The day started with a coffee at 0530 under the tree near our lodge with the guides and other guests. At 6am ish we jumped into the back of a double cab pick up truck - Polly, Andrea and Jerry were inside - John, Martin and I were outside - great views and it was lovely to watch dawn breaking over the savannah as we drove along. We saw lots of fork tailed flycatchers out getting their breakfast and an American Falcon perched on top of a tree. Importantly we all were on the look out for the elusive anteater - we stopped at a ranch outpost where the cows were corralled and spoke to one of the workers - no clues as to today's whereabouts. At about 7.15 when we were all giving up and Andrea said well you still have tomorrow.......I spotted something big and brown which did not look like a bush or a mound - I pointed it out to Martin, banged on the roof and said stop with which Martin and another guide leapt out of the truck and ran in the direction of my sighting.....so I guessed I must have hit the jackpot - in truth it all happened so quickly! We then watched in amazement as Martin ran with the anteater continually talking to it towards us - he was definitely living up to his name of the anteater whisper ......a beautiful animal, with an amazing coat, long snout and bushy tail - I took photos and video. John said it was one of the best things he had ever seen. After about 10 minutes we headed back, very happy, for breakfast. Martin said they had about 5 anteaters that were happy around people - 2 fully grown and 3 mid size of which ours was one. Amazing!!
After breakfast I caught up with some emails on the fragile system - more that 4 users would crash the system - so I made sure I wasn't the overload factor. Then I sat with Indiri a new guest and son Shastri under the tree chatting.....Diane joined us and ordered coffee and juice - it was great as we learnt more about her illustrious life.....her father owned the ranch, she had been to school in the UK and had lived there for about 20 years doing various jobs - and albeit she wanted to help run the ranch while her father wanted her to go to secretarial college - they compromised on a variety of roles - confidential clerk at Sudan House being one, then being a press/pr officer for the Savoy group - the interview being with a guy she recognised from her misspent youth; he talked to her about old friends - latter she realised she was being interviewed for her contacts clearly he was hoping she would encourage them to come to the Savoy grill! Needless ro say she got the job! She eventually came home to Guyana to look after the ranch, and her mother,when her father died.
Her relationship with otters started when she was asked if she could help a stranded family with spares for a land rover - it wasn't plugs they needed but a gear box which by chance they had as it had just been refurbished to go into another jeep .....the family came back to the ranch for the night as it was too late to fix the vehicle that night; they had a box with sqeaks coming from it - inside were 4 baby otters - they said one was for her.....delighted she took it and looked after it - taking it to see its siblings each week when she went shopping in Lethem until she realised it was being bullied by the other otters so she stopped. She then put out the word that she would take orphaned otters - an issue at the time because of a leather trade in Brazil which meant the adults were being taken and the species consequently became endangered. Currently there are no otters at Karanambu - all rehabilitated - what happened to the last otter I asked - 'the b***** left' was the reply.....clearly he had grown up and gone off to the river to find a mate.....but Dee was clearly sad to be otterless. Recently some baby otters were brought to her but she insisted they were taken back to where they were found; they watched and within an hour were reunited with their parents......any truly orphaned otters will be welcomed but only if attempts to find their parents are negative. A life's work has seen a love of animals result in otter populations returning and the Rupunini being placed firmly on the eco tourism trail as a must visit place for discerning travellers.
After lunch it was siesta and another boat trip - we searched for otters but could not find any - we did see a sunbittern - flying but it was too dark to see its beautiful wings, a sun grebe and beautiful brown bearded saki monkeys which we watched while having cashew nuts and juice. We then wended our way back watching a beautiful sunset and a aurora build around the moon - and another broad billed heron was spotted on a low branch near the river.
Shower and dinner - after which we looked at a great book on the Rupunini and saw some of Salvadors photos - a 400lb+ arapaima and an anteater with a baby on its back - my next hope when we go to Brazil is to see this wonderful sight.
To bed ready for another early start - it started to rain, even though the sky didn't seem to have enough clouds,and continued as we went to sleep.