It’s not every day that I get to play at gamekeeper again. I say
again as I have from time to time been involved in wildlife conservation and
game keeping. For some the two may not seem to go together but they undoubtedly
do. Gone are the days when Game Keepers were killers of anything that even
seemed to threaten game. Thankfully a keeper’s job (at least in the UK) is now
more to do with wildlife management and conservation than anything else.
I relish every opportunity to be involved again especially during an
English summer. When the sights and sounds of an old wood, especially in those
precious moments just after dawn as the early morning sun bring everything to
life.
The reason for my call to duty was that an old friend needed
help. Roy is the keeper on a lovely 3,00 acre estate, one of those country
estates that have been cared for by a long line of dedicated keepers. Roy had
somehow managed to crash his Quad bike with the result that his leg was now in
plaster and his wife Jenny was struggling to keep everything going. With two
kids to look after and a part-time job to keep going the last thing Jenny
needed was more work. The accident couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Roy
had one thousand six week old pheasants due for delivery that would need his
care and attention. As well as all the other estate duties, there were rumours
of deer poaching in the area. I could hear in his voice just how worried he
was, so I packed and headed to Dorset.
Not only was there much to do if he was to save his livelihood,
if the poachers knew that he was incapacitated then they would create
devastation in a matter of no time. Sadly this last minute change to my plans
meant that I would not be able to speak at a Charity event to highlight the
plight of Rhino poaching in South Africa’s Kruger Park. A cause that is very
close to my heart, but my wife said she would stand in for me and make the
presentation on my behalf. Kat is as dedicated to Wildlife Conservation as I
am, so I knew she would do a good job.
I arrived in Dorset late on Sunday evening, to a very warm
welcome and a grand Sunday Dinner all washed down with a nice bottle of
Pinotage (a little South African influence never hurts). Sadly only one
glass for me as I knew I had to do the rounds of the estate once it got dark,
but very nice all the same. I just wanted to drive around to let folks know
that there was someone keeping an eye on the place. A quick tour around the
estate in Roy’s landrover just after midnight was all I could do, but at least
we were ‘flying the flag’.
Monday morning was one of those bright beautiful sunny June
mornings. Jenny was up early and had made a grand English breakfast to set me
up for the day. As we ate Roy filled me in on what he needed done, all the
while I had one eye on the TV watching the early morning news reports that were
focused on the days tennis due to be played at Wimbledon. Thankfully, Roy had
managed to delay the delivery of the young pheasants for another week, which
gave me some time to catch my breath and see what else needed doing before they
arrived. My first job was to head down to the Hanging wood (so called because,
in times passed, that is what it was used for), to check out the main release
pen. This is an old English oak and elm wood that has been allowed to mature
naturally. Sure rides and paths had been maintained, but in general it is as
nature intended. Or should I say Capability Brown who designed the wood in the
eighteen century. A reminder that most of England’s countryside was shaped by
man and not truly wild.
I took Roy’s Springer Spaniel ‘Eddie’ with me for company and to
give him some exercise. It is an absolute pleasure to be out with a
well-trained dog such as Ed. Although he was clearly enjoying himself, he knew
that were do’s and don’ts and as soon as we entered the wood he came sharply to
heel without being told. We didn’t want to disturb the resident wildlife, just
observe.
To my relief Roy had completed all the necessary maintenance to
the main pen before his accident. The boundary fence was in tiptop condition;
drinkers and feeders were ready to go. Empty now but all that would
change in a week’s time. The pen store was dry and well kept and stocked with
pheasant food as well as some tools, disinfectant, wormer and all the bits and
bobs you need. It looked like my job was going to easy. With everything in
order, I took some time to enjoy one of my favorite pass times. Ed and I walked
back into a dense part of the wood and found a fallen oak tree to rest against.
The sun was finding its way through he dense canopy lighting up a little
clearing. I sat down with my back against the oak and the sun warming me. Ed
lay down at my feet and we settled in to enjoy the moment.
I must have dozed off for a while, but when I woke I found Ed
sat bolt-upright watching Roe deer as it wandered towards us feeding from the
Gorse flowers. Or at least that’s what I thought Ed was looking at. It turned
out that he was actually watching a Weasel as it scurried around in some of the
decaying fallen wood. It’s hard to describe how I felt at that moment, but if
you want to put a word to it I was in heaven. However, I knew this was just a
brief respite before the action that was bound to come later in the week, but
for now Ed and I enjoyed the moment.
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