Several days ago, Varty received a call on his radio from one of his workers whose brother and uncle had both died. He told Varty it was tuberculosis — a local euphemism for AIDS. The man couldn't afford to bury his kin, so Varty wrote out a check on the spot for a couple thousand rand (about $300). His favor to that man will be repaid many times over, Varty says, because that's the way things work out here.
Some of the local farmers were incensed at what they considered Varty's largesse with wages for the guys he hired to rip down farm fences and install the state-of-the-art solar-powered electric tiger fence. He hired shepherds and farmhands who, when they could get work, had formerly been earning only about 10 rand a day — less than $2. The tiger project already has changed the standard of living for quite a few locals. He hopes to do even better for quite a few more, Varty says, as the tiger project grows to fit his vision.
The tigers' release into the sanctuary proper has progressed in phases, but the final release is awaiting a pending government permit. The eventual home of Ron and Julie is a mosaic of grasslands, river, forests, gorges and hills that cover 90,000 acres — that's 40 square miles — or an area a bit larger than the city of Atlanta.
Ron and Julie have been spending four years exploring and familiarizing themselves with various bits and pieces of the property, smelling and marking thorn bushes and termite mounds as well as learning the various paths different prey species use to cut across riverbeds.
"The tigers are apt to be boisterous today because of the weather," Varty remarks, as he pulls the Land Rover up to the enclosure.
Ron is waiting for us. His ruff and paws are bloodstained. He's fat and happy.
"Good boy, Ronno," gushes Varty. "That's a good tiger!"
Overnight, the tigers obviously solved yesterday's hunting problems. Julie appears. Her paws are also tinged pinkish, but she doesn't look as well-fed as Ron, observes Varty. The fact that they are not on the carcass, defending it, is a clue that their meal perhaps was not a huge one. Tigers generally will stay with a kill for days, if it is big enough: a bushbuck, for instance, or a wildebeest.
