Cape Town - Even raucous children are affected by the sense of awe that descends on everyone in the large white tent and stillness envelops us. Only the wind refuses to be impressed and irritates the edges of the canvas. But then it is the West Coast and the wind is irrepressible.
This is one of the few sites in the world where Citizen Joe can stand on an active paleontological dig and witness teeth, bones and horn slowly revealing secrets they’ve held for five million years.
Here’s a trivial pursuit question – where do you find an African Bear south of the Sahara? Only in the West Coast Fossil Park where he was first discovered amid more than 200 species of animal, some extinct, like the short neck giraffe, and some still with us in one form or another.
There is nothing quite like sifting through the enormous sieves outside the tents to see what you can find – from fossilised snake vertebrae and tortoise shell to frog jawbones. Not easy to identify, our guide keeps us on our toes as we struggle to find something we can recognise.
You really are transported back in time when you stand on this isolated outcrop where these animals lived and died. The excavation is pristine – stories can be found in the layout of a skeleton or footprints around a carcass… all from long dead creatures who made their living in the swampland that once thrived here.
The specialist paleontologist on site, Professor Pippa Harhoff, has excavated bird bones from millions of years ago and, to the completely untrained eye, these bones are a treat on their own.
Fragile and different in texture as well as weight, they offer the birder a rare insight into the pre-history of their favourite sightings. From parrots to penguins, there’s a wealth of subject matter.
One of the richest fossil sites in the world, the dig is the subject of ongoing research and hosts spectacular animal fossils, all extremely well preserved.
Set on 14 hectares of organic phosphate, the site was thoroughly mined for fertiliser and only closed in 1993 – by then 80 percent of the fossils had been destroyed.
But many mysteries remain for scientists. There are no human or primate fossils here but abundant evidence of food in the presence of the Okapi, three types of elephant, buffalo, hippo and more. Originally a subtropical region, fossilised fynbos pollen has been found – demonstrating the change in vegetation.
l West Coast Fossil Park is a Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) heritage and culture product and more details can be found at www.sahidddentreasures.co.za - Saturday Star