I spent 3 weeks on the HESC Cheetah project in Hoedspruit, during which time I experienced once in a lifetime opportunities!

We arrived there late in the afternoon on the minibus with the two camp leaders, Tabs and Karen. When we turned up at camp everyone else was already there and waiting for us! We wondered round the camp wondering where all the guys where, only to find me and Ryan where the only ones, with 8 other girls!

The huts we stayed in where brilliant. You really got a feel for the country and the animals around you by the way the camp was set up. The 1st night was just spent getting to know each other a little better, playing a few games and me and Ryan pretending we knew how to light a fire…fail.

Our 1st day we where brought round the whole centre and shown each animal living there. There where 49 adult cheetahs, 3 6 month old cheetahs (which were tame) and 6 cheetah cubs which we got to spend time with! The centre also had black footed cats, african wild cats, caracals, servel, lions, and a wild leopard that had been caught by the snare and was getting treated on the onsite veterinary centre. There where many different antelope able to run free throughout the centre and even a pair of sheep!

Each day we fed the animals in the centre and at the end of the day arrived at the “vulture restaurant”. This is where the scrap meat and bone is put for the hundreds of vultures to fight over! We prepared the food each morning for the many different animals at the centre. The most interesting of which was the ground hornbills, who loved showing off their food and the male only liked the girls, he attacked me and Ryan every time we went near them!

We also had shock awakening one morning at 6 to go elephant back riding at Jubulani! They are so much bigger than i thought, and one of the highlights of the trip!

Each weekend we got a day to do what we wanted to do, so the 1st week we went water rafting down a river with hippo’s, the second we went to handle snakes and lift the most dangerous snake in South Africa; the “puff adder”. On the 3rd week we went quad biking through woodlands, fields and roads for 3 hours, and i can honestly say i have never had so much fun on a quad!

The course gave us the opportunity to witness the vet dart 3 wild dogs, do a postmortem on a black footed cat, and treat a cheetah with kidney problems! We learnt a lot in the 3 weeks about conservation and wildlife in South Africa. It also allowed us to make new friends and experience what it’s like to live in a country who’s winter is better than our summer! It was a trip of a lifetime and would recommend it to anyone interested in conservation or even just wanting to experience different animals other than the dogs and cats we have at home!