Swenson concludes her week with a tour of the Dinokeng Game Reserve

(Editor’s Note: Sabrina Swenson, a 1986 graduate of Postville High School, is the daughter of Erma Swenson and the late Marlin Swenson. A world traveler, Sabrina is sharing her experiences in South Africa. Printed below is the third of a three-part series.)

Feeding day took 8 1/2 hours from start to finish. The cats are fed twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, however two cats with health issues are fed smaller amounts daily with special medicine in their food. The hyenas only eat once a week, since as they are smaller than the cats.

This was definitely an out-of-the-norm trip for me. I absolutely loved it. Not only was it educational, it was eye-opening. The amount of work to run an animal sanctuary is huge. I also never realized those cute petting animal tourist attractions, usually end up with the animal being hunted for profit later in its life. I asked Kevin what he was going to do when all of his animals eventually came to the end of their life, since none are reproducing. He said by then (in about 16 years) he would be an old man. Ha, hardly, he’d be only around 60 then. Anyway, I asked if he was going to just retire and get a house cat. No, he said there was still much work to be done in conservation. I think that particular work is never-ending. I feel so fortunate to get a small glimpse into this world.

Read the full article in the August 7 edition of the Postville Herald.