Wandering Wildlife Vet

Welcome to my last post! I’ve been back home for 4 days now and I miss Africa a lot. I thought it would take me a while to adjust to being back but it felt like home right away. I got to see some of my friends this week who I missed SO much while I was gone. I unpacked my bags just to repack them because I move to Athens on Monday for vet school!! It was an absolutely amazing 6 months that I will cherish for the rest of my life. But before I get into all that, here’s what the Saulniers were up to for the last week of our trip!

We got to Durban Thursday night and drove to St. Lucia where we would be staying. We spent all day Friday in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. It was absolutely beautiful and our opportunity to check off the last species of the Big Five, rhinos. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is known as the park that saved the white rhino from extinction and it is the oldest reserve in the whole of Africa! We were lucky enough to see many rhinos and a variety of other animals. We had a braai for lunch with warthogs all around (one of mom’s favorite animals). Although I have seen many rhinos throughout my times in Africa, it was really amazing to get to experience my family’s first time seeing them. They are incredible animals that deserve so much more than what we are doing to them.

On Saturday, we got to sleep in a bit (7am wake-up call) before we headed out on a game drive through the iSimangaliso Wetland Park which borders the Indian Ocean and the St. Lucia Estuary. The park is lush and green all year round because of the water that is always present. This makes it very difficult to find animals because they are hiding in the bushes. We ended our drive at Cape Vidal, a beach on the edge of the park where it meets the Indian Ocean. It was too cold for us to go swimming but we all put our feet in. The water was much warmer than the air. Once we finished there, we had a picnic lunch by the beach where we got our fruit stolen by vervet monkeys. Our guide reacted fast though and was able to get it back. We finished our day with a hippo and crocodile boat cruise through the St. Lucia Estuary.

We left Durban early Sunday morning to fly to Victoria Falls! We got to Zimbabwe with enough time to go see the falls before we went on our sunset cruise. The falls were absolutely stunning, unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was also a bright, clear day so there were rainbows everywhere which just added to the beauty. We enjoyed a sunset cruise later that day through the Zambezi River. We had the Boma dinner (HIGHLY recommended if you are in Victoria Falls) where they serve different types of game meat and have traditional dancers throughout dinner. Normally, I wouldn’t be into that kind of thing (touristy) but I was even recommended it by my Zimbabwean friends so I knew it had to be good.

We spent the next 3 days camping in Chobe National Park in Botswana. HOLY COW! I can’t even describe how incredible and beautiful this place was. The pictures don’t even do it justice. I was really proud of my family for doing the whole camping thing. We used to camp when Chase and I were younger but this was WAY more primitive than that (think hole in the ground as a toilet). Camping is something that I really enjoy but my family handled it wonderfully. I think the amazing sightings that we had made it all worth it. From elephants swimming across the river to a literal scene from the Lion King happening in front of our eyes, we were lucky. It was an amazing place to end our trip.

Our flight back to JFK was late at night Friday so we had the day in Johannesburg. In the morning, we went to Glen Afric Country Lodge in Hartebeespoort to do an ETHICAL elephant walk. This involved us going out into the bush with the handlers (sans bullhooks!) to stand with the elephants as they ate and did whatever they pleased. When safe, the handlers allowed us to approach and touch them. These elephants were not tethered or chained. They had the freedom to go where they pleased, when they pleased. They were brought to Glen Afric as calves so they associate humans as their herd. It was a wonderful experience and I was very happy to see the treatment of the elephants. For our final spot before flying back to the US, I decided to take my family back to where my love for Africa and my crazy dreams began, the cheetahs. The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre holds a very special place in my heart. It is where my love for Africa and its wildlife began. It is where I made a friendship that has lasted 3 years from opposite sides of the country. My mom has donated every year since I first went because I believe in the work that they do there for the cheetah and the African Wild Dog (another one of my favorites). Although these animals are not in the wild, the center has released MANY animals back into the wild and they only breed when they know that they have somewhere to receive the offspring (once age appropriate of course). They also work hard to educate the public about ways to help conservation and live in harmony with nature.

Well, that’s the end of it. Six incredible months that felt like the blink of an eye. Thank you again to my parents for supporting me to do this. Thank you to my friends for being there for me from 9,000 miles away and welcoming me back home. Thank you to my new friends from all over the world for teaching me and helping me to grow. Thank you to the animals for inspiring people like me to travel and work to protect you and your home. And finally, thank you Africa for being more than what anyone realizes. I can’t wait to be back. But for now, I’m happy to be home.