1) In one of my experiments I needed fresh giraffe dung, so that when we saw giraffes in the park we had to go out of the car and look if they just left us a little gift. There was one giraffe, a male, which was normally alone.
Unlike the other giraffes, this one didn’t run away when we got out of the car. Actually once he made some steps toward me. It was amazing to see such a big animal just a few meters from me!
2) Another time, when we were out to collect fresh dung, a herd of 20 giraffes just crossed the road. We went into the field and by walking back I chose the way used by the giraffes, as I thought “there will be no snake, where giraffes run through just 5 min ago!”. Well, obviously my thought was completely wrong.
Suddenly I saw a big green tail escaping in front of me. I was just 2 m from the road and I didn’t see the snake go over it, or turn.. So I stayed still, hoping that the snake goes away and that I really saw a green snake ad not a grey black mamba... Since then I was much more careful. But in fact we had to walk through grasses which sometimes were as high as we are, so I don’t know how much a stick helped me to protect me from a snake... At least after a while John, a guy from the village which helped us to put cages in the field (made up from the big amount of steel and chicken wire mentioned), had shown us a tree, from which we could use the bark against the poison of, he said, all snakes.
3) I’ve got chased by a monkey. Yep, I really had to run away! It was crazy, this little thing putted itself on two legs, with its arms in the air, making strange noises and started to run towards me. And no, it was surely not looking for a big hug... it had a look that reminded me the movie “the exorcist”!
4) I’ve been attacked by wasps... John made fun of me for the rest of my stay, because I was jumping around and screaming like a little girl.. I will do the same again, if another wasp just gets in my shirt and picks me everywhere!
Well, I hope this will not be the case!!!!
5) I killed 225 dung beetles. Let me explain... For another experiment I had to put dung beetles in pots to see how fast dung decomposition goes with varying dung beetles densities and how this may affect nutrient mineralization in the understanding soil. Anyway, fact is that we collected 225 dung beetles; I made up pots of plastic bottles and putted inside the dung beetles with dung... The next morning some of them were really not in a good shape; unless beetles use to stay on their back, but I don’t think so... I tried to water them (yes I know they are not flowers, but water is essential for all living organisms..) but they finally all died. :-(
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