion. I was soaked.

Tuesday was once again veg plot day, this time we were in a completely different area due to Erin and Onnika (and somehow not me) getting bitten to hell last week. This time I found the veg plots to be fun, finally the whole of team primate were together doing something.

Team Primate going down rocks during veg plots

After the veg plots we went to search for the baboons using the VHF, after going to all the sleeping sites around camp and to Ontmoot, we were about to give up. As we went to put the VHF away in the office we heard a copulation call from the cliffs right in front of bush camp, we didn't get our hopes up until we turned on the VHF and heard the blips to tell us that Melissa's collar is close and it was our troop.

Using the VHF to search for baboons

Caroline and I headed out at 5 to the sleeping site of the baboons, Caroline headed up the leopard trail to the top of the cliff and I headed through the bush to the bottom so we can meet them if they went up or down, turns out today they decided to stay up in the area called patches, I ran round and  up the leopard trail as fast as I could to meet the baboons, by the time I arrived at the patches they were already on the other side. The view from the top of the leopard trail on to camp was amazing.

View of Bush Camp from the top of the leopard trail

My goal for today was to practice my data collection techniques called scans, these happen every 20 mins and last 10 mins each, within this time you are trying to sample as many individuals as possible. At 3 they headed down a cliff towards the macadamia farm so we had to head back down the leopard trail to meet them again, after an hour of being chased away from the farm they headed to their wilderness camp sleeping site, I was so proud to have my first full follow day with the baboons, proud and hurting!

Following the baboons

On Friday we headed out early as they were sleeping at Ontmoot and met the baboons as they were just waking up. I was tested on my scans in the morning and Caroline then headed back as she hadn't slept in days. Me and Larrissa carried on the day with me taking all the data for the scans, I did not even get time for lunch I was so busy, in the afternoon they headed to Bergplaatz sleeping site and we headed home for a long awaited rest on the weekend.

Taking scan data on the baboons

Sunday finally came around as our free day, Me, Onnika, Phillipa, Erin, Lars, Zoe and Liam headed to the waterfall lodge to sunbathe and it was so hot we had a swim in the frankly pretty disgusting water, it may say something that it was only the 3 guys that were stupid enough to go swimming. 

at the waterfall... god its cold!

Today is town day, we spent 80 minuets driving out to Louis Trichardt and as we arrived we had our normal breakfast at Cafe Rosa's, the milkshakes being particularly amazing and then collected our shopping for the week ahead, this is the only time in my life that Mondays have been the highlight of my week! I can't believe I am already in to my 4th week at Lajuma now,