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Wednesday September 17, 2008

Animals everywhere! Yesterday, after two long days of class, we left camp at 1:00 to visit Amboseli National Park. The park is located just 40 minutes from KBC, and the majority of the road to get there is exceptionally smooth by Kenyan standards.

Before I begin, let me tell you that the amount of wildlife in that park is unlike anything I have ever seen. I have yet to see a national park in the states that is so teeming with wildlife. (Though my roster of parks visited is not long.) There were zebra and wildebeest more numerous than whitetail deer in Wisconsin. I came to Kenya as a conservationist worried for wildlife, but now I can begin to truly appreciate wildlife and how beautiful animals look in their natural habitats, in places where it appears that everything is right with the universe. As Okello, our wildlife management professor, describes his happiness, our cups were overfilling with joy as our Land Cruisers bounced along the gravel roads taking us past grassland, swampland and woodland.

The first wildlife sighting was a herd impala just inside the main entrance. No more does the word impala bring just a family sedan to mind. Shortly afterwards we came across gazelles, Thomson's and Grant's. They look so similar, but our now trained eyes can identify each. We passed a thorny Acacia tree where a territorial male wildebeest lay stoically in the shade. In the distance we could see the first swamp, but we drove slowly to see what we could find before we reached it. There was a swift male Ostrich, neck reddened and ready to mate, he kept pace with our vehicle as we drove along. We stopped to wait for vehicles in front of us and someone in our Cruiser asked for a double check on a suspected lion. Sure enough, quite a way from the road a young female lion was resting in the shade of an Acacia.

Slowly the grassland gave way to a large swamp where numerous species drank and wallowed right beside one another. There were wildebeest, zebra, and warthog all closer to the road. In the back of the swamp elephants cooled off. An Eland danced across the road and into the swamp, and as it walked beside a giraffe its girth made the long necked one look almost short. A pair of giraffe left the swamp as we rounded a corner and passed right in front of our Cruiser. There was more wildlife in the swap than one could even take in with only one look. As we drove the length of the swamp the Yellow Baboons came towards our vehicles. A large male stopped on a rock and stared back at us. Behind him followed a female with a baby baboon who skipped across the road under the protection of his mother's belly. It was incredible! Okello promised that we would see even more at the next swamp so we pressed on.

Okello didn't lie! As we neared the next swamp we saw from a distance many Buffalo. Their massive curled horns gave them away even from a distance. More zebra played and grazed around the swamp and elephants huddled with cow birds on their backs. Then as we scanned the swamp with our binoculars we had a hippopotamus sighting! Not just one either, but four! They sat low in the water, but their characteristic nose and ears gave them away. We could have spent all afternoon by that swamp watching the animals, but there was more to see so we couldn't delay.

The Cruiser I was in was in the lead of everyone at this point. Next Okello drove us to a sight where he claims he always looks for lions. Just as we rounded a corner I heard a gasp from behind me and I turned to look…there was a lion, sitting beneath a palm, not much more than 10 meters from the road! We drove slowly forward to get a better look, and just as we got around a bush, there were three more lions! There were now three young females and a young male whose mane was just starting to fill in. We drove forward just a little bit more and then another lioness! An entire pride was now in our view! They watched us intently and their tails rose and fell with a steady and cautious rhythm. Okello reminded us to let him know if they get up because one could easily jump the height of our Cruiser. At first I grabbed my camera and snapped picture after picture, but after a minute I put the camera away and took it all in on my own, no digital recording required. I have to admit I had fear and admiration going through my mind. Not everyone gets to see lions in the wild, but it was scary to think about the shear power these animals possess.

Our drive continued, back through grasslands and swampy areas. We spotted more hippo, a Secretary bird, Helmeted Guineafowl, Sacred Ibis, and a pair of African Crowned Cranes! My visit to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo came back to mind and I was happy to see the cranes on their home continent! A lone raptor of some kind scanned the landscape from a huge Acacia branch. About 10 or 12 vultures feasted on the remains of a warthog. There was so much to see I couldn't afford to shut my eyes for even a second.

Five 'o' clock neared and Okello insisted that we start to head back to camp. As we came to the edge of the park we saw several white safari vans stopped along the road all looking out at from our location looked like a bunch of buffalo. Then as we got closer we saw that there were two lionesses and an adult male preparing for a hunt. All the animals lay low to the ground ready to spring. However, the target, a male buffalo was not having it. He turned on the lions and charged at them! The lions retreated and back-up came in as another lioness moved towards the road on the opposite side. When the buffalo turned his back the lions moved towards him, but again he turned, started to run at them and they retreated. We asked Okello to let us stay and watch but he said we had to go. Reluctantly we tapped on the top of the Cruiser signaling that we were ready to ride again. We sped out of the park, our cups of joy really overflowing by then!

It was voted Best Day Ever by everyone at camp. There are few things in my life that compare to that afternoon. Luckily we will be going back to Amboseli this coming Sunday. However that trip will mark the beginning of our animal counts and research so safari time will not be a part of the plan. Still, I'm so excited to go back! Maybe next time we will be lucky enough to spot a cheetah, a hyena, a waterbuck or all of those!

I'll be sure to let you know either way!