I'm currently staying at the Research camp at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi reserve, and experiencing cold turkey without internet connection! But, the great news is that there is a hot shower, which is very much required as it's been torrential rain since I arrived here. Today we have travelled to the nearest shopping area and there is the opportunity to get online there, much to my relief! The reserve is stunning, even when shrouded in the mist and fog as it has been since the morning after I arrived here. It has not stopped raining, and I am talking about "walls" of rain, and as I'm on a bench on the back of a flatbed truck for hours each day it's not ideal - where is the African sun??! However, the sights I'm seeing make it worth the bone chilling cold, and the seering pain of being hit in the face, when driving at speed, by flying beetles that are as hard as bullets. A couple of days ago I had my first black rhino experience - right outside the camp gate (or where the gate would be if there was one - the camp is open for any animal to wander in). We were in the back of the truck and he was less than 7 feet away, breathtaking, and incredible. I will upload a photo when I have a better connection, so you too can see the whites of his eyes as I could! Yesterday we spent the day travelling a large distance replacing batteries in the field research cameras that are at various locations around the reserve. Specifically the project is research regarding leopards and wild dogs. I had my first wild dog sighting a few days ago, a completely accidental meeting. Having spent the morning from 5am driving to locations using the telemetry trying to track the wild dogs we had had no success at all, not one bleep from the telemetry receiver, so we turned round to head back for breakfast. We slowed to look at a bird - which I couldn't see - so a bit bored I turned my head to look out of my window to find myself staring into the eyes of a wild dog 6 feet away. Then I realised that there were more of them, and 5 others passed behind him, and then behind the vehicle. They really are far more attractive than they appear to be on tv or in photos, very lovely faces and playful natures (with each other) obviously very aggressive with everything else! I also had the privilege of watching the release from a boma of new male wild dogs being introduced to the reserve. A dead impala was used to coax the hungry dogs out of the boma where they had been for 11 weeks adjusting and bonding with a couple of the wild dogs from the reserve who had also been introduced into the same boma. The squealing and excitement at the smell of the breakfast provided was almost surpassed by their yelps of enjoyment at running free. This week it may be possible for me to be involved with a lion call up. The lions will be attracted to an area by the smell of a kill and by recorded animal noises. Using lights we will help to be aware of lions and other predators as they come to the chosen sight, and to keep track of the order in which the lions are darted and samples taken. Whether I will be able to be involved is depends in part upon being able to borrow a suitable vehicle as clearly the flatbed truck is not an option in the middle of a lion and predator gathering!!