We had a lot of fun watching these hippos spray bursts of water high into the air as they resurfaced. The hippopotamus is said to be among Africa's most dangerous animals. They are protective and aggressive. A young English couple we met on their honeymoon said they had to make a run for it when one angry hippo charged their Land Rover. A thrill we sadly did not experience.
Wildlife
April 17, 2012
April 03, 2012
The Langata Giraffe Centre
The Langata Giraffe Centre, run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, is a sanctuary for the very rare and endangered Rothschild's giraffe, which is threatened with extinction in the wild. The sanctuary is in Langata, a posh suburb of Nairobi, and the former home of its founder, Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, and his wife Betty.
We stopped here on our first morning in Kenya on our way to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage. Giraffes are gentle, slobbery animals. The keepers kept telling us, "Don't worry, giraffes' saliva is atiseptic." To which I responded, "Blech, I'm not worried." I was relieved to see two baby giraffes headed our way. They had much smaller and dryer mouths, and nibbled the pellets delicately from my fingers.
Our lodge was in Karen, a neighboring suberb on the land where Karen Blixen's farm stood. Blixen, the auther of Out of Africa, is revered in those parts. That afternoon we enjoyed one of our best meals at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden.Above is a photo of the neighboring Giraffe Manor.
Below is a photo of kenyan school children visiting the sactuary, who made our visit even more fun.
March 27, 2012
Black Faced Vervet Monkeys
Top Photo by Camilla Coakley (or Chris Long)
I had never been a huge fan of monkeys before my recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania, but observing wild monkeys up close, in their own environment, their behavior and high level of intelligence are mesmerizing. We saw many different species, all living in large groups of varying ages. The babies play just as little children do. And when one wants to be held it reaches its arms out to its mother, who scoops the baby up and holds it close. We actually had a tiny little baboon (which I'll show you in a later post) shimmy up the side of our Land Rover.
It was a little alarming when these black faced verets in Tarangire, Tanzania practically jumped into our laps attempting to partake in our lunch. The funny thing about verets is that the males have brightly colored turquoise balls, not unlike large robins' eggs. I'm sorry, I had to say it. We were hysterically laughing as we tried to photgraph them, which was no easy task, but you'll notice in the following picture I had some success.
March 19, 2012
Cheetah Cubs in the Serengeti
We watched this mother cheetah and her four cubs play in the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. It was hot, and she repeatedly took refuge in what little shade she could find. She attempted to chase down two Thomson's gazelles without success. Statistically, she will be lucky if half of her litter survive their first year. Cheetah cubs are often the victims of lions, hyenas and starvation. So while we were surrounded by great numbers of baby zebras, gazelles, impalas and wildebeests, we rooted for this struggling mother to take one down. It is a brutal existence in the Serengeti.The video viewing will be better if you click to watch it on YouTube in full screen.
February 22, 2012
On Safari
I'm off to visit my elephant babies and other wild things in Kenya and Tanzania. Back in March with lots of photos and stories.
February 08, 2012
The Rescue Story of Lemek
Not all rescue stories end happily at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, but this is a beautiful video showing the sensitive nature of the keepers' work.
February 01, 2012
Give Fur the Cold Shoulder
Penelope Cruz for Peta
January 30, 2012
Yatta & Yetu
I am always amazed by how very tiny elephants are when they are born. They walk among their giant herd, weaving in and out of tree trunk sized legs, and somehow are never ever stomped on by mistake.
In November I blogged about Mulika, a former orphan who had been reintroduced back to the wild, who brought her wild born calf Mwende back to the orphanage to meet those who reared her. This week another former orphan, Yatta, brought her newborn, Yetu, to the Ithumba Camp. It turns out Yetu and Mwende are half sisters sharing the same wild father. To read their story and see some incredible photos of this new small creature click here. Next month, after a day in Nairobi visiting the nursery, Cam and Chris and I are driving deep into to the Tsavo wilderness to stay at the Sheldrick Ithumba Camp before continuing our safari in Tanzania. Along with our guide we will be the only guests at the camp, where we will be immersed in the daily lives of the elephants, and hopefully meet these two new additions. Below is Sheldrick's description of the Ithumba Camp and the adventure that awaits us.
The Ithumba Camp was built as a self help camp, in an effort to open the Northern Area of Tsavo East to the discerning traveller. This area is remote, wild and untouched, and is not for everybody, but for those that seek solace in Nature and Wilderness; this is Kenya’s largest untouched wild expanse, where a visitor can spend time undisturbed in a pristine area.
January 24, 2012
January 17, 2012
Giselle & Kithaka
This past Friday, January 13th, Giselle Bundchen visited the David Sheldrick Wild Trust's Nairobi nursery. Here is a nice photo of her being upstaged by our little Kithaka. Hopefully high profile visitors like Giselle will help draw much needed attention.
And here is the newest picture of Kithaka chewing on the end of someone's umbrella.
