Wild Animals of Africa Part I

Animals Of Pattern

Giraffe
 

According to our guide Joe Kibwe, the giraffe is the national animal of Tanzania.

We enjoyed watching them stretch their necks to get to the most delicious leaves at the top of the acacia tree.

The giraffes really enjoy the art of the stare down, who will blink first?!

Well hello, I adore those gorgeous long lashes ;-)

Zebra

This is one of my favorite photos that I took during the trip, thanks to the zebras posing in this perfect line. 

I wondered why the zebra has never been domesticated like the horse and donkey, Joe told me that unlike the horse, the zebras back is very weak and can't hold much weight. 

Too often these gorgeous animals tend to be dinner for the more powerful animals in the wild  :-(

Obviously zebras like to stick together in large herds, they're very social animals.

Cheetah

The female cheetah is likened to the independent feminist woman, she prefers to fly solo, when she's not raising her cubs she is always alone, for her entire life. This female cheetah was absolutely stunning.

The difference between the male and the female cheetah is in the size of their heads, female cheetahs have smaller heads.

I sensed the slightest bit of sadness in her golden eyes, I can't understand how difficult and stressful it must be to live her life, constantly having her guard up, never sleeping, and bearing all of these feelings alone.

0 to 60mph in 3 seconds, making the cheetah the fastest land mammal.

Bachelor pad - two male cheetahs relaxing under a tree.

S + P

Wedding Night - Photos by: Fiona Conrad

      

 "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wild Family Portraits

By S. Angelo

   "Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!" 

- Albert Einstein

I absolutely loved this handsome family of water buffalo..say cheese!!

Giraffes are notoriously careless parents, yet these three seemed quite attached.

As uncute as the warthog is portrayed in The Lion King, I couldn't help but be completely smitten by these adorable oinkers. Each time we saw them they were in a perfectly straight line, organized from largest to smallest, and prancing/trotting through the plains. It got me every time!

"The impressive phalanx lengthened out into single file, and the pads of the giant beasts struck the path with a harsh grating sound, throwing up clouds of dust that was pink from the presence of quartz fragments in the soil. Along the path, just over a yard wide, passed a procession of swinging, lifting trunks, huge wobbling bellies, immense flapping ears and rhythmically beating tails. At its head marched the leader, a young mother of personable appearance and well balanced proportions, followed by her son, a contemporary of Fil." - Anthony Hinton, Wild Animals of Africa

The zebras were easily frightened as we drove up to them, which caused them to launch into a full gallop, then come to a screeching halt, freeze, and stare right at us.

From the pool at Faru Faru we watched a family of baboons playing with their new born. The tiny baby baboon kept jumping on his father's back and hanging from his neck. From time to time the father would toss him up in the air. I studied this loving behavior for no less than an hour. It was so cute, I almost cried.

These five wildebeests decided against migrating this year, they were the only ones left behind.

The perfect patch of shaded grass for this beautiful lion pride.

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."                             - Mother Teresa