That feeling you get when you have fallen in love. You can't eat, you can't sleep, your heart beats way too fast, you get palpitations just thinking about your love…
That is what it is like being here in India volunteering at a croc park.
I have fallen head over heals in love with the crocs (and a few turtles too). I could stay here forever just to wake up each morning and peer over a wall to see a crocodile basking or swimming or eying up a meal…
I lie awake some nights and rerun my days activities. I am shocked by some of the amazing things I get to do. The other day I got inside the enclosure of a very big saltie while the pond was being drained and cleaned. How often do you get up close and personal with such a giant creature? He is huge and so powerful!
I have been babysitting a slightly deranged turtle who has no ability to stay on her feet. Several times each day and night I have to turn her back after she has flipped onto her back. Sadly, I hoped she would improve but that hasn't happened. I think it is nearly the end of the road for Miss Uppsy Daisy…
Yesterday I helped feed 3 very big gharials! Robin is nearing 6 metres and his girls Nancy and Julie are substantially smaller. The girls get fish thrown in the water near their snout and they grab the fish and eat it. While His Lordship Robin gets fish placed in his mouth on a stick! Talk about spoilt! He has the end of his upper snout missing as a result of a fight some time back so he deserves a little extra attention, but fish on a stick is quite a bit of extra attention!
Yesterday I had to find 10 large snails to feed the Blue Tongues skinks. The day before I had helped find another 10 large snails and Aaranya had broken the shells and got the meat out of them while I looked on and squirmed whilst exclaiming an occasional '"Ewwww gross!!" But yesterday I bravely found the snails alone and waited for Aaranya to arrive and break them open for me. She was busy feeding crocs in the nursery so instead of waiting, I took to it myself. Using the back of a meat cleaver, I bust my first snail and managed to take out the meat in a slightly kack-handed way. I was up to about 6 when Aaranya arrived back. She was very impressed that I had given up the EWWWW's and done it myself. So was I! I then took it over the Blueys and I hope they appreciate the effort I went to! I won't find out until later today when I clean their tank out. I hope for their sake that they have eaten them all…
I love it here, I love the variety of the things I do and I love the crocs (and some of the turtles).
That is what it is like being here in India volunteering at a croc park.
I have fallen head over heals in love with the crocs (and a few turtles too). I could stay here forever just to wake up each morning and peer over a wall to see a crocodile basking or swimming or eying up a meal…
I lie awake some nights and rerun my days activities. I am shocked by some of the amazing things I get to do. The other day I got inside the enclosure of a very big saltie while the pond was being drained and cleaned. How often do you get up close and personal with such a giant creature? He is huge and so powerful!
I have been babysitting a slightly deranged turtle who has no ability to stay on her feet. Several times each day and night I have to turn her back after she has flipped onto her back. Sadly, I hoped she would improve but that hasn't happened. I think it is nearly the end of the road for Miss Uppsy Daisy…
Yesterday I helped feed 3 very big gharials! Robin is nearing 6 metres and his girls Nancy and Julie are substantially smaller. The girls get fish thrown in the water near their snout and they grab the fish and eat it. While His Lordship Robin gets fish placed in his mouth on a stick! Talk about spoilt! He has the end of his upper snout missing as a result of a fight some time back so he deserves a little extra attention, but fish on a stick is quite a bit of extra attention!
Yesterday I had to find 10 large snails to feed the Blue Tongues skinks. The day before I had helped find another 10 large snails and Aaranya had broken the shells and got the meat out of them while I looked on and squirmed whilst exclaiming an occasional '"Ewwww gross!!" But yesterday I bravely found the snails alone and waited for Aaranya to arrive and break them open for me. She was busy feeding crocs in the nursery so instead of waiting, I took to it myself. Using the back of a meat cleaver, I bust my first snail and managed to take out the meat in a slightly kack-handed way. I was up to about 6 when Aaranya arrived back. She was very impressed that I had given up the EWWWW's and done it myself. So was I! I then took it over the Blueys and I hope they appreciate the effort I went to! I won't find out until later today when I clean their tank out. I hope for their sake that they have eaten them all…
I love it here, I love the variety of the things I do and I love the crocs (and some of the turtles).
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