Greetings everyone!
The safari is over and I can honestly say its one of the coolest things I've ever done. I can't stress just how stunning it is to see these animals in their natural environment.
What really struck me over the second half of the trip is the nature of life in the wild. We all learned about it in middle school, but to witness the constant struggle all the creatures of the plain face, it really makes you appreciate the reality of the circle of life.
Let me try to provide some examples...
First up, At sunrise, we saw a standoff between a pride of lions and a hippo over use of a watering hole.
The hippo won and the lions moved on in search of another water source so that they can live another day.
As we rambled down the trail we saw my favorite of all creatures out here, the tembo.
What makes them my favorite you ask? Well first of all they have incredible memories; if an elephant smells you once he will remember you for the rest of his life, which can be 70 years. They also are the only animal other than humans who can die of heartache. Lastly, they are very peaceful and happy animals but if you make one angry you will not be around to tell about it. So yeah, they're pretty sweet.
We saw a Huge herd of 20 or so and watching how they interact as a family you can't help but smile.
One last interesting fact... The calfs will stay with their mother for 16 years! Funny how similar it is to humans.
Next up we saw one of the most bizarre and funny occurrences in the wild, a mating dance. No explanation needed here.
Just past these lovebirds (pun thoroughly intended) was a somewhat brutal sight. (Beware before scrolling further there is a bit of gore so if you are squeamish you've been warned)
A pride of 2 male (brothers) and 9 female lions took down a 2000 lb buffalo. We missed it by about 20 min supposedly.
A little painful to see, but a very graphic reminder of the tough life these animals face.
Last we saw a truly remarkable part of life out here, a hunt....
(In my most sophisticated sounding British accent) "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest cheetah or it will be killed"-African proverb
I saw this take place within 100 ft of me. Below are a few time capture shots of the chase. They take at a rate of 8 per second so that gives you an idea of just how fast the cheetah is moving (they can run 60 mph).
In the end, the cheetah won.
But before you feel too down on the cheetah, realize that she had her responsibilities to fulfill.
The guide said the cubs are less than 5 weeks old and if Momma didn't succeed, they would become food for these guys.
That covers most of the highlights of the trip. As I said it was amazing and if you ever get the opportunity, definitely make the trip.
Until next time...
The safari is over and I can honestly say its one of the coolest things I've ever done. I can't stress just how stunning it is to see these animals in their natural environment.
What really struck me over the second half of the trip is the nature of life in the wild. We all learned about it in middle school, but to witness the constant struggle all the creatures of the plain face, it really makes you appreciate the reality of the circle of life.
Let me try to provide some examples...
First up, At sunrise, we saw a standoff between a pride of lions and a hippo over use of a watering hole.
The hippo won and the lions moved on in search of another water source so that they can live another day.
As we rambled down the trail we saw my favorite of all creatures out here, the tembo.
What makes them my favorite you ask? Well first of all they have incredible memories; if an elephant smells you once he will remember you for the rest of his life, which can be 70 years. They also are the only animal other than humans who can die of heartache. Lastly, they are very peaceful and happy animals but if you make one angry you will not be around to tell about it. So yeah, they're pretty sweet.
We saw a Huge herd of 20 or so and watching how they interact as a family you can't help but smile.
One last interesting fact... The calfs will stay with their mother for 16 years! Funny how similar it is to humans.
Next up we saw one of the most bizarre and funny occurrences in the wild, a mating dance. No explanation needed here.
Just past these lovebirds (pun thoroughly intended) was a somewhat brutal sight. (Beware before scrolling further there is a bit of gore so if you are squeamish you've been warned)
A pride of 2 male (brothers) and 9 female lions took down a 2000 lb buffalo. We missed it by about 20 min supposedly.
A little painful to see, but a very graphic reminder of the tough life these animals face.
Last we saw a truly remarkable part of life out here, a hunt....
(In my most sophisticated sounding British accent) "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest cheetah or it will be killed"-African proverb
I saw this take place within 100 ft of me. Below are a few time capture shots of the chase. They take at a rate of 8 per second so that gives you an idea of just how fast the cheetah is moving (they can run 60 mph).
In the end, the cheetah won.
But before you feel too down on the cheetah, realize that she had her responsibilities to fulfill.
The guide said the cubs are less than 5 weeks old and if Momma didn't succeed, they would become food for these guys.
That covers most of the highlights of the trip. As I said it was amazing and if you ever get the opportunity, definitely make the trip.
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