Of Cats and Elephant Snot

The drive from George to our next stop, Storms River Village, was a short one so we took advantage of this to stop off at a couple of animal sanctuaries along the way - the first being Tenikwa, a (small) cat reserve and rehabilitation centre. Now I'm no cat person, but when you mention cats in South Africa, it's not Persian's and Tabby's that come to mind, but the ones that have to work for a living out in the wild. The largest cat at Tenikwa was the Leopard but our tour started with one of the smallest, the Carical, a cute(ish) (remember I'm not a cat person) animal with pointed ears that is often confused with the north american Lynx. Other cats at the park included the Sable... And the African Wild Cat. Call me cynical but I reckon they ran out of exhibits and grabbed a stray from the nearby township for this one as it looked just like your average, garden variety ginger cat!! Our guide did assured us however that this was a pure breed and in fact its origins could be traced back to the time of the Egyptians and this breed was in fact the origin of all domesticated cats we see today (if only I had a time machine!!). 

The highlight (there's that word again) of the park were the Cheetas. We got right up close to them in their enclosure and our guide allowed us to spend quite a bit of time with them. Unlike the Leopard which was being typically cat like and selfish by hiding in the bush so we couldn't see it (I mentioned I didn't like cats didn't I), the  Cheetas were quite content, lying in the open under the trees, allowing us to have a good look at them (maybe they have some dog in them). 

An interesting fact I learnt about the name Cheeta is that it is derived from the Indian word "chit", the name given to the spot that Indian women display on their foreheads signifying they are married. We finished up by seeing a family of Lea's most favourite African animal (NOT) the meerkat, but it was simples, they just didn't compare (I also don't think they are felines either - fraudsters)!!

Our encounter with the elephants at The Crags - Plettenberg Bay Elephant Sanctuary will be something that we as a family will never forget. The sanctuary was set up to rescue elephants from around Africa. They have a family of 5 at the moment, 3 from Botswana and 2 from the Kruger National Park. 

We were taken into the park were the elephants roamed, and even from a distance they looked big, up close, they were immense. After a brief safety talk (which boiled down to if the elephants stampede your stuffed so don't upset them!) our guide introduced us to three of these magnificent creatures. We each took turns walking the elephants however it was more a case of let them rest their trunks in your hand and walk fast enough that they don't step on you (fair advice I thought). The feeling of elephant  breath and snot on your hand is something truly unique!

 After a short walk into the forest, we were given a demonstration of natural behaviours and then an up close and personal touch and feel. Their skin of an elephant is up to 2cm thick, the hair of their eyelashes and tail is like wire, but the skin on the backs of their gigantic ears is soft as velvet. It was such a wonderful experience being up close to the elephants and the afternoon was topped off with the kids each having a ride around the lake.