the next best thing

Collecting of Specimens

2010-08-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

THE COLLECTING OF SPECIMENS

When collecting Specimens from the veld no matter if it is plant nor animal nor insect you have to be super care full with what you do and how you do it so that you don't damage the specimen that your taken and in that way you can use it for many years to come.

Specimens are taken from nature for a few reason which includes research and education, you can put them in a museum tipe of room at your facility or school for futher learners, workers to have the opertunity of seeing your work and learning from it!

Veld specimens of both plants and animals can be collected,they can be part of, or the complete plant nor animal. Veld specimens require careful documentation. the following should be recorded:

Name of Specimen
Location
Habitat
Frequency of occurrence
Habit
Collector
Date of collection
Weather Conditions

When Collecting plant specimen you should have:

A pair of secateurs to cut branches
A small pick to loosen the ground around the plant
A small hand spade to remove loosened soil
Plastic bags as temporary storage for plants.
A note book
A pencil

This is just a few of things that you will require when going out to get specimens. There is alot of different methods ass well as to collecting insect specimens.

Bait
Light
Pitfall trap
Sweeping
Beating
Visual search
Litter sampling

So starting from the top im going to tel you a little bit more about each of the top mentioned metods.

Bait- Is a mixture of rotten fruit and foods put out to a place to attract flies, ants ect.
Light-Is when a light is put on at night to attract all night insects
Pitfall trap-Is when you make a whole in the ground put a container in the whole with the top level with te ground
Sweeping-This is were you would make use of your net that you made and sweep it through a vegetation where you would like to collect your specimen
Beating-Is were you take a branch and start beating on a bush or shake a buch to see what kind of insects you can find there
Visual search-Is when you walk and crawl and see what kind of insects you can catch
Litter Sampling-Is where you take a bunch of leafes and shake it to see what you can find. This leafes will be from a dump site.

there you go that is Veld specimens in a nut shell

Making of the bicycle trails

2010-08-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

Making bicycle trails on Sondela

Once a year on Sondela we have a bicycle ride day for the whole family. This is a nice bonding time for familys and for parents to do have fun with there kids!

And believe me it was a great day and even better weekend. We were full in the caravan park and the family's had lots of fun. We had give and take a little round about 260 people joing in on the fun and we had a 2km, 20km and a huge 40km.

Now everybody enjoyed the wonderfull weekend nobody really knows what went on behind the scenes. So im going to give you a little bit of information and a watch of behind the scenes for a whole week before the fun started.

We as students were asighned the work of making the trails for the bicycles to be able to drive. It was a long and hard week but worth it becouse now we are all able to go into a veld and re-construcked an old road that has been grown almost closed of trees and grass and make it a bicycle trail for people to enjoy.

We where diveded into groups each on with there own leader which was a second year student. In this groups we were working on deferent pieces of the road. Starting early and finnishing late. On the working of the roads we used the following:

Spade
rake
pang
Saw

With the making of the trails we learned how to start a trail and how to make a trail according to managers orders and to make it a health and safety trail witch means it is safe for cyclers to cycle on!

The trails were a huge sucess and the cyclers enjoyed the weekend with us!

Catching of Giraffe

2010-08-10T02:19:00.000-07:00

The Catching of Giraffe that went through the fench

There were one of our giraffes that broke through our fence to the next door farm we as students were called to go help fix the fench and try to catch the giraffe that has broken through.

We were unable to get a hold of the giraffe that broke through but managed to fix the fench really quickly as we worked together as a team with the help of some of the conservation workers and some of the wild life centre staff.

Fixing the fence we were required to do the following:

Bending of droppers
cutting of some of the broken wire
putting new wire on
tightning of the fench

After the fixing of the fench we were driving up and down the fench to have a look if we could find any sighn of a youngster or another giraffe. Our search were un sucessfull and we heard that the giraffe that went through were a full grown male and Sieg our manager went into the next door farm to see if he can find the giraffe and yes he found him and walked behind him all the way to see if he can get him to the gate we opend for him. While this was happening we were sitting not far away to watch that there is no other animals that would go through the open gate. The giraffe got away from Sieg through the buches and we were sent back to work on Sondela seeing that there was no way that we were gona catch that giraffe anyway!

Guest House Game Drive

2010-06-15T02:06:00.000-07:00

This morning myself and Lydon did a game drive for the Sondela Guest House. We had a total of one Guest on the drive with us. On this drive we saw the following mammals and bird:

1) A herd of Blesbok
2) A total of 13 Giraffe 3 of them were youngs
3) A herd of Impala
4) A Bush Buck
5) A Secratary Bird
6) 3 Worthhogs
7) 2 Kuda males

I must say for myself and the guest it was a really interisting. The difference between a normal chalets game drive and a guest house game drive is the following:

1)The chalets game drive is more relaxed and the quests are more relaxed as well.
2) The guest of the guest house going on a game drive expect a 5star game drive which means you as a Guide as to be more informed and better knowlidged as your guest so make sure you know what and where it is happening

Always remember to keep your chalets game drives at the same rate and same experience as your guest house game drives and you ill never have disepointing guests

Fire Breaks On Sondela

2010-06-11T01:39:00.000-07:00

Fire Breaks

We started 31 may 2010 with the fire breaks here on Sondela. At first we were briefed about what we were going to do and what was expected of us by the second years who did all the planning!

The first day in the field was quite confusing seeing that none of us have done this before but we learned fast and in no time we were on the ball with the fire breaks.

A list of all the equipment that was used in our mission:
1)Big trackter with slasher
2)small trackter with slasher
3)long axe
4)short axe
5)panga's
6)long forks
7)saw
8)brush cutters ( string, 3blade and sekelbos cutter)

Between all the students all of us have worked with everything but the trackters.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IN THIS PROJECT

Fire Breaks are real important on any farm no matter how big or how small it is the season of fire now and everyone needs to prepare! When a fire arrises on your farm and you have not done the nessesary planning and preperation on your farm you will most sertanly lose your farm to that fire, but when doing the nessesary planning and preperations like we did on Sondela now you would stand a change of saving your farm and fighting the fire. The fire breaks will not stop the fire i repead WILL NOT stop the fire but atleast you have a space to go into and fight the fire and know that you stand a change of winning and have I mentioned the safety risk of NOT having fire breaks and sending your people in there to fight the fire! When you as a farm owner have fire breaks on your farm you are not just protecting your farm but also your workers when you are a farm owner and NOT have fire breaks you are carrying the risk of loosing your farm and most sertanly some of your workers going in to fight that fire! The fire law states that your fire break must be atleast 7m but here on Sondela we added another 10m to that number which brought us down to 17m breaks all around our houses and chalets so for our staff and students and everyone helping when a fire breaks loose it will be safe to go in and fight the fire, but PLEASE remember nothing is never safe in a fire the wind changes and then the fire changes so always be aware of your fire!

The funny part of farm owners is that they never or almost never think about the animals they have on there farms. farmers always just hope that animals will survive but truly that is bull dust for me I think that there must be a plan in place for protecting your animals that you have on your farm!

HOW DID WE GO ABOUT

The big trackter game in first and then the smaller trackter leaving all of us with the grasses underneath the trees and every where the trackters could't come in. The guys with the brushcutters went in after the tractkters to clear out underneath the trees and then the rest came in and took of all dead branches and branches to close to ground which will be a potential hazard in the case of a fire.

Basic ecological principles U/S 14584

2010-05-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475570207589880898" />

Welcome to Ecology

''Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their enviroments. the basic law of ecology is that the lives of different species of plants and animals are linked, so that changing one thing in nature changes others. The word 'ecology' is from the Greek word 'oikos' meaning our home.'' This is the direct words from our learning meterial it all sound good and easy but let me tell you one thing it is easy and really good to know. Me myslf have learned so much out of this unit standart that I truly understand the nature in the way it is ment to be fully now.

Lets have a quick run through the ecology we have learned now in the Species Care!
1--> Trophic Pyramid
The trophic pyramid is a basic explenation of how nature works in it's natural form. The pyramid is devided into 6 deparments. Starting at number 1 Abiotic factors whitch is your non-living factors like water,air and soil. then at number 2 primary producers whitch will be your grasses and trees. Then at number 3 primary consumers which will be your impala, blesbuck and all other herbivores. This means al other plant eating animals. Then at number 4 you will find your seconder consumers which will be your lions, cheetahs ect.Then at number 5 you wil find your tersiere consumers which will be the hyiena ect. Means all omnivores. Then by the side of the pyramid you will find the decomposers which in this case will be all bacteria, worms, fly's ect. The job of the decomposers are decomposing any left overs that animals don't eat. The decomposers will actually put all the nutrients and minerals left in that lets say carcas back into the soil which will make the soil more rich.

When following the pyramid in nature all things in nature would be in place. Look at it this way you can't have more lions that impala and you can't have more impala than land. When keeping the pyramid in place you are keeping nature the way it is ment to be!

Species Care 48433

2010-05-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

Species Care in a controlled environment is all about learning us as students how to work in a wild life centre and how to be able to know animal behaviour, animal feedings(this include the weighting and preparing of food.

This course consist of 5 unit standards which is
1--> basic ecological principles U/S 14584
2--> assist with the selecting, preparing and providing of food U/S 113821
3--> recognise and care for plants in area of responsibility U/S 113814
4--> clean and maintain area of responsibility U/S 113818
5--> care for animals in area of responsibility U/S 113822

In this course I had the oppertunity to work with all the animals in the Sondela wild life centre that is also a rehablitation centre! We worked under a few personel and facilitators even second year students and the HOD of the wild life centre Sieg!

Debrief and Report writting of the easter holiday

2010-04-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

Easter Holiday

1) Theoretical training
• Strong points
I think the training went well even if it was a little short! We realized that we can prepare ourselves for something in short period of time.
• Challenges
There was a few challenges in the training for example: there was to many facts given in one day and then the amount of work for that evening was to much.
• What did I learn
I have learned that no matter how hard or how tough it seems everything is possible through hard work and dedication.
• How can we make this better
By making the gap year shorter and starting our courses earlier.

2) Roster
• Strong points
The roster worked well because everyone knew where they are supposed to be going on everyday.
• Challenges
Personally I had no challenges with the roster. Except that maybe make student on duty a whole week because the everyday thing was confusing.
• What did you learn
I learned how to follow a roster and to keep by what you are supposed to do for one day.
• How can we make this better
Maybe just give us the roster earlier.

3) Welcoming
• Strong points
Welcoming at the caravan park, the communication between students there are much more in working condition.
• Challenges
Welcoming at reception is harder because the students just decide that there not going to do anything and then 1 or 2 end up running the whole time doing everything.
• What did you learn
That never wait for anyone to do something just do it youself.
• How can we make this better
I have no idea.

4) Wildlife centre
• Strong points
Well everything there, it is my passion in life to work with animals.
• Challenges
No challenges
• What did you learn
A lot too many words, less paper and not enough ink. Everything about animals. Everything about animals. Who carries the genes in what animal species.
• How can we make it better
Let us work night shift at the wild life centre.

5) Guiding
• Strong Points
I am able to do a game drive on my own and even a game walk.
• Challenges
My challenges were working with students that doesn’t give other students a fair chance of proving themselves.
• What did I learn
That the handling of conflict must be done an a professional base and that communication are really important.
• How we can make this better
By communicating more.

6) Conservation
• Strong points
Working in the field is fun and interesting. Road maintenance and slashing were the things we did the most.
• Challenges
The fact that they kept sending the girls to the wildlife centre and only letting the boys work in the field.
• What did I learn
How to take down a hide in a way that you can rebuilt it again.
• How can we make it better
Start sending the girls to do the rough work we are studying conservation for a reason.

7) Student on Duty
• Strong points
Helping other students in their need of help. Delegating and taking lead.
• Challenges
Having to take lead with students that keep on giving you crap and just doesn’t care about anything.
• What did I learn
Take control over the students.
• How can we make it better
Let students on duty not just be one day but a weekend or a week.

8) After hours activities
• Strong points
Game drives at night because I learn more and are able to do them better.
• Challenges
Bring and braai because we were a lot of students and we end up just standing around.
• What did I learn
That I am able to work a 16-18 hour day.
• How can we make it better
Give longer or more regular breaks.

9) Academy duty
Can’t say, never worked this.

10) Social
• Strong points
All students this includes first years and second years get a change to bond with each other off Sondela.
• Challenges
Personal conflict and people that gossip.
• What did I learn
That we are truely becoming one family.
• How can we make this better
Let us stay out till 01:00 not any later.

Working weekends and holidays

2010-03-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

Here on Sondela We as students work on weekends and holidays in the workplays! This is really an experience and the learning is exellent! I seem to learn more in the working place than in class!

Working weekends

On weekends you get to work every where on Sondela and learn more about every department that is available on Sondela and not just nature conservation that im studying. I have worked in the following departments:

1) Cocktail bar
Here i worked mainly with the till and customers i also learned how to make cocktails and now have the experience of working behind the bar!

2) Entertainment
At entertainment i worked with the kids and entertained them while the parents were busy and doing there thing we were more than happy and had much fun

3) Game Drives
On the game drives i have learned alot. The fact that you as a guid are taking tourist on a game drive and they are completly in your hands are the best feeling ever! I am now able to talk to guests and guide them on mammals, some trees and any other object we come across in the veld.

4) wildlife centre
At the wild life centre we work on feeding off the animals and cleaning of the cages. The following animals are to see at the wild life centre: Lions(left already), rhino's, cheethas, sivels, linx, impala, blesbok, bluehartebeast, redhardebeast, zebra's, girrafe and injala. With all the mentioned we feed all of them at sertan hours and all have there own special diet!

Nature Conservation

2010-03-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Working Conservation has learned me so much more about nature. I have worked road maintance, fences, slashing and many more.
I am now able to take down a hide so that it could be rebuild on another site. Working on the roads after heavy rain filling it up again making sure the road is save for guests to use. Slashing we got a how to use and clean short course and i can say that it is really important to clean and check your equipment daily weekly and monthly. When working conservation you must always know your safety matters and always make sure you have the correct clothes and shoes on before going into the field.

1) Road Maintance
We had some heavy rainfall here on Sondela in last few weeks so the roads arn't in a very good state. But on Sondela we do road maintance and do everything we can to keep our roads in top shape and making sure we fill up the potholes and make slopes for the water to run out of the road into the field. We try our best to contain a correct and safe road(meaning potholes). We close some of the roads when raing for the reason we have turf on the farm and doesn't want guests to drive on these roads and get stuck.

2) Fences
When checking fences you make sure your fences are in a good condition and that the lines are correct and not broken or lying down flat. Also on fenches you make sure that the metal plates on the fence is still there and if needed put more on. Check for whorthog hole's and mark on your map were new ones were found so that the holes can be closed or checked.

3)Slashing
Working with the slasher you must always be wearing the following:
1 Helmed or glasses
2 long pant
3 correct shoes
4 Harnes
When slashing when more than 1 person work back side to back side or about 15m apart when standing next to each other. Check your slasher's petrol and make sure you take extra with and also a cloth to clean. When your done and ready to put your slasher away make sure to clean the air filter and to put it back before putting the slasher away.

Fire Fighting

2010-03-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

We had a fire fighting day here on Sondela and no it wasnt a real fire it was just basic fire fighting drills for the students. We learnd alot and myself can say it was a really fun day.

The basic training we did involve the gear and training of the fire fighting trekker.
we devided in to 3 groups and did fire drills in groups. the fire alarm went of and we had to get dress as soon as we can get on the fire truck with your equipment and we were rushed to the so called fire were we had to kill the fire.(Not a real fire) You have to work quick and fast and be on the look out for each other.

Fire fighting is team work and communication and really you have to stick with your responsibility. It is a really important thing to have on a farm is fire fighting drills and team work.

I hope to someday be able to get the experience of fighting fires on Sondela and in the near future where i might work to save nature and everything in it

team work, responsibility, conflict

2010-03-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

When a whole team work to achieve a goal it is called team work. No bussiness can suceed without team work.Team work is just as important as communication in a work place. without team work there would be no communication and alot of conflict between workers, managers and workers.

T Together
E Everyone
A Achieve's
M More

To function in a team u have to work together, understand a specific task, give each other support and motivation, communicate to each other and trust each other.

When given a task to do take responsibility for that task and perform it to your at most best.

In a conflict situation keep your cool and talk it through here it is again communicate. Don't bring your personal life to work cause it is gonna make conflict. communication comes back in everything you do in life

Communication

2010-03-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

I learned alot more about communication and why it is so important in our everyday life at home, between friends and in the work place.

Communication is mostly the most importamt part of our life. In communication comes a few basic steps like talking to each other and listening with understanding. You have to respect all the others in your workplace and remember your not just one or two but the whole bussiness that forms your company.

In listening with undrstanding talk to the person your talking to and make sure you both understand what is to be done and respect the other persons choice in that matter.

Communication is the number one skill in life everyone has but almost no one uses. Out of this skill i have learned more about i am now able to say my say and ask questions when im not sure and don't understand.

cross marketing

2010-03-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

We did a cross marketing course which learned me more not just about marketing but about the value of marketing in a bussiness. Cross marketing learns you more about marketing not just in the field that you are in but about marketing your whole bussiness in all the area's.

I am a student at Sondela Academy and with welcoming of guests i do cross marketing of Sondela in over all not just the academy that i am in. im studying nature conservation but do marketing off hotel and lodge and everything in and on Sondela.

I am now able to do cross marketing in a bigger field and in the outside world not just Sondela

First Aid Level 1

2010-02-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

First Aid Level 1 was a course that i took here at sondela during my gap year study time. This was a very important course me because of the reason that i am now able to give any person firt aid when needed.

In the course i learnt the bloodflow in a human body and how it works with the heart and lungs. The vital organs of a human body and vital sighs to look for in a pasient. i Have learned that when i arive at an scene how to sort myself and the pasients out to put them in the correct order of handling without moving them this means to check if it is a p1, p2, p3 or p4 pasient. What this means is a p1 pasient is a pasient with deadly injuries like brain damage, open chest wound ect its injuries that are a direct harm for the vital organs of the human body. a p4 pasient is of course a death pasient.

I learned to do cpr so in a case of a pasient not breathing and a very slow pols i am able to perform cpr on that person till the ims arrive or im unable to perform it witch means im lying next to the pasient.

Wounds, i am now able to clean wounds any tipes of wounds in any area of the body to stop bleeding and clean and dress the wound till the pasient gets to the hospital. i am able to treat pasients at a accident sight as far as im able to. by law i must stop at a accident when i pass one or see one happening and assist pasients till a higher qualification as me arive.

I have done and finnished my first Aid level 1 and are no kwalified to perform First Aid

Who am i this year 2010

2010-02-25T23:58:00.000-08:00

This year in 2010 im improving on myself becoming independent and giving life a new change. Im starting a part of my life were im not just gona give up, im pushing myself to the farest point my body can take.

Im gona do all task that are given to me to perform i will do it no matter how hard, difficult or scared i am.

This is my year!!!!!!!!!

Knowledge of our Country and It's heritage

2010-02-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

In south-Africa we have alot of different cultures and reliongs. With this there is off course 11 different languages spoken through out south-africa. in this piece im gonna give you a little bit more information on our heart land South-Africa.

The 11 Languages:
English
Afrikaans
IsiXhosa
Isizulu
Isindebele
Sepedi
Sesotho
SeSwati
Setswana
Xitsonga
Tsiwenda

Our 9 Provinces and there Capital's

Limpopo - Polokwane
North West - Mafikeng
Freestate - Bloemfontein
Guateng - Johannesburg
Eastern Cape - Bisho
Western Cape - Cape Town
North Cape - Kimberley
KwaZulu Natal - Pietersmaritzburg
Mpumalanga - Nelspruit

Neighbour Provinces and there capitals

Angola - Loswanda
Namibie - Windhoek
Botswana - Garborane
Zimbabwe - Harare
Tanzanie - Dodoma
Zambie - Lusaka
Mosambique - Mapoto
Malawi - Lilangwe

Nasionale Simboles

Tree - RealYellow Wood
Flower - King Protea
Animal - Springbok
Bird - Blue Crane
Fish - Galjon

Vacation days

21 March - Human Rights Day
1 May - Workers day
16 June - Youth day
9 August - Womans day
24 September - Heritage day

Big 5

Buffalo
Leopard
Elephant
Lion
White Rhino

Little 5

Leopard tortoise
Rhino Beatle
Buffalo Weaver
Elaphant Shrew
Ant Lion

President : Jacob Zuma
VisePresident : Mr Maklknti

Mandela was President of South-Africa in 1994 till 1997

Cultural and Natural Heritage

Natural: Things thats been formed natural for example Mapungubwe
Cultural: When a culture believes in something thats past on to Generations for example; The venda people with the Domba dance and Phythn god.

8 World wonders in South-Africa

Cape Floral Kingdom
Cradle of human land
Great St Lucia wetlands park
Mapungubwe Cultural landscape
Drakensberg Park
Richtersveld National Park
Roben Island
Vredefort Dome

Town Tour off Bela-Bela

2010-02-03T22:17:00.001-08:00

We went on a Tour through Bela-Bela on the 3 of february, with our tour guide Cobus and driver Oom Lukas.

With the tour we did i think alot off the students can agrea with me here, that there was so much we didnt know about this small little town in the waterbergs limpopo.

The name Bela-Bela was first headbad this was during the days of the voortrekkers, it then changed to warmbaths and now know as Bela-Bela.

Briefing:

Befor we left this morning we got a small little briefing on what we will be doing in ttown and why were doing the tour. we coverd basic general information about whats expected of you as a guide before and during tours. We discussed the vichle checks aswell.

General Information:

The general information that we shared was about the planning around a tour with tourist. T he basic discusing things on your road to your destination. You as a guide have to know general information about your country and south-africa. You as a guide are also responsible for keeping to the program that was given to your clients.

Driver:

Our driver today was oom Lukas. Your driver must be booked before hand and given a complete stuckture on what roads and when and where to stop. It's also your responsibility as tour guide to make sure youre driver are well rested and had a well breakfast, lunch and supper.

The drive to Bela-Bela:

we got on the road at about 09;10 on our way to Bela-Bela. In the bus we had a briefing about possible comunnication points between you as guide and your quests. to give a few examples:

eskom
telkom
bushveld
road safety in s.a
toll gates
hiway's
potholls

and then there is of course the famous waterberg's running from east to west and not from south like other mountains.This has an impack on our climate and weather. Buyskop is also on the road to Bela-Bela on your right hand side, wherea guy named Carl Buys use to live. He wasn't a very good man had alot of bad habbits like stealing. So the locals chached him there where they waited for him to came down but he never did, cause he discovered water and the locals started to be friendly with him. They believed he could make water.

Information centre; 09:35-09:45

The information centre holds all the information you as a tourist need in the waterberg Limpopo area. They are well informed and has everything you need. It is well organised and need inside. The staff are really friendly and very helpfull.

Sondela office; 09:45-09:50

We stopped at the sondela office so that all students can see where about it is and what the building looks like.

GraveYard; 09:50-10:00

This graveyard is for the " voortrekkers" people that passed through here and passed away here.One off the most important ladies that are barried here will be Christina Pretorious. She was sick when they passed through and stayed behind hoping that the warm water will heal her. More over the history Paul Kruger wanted to buy the land then known as Headbad and always failed. The name changed then to warmbathsand now known as Bela-Bela. Also written at the Grave Yard are the "stem" written on 23 of may in 1991.

African Market; 10:05-10:25

Here you will find people all over Africa with small shops making and selling african memory's. The prizes are rather high but at the end worth it. They also sell things made of wood, beads and steel. even animal bones and teeth.

Block House; 10:30-10:40

The block house is build out off sand rocks for more protection. it was build a very long time ago. The soldiers use to be in there armed and ready to protect the railway. You can see the shots that strucked the wall still cleary today. Windows are build really high and closed with steel. Only space for the weapon was open.

Silo's; 10:40-10:47

The Silo's are owen by the NTK(noord transvaal korperasie). There is 7Big Silo's and 5smaller silo's. the Silo's are full of grain, mielies ect.

Township; 10:50-11:00

In a township you have to earn respect as a white tourist. Hawkers everywhere to find next to the road selling from veggies, fruit and food. It's cleaner in the Township than in town. There a tight comunity with small houses that love to sociale. There's about 3 to5 primary schools and 3 high schools. Streets are really small. One of the Bela-Bela meyers houses are in the township. There's one big paved road the rest are gravel. There's over 15 churches.

spuiting van die rooibek-kwelea's

2010-02-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

Op die 1 feb omtrent teen 5uur se kant het ons as n groep studente die veld in gevaar saam met boere en staff rondom en op sondela. In die 46 hektar wat ons af gekamp het met merkers wat gemaak is uit droppers en blikkies met van jou keuse petrol, diesel of parafien in met n stukkie lap of selfs lont wat dan aan die brand gesteek word.

Die rede vir die optog in die veld in was oor rede daar n groot kolonie rooibek-kwelea's gevind was in die 46 hektar op sondela wat dit hulle tuiste gemaak het. Die boere in die omtrek het by mekaar gekom en die rooibek-kwelea's gevolg van hulle lande af tot waar hulle nes gemaak het. wat toe ongelukkig op sondela se gronde val.

Die rede vir die agter volg van die rooibek-kwelea was omrede die rooibek-kwelea n verwoesting veroorsaak in boere se lande reg oor Suid-Afrika. Daarom word die spesie geagter volg van die boer se lande af tot waar hulle intrek vir die aand wat dan die area is waar hulle hulle tuis gemaak het en dit sal dan die area wees waar die landbou personeel hulle navorsing sal kom doen om vas te stel of dit n groot genoeg kolonie is om uit te roei.

Die kolonie wat ons hier op sondela gevind het was n meer as groot genoeg kolonie vir die uit roei proses. Die verskillende uitroei proses van die rooibek-kwelea's is as volg :

ontploffing
brande
gif verspruiding deur gebruik van n vliegtuig

Die metode wat ons van gebruik gemaak het op sondela op die betrokke aand was die verspruiding van gif. Die gif wat gebruik word is Falcolan wat n baie sterk gif is maar nie die natuur te sterk be invloed nie. Dis n gif wat deur die rooibek-kwelea in geasem word.

(debriefing)

beplanning

Ons is vooraf goed in gelig oor die operasie wat gaan plaas vind waarin ons gaan deel neem.
Daar is voor af met alle betrokke departamente gepraat en navorsing gedoen.
Die navorsing is deeglik gedoen en alles is bespreek positief en negatief.

area ondersoek

Eersten moes die arae waar die rooibek-kwelea's hulle nes gevestig het op gespoor word. Daar word bepaal hoeveel hektar word deur die kwelea's bevat. Dar word ook dan gekyk vir openlike water naby (bv watergatte en damme). daar word geen sins gespuit as daar water 200meter naby is ni.

ongetuikende diere

Daar was wel ongetuikende diere in die area gewees.
Daar was darem geen bedreigde diere in die omgewing nie.

Briefing

Ons as studente is vooraf bietjie meer vertel van die operasie wat gan plaas vind.
Ons het min of meer al die inligting gekry voor hand by Cobus
Hulle kon ons bietjie meer inligting gegee het rondom die operasie en die invloed van dit op die natuur.

Stefan ( departement van agri culture's)

Ons het meer inligting op die terein gekry oor wat presies gaan gebeur.
daar is aan ons verduidelik ook oor hoekom dit gedoen word, vir die rede dat die rooibek-kwelea's n gevaar is vir boere se lande en ook ons voedsel.
Daar is aan ons meer inligting gegee rondom die rooibek-kwelea.
in die veld area waar die rooibek-kwelea's hulle tuistew gemaak het kon ons hulle van nader af sien en meer leer oor hulle en dit sluit in alle positiewe en negatiewe punte rondim die rooibek-kwelea.

loop deur die area

Die deel was ook n goeie sukses gewees ons daar in die area verskaf met meer inligting oor die opersasie en die kwelea self.
Die loop deur die veld was ook n sukses van die weg jaag van ongetuikende diere en bedreigde diere.
deur die loop van die veld word baie geraas gemaak vir diere wat ni getuiken is nie om uit die area te beweeg.
Ons het deur die bome gekyk na neste en het selfs van hulle verwyder uit die boom om n nader siening te kry van hou die kwelea's hulle neste maak en die digtheid van die nes.
Die area is uit gemerk met wat ons sal noem n tortch maar dis n dropper met n blikkie bo op wat vas gedraai is met draad en gevul is met diesel en n lap in wat dan aan gesteek word.
Baie boere maak gebruik van glow sticks, die probleem met dit is dat dit nie helder genoeg is vir die vliegtuig om te sien nie.

Ontruiming

Als het goed verloop met die ontruiming van alle studente staff en boere met hulle werkers voor die vliegtuig met die bespreing begin het.
Ek dink net ons kon beter reelings gemaak het rondom dit soos bv; n naamlys gehaat het voor ons die veld in gevaar het.

maatreels

Die nodige maatreels was in plek gewees alle nodige noodhulp goed was in plek.
Die brand wa het ook naby gestaan vir in geval daar n probleem kom en daar n brand ontstaan.
Daar het n bakie af gery tot by die kraglyne waar dit tot stil staan gekom het reg onder die lyne en hulle hazards aan geskakel het vir die vliegtuig ok te kan sien waar die krag lyne gelee is.
Daar moes net n naam lys gewees het vir almal betrokke dalk gas maskers sou ook gehelp het vir die gif.

verspruiding van die gif

Die verspruiding het baie goed af geloop.
Die vliegtuig het na n rukie van rigting verander.
Ons kon dalk net verder weg van die area af gestaan het, die reuk van die gif het ons na n tydjie begin ryk.
Daar was baie goei radio komunikasie tussen die boere op grond en die vlenier in die lig.

vuurwapen gebruik

Die skote wat gevuur is was baie effektief gewwe vir die rooibek-kwelea's om net uit die nes te kom en in die lig op te vlieg en die gif in te asem en weer gaan sit. Ek dink net Stefan kon ons meer waarskuwing gegee het voor af, almal het hulle self amper dood geskrik vir die skote wat toe af gegaan het.

huis toe

Almal is toe huis toe vir die werk vir die aand was kla. Daar was n wag op diens gewees om die area die aand vir as daar enige iets vekeerd loop dat hy mense in kennis kan stel.

die oggend

Daar is weer skote gevuur
Weereens moes ons ongetuikende diere weg jaag wat wil kom eet aan die vergiftigte kwelea's
Die boere was al teen 5uur die oggend in die veld besig met hulle werkers vir die op ruiming van die omgewing.

weg jaag van diere

Daar was aarende en slange gevind wat gejaag was.
Alles het baie goed verloop.

Die op tel van die kwelea's

Daar was genoeg hande om te help met die op tel van die kwelea's die oggend.
Baie van die kwelea's wat in bome was en gesterf het het vas gesit in die bome, omrede hulle nes maak in doring bome.
Daar was n redelike hoeveelheid van die kwelea's wat nie al gesterf het nie maar wat nog in luiding was van die gif.

op telling van nie getuikende diere

Daar is n poffadder gevind in die veld wat nog gelewe het, ons is nie bewus of hy gif in gekry het nie, maar hy het heel gesond gelyk
Daar is wel 1 dooie wit gesig uil gevind en een wat nog lewe.
Ons is nog nie bewus of daar enige ander diere beinvloed is nie maar daar word dagliks gekyk daarna.

boere

Die boere het kom help met die opruiming van die area
Hulle het in skofte gewerk en was heel dag besig.
Ons het maksimum opruiming gekry deur hulp van die boere.

WAT HET EK GELEER

Dat daar baie diere daar buite is wat eintlike n gevaar vir ons is en ons voedsel sekeriteit. maak nie saak hoe klein of cute nie. hulle is n gevaar vir die boere en natuur. En dis lekker om te weet dat daar wel oplossings daar buite is wat werk

HOE DIT MY LAAT VOEL HET

dis hartseer om te weet dat ons deel was in n opersasie wat die rooibek-kwelea's dood gemaak het maar dis ook n verligting om te weet dat daar n oplossing was om die boere se lande te red.