Answer to Your Questions

Hello Class: Thank you for your response. I am so glad you are checking the Blog and able to use the information I am sending you. Nothing like having first hand knowledge! It's called a lived-experience.

Here are the answers:

1. No, watching the Cheetahs was not scary. We were far enough away from them in the Safari hunting vehicles you have seen in the posts. I would say about 10 feet. An animal could leap onto it; but they were far more interested in eating the meat provided, than me. ☺Also, there was another group of people observing from the lodge, although we were in separate vehicles.

2. There are several animals I have not seen yet, that I hope to before I  leave. I plan to go hunting with my husband and his guide tomorrow and we will go to the Lion Preserve to observe them. I would like to see the lions, elephants and hippos. I am sure I will be able to do this, as we still have plenty of time.

Great questions, I look forward to more......

Was It Scary?

Hello Mrs. Janes,
Your days are full of adventure, that's for sure!  We are absolutely loving the updates and the pictures are great.  The kids are pretty eager to check the blog each morning to find out what's going on or to see if there are any new pics.  It's been a lot of fun having them do news reports each day with continuing coverage from their roving reporter in the field, lol!
Questions of the day...
Were you scared or nervous when you saw the cheetahs feeding?  How close were you to them?
Is there an animal you hope to see that hasn't been spotted yet?

Day 6, Friday April 21: Dinosaur Footprints in Africa? No Way!

Hello Class: Ready for another adventure? Today we explored Dinosaur Footprints. As we entered the Dino Tracking area I thought we were in the midst of a Jurassic Park Expedition! We passed the Mount Etjo Camping grounds-yes, people really do camp in Africa, although today I didn't see any takers. My awesome private guide, Filippi (we call him Flippi) and I climbed a very large red rock mountain to get to the tracks. It was quite a hike and my trekking poles came in handy. We had an amazing view of the mountains and valleys as we gazed down. Such a beautiful place! Once there, we saw several fossilized dinosaur tracks identified by archeologists to be from a 9 foot dinosaur, who used his two back feet to move around. He was a Saurichnium Damarense and a herbivore. On the way back we saw a Leopard Tortoise. He was moving so fast (to get away from me, most likely) I couldn't snap a picture. So, Flippy took my picture as I held him up. Based on his markings, we determined he was pretty old and a male (they have a concave inner shell and a bigger tail). There is a reason why I was holding him away from  me because I think he was a little scared-you will notice the water spot by my shoe! :)

The food here is wonderful! So far we have eaten Gemsbok, Eland, Wildebeest, leg of Impala and (sorry, I didn't know until after I ate it) a Giraffe marinara sauce that was very good. The cook is a wonderful baker too. We have had an assortment of cakes, after dinner desserts and homemade donuts this morning. Yum! Yum!

 I have seen many more wild animals. The other night we saw two little honey badgers (Mom and baby) in the road. The mom was really squealing at the baby (probably telling him to get out of the road!). Today we saw two little Dik Diks (the smallest of the African antelopes) on our way to the mountain.

Mr. Janes' Safari Tip of the Day: Yesterday they were out hunting and the guide saw a Boomslang Tree Snake. You might want to look that up. He was on the ground and then moved up a tree. My husband didn't see it. They are very dangerous and are considered a immunotoxin. Always look up and down when out in the African bush and be aware of your environment.

Next I will tell you about Rhino Tracking and what happens when you take a tangle with a bush! Until then.......

Day 5: Mrs. Janes Goes on a Cheetah Feed. Ah, Where's the Meat?

Hello Class:
We are having a great time! You may be wondering how large of an area in which we have access to explore these beautiful animals.  Would you believe the Jan Oelofse Family owns 80,000 acres and has access to 300,000 acres for hunting and exploring? You may want to do a math lesson to figure out how many miles that is.

Perhaps you have been wondering what type of languages they speak in Namibia, and around this area. The predominate language is English, which is also spoken at the Mount Etjo School. Their second language, and one we hear spoken quite often is called Africans. You can  look this one up, but it is a more simplified version of Dutch, German and some Belgian. Namibia has early origins of Dutch and mostly German settlements, so you will hear this being spoken as well. In addition, you will find other languages (as we have in the United States). My Professional Hunter/Guide Fillipi has roots in Angola and they speak Portuguese.

Jan Oelofse is famous for his early works with the actor John Wayne and the making of the movie, Hatari! This would be a good one for you to see. He was the one who brought in the animals and trained them for the movie. Also, Jan is famous for inventing the Oelofse Animal Capture Method. It consists of a special net and use of a helicopter. By using this method, staff and animals are not as much at risk for injury.

Steve Tors, is another noteworthy Professional Hunter, who has been with Jan Oelofse Safaris for many years. His father was a famous Hollywood Producer years ago. When I was a little girl, I used to watch Sea Hunt, which was one of his father's TV Programs.

You will see me in the picture above. Behind me are two animals. Do you know which ones? They are Springbok and a herd of Eland.

Now on to the Cheetah Feed. There are three Cheetahs on the Cheetah Preserve-a mother and two children, who are now grown to around 6 years old. The mother was relocated to a better area and at the time it was noticed she had two babies. So they found them (which was no small feat) and they are all together. Here at the hunting lodge, they were teasing me that perhaps they may not have any meat to feed them, so it would have to be me! Ha! Fortunately, they did have the meat (other game, not sure what kind-maybe Kudu). We drove through the preserve and the guides laid out the meat. The mom was the first to grab it and move it into the shade; the two younger ones jumped in for dinner! I also took a video, which  you will see below. In one of the pictures you will see where the mother broke away from the children and is sitting by the Termite Hill.

Cheetah Facts from the Guides: Females hunt alone and males always hunt in pairs. Do you know how fast a Cheetah can run? 70 kilometers in 3 seconds! How many yards is that? They cannot do that for long, so that is why they need to be about 50 kilometers in front of their prey so the chase is short. They have flexible spines and cross their legs while running which is why they can go at such a fast speed. Cheetahs are day hunters.

Safari Tip: How can you tell how old a Cheetah is? You look at their teeth. Younger ones have sharp teeth. Older ones have teeth that have recessed and they are dull. I guess that may be similar to a human!

Hope you have learned a lot! More about the great Dinosaur Tracks I just saw and other animals. So much to see and do.......

Day 5- Answer to your Great Questions!

Hello Class: Thank you for your questions.

I think so far my favorite animal (I actually have a fondness for all of them) is the giraffe. There are many here. They are so tall, majestic looking and can see above all others in the land. So, they may be the first to site danger and distress. Also, they slowly lope along in their not-in-such a hurry fashion. Today, we came upon one just slowly lumbering along in front of us on the road. In addition, I was traveling back from the Cheetah Feed (another story tomorrow) and it was dusk. Out ahead I could see the beautiful sunset and two knobbly antlers up higher than the trees-no face, just the antlers between two tall trees. Another beautiful giraffe set against the sunset. Quite a sight to see!

We sleep well at night and hear nothing, until.....we open the door in the morning. Then, we hear the wide variety of birds chirping. It is a beautiful way to wake up in the morning. African birds! Good luck on your projects! My guide Flippi is taking me out to see the Dinosaur Footprints tomorrow morning at 0730, then we will visit the other Mt. Etjo Lodge. Until then.....

Rhinos, Giraffes, and Springbok...OH MY!!!

Wow!  It looks amazing!!!  The kiddos look forward to hearing about what each day brings.  They were a bit freaked out to hear about the dangerous snakes in your area.  Students have started working on their Google Slides and are adding items from your blog each day.  It sounds like you're having a wonderful time and the students truly enjoy checking the blog.  I've tried to narrow down the questions to about two or three a day (they have WAY more, lol!).
What's you're favorite animal of those that you've seen?
Is it noisy or quiet at night when you're trying to sleep?

Today's news report.

April 19, Wednesday-Day 5 : A Mini-African Safari!

Hello Students: Yesterday, Mr. Janes and I had the pleasure of experiencing a Mini-Safari in the open range of the Okonjati Wildlife Sanctuary. Here, there are known to be over 6,000 animals of a large variety of species. Fillipus, our escort (and another PH-Professional Hunter and Tracker) drove us in this two-tiered hunting vehicle. We sat on top for the best view! The first order of business was for my husband to "sight" his rifle (a 375 H &H-a powerful rifle!). He was very happy after some adjustments to hit the set-up target at a very long range.

Now on to the search for animals. We were not disappointed! Some of the animals were not keen to having their pictures taken, but the above are a few of the shots. Notice the giraffe at the top. He was among his herd, but stood out as he was munching on some leaves for dinner. We also saw Zebra and Giraffes traveling together. They seem to have a rather symbiotic relationship. Both are not predators and eat vegetation, one up high and one down low. The giraffes most likely look to the zebra to warn them of impending danger. While my husband was down the road sighting his rifle, I heard something shake close in the bushes and then snort. I asked Fhilippi what that might have been and he said a Zebra; they sound like a horse. It was rather hot, so he was probably resting near. We saw a Springbok lying in the road taking a rest. Springboks are the national emblem of South Africa. Second row, middle picture. They get their name for their pogo-stick style of jumping when  alarmed. We saw Impala, Eland (they can get up to 2,000 lbs.!), ostrich, several bat-eared fox and the white rhinos above (a young bull and young female). Notice the carcass (and drag marks) of a young unfortunate Impala, who we think became lunch for a leopard in the area. This is Africa, where the young and weak are prey for the more aggressive predators, who have to eat to stay strong. Can you guess what the bottom picture to the left is? You might want to do some research on this one. These unusual looking hills are throughout Africa. Inside consists of millions of termites! They built the outside (Fhilippi said this one is about 4 years old) of mud. Interesting, the outside is hard to touch and the bull-type animals use it to sharpen their tusks (elephant/rhinos, etc.).

Another Safari Tip: The last, but not the least photo looks like a long-winding road. But it is really the tracking of a Python snake! How do you suppose our Tracker could tell this? The tracks are deep and wide.

Today, I will watch a live Cheetah feed. It's raining, so the animals have not come out to the water hole yet. I hope you are learning lots along with me on this great adventure. There is more to come. I welcome your questions and comments. I may not answer right away as sometimes the internet is spotty and at times we are out exploring.......