Thursday 1 August 2013

Welcome to the Neuras Blog!

Hello, and welcome to the official blog for N/a'an ku se's Neuras Wine & Wildlife Estate.

At the top of this page you will find tabs that will explain everything you need to know about Neuras, including the history of the farm, why our wine is so unique, the conservation work being undertaken and how you can volunteer and become a part of the project.

Regular updates about all of the above aspects of Neuras and the continued adventures of Noodle will now be found right here so be sure to follow us and keep up to date!

To start us off here is a report from one of our volunteers Brittany Cummings who spent two weeks with us this summer: 
During my stay at Neuras I learned a variety of things; from game counts, determining different animal tracks and scat samples, learning about different trees, birds,  and so much more! 

I helped identify an area to place a trap cage in order to trap one of the radio-collared wild leopards whose collar  needs replacing. I had the opportunity to climb the Naukluft Mountain and learned how use GPS and radio telemetry equipment during a morning in the bush in search of another radio-collared leopard that had moved closed to Neuras. Another interesting part of the research I was able to learn about was the use of  camera traps; their benefits and how to work them properly.
Although Neuras is located in the dessert  there are five natural fountains that simply add to the overall beauty Neuras has to offer. The hospitality at Neuras was fantastic; the food and accommodation was great and there was even good laundry service. 
Other highlights was an up close encounter with the ambassador cheetahs at the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre and climbing the dunes of Sossusvlei!
The research side of Neuras is run by two fantastic people Matt Cleverley and Kate Echement!  Both very fun, outgoing and enthusiastic people. Their love for carnivore conservation and research shines through creating a relaxed atmosphere enabling volunteers to learn. If you are considering coming to Neuras for either pleasure or volunteering then I can highly recommend you do so; meet the people, taste the wine, learn about carnivore conservation and have a lot of fun!
Brittany Cummings, NI Canada