My drive with Collin with very educational, not only in terms of the Trust and biology, but also Zimbabwe and its people and politics. The currency being used locally is the US $, as the Zimbabwe currency inflated out of usefulness. They did actually print $100 Trillion Dollar notes at one point. What does that do for someone who just sold their house for $320,000? Think devaluation and loss of pension funds, etc. Something that cost $1 in the morning would be $2 in the afternoon. So doctors and businesses were constantly changing prices. Hence the use of the more stable currency, the US $, which began illegally as a black market but now has been accepted universally.
This of course threw many people out of work, or at least they had work but weren't paid. The level of corruption is high and confidence by the people is low. So for many, the economy has gone back to a barter system - trading a crate of strawberries for a tank of gas for example.
With this came many people leaving the country or at least down-sizing. The result was many animals, domestic or kept as exotic pets, with nowhere to go. Twala Trust is making an effort to bridge that gap, taking in abandoned pets, orphaned animals, injured animals, and others with varying hopes of being released to a normal life, or kept here permanently with food and shelter as long as they need it.
Interestingly, the U.S. is building its largest embassy in Africa, which employs 700 people for construction.
https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2016/06/20/new-us-embassy-to-have-great-zim-architecture
We arrived at Twala in the dark, but could see some domestic animals from the road - horses, dogs, and chickens. We passed the lion enclosure, but there was nothing to be seen.
Collin carried my bag into the house where I would be staying. His wife, Becky, had brought me some beautiful looking fruit and salad, but with my fears of being sick at all next week when I am expected to work, I had to pass on uncooked food. It was tempting, though.
My first experience here was the house in which I will be staying. It is meant for volunteers and can hold many people, but for now it is full of animals: a monkey, a JRT, 3 cats, a one month old goat Maggie, 2 few week old kittens, and 7 birds (African grey parrot, male Eclectus parrot, Congo parrot, injured owl, abandoned infant crow, umbrella cockatoo, and a cockatiel).
My bed started out littered with critters.
Maggie the goat has convinced me - I need a goat.
Horace the monkey has his own dish of fruit, but is not shy about swinging around the room and showing off his acrobatics.
Casper the Indonesian Cockatoo fluffs up his plume and says hello when approached. He hangs onto the cage with his beak, wide open, and then begins talking incoherently. I think he must have been owned by a dentist...
Kiko, another example of a Jack Russell Terrior in total charge.
One of three cats who assume they have full privileges.
To the sound of bull frogs, crowing roosters, and bellowing lioness, I drift off to sleep.
This of course threw many people out of work, or at least they had work but weren't paid. The level of corruption is high and confidence by the people is low. So for many, the economy has gone back to a barter system - trading a crate of strawberries for a tank of gas for example.
With this came many people leaving the country or at least down-sizing. The result was many animals, domestic or kept as exotic pets, with nowhere to go. Twala Trust is making an effort to bridge that gap, taking in abandoned pets, orphaned animals, injured animals, and others with varying hopes of being released to a normal life, or kept here permanently with food and shelter as long as they need it.
Interestingly, the U.S. is building its largest embassy in Africa, which employs 700 people for construction.
https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2016/06/20/new-us-embassy-to-have-great-zim-architecture
We arrived at Twala in the dark, but could see some domestic animals from the road - horses, dogs, and chickens. We passed the lion enclosure, but there was nothing to be seen.
Collin carried my bag into the house where I would be staying. His wife, Becky, had brought me some beautiful looking fruit and salad, but with my fears of being sick at all next week when I am expected to work, I had to pass on uncooked food. It was tempting, though.
My first experience here was the house in which I will be staying. It is meant for volunteers and can hold many people, but for now it is full of animals: a monkey, a JRT, 3 cats, a one month old goat Maggie, 2 few week old kittens, and 7 birds (African grey parrot, male Eclectus parrot, Congo parrot, injured owl, abandoned infant crow, umbrella cockatoo, and a cockatiel).
My bed started out littered with critters.
Maggie the goat has convinced me - I need a goat.
Horace the monkey has his own dish of fruit, but is not shy about swinging around the room and showing off his acrobatics.
Casper the Indonesian Cockatoo fluffs up his plume and says hello when approached. He hangs onto the cage with his beak, wide open, and then begins talking incoherently. I think he must have been owned by a dentist...
Kiko, another example of a Jack Russell Terrior in total charge.
One of three cats who assume they have full privileges.
To the sound of bull frogs, crowing roosters, and bellowing lioness, I drift off to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment