I first and foremost have to apologize. Getting this post out took me way longer than it should have! (>.<) I sincerely apologize for the lateness, but I hope this last post was worth the wait. I have many pictures in here and a variety of experiences that I would like to share.
This blog post will be including my last week at CCF, as well as my time while I was with my family in Barcelona, Spain, plus a few extra photos here and there.
My Last Week at CCF
My last week at the Cheetah Conservation Fund was fun to say the least. For one, it was adorable to see ALL the baby goats that were born. They were so. cute. I know you have all read me commenting on their cuteness waaay too often, but you can't deny these faces....
I found it interesting to learn that all of the dairy goat kids (baby goats) are separated from their parents after a few days. This is entirely different from the Boer goats, where the kids are left with the herd. But it does make sense, by separating the kids from their mothers, the farmers are able to take out an allotted amount to give to the baby's, and the rest of the milk can be used and sold in various forms. In this way, they keep as much milk as they can, since kids will drink constantly during the day usually. It is also very smart how they breed the goats. From what I was told, they breed only half the goat herd at a time. This way, there are always goats on the way, and especially for the dairy goats, it means that there is always at least some milk that can be used to sell, as well as used to make many of the products, like soap, ice cream, and fudge, at CCF.
One thing that I was very fortunate to see before I left, was a work up on a wild cheetah. One afternoon I was picked up and told that I was going to help with something. It turned out that the plan was to capture and collar a wild cheetah that had been showing interest in the cheetahs that were in the quarantine pen. Within two days of placing the trap, the wild cheetah was caught. It was incredible to see the difference between the cheetahs at CCF, and the wild cheetah they were going to collar. The muscle mass alone was incredible. His thighs were incredibly thick, which makes sense. Even though CCF exercises the cheetahs to the best of their ability, a wild cheetah has to work extra hard just to catch his food, and that's assuming it isn't taken away by another predator or a large group of jackals or vultures.
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| This is Merlin, one of the captive cheetahs |
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| This is the wild cheetah |
You can see in the two cheetahs above the difference in the muscle mass, it really is amazing. Besides that, measurements were also taken on his teeth, and the rest of the body, just as they have done on all of the cheetahs that came in before him. Even after seeing the process a few times, it is still amazing to see all the information that they gather and how they do it, as well as seeing what they look for. For example, this cheetah had a either broken or worn tooth on him.
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| At this point, they are waiting for the cheetah to swallow so they can take out the tube, this way the cheetah doesn't choke or suffocate |
Barcelona
My time in Barcelona was incredible. The day I flew in I was picked up by and Uncle Johnny, and my Cousin Marina and we went to pick up Aunt Irene to go out to lunch. The food in Barcelona was delicious! From hamburgers to cultural foods like the thick tortillas and gazpacho, to the homemade meals that my family made, it was all so good! I tried a variety of different foods, and enjoyed quite a bit of it! Plus, being able to spend time with everyone while also being shown the different sites to see around Barcelona.
During my stay, I went to the beach with my cousin about three times, one of those included my Uncle and Aunt. The water was so. warm. compared to the water of the West Coast. And during the last day we went, the water was incredibly clear! The water was a beautiful blue, the waves were smooth, and easy hitting the shore. We could see different fish swimming around us, and when we went to deeper waters, where the ocean floor was far below our feet, we could still the bottom! It was amazing! I just wish I had some goggles that day.
While there, Marina and I walked and took the train almost everywhere. It was really cool because it let me see the city from the little alley ways to the main roads and the metro. It was amazing some of the stuff you come across in the alley ways. Sometimes you'll find graffiti and other times we came across messages placed letter by letter using soda cans. Marina knew of quite a few little places to go and views to see. There was one view on a mountain that let you see most of the city! It was incredible, and even though I didn't get to see it at night, she mentioned seeing the lights was even more so. It must be incredible.
The one thing that captured my attention throughout Barcelona was the architecture. It was indescribable. As I was shown around parts of Barcelona, I could see the various eras of architecture. Now, by no means am I an expert, nor will I pretend to know what each era was or who made it, but definitely admire whoever created them. The one architect I do really like though, is Gaudi. I was fortunate enough to see some of his creations, including the Sagrada Familia. Its amazing that this building is still being built more than 100 years after it was started. It is really interesting seeing all the different pieces of it, because although the architects working on it are following the basic instructions, they are adding their own style to it. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the buildings Gaudi made, even if I wasn't able to go into them.
I can't tell you how grateful I am to my family for letting me stay with them for a week and showing me around Barcelona. I had fun staying with them, and being able to interact with my family.
I loved Barcelona and all the experiences I had there, and am really happy I was able to end my internship with that trip.
Thank you for all who have been keeping up with this blog, (Even though this post is waaaay later than it should have been (>.<) ) I enjoyed my trip, and hope that you enjoyed seeing the pictures and experiences I shared on this blog.
