(lesson learned)
A couple of weeks ago Daniel, Robin (the other intern working in South Africa), and I went to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in the region of the Cradle of Humankind.
We arrived early on Saturday morning, so we were able to get some coffee and breakfast at the café without having to fight for a table. Since the animal crèche was right next to the café that was our first stop. To our surprise we found out that for R30 (just under $5) we could play with lion and tiger cubs for about 5 minutes. Because we were there early in the morning and there were no people, we got to spend about 20 minutes as opposed to only 5. When I sat down and started petting one of the cubs, I realized he was definitely one of the rowdiest ones because he immediately started to jump and climb on me. The moment he got hold of my green scarf he simply wouldn’t let go! I tried petting him – it didn’t work. I tried distracting him – it didn’t work. I tried to give him a stick to play with – it didn’t work! He was so focused on chewing on the scarf, nothing would get his attention away from it. After quite some time of battling, and several scratch marks later, I was able to pry it out of his mouth with Daniel’s help. He was not too disturbed by this because he then started chewing on my hair. Lesson learned - when playing with wild animals, make sure you have no loose clothing and put your hair up!
Did he think I was lunch?
I clearly missed the big sign that stated "DO NOT TOUCH THE ANIMALS"
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