Willi is three months old now and is totally fixated on Lodge Manager Rodrik van Neel. Usually you can see the adolescent walking behind him. Rodrik took him in as an orphaned baby and raised him with a bottle. There he is now the substitute dad. And Willi is a family member, he gets on well with the other children. In the garden of the manager's house, jumping around with the other small children.
Willi is already the second springbok that Rodrik is raising. Last year Bocky grew up in the lodge. He excelled as a guardian of a flock of young ostriches before his conspecifics lured him into the Kalahari. The ostriches are now mature, defensive animals. Every now and then they show up at the water hole near the lodge and can then also be observed on the webcam.
Although the season in Bitterwasser seems to be coming to an end in mid-January, the weather is at its best. Pilots from all over the world enjoy impressive thermals, breathtaking cross-country flights over 1000 km and a unique community.
The last season 2023/24 ended with a spectacular highlight for Dmitry Borovyk and Anton Minskii: on the very last day, they managed to fly around three declared turning points that cover an impressive distance of 1250 kilometers. This extraordinary achievement earned them the privilege of planting a palm tree in Bitterwasser - an honor only bestowed on the best pilots. One year later, the two are now returning to Bitterwasser to plant their palm tree in a festive ceremony in keeping with the old Bitterwasser tradition.