We all overslept so didnt manage an early walk, but we went out to the Cheetah Rescue Centre. The rangers take you round on a truck and tell you all about the Cheetahs they have rescued and the breeding programme, as Cheetahs are endangered in the wild. The Centre also had Royal Cheetahs, a rare mutation, that gives the Cheetahs a larger patterning - the gene is passed on to offspring and they are highly sought after for their skins.
The centre also had rescued wild dogs, caracals and ground hornbills, sable and lions rescued from a Portuguese circus; the male lion had been castrated so its mane did not grow, which meant he could never be released into the wild.
Later, we went to the Reptile Centre which was quite run down, but had a sort of rustic charm about it. There were local snakes, plus snakes which had been imported and kept as pets until they became too dangerous. But the scariest tank contained black mambas that had been found too close to human habitation; the stories that abound in the area are dreadful - the 5 year old boy who had a mamba curled up on the botton of his bed - his mother had to call for help while trying to stop the boy from moving as the mamba would have struck! The black mambas are not like other venomous snakes in that they are intelligent, lively and aggressive. The green mamba is just as deadly, but is shy and avoids contact. The black mamba seems to actively seek contact.
We arrived back at the Lodge mid afternoon and caught up on our phone calls and interneting ready for Helena's departure back to England next day.
Then we went for our last walk around the botanical gardens, had another gorgeous meal and prepared ourselves for the next part of our adventure.
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