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Published: January 10th 2010
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Our first night in Victoria Falls is somewhat of a blur. As Zimbabwe was the end-point for half of the group that we had been travelling with and had come to know so well over 3 weeks, it was obvious that it would be a noisy and fun-filled farewell. The debauchery that followed is certainly unforgettable (if it can be recalled).
I will save these stories to be told in person and focus instead on some of the lovely sites in and around the infamous Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls
We made the 20 minute walk down to the Victoria Falls National Park with our good friends Daniel, Jordana and Bill. The sound of the 1,000,000 litres of water crashing in to the pools after the 108m fall can be heard from outside the park entrance and as we came upon the view of the falls for the first time it was easy to see why it was named the Mist that Thunders! Unfortunately, we had come at the end of the dry season and as such, the water was not pouring over the entire stretch of the gorge as it does during the rainy season. Still, the sight was
one to be remembered. But one that was difficult to photogrpah given the fact that you become drenched from the mist that showers the entire area!
We met a lovely couple that had come up from southern Zimbabwe with their young daughter to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. They suggested we come to visit them and they were such beautiful, friendly people that I really hope we get back to see them one day. We can use it as an excuse to go and see the falls in the rainy season too!!
Walking with lions
The Lion Encounter project was established in 2005 with the aim to maintain a healthy population of lions in the wild due to the threats of hunting and habitat encroachment. The lion cubs are bred in captivity and spend the first 14 months interacting with humans before being rehabilitated to life in the wild. At this age, the lions are too big and dangerous to allow people to interact with them and from this time to 3 years they are taught to hunt and fend for themselves before being introduced amongst wild populations. The interaction with humans generates the money, which enables such
a program to exist.
On arrival at the Lion Encounter park, we were given a safety briefing and our only protection from the kings of the jungle... wooden sticks! We walked out with a group of the lion handlers and stopped at a small dry river bed. After a minute or so, bounding out from some of the bushes nearby came Jalani and Jabari, two 6 month old lion cubs. I was amazed at the size of the cubs and a little apprehensive at first. We were instructed to approach the lions from behind if we wanted to get close enough and touch them and not to allow them to turn their heads towards us (a little distraction from the trusty stick and a 'nooo' in a firm voice was enough). We tip-toed up to the little critters, talking softly and reassuring the whole time (I think it was more to calm our own nerves than anything!) and were able to sit right next to them as if they were just big pet cats. Even though they were only 6 months old, I dont think I ever felt completely comfortable and the expressions on my face in the photos
probably captures this apprehension quite well!
After 30 minutes with the babies, we got to go and meet the 14 month old male and female. These two were
huge and the our caution could certainly not be disguised in the photos this time.
One of the handlers managed to find a chameleon and Jayde got to hold it. I was never expecting to see one of these amazing creatures in the wild and it was one of the best experiences getting to see one up close. They have to take the cake for coolest animal on Earth! It's phenomenal getting to see how quickly they change colour, the robotic movement when they walk and the full rotation of their eyes.
Elephant back safari
This project was established to care for orphaned elephants. There are 18 elephants at the orphanage and we were both impressed at how they are managed. One of the bull elephants even left the sanctuary a few years back, then returned for around 6 months, before deciding that, no, it wanted to be a wild creature, and so it took off again on it's own!
The elephants were brought around for all of
us to meet. We were blown away by the size of them! We had seen many elephants in the wild in Botswana, but never up this close. We were stood on a raised platform next to the group as they drank from a water trough below and we got to run our hands over their heads. It's hard to describe what elephant skin feels like, needless to say it is cold, extremely rough, extremely hard, but yet you can feel the softness of the body beneath it.
We had to mount the elephants from a set of stairs and Jayde and I rode on the back of Coco, a 5 year old female elephant. One of the handlers sat at the front and controlled Coco and we sat back and enjoyed the hour long stroll around the park. A 3 month old baby (born in the sanctuary) scuttled about in and around the feet of Coco and the only fear I had the entire trip was that the little thing was going to get trampled.
One interesting fact we learned was that elephants are side dominant (ie right handed or left handed) and that this is why their
tusks are often uneven.
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