Life is a patchwork of experiences
We saw quite a few olive baboons on our trip in Africa. Many of the baboons that we saw were sitting on the side of the road, picking at the trash that collected there. We also saw quite a few in the various National Parks and Reserves. We came across this mom and her very young baby in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. An infant baboon is born with black natal fur which eventually changes color as the baby matures.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
As we drove toward the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, we passed through Maasai tribal land once again. We often passed by groups of young boys hanging out by the side of the road, covered in black cloths and wearing white paint on their faces. We learned that these boys were undergoing their circumcision ritual. Boys in a village between the age of 12 and 15 are circumcised during a special ceremony. Part of the challenge for them is to undergo the procedure in complete silence (and without any anesthetics either). While their body heals for the next 3-4 months, they spend the day on their own out in the bush, dressed in black with their faces painted with white chalk designs. This rite of passage is supposed to take them from being a boy to becoming a warrior. The boys expect payment in exchange for being photographed, and our driver haggled a reasonable price ($2). Presumably, that was why we tended to see them on the routes frequented by the tourist vans.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
I knew I would see many amazing mammals on our game drives in Africa. What I did not expect was to see so many unique and beautiful birds as well. We were fortunate to get a close up view of this beautiful African saddle billed stork as it was feeding in the wetlands of Amboseli National Park. With a height of about 5 feet, it is the tallest stork in the world. These stunning birds are territorial and do not migrate. A male and female mate for life, and unlike many other bird species, the male and female have similar coloring, except that the male has brown eyes and the female will have yellow eyes. As this female took off to fly away, we experienced its 8-9 foot wingspan first hand – a breathtaking sight.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
To say that Grant’s gazelles were a common sighting on our African game drives would be an understatement – we saw them frequently in all the parks. Often times, the sightings were of a “bachelor herd” – that is, a group of younger males, hanging out together for safety, waiting their turn to establish a territory with a group of females. Normally, the boys just grazed and hung out together in a what appeared to be a convivial fashion. Except for this time. As we were leaving Amboseli National Park in Kenya in the early morning, these two males were going at it. They would face off, horns down, then violently lunge at each other and lock horns, then separate and start the process all over again. We watched as they fought for about 5 minutes which seemed like a long time to maintain such intensity. Then, for no obvious reason that we could discern, they separated and each went his own way. Go figure.
Thanks for visiting
Rose
Along with its large elephant population, Amboseli National Park also supports a large variety of other African safari animals and birds. We had another lion sighting when we came across a pride trying to hunt in the middle of the day. The attention of every single herd beast in the area was focused on the lions, ears up, watching intently and keenly tracking what the big cats were doing. Once it was clear that their presence had been discovered, the pride made a half hearted attempt at the hunt, but their cover was blown and it was hot. Eventually, the lions gave up and moved into the greener, swampy grass to cool off. The predators may have decided to rest, but all of the other animals around them maintained their intense vigilance, keeping their attention on the predators for quite a while – just in case.
Thanks for visiting
Rose
Why do we find baby elephants so adorable?
I just could not get my fill of seeing elephants at Amboseli National Park in Kenya, which is a good thing because the park supports a population of about 1200 elephants. Midday, we came across a herd that was cooling off in the park’s muddy swamp land. We watched this little guy for a while as he struggled to make his way through the mud puddle that was almost as deep as he was tall. Once he finally made it out, he went over to mom for a comforting nursing session. We learned that if a baby elephant can fit under his mother’s belly, then he is less than a year old. This little guy may have celebrated his first birthday, but he clearly still needed the comfort and nutrition that only his mother could give. Such a sweet sight.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
As we entered Amboseli National Park in Kenya in the early morning, we came across two younger bull elephants in the midst of a tussle. It looked like they were practicing for when they are older and have to fight it out for the attentions of a female elephant.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
Amboseli National Park in Kenya is known for its vast elephant population. They come down into the park in the morning from the surrounding mountains to look for food and water. We had not even crossed the official park boundaries when we came upon this large male bull elephant with his huge tusks – a real life Tusker (Tusker is one of the African beer brands that features an elephant on the label). Our guide instructed us that such large tusks are a genetic trait, and not necessarily due to just age. This big guy though was clearly quite mature and very much in charge.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
Our East Africa safari tour continued through the Great Rift Valley of Kenya with stops at Lake Nakuru in search of rhinos and Lake Naivasha to discover some of Africa’s many bird species.
Related to the American Bald Eagle, the African fish eagle is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Like the bald eagle, the female is larger than the male, though as can be seen in this photo, the male, with a wingspan of over 6 feet, is pretty big as well. We saw this beauty at Lake Naivasha, one of the few fresh water lakes in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
