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Waking up to the gravelly tearing rips, loud chewing and deep satisfying grunts of a 1.5 ton hippo outside my tent is not the most ideal 4am wake-up call. Yet it appears that this Hippo enjoyed the grass surrounding my tent. Somehow these behemoths are Africa's leading killer of humans every year. Apparently catching a hippo off guard or getting between them and their safety nest in the crocodile infested waters of the Luangwa River mean a whole lot of trouble for you. After witnessing them open their jaws almost 180 degrees, I could see why they might easily snap someone in half. Although when we came upon a hippo while on a game drive, it seemed to be much more frightened than evil. Granted I was quite happy with my lodges decision to have night watchmen walk you every where in the evening as there was a large Hippo population floating around.
Went on some game drives to go try and find some wildlife. Chose a night drive first as I figured that's where the most action would be. Spent the first two and half hours taking a scenic stroll of the landscape and sunset. A couple of people
Elephants Fighting
I am sure it was over sausage tree fruit. were getting slightly sore about the lack of animals but I enjoyed it greatly. Rather than it feel like a Disney ride where you board the Land Cruiser and follow the road to animal kingdom, it felt more real. Like you had to earn your animals with some time and effort. Eventually we ran into some older elephants. It was amazing to see them but I was really shocked at how silently they moved about. You couldn't here the ground bending under their massive weight, the leaves crunching or twigs snapping. Silently they moved on by us, apparently indifferent to the flashes of the camera.
We also ran into some Hippos, which wasn't difficult since about 50 of them were roaming around the lodge every night. We found a few of them eating away and I couldn't help but flashback to the board game Hungry Hungry Hippo. It was rather amusing to see them noshing away and so focused in their work. Apparently the Hippo grazes all night and then retreats to the water all day. Not sure that doctors would recommend this binge/fast diet as the results haven't been so flattering for the Hippos.
After a couple
Giraffes
They try to hide but just aren't that good at it. of drives we managed to find the majority of the mammals as well as a variety of birds with an array of plumage. Lions I must admit are a bit disappointing, they don't do much of anything. The lay around all day and the ones we encountered were always full so they laid around all night as well. We did manage to see one roar in a testosterone match with another male lion off in the distance. In fact the testosterone was flowing all over South Luangwa as we saw bull elephants fighting and impala locking horns. It was pretty cool to catch some of these acts in the wild. The apparent prize was finding a leopard in a tree as they are quite elusive (at least I am told).
The giraffes were amusing to me since I seemed unable to locate them in the distance. I was always the last to find them in the jeep. I am not sure how something so tall could escape my view, but I am definitely not on my way to park ranger any time soon. Once I located the giraffes, I laughed as they tried to hide in the trees. By
hide, I mean stick their head in the tree tops and hope that no one noticed the rest of their towering bodies.
For me though, I enjoyed my walking safari the best. It was different in format in that you focused on the smaller things that you couldn't see on a drive. This meant a lot of time looking at tracks, animal pathways and poop. For the better part of a morning I learned an awful lot about poo.
If ever a board game comes out called, "Who by Poo?" with a focus and African animals, I will have a chance at greatness. I can now proudly identify the piled oval poo of the male impala during mating season (or as Yotam called it mounting season). I can tell you that female hippo poo is more darkly colored then the female elephant. I could tell you all about the various dung beetle's that break down elephant poo and that elephants digestive systems aren't very efficient and leave seeds and other delectable's for guinea fowl and baboons to sort out later. I can also tell you that Zebra's will have kidney shaped poo versus more rounded balls of lion
Who By Poo?
An easy one. Due to the white coloration this is clearly hyena dung. poo. Hyena's poo you ask? Obviously it is the white poo as they chew so many bones! My favourite movement would be the male Hippo poo. They use it to provide themselves with instant relief but also as a road marker showing their path from the water to the grass fields. The original road side attraction. Yes I can go on and on but I won't divulge all my information. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to impress you with my "Who by Poo?" skills once Parker Brothers makes it.
As the days progressed, I noticed how certain animals were slighted over the major ones. The elephants, the lions and leopards were all given their proper due. The impalas, puka and zebras were so plentiful that they seemed too commonplace. People weren't breaking out their cameras, their was no hushed silence, the drivers even started to just slow down versus stop. I almost started to feel bad for these animals as their striking beauty was going underserved. Almost but not quite, as my sympathies lie with the sausage tree.
That's right the sausage tree.
Looming large in the African skies is a giant tree. It's
green foliage expands across the horizon providing numerous animals with shelter from the hot African sun. Dangling from the branches are large luminous white fruit (weighing up to 22lbs each) which provide nutrient rich sustenance for elephants, hyenas, baboons and more. And the fruit dangle from a cord like appendage giving them the appearance of giant sausages.
Never before have scientists so aptly named a tree. Rather than complicate matters with fluffy names to make people like the tree more, everyone kept it simple. The tree had these long white fruits dangling down from the branches much like a butcher shop window full of sausages. Thus it shall be called the Sausage tree.
The tree is astonishing to take in. It teases you with hope that sausages may actually grow on trees. It frustrates you as you realize that sadly sausages will never grow on trees. It restores your belief in them as they provide some many animals with food and shelter. It is truly a mesmerizing tree. Forget seeing the Big 5 of Africa and sit me near a sausage tree. Just not under it as the fruit might fall and maim me.
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Connie
non-member comment
Sausage Tree Lover
That was facial hair? Thought you just hadn't been able to wash your face. But, I will never question your poo expertise again. And by the way were you able to try a sausage fruit? You didn't say anything about humans eating them.