anunlostwanderer

[anunlostwanderer]

Once we arrived and got settled at Wildebees Lapa, we ventured to the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. The center was started in 1991 by a gentleman by the name of Brian Jones, who saw a need for a refuge for injured animals in South Africa. As time went on, he unfortunately received more and more injured, orphaned, and poisoned animals, which he took upon himself to care for. The center now exists as a bastion of wildlife education in the country alongside its rehabilitation efforts. Many of the animals on the premise are too injured or accustomed to humans to be reintroduced into their natural habitat. The center has its own clinic and thus has an incredible diversity of animals. While the overall reason for the animals presence on site is quite sad, consisting of shocking and disheartening stories and backgrounds resulting in their need to be taken to the center, the philosophy of Moholoholo is inspiring and for the most part, well carried out. 

Their public wildlife education campaign is arguably the best in the country and the passion and care for the animals provides hope in a disheartening wildlife situation both in South Africa and the world. At the beginning of the tours, they give a presentation detailing the most prominent causes of animal injury, almost all of which place responsibility on humans. They also starkly show how great the habitat loss, largely driven by development and resource extraction, in Africa over the last 100 years has been; it is jaw-dropping. I’m planning to wrap up the trip with an essay on this false dichotomy that has established humans and animals in separate camps, whose interests and success in life run opposite of each other, so more on that later. 

At the end of the tour, my group had the opportunity to meet Brian Jones. He was a very sweet man, and in an unnecessary display of kindness, he let us meet two new members of their center. The first was an African Wild-dog puppy. The wild dog is one of the rarest animals to see in the country, so while yes, seeing one in captivity is very different, seeing a puppy was amazing. The second surprise was a newly acquired black leopard cub who’d just been donated to the center. The circumstances as to how he got to the center, especially at such a young age, were not clear to me. Interesting fact that I learned, both his parents were “normal” leopards in that they had the traditional black spotted rosette pattern with yellow fur, yet gave birth to a black leopard. Black leopards are incredibly rare and are often born to parents whose phenotype is of traditional leopard traits. 

[anunlostwanderer]

While I have returned from South Africa, I never got a chance to fully complete the journey and present the snapshots from various experiences. 

I was fortunate enough to participate in a four day trip to Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s most well-known and visited National Parks. On the first day, we drove for about 11 hours to Mariepskop which is about an hour outside of the Orpen Gate entrance to the park. The drive was stunning. The main throughway we rode on for the majority of the trip wove its way through the beautiful Drakensberg mountain range with its staggering cliff faces, awe-inspiring views, and deep valleys and gorges. Much of the valley land has been developed for agriculture; most prevalently, Orange groves populate an indescribable space. They are expansive. South Africa is the third greatest exporter of Oranges, exporting 12.9% of the world’s exported oranges,  right behind Spain (25.8%)  and the United States (13.9%). 

 In a couple of locations along the road, little roadside stops have popped up. These stops consist of small wooden buildings that are host to an incredible variety of local artwork and craftwork. Each “stand” belongs to a single owner who hikes up the mountain road every day to go to and from the store front as the “taxi’s” that connect the surrounding villages and towns run very infrequently and inconsistently. 

We spent the first night at an adorable cottage called Wildebees Lapa. The owner is close with Estelle and is understandably always the first stop for volunteers who go on the Kruger trip. Running the place by herself with just two day time staff members, she exudes warmth and hospitality. Every time the group stops by on the way to Kruger, she shuts the place down for the night and cooks an amazing meal, it was an absolute treat. 

[anunlostwanderer]

The devotion and commitment to raising Cheetah cubs is amazing. The effort is somewhat universal across species with regards to the time and focus needed. The first 48-72 hours, they were kept with their mother to get Colostrum which is an essential milk that gives both calories and an immunity boost. After that, the three were taken away and placed in a sizable crate that had multiple blankets, an electric blanket underneath, and of course, stuffed animals. The box was kept in a very well heated room with the temperature sitting around 23-25 degrees Celsius (73-77 degrees Fahrenheit). For the first ten days or so, depending on how their weight changes, they are fed every two hours, on the hour exactly. Estelle would come to the center during the day to do the bottle feeding while Georgia would sleep in the room, (in the Cheetah hut as they called it) and do the feedings throughout the evening and early morning. They use Espilac for the bottled milk, which is a Canadian brand puppy formula. It's very expensive but has proven to be the best quality and supplement for cubs. Most of their Cheetah raising techniques, and these are cub numbers 32, 33, and 34 for Estelle so shes experienced it all, come from the San Diego Zoo which has interestingly done a lot of work with breeding and raising Cheetah's. The amount of milk has to be exact and the temperature 37 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. What makes Espilac ideal for Cheetahs is that it is very high protein and very low fat which is an absolute necessity and parallels the diet they have once they move to meat. The milk needed is 21% of the cubs body weight, divided by the 12 times it is fed in 24 hours, so the amount at the start is quite minuscule. Every day at 12 they're placed on a scale and weighed to make sure they're gaining weight and to adjust the milk amounts. When Cheetahs are born, they are still incredibly vulnerable and somewhat underdeveloped. They're blind, deaf, susceptible to disease, can't walk, and their digestive system is still quite delicate. After each feeding they must be burped and stimulated to urinate and defecate which they won't do on their own. In the wild, these actions would come in the form of the mother licking the cubs to burp and stimulate the digestive system. Furthermore, the room and those who handle the cubs must be very hygienic as again, their immune system is next to nothing. In the two weeks I was there after their birth (two weeks old yesterday), the three of them gained a substantial amount of weight, opened their eyes and ears, became much more comfortable on their feet and were able to explore outside of their box, and on the last day I was there, began showing teeth, all of which are very good signs. Their mantles are becoming more pronounced, which is the stretch of hair running down their back. One evolutionary adaptation that Cheetah cubs have is that the mantle makes them look like honey badgers to predators, which are arguable the most courageous animals in Africa especially given their size, as they will individually go up against lions, leopards, hyenas, what have you, and scare them off. Another adaptation is that their chirps, and my goodness do they love to vocalize once they get their voices, sound like birds and thus reduce the chance of attracting a predator when calling for their mother. Over the coming months they'll be introduced outside for the first time, will begin to run, and eventually will begin to eat meat, all whilst they get bigger and stronger. Fascinatingly, you can already see individual traits and qualities, some of which are reflective of one of their parents, some which are unique. It was a tremendous privilege to witness the birth and subsequent two weeks of life of these beautiful animals. It's something that will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so grateful to have been present to see a small component of the broader conservation movement for Cheetahs go forward and succeed. Yesterday they gave them their names: the big girl with a purple bow is Butch, the little girl with a red bow is Scarlette, and to my surprise, the little boy they named Zach. I was beyond touched and honored and continue to be at a loss for words of how much that means. With great love and happiness, Zach Ps: apologies for some of the blurriness, they really don't sit still much during feeding time.

[anunlostwanderer]

Aero gave birth to a total of five little cubs last week. Unfortunately, as is the unfortunate case in the natural world, the two youngest didn't make it. A very sad loss but we are left with three beautiful cubs; two girls and one boy. This weekend while I was away in the Kruger National Park they opened their eyes for the first time. It is simply surreal to spend time with them. Much love.

[anunlostwanderer]

Above are the owls at Dell. There are three total and all were brought here by Estelle and Pieter due to various injuries. During the evening feed, I place chicks around their cage, not without rather large eyed stares of bewilderment and the clicking of their beaks. Once dark, I like to go out to their cage and observe their time of activity. Even though in captivity and injured, they are beautiful birds to watch and although the chicks are dead, the owls still display their hunting prowess and instincts. Below is Pablo the Caracal. He was also brought to the center after his previous owner, who owned him illegally, felt he was a danger and could no longer be looked after. Thankfully, Estelle intervened before the owner released him, which after growing up in a human household, would have almost assuredly resulted in his death. On top of that, they sterilized him so he is unable to breed. Most nights, Pablo gets a visitor from a female Caracal but sadly, they are unable to truly meet and connect. Its a tempting idea to release him so that he can join her but because of both his infertility and his lack of skills to survive in the wild, that is unfortunately not a rational option.

[anunlostwanderer]

Once a week is bone day. Normally, the Cheetahs are fed once a day with horse meat that is has either been cut into chunks or minced. Horse meat is ideal as it is a lean meat that's high in protein and low in fat which parallels the lean meat Cheetahs consume in the wild, like that of the Springbok, Impala, and Antelope. Furthermore, it is comparatively cheaper than meat from other animals. Depending on the size of the horse received from a nearby farm, we usually have to slaughter once a week. The animal comes to us previously killed that morning and the rest of the work is done by the workers and volunteers here at Dell. It is quite a spectacle, certainly fosters memories from my Anatomy and Physiology class in high school yet is far more, shall we say, vivid and in depth. Once as much meat as possible has been removed from the bone and chopped or minced, we save the big bones like the spine, rib cage, pelvis, and femur to use for a bone day. Aside from the meat on the bone, these days are essential as the Cheetahs get essential minerals from the bones and they help to strengthen their jaws and teeth while giving their teeth a clean. It doesn't take much meat to get a predator excited but they especially love the bone days. The other animals on the center, which I haven't previously mentioned (and will make to sure include pictures of) include two servals, a caracal, three owls, a spotted genet, and a hedgehog. They get fed mince and/or chicks. The chicks we receive in large batches about once a month. They come alive and are killed here, something that I admittedly don't take part in. I tend to be okay handling them once dead and witnessing the skinning and gutting of the horse before we begin to cut up the meat, but the physical act of killing the chicks was a little too much for me. I understand and respect why and know that their lives are being sacrificed for the circle of life and the natural way of things, as predators need to eat, but call me what you will, I couldn't kill them. It is to be expected when working with big cats or predators of any kind that you will have to handle and deal with their prey. Volunteers are responsible for feeding the smaller animals and can feed certain Cheetahs themselves, whereas others who are wilder or more particular have to be fed by Georgia or Michael.

[anunlostwanderer]

"Let's free a Giraffe today"

This ones certainly not an everyday experience, on top of the fact that I’m in South Africa working at a cheetah center. One morning we get a call from Pieter (He and Estelle are the owners of Dell, but we rarely see him) telling us that in a neighboring game reserve, a giraffe has gotten a wire of some sort wrapped around its neck. This occurrence, even on reserves, is dishearteningly common. For something to wrap itself around a giraffe’s neck, it had to be fairly tall, so a power line or high wire fencing seemed the likely culprit. It is more common for smaller animals, although smaller in comparison to a Giraffe, such as Leopards to get entangled in wire mesh fencing of the sort that farmers use to stake out their land. The reserve contacted Pieter as they needed extra hands. No, not my hands, although that was my initial thought process. There are about eight full time workers who work at Dell during the week and they were drafted to participate in the task of somehow bringing down a Giraffe using a tactic that was soon explained to me.

We, being me, the other volunteers, and Michael and Georgia who are the coordinators at Dell, run the center, live on site, are absolutely great with us and the Cheetahs, head out and meet the other workers, a team of rangers from the reserve, Pieter, a veterinarian, and the reserve owner. The team of workers, rangers, and the vet, pile into one safari jeep and take lead of the mini convoy. Our pickup trails behind, making sure to leave a good distance between us and them, both for safety’s sake and to avoid scaring the Giraffe. Understandably, the Giraffe was far more anxious and unpredictable due to her fear of something uncomfortably wrapped around her neck, which made it that much harder to approach her. The plan was such: the vet on the first truck was carrying a dart gun. While the dart was a sedative, it was purposefully not strong enough to sedate the Giraffe. If the Giraffe were to be fully sedated, the risk of her collapsing and further injuring herself or worse yet, falling on her neck and potentially breaking it, was too great. Instead, the dart would temporarily stun the Giraffe leaving it dazed and relatively still. This is where the other hands are put to use. Once darted, the team would have to quickly catch up to it and lasso her legs to bring her to the ground. Once down, some would cover her eyes with a cloth to try and calm her somewhat while some with wire cutters would remove the wire and assess any damage. Up to that point, we didn’t know how extensive the damage from the wire was. If it had been a deep laceration, they would’ve had to operate then and there in the reserve. If it was assessed to be much worse, they unfortunately would’ve had to put the Giraffe down. All of this had to be done relatively quickly as the darts effects would wear off within ten minutes. I was able to capture most if this and the photos will follow this post.

Once in the park, the first truck finds the Giraffe fairly quickly. At this point, she’s scared and assumedly in pain so as soon as the truck gets within shooting distance, she and her male companion take off running. While we maintained a distance, we still got to witness most of the chase that partook and on a couple of occasions, the Giraffes turned and came straight for us which was both exciting and somewhat terrifying. When close enough, you could see the wire wrapped around its neck and to our surprise, most of its torso as well. It wasn’t a simple loop around the neck; it snaked down and wrapped two or three times around her torso behind her front legs. You could see the grayish mark that it was leaving on her body. I can’t even imagine how painful and scary that must’ve been so I understood her skittishness. It’s fundamentally important to have patience whenever working with animals or going out to try and see them, and especially when they’re upset and in pain. About an hour in, they radioed to tell us that they’d struck her with a dart but it hit her hip bone so was unlikely to work. It had to be in one of her big muscles to get the sedative to circulate.

All in all, it took about two hours to finally get close enough to dart her. Once hit, the effects of the dart appeared after about five minutes, at which point everyone scrambled from the trucks to witness the capture and removal. Very fortunately, she was okay and there were no major injuries from the wire. After quickly removing it, we all backed away as she regained her footing. She spent a few moments processing and letting the effects wear off and then took off to meet up with her partner who had observed the scene from a little ways off. Everyone was relieved once the ordeal was over and it was apparent that she was safe and free. It was quite an experience to witness. It was terrible that it happened in the first place and she had to spend half the day if not longer suffering, but in a display of shared commonality and connection with another life form, I had the incredibly opportunity to be an observer to an act of compassion that resulted in the alleviation of her pain, albeit still traumatic to undergo. So again, not an everyday experience; one that is awe inspiring to think back on and appreciate, especially since it ended after having successfully helped another life.

With love and compassion,

Zach

[anunlostwanderer]

[anunlostwanderer]

[anunlostwanderer]

I will make sure to individually introduce each of the Cheetahs and the other animals at the center. Continuing from the last post, Cheetahs are under extreme threat of extinction from a number of causes, namely habitat loss, hunting, and poor genetics. In the last 16 years, their numbers in Zimbabwe for example have plummeted from 1200 to 170, an 85% decrease. Cheetahs now inhabit just 9% of the territory they once lived in.

Habitat is lost to farming and development and not only directly impacts Cheetahs in the wild, but impacts their prey as well. Nature has a marvelous system in place, a delicate balance that is easily stressed and overburdened. We have become very good at disrupting the natural balance of the world for the sake of our own goals and survival. The two do not need to be at odds but we have not truly come to terms with our impact and how to coexist with the beautiful array of life on our planet. Hunting becomes intertwined with development and specifically farming. While there is a lucrative black market for poachers to sell the gorgeous fur or other parts of Cheetahs, most hunting is done by farmers protecting their farmland and live stock. Cheetahs, like any predator, are attracted to livestock and are then inherently in conflict with the farmers raising that livestock. More often than not the immediate reaction to the sight of a cheetah or the discovery of dead livestock, is to head off with a gun and shoot the cat. There is a big effort being undertaken by a couple nonprofits who are seeking to change the mindset of farmers and grant them alternatives to killing the cats. This is hard, as understandably, they have it set in their minds that their interests are at odds with the cats seeking to kill their form of income, and historically, farmers have not sought to understand and coexist with threats from predators. This makes sense and I don’t mean to pass judgment, but, there is a better way that could save the lives of both the livestock and the cats. Much more emphasis is being placed on coexistence and appreciation, something that is not easily evoked but is achievable. Nonprofits are providing farmers with dogs who are trained to live amongst the livestock and protect them. This works best specifically for Cheetahs for as soon as they hear a dog bark, and these are big, menacing dogs, they will run away and most likely avoid that farm, especially if it happens multiple times and they learn the dog isn’t going to leave. Cheetahs are not fighters. They will take flight to almost any other animal of decent size or aggressive temperament. This presents two different problems: one is that a Cheetah must expend a tremendous amount of energy to one capture and kill. A cheetah can reach speeds of over 70 mph and has a 0-60 acceleration of three seconds flat. Every time I hear that I have to take a second to consider just how insane that is. It’s mind boggling. Thus, it is suited for short quick sprints. 8 to 9 out of 10 hunts are unsuccessful for Cheetahs, making the one successful hunt extremely important for their survival. Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, even vultures all present a threat to the Cheetah. The second problem that arises with a quick reaction to flee is that a mother will not defend her cubs against bigger predators which is why the mortality rate for cubs up to six months of age is 90%. The chances of survival are very slim.

Lastly, genetics. In many ways, the Cheetah is phenomenally adapted to its environment and way of living. Almost every physiological trait of its body is suited for sprinting and hunting. It’s spotted fur provides good camouflage in the dry brush. I don’t want to nerd out but if any are more interested in the anatomical adaptations, I would be happy to describe them more. Yet in many ways, its genetics create an even harsher element to survival. Beyond their temperament to flee and leave either food or its cubs, Cheetahs are also at a disadvantage in general when it comes to hunting or defending itself. If you compare the body of a lion or leopard to that of a Cheetah, the starkest difference is size and bulk. Leopards for example are very strong and muscular and can take down prey much larger than itself. Its teeth and jaws can make easy work of skulls and other bones. Cheetahs on the other hand have rather small teeth and weak jaws. While it’s very strong and muscular, it is not the same build as that of a bigger predator than can pounce and tackle big prey. The measure of strength in this case is comparative as they are very strong, which serves to exemplify just how unbelievably strong the bigger cats and other animals are. They also, surprisingly given their ecosystem, have a very bad system of body heat regulation and can therefore easily overheat in the sweltering summer sun if shade isn’t found. And finally, they are not good at breeding and in general, are not great parents. After the male cheetah does his business with the female, he has absolutely no role in the upbringing of any cubs. In fact, the father will eat his cubs if the mother is not there to protect them and chase the father off. They can live up to two years with their mother but it is usually shorter than that. At some point, the mother chases them off and they are left to fend for themselves. Males of the same litter will stick together and form packs to hunt and protect territory while females live solitarily and only seek other Cheetahs for mating purposes. More often than not, Cheetahs are not adept at hunting by time the mother sends them off, making them more susceptible to starvation. They either learn, or as is the way of life and natural selection, die. In short, Cheetahs do not have it easy in the wild. No animal truly does but they are especially vulnerable to the natural and unnatural forces that act upon their biomes. Their life spans in the wild tend to be 4-7 years while in captivity, their lifespans can be 9-13 years.

I am in love with them and am in constant awe of their beauty and grace. To be a part of their conservation and preservation is a honor and privilege. Despite their many challenges, the intelligence and amiability displayed on a daily basis is simply amazing. Much love.

[anunlostwanderer]

Good morning. This is Arrow. She’s about two weeks away from giving birth to some little pups. We don’t know how many yet but it’s expected to be anywhere between 4 to 6. Those pups will be completely helpless for the first ten days of their lives. They are blind and very susceptible to the cold winter evenings. After about 48 hours, they will separate the mother from her cubs. This is done because the cubs will be hand reared so that they are not as wild. While this may seem antithetical to the goal of reintroduction, it is all a part of the process that Estelle and Pieter, owners of Dell, want to take place. Certain litters are raised to be released which has not yet happened with the Cheetahs at Dell, and others are used for breeding and expanding the gene pool. There are three main Cheetah facilities in South Africa and they tend to have a system of exchanging the Cheetahs for various purposes, mostly to prevent inbreeding and breed Cheetahs with a greater array of genetic diversity. The ultimate goal is reintroduction but it takes generations to get there and is not as straightforward as it may seem at first glance. Some Cheetahs, such as Arrow, are born and consistently raised by humans. Such Cheetahs will never be released as they maintain relationships with humans and thus learn not to fear them, a trait that is good for breeding and unfortunately the various for profit centers that are set up to have people come and touch them, but is very bad for the wild. (at The Dell Cheetah Centre)

[anunlostwanderer]

Journey to Soweto. As you can see, there is a literal divide between the more suburban residential area and the cinder block houses that form rows opposite the gulley. The two story colored houses that appear more modern, are recent additions. In an effort to improve the living standard for the low/no income people who populate this section of Soweto, the government built these complexes under the advertisement of free housing, all expenses paid for. The intention was and is, to move people into the new houses and then clear away the old houses to build more of the modern ones. Once built, the government decided to charge people an upfront cost and have them pay for utilities, expenses that are not exorbitant in the eyes of the government but are still too much for the people living there. Negotiations are at somewhat of a standstill and currently, most of the houses sit vacant.

[anunlostwanderer]

Soweto

Soweto was most likely my favorite part of the Johannesburg tour, although I can’t say favorite as its all been tremendous and it still strikes me every so often that I’m in South Africa. Soweto is interwoven into the country’s history in so many ways. Its existence serves as a reminder of the segregation that was enforced before and during Apartheid (segregation was a “tactic” that was developed and carried out in the early 1900’s, before Apartheid became written into formal law) and that divide still exists. Superficially, Soweto is composed entirely of “black” and “colored” people, along with a smaller Indian population, all of which were three subcategories of class within the Apartheid structure. As “whites”, namely the Dutch, became more threatened by the burgeoning population of native South Africans, who then became classified into black and colored, they decided that to control and quell the population, they'd move them all outside of the city. Not only did it physically remove them and consolidate them into a single location, it also made it more difficult for blacks, whose labor in the mines was cheaper than that of whites, usually due to skilled versus unskilled labor wages, to access the job opportunities and to make some modicum of a living, even if absolutely minuscule. Side note: I apologize for the extensive use of the classification labels that were given to people during Apartheid South Africa. Talking about other humans in such a reductionistic, overly simplified way is uncomfortable. Yet I also want to convey the language and circumstances that existed and defined the time period, exemplifying how absurd it was/is to have ones entire identity, and thus their lifestyle, culture, accessibilities, privileges, and “freedoms” (if any) wrapped up into an idea that was conceived to justify centuries of paternalism, subjugation, violence, control, and overall horrendous injustices. And it still lives on today. While the connotations may or may not be different, the vernacular used to describe people in South Africa still revolves around these terms, often carrying their weighted history with them.

Soweto has been vastly changed since the end of Apartheid and it is a flourishing micro-city. It represents the reconciliation efforts that continue to occur as the country comes to terms with its past and how to move forward. Soweto was most known for the Soweto uprisings that occurred in the mid to late 70’s. What made those uprisings and resistance to the apartheid regime all the more powerful was the fact that they were carried by children and teenagers. Students, frustrated with the Afrikaans education model that their schools were centered on, decided to stop going to school and to stand up for their rights. It was an amazing display of passion and unity, that didn’t, as expected, come without a massive cost. The government responded with brute force, injuring and killing hundreds of kids in the streets. Soweto became an occupied city with governments troops and tanks scattered throughout. There was a sheer chaos to it as violence escalated and consequently, as violence always does, ignited more violence. Some of these events have been memorialized as various sculptures and pieces of art representing the students and those who lost their lives, it was quite striking.

Despite its development and success, it is still rather divided between those who have been able to access new opportunities and rise out of poverty, and those who cannot. There is a gulley that basically divides the established suburban houses and the government subsidized housing. Much of that housing was recently completed so that people in Soweto could move out of the cinder block houses that are so ubiquitous. Standing side by side with no space in between, these houses with corrugated iron as roofs lack water, electricity, sanitation, and therefore other amenities such as heat or air conditioning that exist just across the little valley. They get very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. People there live in uninhabitable conditions, yet, as is the human response to the pervasiveness of suffering, they persevere and make do with whatever they have. As previously recognized before whilst in Nepal, I know my perspective is biased based of what I have been lucky enough to have, the living standards that are taken for granted. It is not to cast a judgmental or condescending light on their living conditions and way of life. It is also not to express pity but to express sadness that people must live in such conditions when I know greater standards exist. Standards that improve their health and enhance their lives. Things that I believe are fundamental, basic human rights like clean water, electricity, health care, comfort, peace, fulfillment. If desired, ability to get an education or a job. It is not to say we have it all right, but I think these aspects of life aid and enable, especially when coming from a complete lack of basic necessities. I don’t say this just though observation and comparison; I had the opportunity to walk through one of these areas with a man named Lawrence who gave me insight into his world and described to me what it was like to grow up in this part of Soweto. That, I think, was the best part. Seeing the reality for people there, not sugarcoating it and pretending it doesn’t exist so as to avoid and abdicate my responsibility to help and feelings of sadness and indignation. Pretending that because I’m visiting, I can avoid the parts that perhaps others don’t want me to see. I don’t get to fall back into comfort and distance myself from reality; it’s a reality that I feel obligated to witness just as much as the reality created around a country’s points of attraction. It’s no different anywhere you go. Listen to stories, appreciate people and life. Beauty exists everywhere you go, you just have to remain open to it. Much love,

Zach

[anunlostwanderer]

At the top is the World Cup stadium that has become a symbol of a new South African presence on the world stage and the diversion of necessary funds towards big projects that have had no impact for the people living around it. While hosting the World Cup brought new life and attention to the country, it was short lived, and now the stadium sits mostly unused for much of the year. If there are other games played, Zuele was telling me that they are still very overpriced and the majority of people can't attend. It has left a tremendous debt for the country to pay off. "Kwa Zulu Muti" is a traditional healer that sells alternative treatments and herbs and the like. Some still don't believe in or trust modern medicine and continue to turn to these for health care. The bottom picture is of the Nelson Mandela bridge.

[anunlostwanderer]

Interspersed underneath the city are old mine shafts that were used to unearth gold that was in the city. This one pictured above now rests below the National Bank.

[anunlostwanderer]

Johannesburg, nicknamed the "worlds largest man made urban forest." All of the trees in the city were imported and planted here, none are native. The trees completely cover the arid, desert landscape.

[anunlostwanderer]

When you drive around downtown Joburg, unfortunately you’ll find that many of the buildings are vacant for one reason or another. Some are he leftovers of the white flight that took place after the end of apartheid, with white nationals in the city fearing retaliation from now equal black and colored people, or because they simply disagreed with the fact of equality. Other buildings were former businesses and either fell under with a stagnant economy, or as has happened more recently, have decided to leave because the current state of affairs in the country is unpredictable and they don’t support the Zuma administration. Lastly, while some of the buildings are apartment housing, they are still far too expensive for most people living in and around the city.