Lars Vermeer
Study: MSc Forest and Nature Conservation.
Destination: South Africa.
Internship.
Hi everyone,
My name is Lars. I study the Master Forest and Nature Conservation and for my internship I go to South Africa. At this page you can read my stories. You can also follow me (@lars.vermeer) and other WURldexplorers on Instagram: search for #WURldexplorers!
Introduction
My name is Lars Vermeer. I follow the MSc Forest and Nature Conservation and for my internship I will go to South Africa =)! During my MSc I mainly focused on animal ecology. However, I noticed that most ecological problems nowadays are caused by humans and, therefore, cannot be solved without involving social sciences. As a consequence my main goal during this internship is to learn more about a concept called Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), which enables nature conservation by improving the livelihoods of local communities.
Living the dreams!
After arriving in South Africa I was craving for my first bush experience! The Wild Olive Tree Camp (WOTC), where I will be staying for the next 3.5 months, happens though to organize its own game drive to Manjeleti Game Reserve. Manjeleti lies adjacent to the WOTC and is part of the Greater Kruger Transfrontier Park. As a consequence, Kruger National Park and Manjeleti aren't separated by fences and wildlife can thus roam freely through the entire Transfrontier Park.
Kruger NP
A few days after our first game drive we hired a car and drove into Kruger National Park ourselves. Before that day we went into Kruger once, but only as hitchhikers of some friendly American tourists that were staying at the WOTC. Although it was a really nice experience we missed, as independent WUR students, the freedom to drive on the more secluded paths or wait a little bit longer for that beautiful little bird. Hence, we were excited as two little boys entering a theme park when we arrived at the gate of Kruger NP on 6.00 AM.
The silence of the bush or …
... maybe not! Being raised in the city, I have grown fond of urban noises. They make me feel at home and surprisingly comfortable. However, while sitting on my porch or lying in my bed during the nights in South Africa I come to notice that these urban influences have always clouded or replaced a far more beautiful and pure noise; that of the wilderness. Most of the time it approximates a deafening silence, which is pleasantly coated by the sound of crickets. Almost every night, though, the typical laugh or howl of a hyena, the thunder like noise of a tree run over by an elephant or the roar of a lion breaks the silence of the night. Together with a night sky filled with a Milky way worth of stars it is hard to understand why we would ever live in the city.
Welverdiend Village & the Mnisi Community
Quite often I go to the community, especially Welverdiend village, for either my research or leisure. Welverdiend is part of the Mnisi community which is governed by the Mnisi family. The community consists of 12 thousand members, in several villages, which are spread over an area the size of a big Dutch city. Welverdiend lies close to an important tarmac road that leads to Kruger National Park. However, when you drive towards Kruger you do not really notice the village. In addition, access is only possible via a gravel road which basically states where the rural area starts.
Poaching
One night I suddenly sat straight up in my bed. Being a city person I first thought it was fireworks that I heard, but I rejected that idea immediately. What I heard were definitely gunshots! And they were not far away!
Finding the Leopard
Since the day of our arrival staff members have been telling us about a leopard that visits the camp. I think there wasn't a day that I did not think about this leopard during my stay. Why? Imagine walking back to your tent for about five minutes; no lights except for the moon and stars, the silence of the African bush and on both sides of the path dark bushes from which two shiny orange eyes can appear.
African folklore
During my stay in South Africa various wildlife experts taught me some African folklore stories. Some are sad, but most are really funny and correspond very well with how some animals function in the African bush. Because I believe such stories should be preserved I wrote one down which I state below:
Johannesburg
A visit to South Africa is obviously not complete without attending a rugby game. We had the luck that South Africa was playing New Zealand in Johannesburg, which is according to rugby fans, the best game you can possibly witness. Obviously, when we heard this, we bought some tickets.
Travel guide of South Africa
After my time in WOTC I traveled for one and a half months through the whole of South Africa. Sander and I joined up with my girlfriend and her friend and colleague (they where staying in Welgevonden Game Reserve for their thesis) and we left off in a Hyundai i10 with the four of us. Which was, to say the least, cramped, but very 'gezellig'. With the four of us we started our trip in Johannesburg after which we headed more north to Mapungubwe.