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Published: January 28th 2012
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Sleeping through the afternoon yesterday meant that I couldn't sleep at night, so I gave up trying and settled for one of the rubbish magazines that I had bought to read on the plane. As I sorted through them, I found a Virgin Atlantic safety book tucked in amongst them. I'd obviously picked it up by mistake whilst clearing out my seat pocket on the plane. I felt guilty to have deprived Virgin, but only for three seconds, because I'd actually spent about half an hour before take off trying to take photos of the funny pictures on the safety card. My favourites are the child with a ridiculously long head (the elasticated band of the oxygen mask would never go over it), a man with a 60s mullet wearing purple sunglasses with an orange shirt (Virgin, what were you thinking?) and a perplexed looking chap with a life jacket stuck around his neck. This safety book is now officially one of my travel souvenirs.
I was picked up from the hotel at ten o'clock this morning by Evan, the driver who collected me from the airport yesterday, and we set off into the city to get to our first
destination. A few weeks ago there were hyped-up reports on the news about the threat of an imminent terrorist attack in Nairobi. I decided then that if I had to stay in my hotel room for two days until my tour started, that's what I would do, but I'm glad that I got out there and saw beyond not just the security gates of the hotel complex but also the tourist spots that I would see later on. All I saw on that drive through the city centre were locals going about their daily business, mingling occasionally with tourists. I didn't get any sense of fear or tension, contrary to what I had been led to believe by the media, and I felt very safe.
Our first stop was the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which takes in orphaned elephants found by anti-poaching patrols. Some of the babies lost their mothers to natural diseases or lion attacks, but sadly, many of them are there because of poachers and trophy hunters. I found the experience bittersweet. It was lovely to see a six month old elephant loyally following his favourite keeper around, just like he would his mother, but it was
sobering as well to think of the devastation caused to that little animal's life for no reason other than human greed. These orphans will remain at the project for a minimum of three years. One elephant stayed there for nine years before he adapted enough to be released back into the wild. Even after they are released, many of the elephants wander back to visit their rescuers from time to time.
The Trust is only open to the public for an hour each day, which I think is perfect. It doesn't feel like a zoo, and it isn't. The dedicated people involved with this very worthwhile cause are raising awareness and making a difference, and here, the elephants come first. They start off their hour in the public eye by trundling down to a viewing area where they drink bottles of milk and roll in the dirt, or splash about in the pool to cool off. The keepers give informative talks, and the public are allowed to touch the elephants when they come near. I stroked a couple, and they feel exactly as they look - hard and tough, like nothing could pierce their skin. If only that were
true. But as sad as each little elephant's story is, here at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust they have found safety, hope, and love.
After the elephants, we headed off to the nearby Giraffe Centre, which I didn't really think was worth it if you're going on safari in Africa. But it was cheap to get in, and they did have a lovely little baby giraffe who came over to investigate the people cooing over him and snapping photos. Our third and final stop was the Nairobi Safari Walk, and again, I don't know that it was worth it given that I'm going to the Masai Mara tomorrow. Essentially it was a glorified zoo; the animals might live in big enclosures with plenty of foliage to melt away into if they get fed up of being stared at, but they're still in captivity - all except the baboons, who don't actually belong to the park. They just come over to try and steal food from the other animals, and stare at the keepers as if to say..."problem?"
So today was an introduction to Africa's wildlife, and this evening I met the rest of the group who will be
setting off on the tour tomorrow. There's a good mix of ages and nationalities, and actually I'm in the minority, being one of only two Brits. There's four Canadians and five Argentinians, as well as a couple of Australians and a European chap whose exact nationality I haven't been able to figure out yet. But they seem like a good group, and I think we'll get on well. I hope so, because a trip like this could be made or broken by the group that goes on it.
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Janet Sincock
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Breath taking photos Emma and just the start of memories that will last you a lifetime. x