Module 5: Conservation Academy, Born Free, & Lalibela (Part II)

“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – For he has so much to look forward to.” – Lalibela Game Reserve

Today is March 1, the first day of the last month of Parks & People 2016. It’s amazing to think about what we’ve achieved in one and a half months, and w still have so much to see and do in South Africa.

Dr. Carter Hunt, from Penn State’s Recreation Park Tourism Management (RPTM) department, joined us at the Conservation Academy to teach about ecotourism. His presentations have nicely supplemented the program and have sparked some good conversations about our tourism views.

On Saturday we went to the Born Free cat sanctuary, which houses lions and leopards that cannot be released back into the wild. Glen, our guide, likened Born Free to a retirement community for animals that were previously used in circuses, mistreated in zoos, or were tamed when young.

While it was neat to see the lions and leopards up close, it sparked some questions from the group. One thing I really appreciate about this group is the healthy debate they have in informal conversations. Students feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and contradicting each other freely. Yesterday, our healthy debate led us into a conversation where we attempted to rank the game reserves we had seen so far with regard to their overall ethics. There was some disagreement, but good reasoning and conversation.

Sunday was our final game drive at LalibelaGame Reserve. This game drive felt the most vacation-like. We cruised around in search of “The Big Five” and did not linger with the smaller, more common animals. We were excited because we saw all of “The Big Five,” which includes buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos. In fact, we got to see all of “The Big Seven,” which adds two ocean animals: the great white shark and the southern right whale. WOOHOO!

As guests who have experience with the more common African animals, the group didn’t mind so much, but certainly noticed this difference. This game drive let us see the most and was the most adventurous, but it also came at the expense of the animals. No animals were harmed, but we could feel the tension of the animals as we drove close to them. Overall, Lalibela was beautiful and the lunch we had was amazing.

We have also watched a few films lately, including Milking the Rhino and Born Free. The more informed we become, the more questions we ask. It’s neat to see how all of the pieces of this program come together, leaving us with the puzzle we call Parks & People.

In my free time I have been reading a couple of books that Danielle lent to me, Khayelitsha:uMlungu in a Township and BitterDawn: A Search for the Truth about the Murder of Anni Dewani. Both books are about true stories that happen in Cape Town and have informed me about the origin of many South African stereotypes, like corruption, poverty, and tourism. I appreciate having the context that helps me understand these books, but I am grateful that my experiences with Parks & People have proved these stereotypes wrong.

We’ll be here at the Conservation Academy until Saturday, when we depart for East London and the most rural area of our trip.