Imagine a place where every species counts. Where every animal got a second chance to a life in freedom. Imagine a place where your heart will stay forever.
That is Free To Be Wild.
There where animals everywhere, all the time. Klipie the klipspringer, who was more like a dog doing his best to make sure you were clean. Marlin the cockatoo was a real life charmer. One of his favorite things to do was joining us to eat cheese and onion rings on the couch. There was also Peck the ostrich. I had never met such an affectionate ostrich. He really enjoys company and just hanging around. When you are with an orphan monkey he would come over and sit with us, or nibble on the blanket when you’re trying to relax out on the lawn and read your book. Watch out for Peck the book thief – I warn you.
Some of my daily duties included garden maintenance, cleaning, behaviour enrichment, food prep and feeding. We started to make a fire garden outside the sanctuary, removed big rocks and trees to make space for a new parking place and much more. No day was the same as another, that was guaranteed.
The place we stayed at is like a big tent, with a couple of bedrooms and an open lounge/living room area in the middle/main section, next to the kitchen. I have to say I was fascinated with how everything ran on solar panels. In my first two weeks of the stay I was the only volunteer, but I always had Peck, Bindi and Pax watching over me. Although only Benny and Miles shared my single bed (and bathroom) with me.
During my stay at Free To Be Wild I’d been woken up too many times during the nights with baby Benny jumping on my belly trying to get attention, poo in my hair and wee everywhere. Private time didn’t exist whatsoever. But that didn’t matter. I enjoyed every moment and I have tried to figure out how many times is possible for someone to steal your heart. I failed. Moyo wangu uri ku Africa <3
A big thank you to everyone,
love Linda
