As I watched that first sunset I tried to find the proper phrase to describe this place. It wasn't until I got home and a friend (who had been to Africa several times) called it "the home of humanity". Exactly. It was overwhelming as we rode through the bush those first couple of days to the point of tears. I'm not sure what made me so emotional and all I can attribute it to was the profound feeling that I was actually in the "home of humanity".
To see these exotic creatures, all in one place, somewhat free to do exactly what came naturally to them was breathtaking. No zoo cages or handlers. I say somewhat free because the reality is that if they do make the mistake of wandering too far to the borders of the park the poachers will get them. And before everyone gets up in arms about the poachers - many of them are simply setting snares to catch food because they don't have any - food that is. Yes, the bad guys are out there too. So, the animals stay somewhat in the middle because they'd rather take their chances with each other.
It is hard to pinpoint one moment on this adventure that stood out amongst all the other amazing moments but the morning of our second safari is right up at the top.
There are many safari companies at South Luangwa hauling us tourists around to see the wildlife. You can always tell if something interesting is going on when all the Range Rovers start to congregate in one place. And so, we found ourselves parked under a tree trying to see what all of the other tourists were pointing their cameras at.
And there it was....
There were many other close encounters but there is nothing quite like being 20 feet from a 2 ton hippo. For all their Shrek-like cuteness, they are apparently pretty ferocious.
On Christmas Day, just when it seemed that most of the animals had taken a holiday, a hippo lifted himself out of a tiny pond right next to the road and lumbered in front of our RR. We followed at a safe distance thinking he would make his way into the bush. Instead, he came upon a stand of really tasty, fresh grass. You could see him trying
to decide if he should charge our vehicle, run the other way or eat. Food won and we got a wonderful Christmas treat. Our guide, Abes, was even surprised.
Coll knows folks and managed to arrange for us to visit the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust. It is a non-profit run by Anna Tolan and her husband, Steve. They rescue orphaned wildlife and provide conservation education to local school children. During our tour we met baby vervet monkeys, bush babies, a baby hippo and Doreen - an adult baboon who had been held captive for years by a sick individual who chained her to the top of his car to advertise his driver education course (while driving) and abused her in other horrible ways. But she is now in a safe place and will live out her days grooming her new "family".
The McPhee's lovely & exuberant daughter, Sharni, is as talented as she is beautiful. She was our official videographer and put together a recap of our time in South Luangwa.
Christmas 2013 - South Luangwa National Park, Mfuwe, Zambia
Next up - "This ain't Niagara Falls.."
To see these exotic creatures, all in one place, somewhat free to do exactly what came naturally to them was breathtaking. No zoo cages or handlers. I say somewhat free because the reality is that if they do make the mistake of wandering too far to the borders of the park the poachers will get them. And before everyone gets up in arms about the poachers - many of them are simply setting snares to catch food because they don't have any - food that is. Yes, the bad guys are out there too. So, the animals stay somewhat in the middle because they'd rather take their chances with each other.
It is hard to pinpoint one moment on this adventure that stood out amongst all the other amazing moments but the morning of our second safari is right up at the top.
There are many safari companies at South Luangwa hauling us tourists around to see the wildlife. You can always tell if something interesting is going on when all the Range Rovers start to congregate in one place. And so, we found ourselves parked under a tree trying to see what all of the other tourists were pointing their cameras at.
And there it was....
A female leopard enjoying her breakfast. She munched for a while and then, whether she grew tired of the audience or was simply full, she hopped down, leaving the impala carcass in the tree and wandered under some bushes for a nap. Our guide told us she would come back to finish up later and
whatever she didn't eat would be taken care of by others. We returned to the spot two days later and sure enough, there was no sign of carnage.There were many other close encounters but there is nothing quite like being 20 feet from a 2 ton hippo. For all their Shrek-like cuteness, they are apparently pretty ferocious.On Christmas Day, just when it seemed that most of the animals had taken a holiday, a hippo lifted himself out of a tiny pond right next to the road and lumbered in front of our RR. We followed at a safe distance thinking he would make his way into the bush. Instead, he came upon a stand of really tasty, fresh grass. You could see him trying
Coll knows folks and managed to arrange for us to visit the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust. It is a non-profit run by Anna Tolan and her husband, Steve. They rescue orphaned wildlife and provide conservation education to local school children. During our tour we met baby vervet monkeys, bush babies, a baby hippo and Doreen - an adult baboon who had been held captive for years by a sick individual who chained her to the top of his car to advertise his driver education course (while driving) and abused her in other horrible ways. But she is now in a safe place and will live out her days grooming her new "family".
The McPhee's lovely & exuberant daughter, Sharni, is as talented as she is beautiful. She was our official videographer and put together a recap of our time in South Luangwa.
Christmas 2013 - South Luangwa National Park, Mfuwe, Zambia
Next up - "This ain't Niagara Falls.."
Great! makes me want to go back :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful description, Lisa...as always!
ReplyDelete