tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41306426323367157122024-02-20T08:40:18.396-08:00Africa MattersDespite relishing my creature comforts, I decided to get off the sofa in my cosy home in rural England and travel the exhilarating continent of Africa, with her enthralling wildlife, spectacular landscape, dramatic cultures and fierce challenges.
Join me on my wild adventures for the young at heart!Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-36516961123263635792019-05-24T02:11:00.000-07:002019-05-27T03:24:08.481-07:00Elsa’s Pride Is A Symbol of Hope for All Lions<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>This feature was published in My Weekly, a magazine with 271,000 readers across the UK, on May 7, 2019</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlyP68efWEf_6UlTlWSemCMpFbzR_114KtRLgHNRuhpiruCPrpX0S791bTxYKzPrK6WIl_UduBgj6IZlsJLgNrpGB4a86-HO0u5IJDhMbyB6lMJ0NPRIwSmQQXs7yelsKa0wijK3MZNN8/s1600/2+cub.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlyP68efWEf_6UlTlWSemCMpFbzR_114KtRLgHNRuhpiruCPrpX0S791bTxYKzPrK6WIl_UduBgj6IZlsJLgNrpGB4a86-HO0u5IJDhMbyB6lMJ0NPRIwSmQQXs7yelsKa0wijK3MZNN8/s320/2+cub.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">All lion photos by <span style="text-align: start;">Simon Wachira</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuVAX5c9Xuvz9gLw5Iv7fNH4apTIB1ZG1bQ97NELpwfyq1I6LTTkVv1WCZ5AxOyDcQa8FkBsuT9kzC6Tx_wCenojl18muZI7xVbDCQFeysO00ZqonyJQ96OI91vRhZ98pTU_TjI3ST8mQ/s1600/5+cub+close+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuVAX5c9Xuvz9gLw5Iv7fNH4apTIB1ZG1bQ97NELpwfyq1I6LTTkVv1WCZ5AxOyDcQa8FkBsuT9kzC6Tx_wCenojl18muZI7xVbDCQFeysO00ZqonyJQ96OI91vRhZ98pTU_TjI3ST8mQ/s320/5+cub+close+up.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrgoZ5bPKhzXnd_9r7MPMjs0_3yorQtAmp9PflhvYAApKZs0ZO1jD0X3RHa_1escnzFLFdB19ODAQpQraV3-TXWPuL5TWA-WfB_JR2ZuLdY6mUySRY2DLgmYAYX_sQl6IvttgjxC4erMZ/s1600/6+cub+wide+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrgoZ5bPKhzXnd_9r7MPMjs0_3yorQtAmp9PflhvYAApKZs0ZO1jD0X3RHa_1escnzFLFdB19ODAQpQraV3-TXWPuL5TWA-WfB_JR2ZuLdY6mUySRY2DLgmYAYX_sQl6IvttgjxC4erMZ/s320/6+cub+wide+.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cubs at seven months old</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life is not easy for lion cubs. </span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The vulnerable youngsters are
surrounded by dangers every day in the wild and have many survival skills to
learn before becoming capable adults.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Threats to their survival are both human and natural;
vicious snares set by hunters of bush meat, male lions who will kill cubs not
their own offspring and packs of marauding hyenas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Elsa’s Pride is a family of lions living around a dramatic
formation of rocks known as Elsa’s Kopje in the heart of Meru National Park where
the courageous George and Joy Adamson pioneered the protection of lions in
Kenya some 50 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The ever-changing pride currently consists of three males
including alpha male, ‘Mfalme’ and three females and their three cubs, all
about seven months old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq4cahjEgm2H8REY0EBT878-ApdRTZbivqmQeuAF3GBah7-Ub67zKdEMusLVhQIHT3YHoJdciurtlRnFlNLDuwwRHOFWa8C_vFRaPhKA30cIIpvoAbSoa8pNJSHJ9unVt_cj7I5Ym4SGU/s1600/3+female+lionIJPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq4cahjEgm2H8REY0EBT878-ApdRTZbivqmQeuAF3GBah7-Ub67zKdEMusLVhQIHT3YHoJdciurtlRnFlNLDuwwRHOFWa8C_vFRaPhKA30cIIpvoAbSoa8pNJSHJ9unVt_cj7I5Ym4SGU/s320/3+female+lionIJPG.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the females in Elsa's Pride</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjkjM6TPYIVlNFsmG6fxg-cUL3ixRrIUZhS5nW4nWgvnUL19Vmrhs1uoSaTycATnboitDbFoVF-60YcyNwbZBb8Ruw_yDBXTVd4rS9vd5AarTaNLBKgRc-uew-r-DRlKhTYTfjJy9kUK9/s1600/8+two+males.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjkjM6TPYIVlNFsmG6fxg-cUL3ixRrIUZhS5nW4nWgvnUL19Vmrhs1uoSaTycATnboitDbFoVF-60YcyNwbZBb8Ruw_yDBXTVd4rS9vd5AarTaNLBKgRc-uew-r-DRlKhTYTfjJy9kUK9/s320/8+two+males.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two males of Elsa's Pride</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Protecting Lions</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Protecting these three playful little scallywags so they survive
to adulthood at the age of three is a massive challenge for the team of rangers
with Kenya Wildlife Services in partnership with Born Free Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Elsa’s Pride has special significance for the Born Free
Foundation, with headquarters in West Sussex, as the little pride honours the
original Elsa, the famous loveable lion cub hand-raised and released to the
wild by Joy and George.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Adamsons were portrayed in the classic movie Born Free
by British actors, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. The actors were so smitten
by the beautiful lions during filming, they became pioneering wildlife conservationists
and created the <a href="https://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals">Born Free Foundation. </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The lion population in Kenya has been decimated since the
Adamsons’ glory days when more than 20,000 lions roamed the diverse and abundant
habitats of Kenya. The country’s lion population has been reduced to just 2000.
These magnificent apex predators have tragically joined the endangered species
list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Simon is Devoted to
Caring for Lions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZAgBd9PwtwRMF-NtYulroYDbgKcPF4VrIHO2YXC2Q7J65zMazWRBxcf6DMoZgo_Qy0Gqc8PqJvo4p-NJE3cY8yc4qHHgV10edkFD138hE6LRuLdN4phTfhjWanxAssQCbkb9Vjc9SfEG/s1600/simon+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZAgBd9PwtwRMF-NtYulroYDbgKcPF4VrIHO2YXC2Q7J65zMazWRBxcf6DMoZgo_Qy0Gqc8PqJvo4p-NJE3cY8yc4qHHgV10edkFD138hE6LRuLdN4phTfhjWanxAssQCbkb9Vjc9SfEG/s320/simon+field.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon Wachira, in the field, dedicated to wildlife conservation </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYsSAQ4q0mJZ3aPkTLD06cs3BWHM2zXdRMup0zCaLTv-4b1xzlkI_CsWMTiSEmIHgnI_4RcZ8WWt9Yajc3dRMvKkMqyzhXIHe09kpO7OD8MOHE9gCcvh_GRFenjMHrRoGdn3sKQG9CtS4/s1600/simon+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYsSAQ4q0mJZ3aPkTLD06cs3BWHM2zXdRMup0zCaLTv-4b1xzlkI_CsWMTiSEmIHgnI_4RcZ8WWt9Yajc3dRMvKkMqyzhXIHe09kpO7OD8MOHE9gCcvh_GRFenjMHrRoGdn3sKQG9CtS4/s320/simon+lake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RRszMtYvcftvwur9ZKGq0iSDMHoJFU-Cw76aqrKEN7LYO0xxrWdUZliNDNJAihTgsBllxoD5tX52lywmTXcupaVcZMPICOpF6gUZIT_J5IrnKJBMNjh9oVjawkUZboU0vQok2kDzRQPO/s1600/simon+river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RRszMtYvcftvwur9ZKGq0iSDMHoJFU-Cw76aqrKEN7LYO0xxrWdUZliNDNJAihTgsBllxoD5tX52lywmTXcupaVcZMPICOpF6gUZIT_J5IrnKJBMNjh9oVjawkUZboU0vQok2kDzRQPO/s320/simon+river.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Simon Wachira, a research technologist with KWS for the past
13 years, has been meticulously monitoring the lions in Meru National Park, observing
their behaviours and collecting and analysing scat and hair samples and
identifying individual lions from their unique whisker patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a scientist he explains: “We do not interfere when male
lions are fighting. We just observe because this is the natural order. But our
vets will treat injuries inflicted from these savage clashes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We are carefully monitoring the cubs and observing them as
they grow up and learn hunting skills from their mothers and father. We want
them to grow and flourish and breed so the number of lions will increase.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Simon was destined for this important work. He reflects: “I
have been passionate about animals ever since I was a kid. I love my job. I
enjoy watching the cubs playing together. The whole pride is so affectionate. The
way the mothers groom the cubs is delightful to watch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Simon is dismayed by the fearful myths surrounding lions. </span><span style="color: #990000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“I am curious about why humans fear these amazing animals.
I’m never scared of the lions. Lions can smell adrenalin. I stay very calm and
sit close, observing them for hours. They know me and will rub up against the
vehicle to greet me when I arrive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EVlShRGeVulrbPRx9nT9qtlrNR68PeZZYjbIHJVUZ0qCKs_qXHUGEHJztg6O9xkyJoQGfBP8mEm9AJJGqscew8DpU-4zmInk-79LOuNszfQgvQBj8eElGEoBDuyQJ-62UE9AXoku0NMt/s1600/4+lion+closeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EVlShRGeVulrbPRx9nT9qtlrNR68PeZZYjbIHJVUZ0qCKs_qXHUGEHJztg6O9xkyJoQGfBP8mEm9AJJGqscew8DpU-4zmInk-79LOuNszfQgvQBj8eElGEoBDuyQJ-62UE9AXoku0NMt/s320/4+lion+closeup.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We are educating the young generation of Kenyan school
children about the importance of wildlife conservation and we’re hopeful about
the future of our lions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We also educate the local communities about co-existing
with lions and respecting their habitats. The Born Free team has been clearing
the lethal snares from the park.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 35, Simon is devoted to protecting all three prides of
around 70 lions that live in the 336 square miles of wilderness cradled by the
beautiful Nyambene Hills with 13 life-giving rivers including the mighty Tana running
through the arid savannah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpZ51DGrdp1VtxlZ0b-njKgUp2ih5MA-EOWaZOIv9BZHRyYmouRlinx7v9baLtHpErC8a-2AQFK-kQXu3iXwFyiG_OyzLl7D11ySXcjc-7CjTaDNM1BzPScQGNQf5VvT7HQfwq_MRERdz/s1600/zebra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpZ51DGrdp1VtxlZ0b-njKgUp2ih5MA-EOWaZOIv9BZHRyYmouRlinx7v9baLtHpErC8a-2AQFK-kQXu3iXwFyiG_OyzLl7D11ySXcjc-7CjTaDNM1BzPScQGNQf5VvT7HQfwq_MRERdz/s320/zebra.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Pristine Paradise</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The lions share this paradise with herds of elephants, rhinos,
giraffe, zebras, buffalo and waterbucks, a vast variety of antelopes from
impala to elands, baboons and monkeys, warthogs, hippos and crocodiles and
hundreds of species of exotic birds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Games drives of international tourists explore this diverse
and pristine national park, less known than other reserves such as the popular
Maasai Mara. Revenue from visitors funds KWS to protect the delicate eco
systems and precious wildlife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I visited Meru National Park from my home in Kent to see the
birthplace of the lion conservation movement, and the rocky outcrop where the
legendary Elsa would climb half way to the top to languish in the shade and
gaze out across her territory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B1t6yG_oXNwQ28DS8y9MSL5TL_zZG_dkHau56UQIw7KBAhnObZg3RkYlCvEmTKVQZGcKOhdWAUN3wyis2ISvDcFzk98FpoIWdIWz8TvBKKdd-Uk-LQP_PfOum77FqmD6srMEu15ZEB5d/s1600/me+and+guide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B1t6yG_oXNwQ28DS8y9MSL5TL_zZG_dkHau56UQIw7KBAhnObZg3RkYlCvEmTKVQZGcKOhdWAUN3wyis2ISvDcFzk98FpoIWdIWz8TvBKKdd-Uk-LQP_PfOum77FqmD6srMEu15ZEB5d/s320/me+and+guide.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and guide in front of Elsa's Kopje</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmcv6hX6Csnho58d46wq0CjE3ss-nnCPk54-glHlPCuYYX1HWQzi9zdq9dwor6LmUStv9NuhD4_oF51It3k7VQ_lfsLEyo9aTNavkvJzDNUzv1e6yWW9wMllvn_XLrc3KSn0TlJaYbePB/s1600/me+on+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmcv6hX6Csnho58d46wq0CjE3ss-nnCPk54-glHlPCuYYX1HWQzi9zdq9dwor6LmUStv9NuhD4_oF51It3k7VQ_lfsLEyo9aTNavkvJzDNUzv1e6yWW9wMllvn_XLrc3KSn0TlJaYbePB/s320/me+on+fence.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on the rock wall in front of Elsa's Kopje</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Animals in the Wild </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My game drive was thrilling! </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is something magnificent
and awe-inspiring about seeing wild animals in their natural habitat, at peace
with nature and undisturbed by humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As an avid fan of the delightful Born Free movie since childhood,
I was elated to be in the wilderness where the rescue and release of Elsa began
a worldwide era of empathy and love for lions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVBR1hG1BB_cMyfFsYaqzBNCQCguYM7qwd0mwV4u-GwQ2D8ZPPmQbQDbT4LQduwMKHgfw99RKdAvhRW9oiF-bFm03HZtKBpdXgmlZFKuqNmBmGi2rnY_ItL5sv8ci5oIp7dPG0dZOpHDX/s1600/baobab+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVBR1hG1BB_cMyfFsYaqzBNCQCguYM7qwd0mwV4u-GwQ2D8ZPPmQbQDbT4LQduwMKHgfw99RKdAvhRW9oiF-bFm03HZtKBpdXgmlZFKuqNmBmGi2rnY_ItL5sv8ci5oIp7dPG0dZOpHDX/s320/baobab+tree.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dramatic Baobab tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the day of my game drive, the grasslands, spiky Acacia
bushes, Baobab trees and towering Doum palms were brittle with thirst and the animals,
large and small, were seeking relief from the sweltering heat in the shallow watering
holes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But that same night the longed-for rain arrived and the
staff at the Ikweta Safari Camp rushed outside to dance in the wind, feel the cool
raindrops and breathe in the revitalising freshness of the gift from the night
sky. And the parched landscape was instantly transformed to green. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nature has the power to revive and renew. Hopefully humans
can also help return the lost lions of Meru.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #660000;">Support Wildlife Conservation</span></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Born Free Foundation raise funds to monitor and protect the
lion population of Africa through their adoption programme. Lion lovers can
adopt Elsa’s Pride for as little as £3 a month (£36 a year) by visiting bornfree.org.uk/adopt<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Simon is in desperate need of a wildlife camera to record
the behaviours of the Meru lions, which will assist in vital research and
protection of the species. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Ikweta Safari Camp</span><span style="color: #b45f06;"> offers luxurious “tents” – beautiful
rustic rooms made from a combination of solid brick structures and canvas –
with giant comfortable beds and bathrooms with a bush view. The spacious
restaurant offers superb cuisine while the shimmering pool provides serenity
and respite for guests between game drives.</span><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiFl9hZk338NYbRv3ZM1uuJNUJfEpDDJ1yGMi212TwTcf8-8Y9q1GcB5kduj_Al2CU3jV_GMm3TfEi2zPjP1cvjKoqoHJZ_yh8QE6pw0fSTKjIHOLJFn9GOgiun5uA3ln30XUvRGtDuGL/s1600/John%2526Susan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="404" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiFl9hZk338NYbRv3ZM1uuJNUJfEpDDJ1yGMi212TwTcf8-8Y9q1GcB5kduj_Al2CU3jV_GMm3TfEi2zPjP1cvjKoqoHJZ_yh8QE6pw0fSTKjIHOLJFn9GOgiun5uA3ln30XUvRGtDuGL/s320/John%2526Susan.jpeg" width="184" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /><span style="color: #b45f06;"></span></i></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Former UN senior advisors, Susan and John Nkinyangi </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">established the idyllic</span></i><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">camp in 2012 to encourage more people to explore the
under-rated Meru National Park.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Susan explains: “We provide middle-range, affordable
accommodation - between the extremes of high end and low end - to meet the need
of travellers who dream of going on a safari adventure.”</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-11562513990140397172019-03-22T00:05:00.000-07:002019-03-22T00:09:44.063-07:00Njeru’s Passion<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBEs9WqieGni4v5mjfAl0NYh_MBkqTdRjnfDHD6Pth6LoCZnM0cb32OCAVp09d_Ws5cQ1GFtV6dgbO91hIDuyZPHiuCEkkude3cCX-lYwpVTn3380KJJezWAyc8Xqdlw5k_EOpuJwIS1w/s1600/IMG_2959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBEs9WqieGni4v5mjfAl0NYh_MBkqTdRjnfDHD6Pth6LoCZnM0cb32OCAVp09d_Ws5cQ1GFtV6dgbO91hIDuyZPHiuCEkkude3cCX-lYwpVTn3380KJJezWAyc8Xqdlw5k_EOpuJwIS1w/s400/IMG_2959.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mr Justin Njeru has devoted his life to coffee farming in
the lush tropics surrounding majestic Mount Kenya.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But the first time he tasted his own quality coffee was when
I visited from the UK and stayed at his hotel and gave him a bag of freshly
ground beans grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya that I’d bought from a
supermarket in London!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sitting together on the shady balcony of the Snow Peak
hotel, he slowly pushes down the plunger and chuckles with glee at the irony! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the age of 76, married to wife Sylvia for 47 years, father of six and grandfather of 13, Mr Njeru has a renewed sense of purpose!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yktz764Bwso8gFiDyfXpircGWCVE0QROoGkWGmXsRCRpwtsYfUxIl6pdF4HfrmW6FXWFJYDz7lO31JQwW2Lbn-LZB0CV06VIsjN77pe7HNip7o8HqoadA8NxQzLyeJbbm4_JR3mW1USV/s1600/IMG_3110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yktz764Bwso8gFiDyfXpircGWCVE0QROoGkWGmXsRCRpwtsYfUxIl6pdF4HfrmW6FXWFJYDz7lO31JQwW2Lbn-LZB0CV06VIsjN77pe7HNip7o8HqoadA8NxQzLyeJbbm4_JR3mW1USV/s320/IMG_3110.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Revenge is Sweet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He is finally defying the British colonialists! And the
taste of revenge is sweet! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He explains that in the 1950s the British rulers made it
illegal for the local people in the fertile coffee-growing region of Meru to
drink their own coffee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Instead the lucrative product was exported for the
burgeoning mass markets in the UK and profits were greedily grabbed by the
wealthy elite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hard-working Kenyan coffee farmers were paid peanuts!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He reflects: “I remember when coffee was first introduced to
this area, people, even the growers were not allowed to drink coffee because it
was not available in the shops. The only way one could drink coffee was to use
crude means like grinding the beans with stones and boiling it. If you were
caught you would be prosecuted. You would be taken to the Chief and punished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Our coffee was all being exported. It was for export to
Britain, for the white man.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Passion of a Lifetime<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mr Njeru grew up learning every aspect of coffee growing
from his father. He has witnessed green berries turn into ruby cherries for
countless seasons and he’s harvested and processed millions of sacks of beans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“When coffee was first introduced in 1950 my father planted
coffee. We didn't have farm implements so the children would dig the holes and watch
as the trees were planted. So I developed an interest in growing coffee as a
child. It has been my life-long passion.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He nurtures 15,000 trees spread over 17 acres of idyllic
farmland of volcanic red soil, basking under blue skies of endless sunshine and
generous rainfall, producing the finest coffee in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Champion of the Growers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He has championed the rights of hundreds of coffee growers
in the region as Chairman of the Mount Kenya Fine Arabica Coffee Growers’
Association. And yet, even today, 56 years after Independence from British Rule
in 1963, farmers are still exploited by the middlemen and paid peanuts for
their delectable beans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Growing coffee is very difficult and the regulations are
stringent, especially during harvesting. You must take only the ripe berries of
the finest quality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The coffee grown in Kenya is mostly Arabica which is better
in quality because of the aroma and the acidity. And growing Arabica is more
demanding, the care is more tender, than growing Robusta coffee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We are proud that Kenyan coffee is renowned as the best in
the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Justice for Justin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While coffee connoisseurs around the world are insatiable
for their daily caffeine fix, the farmers of Kenyan do not receive a fair price
for their top quality product, their arduous labour and their loving dedication
to perfection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But all that can change. Justice for Justin and his fellow
coffee growers is possible if they can by-pass the controlling grip of the
Coffee Board and sell directly to independent buyers from other countries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Talking about his hopes and dreams, he states: “Growers
should be allowed to do their own marketing and sell to the willing buyer. We
are fighting for the right to sell our coffee freely.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Development in this region is all pegged to coffee as a
cash crop. Coffee has supported education by building schools and allowing
parents to pay school fees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“I dream of processing and exporting my own coffee as a
finished product, rather than a raw material, at fair price.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As international trade markets relax, there is hope that
Kenyan farmers will finally receive a fair price for their quality coffee,
their expertise and their labour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
maybe the local people will even get to enjoy a freshly ground brew of this
elixir of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrs4IP4vHOLkVdb-SXGHoR1efAWuz_S0m3x0wq8_Pfqli_Cq1D2HNK4cwFraZ7GBxUBC6v3yMCYZIMpSoVnMTIT1ORIJ1DUXexsoxVR9ufBcLx0UaYa9CPxl-IRQvcnTsFObbnNiRpPzSo/s1600/IMG_3108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrs4IP4vHOLkVdb-SXGHoR1efAWuz_S0m3x0wq8_Pfqli_Cq1D2HNK4cwFraZ7GBxUBC6v3yMCYZIMpSoVnMTIT1ORIJ1DUXexsoxVR9ufBcLx0UaYa9CPxl-IRQvcnTsFObbnNiRpPzSo/s400/IMG_3108.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talented young film makers Victor and Mike made this delightful film about Mr Njeru's passion for coffee growing </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9CYFSDaq9o">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9CYFSDaq9o</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-49989398507319073242019-01-04T00:53:00.000-08:002019-01-04T00:53:43.787-08:00Brave Lion Cub Finds Freedom<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This feature was published in the Real Life section of My Weekly Christmas magazine December 2018. I wrote the story on behalf of Born Free's Chris Draper based on my interview with him describing his emotional experiences of transporting little King to freedom. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Lion Called King </b></span></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Born Free wildlife expert, Dr Chris Draper shares his emotional story
of returning little King to his African homeland. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah9eOABX2Uy0ommEItcKeTtlV95aVArJdVkelxxjEF2p3zjzv2Fwotaaf8lo7Dj9rRtnKu3lo98yXSh-7Huko4Y26rcA5m-6cmQHfrnm5VsEh_HsuD0j-dg4Ch7Mrulspzkqk3CJiaWeG/s1600/Photo+2.+Credit+Fondation+30+Millions+d%25E2%2580%2599Amis.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1189" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah9eOABX2Uy0ommEItcKeTtlV95aVArJdVkelxxjEF2p3zjzv2Fwotaaf8lo7Dj9rRtnKu3lo98yXSh-7Huko4Y26rcA5m-6cmQHfrnm5VsEh_HsuD0j-dg4Ch7Mrulspzkqk3CJiaWeG/s320/Photo+2.+Credit+Fondation+30+Millions+d%25E2%2580%2599Amis.PNG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">King the lion cub was rescued from a filthy dog crate in a
Paris apartment, the victim of the illegal pet trade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Born Free first got wind of his sad plight after he’d been
taken to a refuge in Belgium and we decided to relocate him to his African
homeland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I first saw King in Belgium he was traumatised and
terrified of humans. Just a few months old and shaking with fright, he bolted
up a branch and refused to come down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few weeks later it was a different story. After care from
expert staff, he trusted that we wouldn’t hurt him. He became less fearful and
much more alert, interested and playful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGKlEOlA1L7KsVwk1H3w0tCNnfQ1cwzCLBJiYvec-YZZOSj48mURodrLklAx9VGuWtQdwIH7TNuB6r17w8sKWMIp_NVsnxfNF5ls6dzlK12_ceSQzigiEwyIe99yX5Ok3ggJ2rOGMcB_D/s1600/3+King+Belgium++Dec+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGKlEOlA1L7KsVwk1H3w0tCNnfQ1cwzCLBJiYvec-YZZOSj48mURodrLklAx9VGuWtQdwIH7TNuB6r17w8sKWMIp_NVsnxfNF5ls6dzlK12_ceSQzigiEwyIe99yX5Ok3ggJ2rOGMcB_D/s400/3+King+Belgium++Dec+2017.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The epic journey to our <span lang="EN-US">big cat
rescue sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South
Africa was a profoundly emotional experience, a highlight of my </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;">18 years working with many
species of animals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was the first time I’ve moved such a vulnerable animal
over this distance and with so many hopes riding on the outcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had the comfort of knowing King was going to an idyllic
habitat but the poor little chap didn't know what was happening! We tried to
make the transport as comfortable as possible. But it’s never going to be a
natural experience for a big cat to travel in a truck and fly in a plane! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The gruelling
transportation stretched over two days and began on the hottest day of the 2018
summer. King was loaded into a cool, sturdy crate and we travelled by lorry
across Europe </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;">and crossed the English Channel
by tunnel to London. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiY25vGhhepu6EIvb95tGhLaKm0mb_ZTZnyQRKFUwRqKtK0vqHtasxr0Jh5XzXNxEyF71C5y-MjK71GgOd717CSp0irgkJaE77yKOHLWy35CS-9kncckqkLrWMf6C4wSsG77GPbZPuoqb/s1600/King+%2526+KA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiY25vGhhepu6EIvb95tGhLaKm0mb_ZTZnyQRKFUwRqKtK0vqHtasxr0Jh5XzXNxEyF71C5y-MjK71GgOd717CSp0irgkJaE77yKOHLWy35CS-9kncckqkLrWMf6C4wSsG77GPbZPuoqb/s320/King+%2526+KA.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1vqhGxvqfCShbmdPrEUa80CUobo5-A4eFdwuJYbB6yY7S4ScMu7vHY4S_h6wCcOEvz-jx9fnUt-N00JuvaIC8dJMEy7j9V6GQ12NTdMji2lmAw3zg58qEkJpjdBRUVeUUF8rfhTC-w7K/s1600/8+Nairobi+Airport.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1vqhGxvqfCShbmdPrEUa80CUobo5-A4eFdwuJYbB6yY7S4ScMu7vHY4S_h6wCcOEvz-jx9fnUt-N00JuvaIC8dJMEy7j9V6GQ12NTdMji2lmAw3zg58qEkJpjdBRUVeUUF8rfhTC-w7K/s320/8+Nairobi+Airport.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At Heathrow Airport, I waited with King in the cargo area
and checked on him on the tarmac as we loaded him into the hold of the plane. I
was as nervous as if he was my own child!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Passengers of that Kenya Airways flight were unaware as they
drank their G&T that a little lion cub was travelling just a few feet below
them! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We flew through the night to Nairobi and on to Johannesburg
where our precious cargo was transferred to a light plane to fly to Port
Elizabeth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally in the last leg of the incredible 6,200 mile journey, we travelled by road to <span lang="EN-US">Shamwari.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEsiFp0XLPlRqCNKfdnP3wPwJIm37PGCdA2kFcZEfaW4v7rCfmKu3LNBWs705SlfMxOqVME5vyLGZzyOeL9v8Clasu14CGZ7xpUK6f9hBtrQdf-18_XjmVJugY8d11MpDVG6JlSHSPjf-/s1600/10+KING+road+to+Shamwari++July+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEsiFp0XLPlRqCNKfdnP3wPwJIm37PGCdA2kFcZEfaW4v7rCfmKu3LNBWs705SlfMxOqVME5vyLGZzyOeL9v8Clasu14CGZ7xpUK6f9hBtrQdf-18_XjmVJugY8d11MpDVG6JlSHSPjf-/s320/10+KING+road+to+Shamwari++July+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Freedom for King </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next morning at first light we allowed King into his new
home. It was such a joyful experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We can get strange reactions from animals as they’re
released from a travelling crate. Some refuse to leave the crate and some are disorientated.
But King jumped straight out and bounded into his new home. He had never felt
grass before and never explored such a vast open space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAflEJw2k8bRP721SP2cVjPLA0i5617Mnp16bcHPxQ35YNrLrBWfoPc-EX3WvyAPv5_yyxv8LjnmJVnnpiCXYKHwFup4L5cM9htK_871J4FFSfwFTdJTh1yEiZfqCRjlhgpptg3cLWFhCd/s1600/12+KING+Shamwari+Release+July+2018+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAflEJw2k8bRP721SP2cVjPLA0i5617Mnp16bcHPxQ35YNrLrBWfoPc-EX3WvyAPv5_yyxv8LjnmJVnnpiCXYKHwFup4L5cM9htK_871J4FFSfwFTdJTh1yEiZfqCRjlhgpptg3cLWFhCd/s320/12+KING+Shamwari+Release+July+2018+.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other lions in the neighbouring camps came over to have
a look at the little newcomer and started calling to him. We expected him to
run in fear but he approached the fence and studied the big male lions. He
wasn't fazed at all. Such a brave little lion! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everyone was exhausted but relieved and elated! We watched
the happy cub for hours, mesmerised as he played with leaves and twigs! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our dedicated animal care team loved him straight away and I
knew he was going to be well looked after. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since then I’ve had glowing reports about his progress. King
is thriving alongside other rescued lions and leopards, now living in our
sanctuary in natural habitat under the African sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The big cats live in massive natural enclosures. We don't
want to keep them in captivity but they would not survive in the wild having
not learnt hunting or other survival behaviours from their mothers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For many of our cats at the Shamwari sanctuary, the damage
done by early physical abuse and neglect has caused lifetime health problems. One
lioness has a wobbly head due to a neurological disorder. Others have stunted growth.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lions are iconic to Born Free’s history however we help a
wide range of endangered species around the world including tigers, cheetahs, elephants,
primates, bears, whales, dolphins and many more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our adoption programme is vital. As a charity we rely on
people’s generosity to care for King and other rescued animals at our
sanctuaries, to campaign for change to the lives of animals in captivity in
zoos, circuses and as ‘exotic pets’ and to support our work to keep wildlife
where it belongs – in the wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">African lions are facing a crisis with an alarming drop in
their wild population over the last 20 years. King is a little champion, a
symbol of hope for all lions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rxMtQW2WKY6xvSge6hOBU8oX1XdobpnKokr7fVnP4qJaBGHq5iYNyb5IJRU29PbdCo1PYIFhOKrmRzjNqznhnH4DjFZ7jjU4j-t7mrAfO5EaC4yb56bkYzE5522ejNLkcXpxV1SamkBb/s1600/14+King+free+and+happy+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rxMtQW2WKY6xvSge6hOBU8oX1XdobpnKokr7fVnP4qJaBGHq5iYNyb5IJRU29PbdCo1PYIFhOKrmRzjNqznhnH4DjFZ7jjU4j-t7mrAfO5EaC4yb56bkYzE5522ejNLkcXpxV1SamkBb/s400/14+King+free+and+happy+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Healthy and Happy King at 18 months old, enjoying life at the Shamwari Sanctuary, South Africa </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Protecting Animals<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwWk-5opFYI3uOcQzFEolU5rBH-Yoa708uZIYM9PMnvUKSpp7pv1m0FMDG_aXnvZR3abQeE9JPusNjhj5937XobHwmxEV-ixTqiYDS9fYmqGkBklyIUbJHYfRwzt1Jkw47IKniWBRIpUb/s1600/16+Dr+Chris+Draper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwWk-5opFYI3uOcQzFEolU5rBH-Yoa708uZIYM9PMnvUKSpp7pv1m0FMDG_aXnvZR3abQeE9JPusNjhj5937XobHwmxEV-ixTqiYDS9fYmqGkBklyIUbJHYfRwzt1Jkw47IKniWBRIpUb/s320/16+Dr+Chris+Draper.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr Chris Draper, 42, and his wife Lianna have two toddlers and a rescued poodle and live in
West Sussex near UK Born Free headquarters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Chris is Head of Animal Welfare and Captivity with the Born
Free Foundation, which works across the world to end exploitation of wild
animals in captivity and the wild. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Legendary actors, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna OBE and
their son Will Travers OBE started the charity as Zoo Check in 1984. The couple
became passionate wildlife conservationists after starring in the classic 1966
movie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Born Free</i> portraying George
and Joy Adamson and their pioneering work with lions in Kenya and the
miraculous release of their hand-raised lioness Elsa into the wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;">For more information visit </span><a href="http://www.bornfree.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-US">www.bornfree.org.uk</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Adopt King for Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">By giving your
family member or friend the gift of adopting King, you will help fund his
lifetime care – food, veterinary care and enclosure upkeep.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">For just £3 a
month</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;">, or one
payment of £36, they will receive an exclusive King adoption pack with a
soft toy, King’s story, a lion fact sheet, certificate and glossy photo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Available from <u style="text-underline: blue;">www.bornfree.org.uk/adopt</u><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-9731486455277465402018-07-24T02:42:00.000-07:002018-07-24T03:17:41.649-07:00For the Love of Elephants<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitr8yTJge_r14j60p7OdIh2YU9MsZGKhOleOEcNRhUUX_XI5MfKuBWuGXSIOlF_zzVhkac9LAXAJMt2sWHQWlB52OBCqzu72CIncSE970addQ0B8QlKyJQtTFtq44HBAD8OXMJper__pwn/s1600/1a+Daphne+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitr8yTJge_r14j60p7OdIh2YU9MsZGKhOleOEcNRhUUX_XI5MfKuBWuGXSIOlF_zzVhkac9LAXAJMt2sWHQWlB52OBCqzu72CIncSE970addQ0B8QlKyJQtTFtq44HBAD8OXMJper__pwn/s320/1a+Daphne+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dame Daphne Sheldrick</td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Legendary Champion of the Elephants, Dame Daphne Sheldrick passed away in
April, aged 83, after a courageous battle with cancer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Her devoted daughter, Angela Sheldrick paid tribute to her my mum saying:
“Her legacy is immeasurable and her passing will reverberate far and wide
because the difference she has made for conservation in Kenya is unparalleled.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94X-bqnz2DJF1PWK6vKRDvLEsmhceJQs1qpyD1stoi_cYsd_ZDJRudVubz8X4iDNvIncaOQZq8_5aVV4en-gZ1BwtGgt9GERMlK6DwuXKFdDDBle0CDfTJpnztit6GWKsLKJnk-leTR0n/s1600/1.Angela+Sheldrick+and+Dr.+Dame+Daphne+Sheldrick%252C+photo+by+Michael+Nichols.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94X-bqnz2DJF1PWK6vKRDvLEsmhceJQs1qpyD1stoi_cYsd_ZDJRudVubz8X4iDNvIncaOQZq8_5aVV4en-gZ1BwtGgt9GERMlK6DwuXKFdDDBle0CDfTJpnztit6GWKsLKJnk-leTR0n/s320/1.Angela+Sheldrick+and+Dr.+Dame+Daphne+Sheldrick%252C+photo+by+Michael+Nichols.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Michael Nichols</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela is determined to carry on her mother’s work to save and protect endangered
elephants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In October 2017, I travelled to Nairobi for an exclusive
interview with Angela reflecting on her life growing up with pioneering parents
and the future of her important work.</span></span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A brief version of this story was published in the UK magazine My Weekly
Special in June 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is the long version of my inspiring interview with Angela.</span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span></i><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Angela's Love Story</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Angela Sheldrick, elegant in a pretty long floral dress, is
seated serenely in a comfy armchair. In contrast, she usually spends her days outdoor
in khakis, handling adorable baby elephants that delight in frolicking in
rust-red mud!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4gTKoQuRAfdLQSQa7kQFGX-Y9Jsah3iFgiawzVm7EhBpSQ2dvhzFZQ_3r4EFM08QhzMR2iTnUluJVLlF3IMZQMc3OXJxP8tqZH1SwOXaLJcoLT41bvE1sFj7SNYOFJnmOidgqdsfNYDA/s1600/2+Angela+Sheldrick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4gTKoQuRAfdLQSQa7kQFGX-Y9Jsah3iFgiawzVm7EhBpSQ2dvhzFZQ_3r4EFM08QhzMR2iTnUluJVLlF3IMZQMc3OXJxP8tqZH1SwOXaLJcoLT41bvE1sFj7SNYOFJnmOidgqdsfNYDA/s400/2+Angela+Sheldrick.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela, 55, is the dynamic CEO of the David Sheldrick
Wildlife Trust that runs the world famous Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya,
caring for rescued babies left stranded when their mothers are brutally killed
by poachers for the abhorrent illegal ivory trade or succumb to devastating
drought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She talks eloquently in a perfect British accent about her
passions and growing up wild and free in the untamed African bush in an idyllic
landscape surrounded by exotic animals and cuddly pets with her big sister Jill
and her legendary, pioneering parents, Daphne and David. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">“I had a very unique childhood living in Eden. My father, a warden
in the late 50s, 60s and 70s, was charged with the protection and creation of a
national park out of 8000 square miles of virgin wilderness at Tsavo. So those
kinds of experiences can never be duplicated in today’s world because such uncharted
wildernesses don't exist any more. It was an extraordinary privilege and I can’t
imagine a more perfect childhood!”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Earthy and Arty<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">While at home in the bush, Angela is also a talented artist. Her highly acclaimed whimsical watercolours capture the fragility and gentle playfulness of elephant babies. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDmElgjG0aRB1AUh5TupJmOClYLug8paaAgLxObv3_ZRUAQSMcJuuwNMOnnLJOCEcX63H8GvCxJBtuEdDl4wt4yGTVnRFwF6zAdoK-GttOLLCFxBLiX5TiBapWbZz0iiE4sKUI8nQCGar/s1600/3+watercolour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDmElgjG0aRB1AUh5TupJmOClYLug8paaAgLxObv3_ZRUAQSMcJuuwNMOnnLJOCEcX63H8GvCxJBtuEdDl4wt4yGTVnRFwF6zAdoK-GttOLLCFxBLiX5TiBapWbZz0iiE4sKUI8nQCGar/s400/3+watercolour.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Angela's beautiful watercolours that help raise money for the Trust</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela was catapulted into the glamorous film industry when
she landed a job on the epic movie, Out of Africa, as one of the assistants to
the dress designer, Milena Canonero, and later became a make-up artist and
lived a carefree life travelling the world on job assignments throughout her
20s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">After graduating from art school at the University of Cape
Town, Angela was living in the cosmopolitan city between film shoots. But returning
home to Kenya for a holiday, she fell in love with her soul mate, Robert
Carr-Hartley.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTy4qXkcKlme_Q9kSHC_1S9Ap6sScBp2TSon383Eh097_vDFwAF2ru1K1EyUgm3uODOAi6OK2Ot1S_4oHz1raa4CYuXmaSramWINdnVOywXaP58Gat-imTuj4YOEbIOSo32OPAcLoFJDv/s1600/4+Robert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="289" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTy4qXkcKlme_Q9kSHC_1S9Ap6sScBp2TSon383Eh097_vDFwAF2ru1K1EyUgm3uODOAi6OK2Ot1S_4oHz1raa4CYuXmaSramWINdnVOywXaP58Gat-imTuj4YOEbIOSo32OPAcLoFJDv/s400/4+Robert.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angela's husband Rob shares her devotion to elephant conservation</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The partnership was a match made in heaven. Robert was also
raised in the wilderness of Kenya in a hardy, pioneering family.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She says: “I married a man who also grew up riding rhinos as
a child! He is the only other person I know who had an unusual childhood like
me. We instantly understood each other!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Both of us had been struggling to find someone who could
transverse both parts of our lives; the worldly and the wild. Rob was in the
high-end luxury safari industry mixing with sophisticated international clients
as well as being a competent bushman.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela had a preconceived picture of an ideal man from her blue-eyed,
charismatic father, whom she adored, for his rare combination of masculine
strength and empathy and kindness for all living things; qualities she found in
her husband. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Married 20 years, the devoted couple have two handsome
teenager sons, Taru, 19 and Roan, 17 who are training in the challenging work
of the Trust, monitoring the magnificent national parks from planes and
helicopters and rough road vehicles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2-ACNjk51ikOe2tna30d3cN5lJjZhzmBUtMQ0Ulhfi79FwKzYqCOUbiXDeC0P7nfGRtnu51mt9SmDS5RcptgAtxyQFnGiVqjiBJ12MpL7GTArCVHvhkVpm4ZEOjpkJ5kw3lD2lnqoqM9/s1600/5+boys.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2-ACNjk51ikOe2tna30d3cN5lJjZhzmBUtMQ0Ulhfi79FwKzYqCOUbiXDeC0P7nfGRtnu51mt9SmDS5RcptgAtxyQFnGiVqjiBJ12MpL7GTArCVHvhkVpm4ZEOjpkJ5kw3lD2lnqoqM9/s1600/5+boys.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgYgYxO1YcTLEHZ1VFcMzmKzJKvBfy-wTbUf6b-lDK39dtWKMP0UcT31AXLG92fG6dPXyF97fTdJEkkCAUVEQtXOjmbuPos1_FpMffTQLXbMScIdxMksbLecJEUnEb6AGUoQ2eXXLJScU/s1600/6.Taru+Angela+and+Roan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgYgYxO1YcTLEHZ1VFcMzmKzJKvBfy-wTbUf6b-lDK39dtWKMP0UcT31AXLG92fG6dPXyF97fTdJEkkCAUVEQtXOjmbuPos1_FpMffTQLXbMScIdxMksbLecJEUnEb6AGUoQ2eXXLJScU/s320/6.Taru+Angela+and+Roan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angela with sons Taru and Roan</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An Inspiring Love
Story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela and Rob’s love story echoes her parents’ passionate
romance and shared dedication to protecting the habitat and endangered wildlife
of Kenya. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When David died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of
57 in 1977, his grief-stricken wife carried on his remarkable work through the
Trust established in his name. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela says: “My father was a hugely respected conservationist
and naturalist and in the wake of his death, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
was set up in his memory by his peers who felt that his vision for conservation
in Kenya must continue.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFRhLu59qV1zlEDo5iMaPr1CeHQgh7CsG0APE4aD1dovylFyhqBzNHcfKzh80KoerfFOO1P4OaXTFU8Lrzyy5ChvA5cGUWI3HhwN6R4p75LIDV8DY0Dxl22jkQbaB4bbrhmjA6XuHWsNp/s1600/7+david.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFRhLu59qV1zlEDo5iMaPr1CeHQgh7CsG0APE4aD1dovylFyhqBzNHcfKzh80KoerfFOO1P4OaXTFU8Lrzyy5ChvA5cGUWI3HhwN6R4p75LIDV8DY0Dxl22jkQbaB4bbrhmjA6XuHWsNp/s1600/7+david.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Sheldrick in the 60s</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJBYFUXzl2GdQD3sCVo4Dvo4oNLe_oK0ld5YqFmVN02j7tXlWk19380ZzepB62CcC1S1aQqtdvWZPccvVXIkV-2-snzICtam7y3TNhVoahwah3i1v02JOe1Ewdg47pS1_V_aaEnUnGodz/s1600/8+young+Daphne-and-baby-elephant-Aisha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="800" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJBYFUXzl2GdQD3sCVo4Dvo4oNLe_oK0ld5YqFmVN02j7tXlWk19380ZzepB62CcC1S1aQqtdvWZPccvVXIkV-2-snzICtam7y3TNhVoahwah3i1v02JOe1Ewdg47pS1_V_aaEnUnGodz/s320/8+young+Daphne-and-baby-elephant-Aisha.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daphne in her 20s</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomMbEUhxncIa7d9pBu4nPOGGT_byyL1n3aa0O10lbUDIgBDr74EvDP9BRpaBAeErkCMct2LfeDokkxsVlJDWcW3tOsrI_1ox8SOPkqBWgXgyBzBTW2ewTtJCTs1LyySMDRd4vwwd_CGmZ/s1600/9+david+and+daphne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="638" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomMbEUhxncIa7d9pBu4nPOGGT_byyL1n3aa0O10lbUDIgBDr74EvDP9BRpaBAeErkCMct2LfeDokkxsVlJDWcW3tOsrI_1ox8SOPkqBWgXgyBzBTW2ewTtJCTs1LyySMDRd4vwwd_CGmZ/s320/9+david+and+daphne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and Daphne and baby Angela 1963</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSpxZKTDIhUIAMfsrKnJcK6-t1EvzygtU0baDUCTQdi2dWSiQ1fxTRpcJaZRBwMK2Bzqgml4brb9aj99ANW-M-qQWWbFX3krOg2Ntl0NT2YG8eWIzzamQjuTKpbQp8VP401ttK3oUNMaf/s1600/12+b+Daphne+%2526+Angela+child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSpxZKTDIhUIAMfsrKnJcK6-t1EvzygtU0baDUCTQdi2dWSiQ1fxTRpcJaZRBwMK2Bzqgml4brb9aj99ANW-M-qQWWbFX3krOg2Ntl0NT2YG8eWIzzamQjuTKpbQp8VP401ttK3oUNMaf/s320/12+b+Daphne+%2526+Angela+child.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daphne and Angela with orphaned buffalo and rhino</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Her mother, Daphne was tough and resilient having once survived
being hurled against the rocks by a wild elephant. The bones in her leg were
shattered and after enduring 15 months of agonising pain, operations,
infections and bone grafts, Daphne’s love for elephants was undiminished.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In 2006, Daphne was made Dame Commander of the British
Empire by the Queen in recognition of her meticulous research and conservation work
as the world’s leading authority on elephants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And in 2012, Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick published her
enthralling book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">An African Love Story,</i>
documenting her fascinating life of purpose, passion and adventure.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Daphne’s heartfelt memoir recalls how she and David were the
first people to hand raise a playful pair of orphaned African elephants, Samson
and Fatuma, in the 1950s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Caring for Orphans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since then, the renowned Elephant Orphanage has rescued,
nurtured and released more than 200 orphan elephants back into the herds at
Tsavo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“In our wildest dreams we never imagined that over 200 would
come through our care over the last 40 years, says Angela.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">The success rate is most gratifying because caring for
infant elephants is extremely challenging, due to the intricacies with the milk
formula but infant elephants also require intensive, round the clock care,
bottle-feeding every three hours, for three to six years by a team of devoted
keepers, who even sleep in the stockades with the milk-dependent babies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4E8CQb6T1ZjCcFkzzfqn76gZWg1PsTnQcQyR2Gv6Ms_GZVnRESoVK-GAmJkw_qFCjHPFovSh2TyL-F-Fa7oqUnliy7jJOPut5iqWkBSQdHyP96WW5U_auyxAzC4K1yKEAJS6kaY8Ltq0X/s1600/10+keeper+%2526+eli.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4E8CQb6T1ZjCcFkzzfqn76gZWg1PsTnQcQyR2Gv6Ms_GZVnRESoVK-GAmJkw_qFCjHPFovSh2TyL-F-Fa7oqUnliy7jJOPut5iqWkBSQdHyP96WW5U_auyxAzC4K1yKEAJS6kaY8Ltq0X/s1600/10+keeper+%2526+eli.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqMgevQkje_xbb-uR9-uIKqp83Quu9gNNgchfS36wAwIb1UKCwXRZrMdUo0CszERcUJTbE1zFKh53V0qK_KJmxUmAC4n-ta2Vv1r5QvS5pxxVhuays-YR_7OXh15rPOabtkeKm58UXNQ7/s1600/11+eli+feeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqMgevQkje_xbb-uR9-uIKqp83Quu9gNNgchfS36wAwIb1UKCwXRZrMdUo0CszERcUJTbE1zFKh53V0qK_KJmxUmAC4n-ta2Vv1r5QvS5pxxVhuays-YR_7OXh15rPOabtkeKm58UXNQ7/s320/11+eli+feeding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8_PwM0q8-1LemQ_kqMeOSEYwzXTKBZL1ZRiV2rLDK9jchM-Ib34UL8Qji5Mg96oR0UU1fUmlq5T8e5qVNBcmcLl9DaZ39M_RcT2CeRpjDzbXjwrIOA8WqfG8DyAN3V6_T7iOxiq75LtQ/s1600/12+ckeeper.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8_PwM0q8-1LemQ_kqMeOSEYwzXTKBZL1ZRiV2rLDK9jchM-Ib34UL8Qji5Mg96oR0UU1fUmlq5T8e5qVNBcmcLl9DaZ39M_RcT2CeRpjDzbXjwrIOA8WqfG8DyAN3V6_T7iOxiq75LtQ/s1600/12+ckeeper.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioL2qnaS8JvMj2I8SvewLBXl1e4_7XoSSp6ze5NLqRGnT4YlSRc0LvHD9QijFL3JeAyX0w7U-ZAvl4TgyW8pl_Fv-8ra3WlKBSQXe31169h6CHv282kthNpjuQkXAed6IdTiRxC6i3x6AM/s1600/12+Pili+%2526+Peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioL2qnaS8JvMj2I8SvewLBXl1e4_7XoSSp6ze5NLqRGnT4YlSRc0LvHD9QijFL3JeAyX0w7U-ZAvl4TgyW8pl_Fv-8ra3WlKBSQXe31169h6CHv282kthNpjuQkXAed6IdTiRxC6i3x6AM/s320/12+Pili+%2526+Peter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter with baby Pili, just three weeks old when he was rescued.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Angela explains: “It’s one of these jobs that comes with its
fair share of stress and heartache. But it’s also very stimulating with immense
satisfaction. We do feel at the end of every day that we have made a difference
and that’s a real gift. Not everyone has that luxury.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While the picture of adorable rusty baby elephants being
bottle fed by green-coated keepers and cavorting in their morning mud bath
attracts elated, camera-toting tourists from around the world during the one
hour noon visiting time when the Nairobi Nursery is open to the public, the orphan
project is a small part of the Trust’s important conservation work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We have to take care of the bigger picture of protecting
the habitat and wild herds or else rescuing and releasing orphans would be futile,
states Angela. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The Trust has 10 anti-poaching teams and five mobile
veterinary units and a sky vet unit to attend to injured and sick animals based
in Tsavo, Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Meru, Mount Kenya and Laikipia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We have a strong aerial surveillance unit comprises two helicopters,
three small bush plans, two Cessna’s, a team of highly skilled bush pilots and
an advanced communication network because coverage from the air is essential, with
limited road networks throughout the vast landscapes of the national parks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The elaborate daily operation is dedicated to preventing poachers
from killing elephants for their tusks. Millions of magnificent elephants have
been savagely slaughtered in the past 50 years for the lucrative ivory trade in
China. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Working in close partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service,
the Trust has assisted in reducing poaching by 60 per cent since 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“With the
helicopters, we can have boots on the ground to catch poachers within minutes.
This is a strong deterrent. Previously poachers knew they had hours before
planes could land and the rangers catch up to them. And we now have tracker
dogs that fly in the helicopters to assist the ground teams.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UNNKn_X1QJfV4TCY8qEewjeSFMKl3XhUOLCG8CMHnXipcRO4IwMmIQOnO2rVqA9Kvhkkd-qROvePHs0AfVbGnCU6kot84iqcg00rXTbj_ueQcntmKpRkYfLrLHjo785GMhrgkz3-uAi7/s1600/13+helicopter2+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="289" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UNNKn_X1QJfV4TCY8qEewjeSFMKl3XhUOLCG8CMHnXipcRO4IwMmIQOnO2rVqA9Kvhkkd-qROvePHs0AfVbGnCU6kot84iqcg00rXTbj_ueQcntmKpRkYfLrLHjo785GMhrgkz3-uAi7/s400/13+helicopter2+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rescue mission using the Trust's helicopter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sinister Threats<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However Angela and fellow conservationists are concerned
about other sinister threats to elephants such as loss of habitat and climate
change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She says: “With the burgeoning human population of Kenya the
footprint is sprawling into habitat without much thought for land use policy. Kenya
is having a China-led development boom very often at the expense of the
environment without enough attention placed on the impact this can have on
elephant migratory routes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The government needs to ensure that Kenya’s natural resources
are kept in tact. The developed world is everywhere but what the world doesn’t
have is this extraordinary jewel of wilderness that Kenya and East Africa can
claim. You cant’ possibly put a value on that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“While the West appreciates the natural environment having lost
much of its own wilderness and wildlife, unfortunately in Kenya there’s a
desire for development and not enough appreciation for their natural heritage.
This attitude is changing with the younger generation but maybe not fast enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“One of the worrying trends is climate change. We’re seeing
some desperate droughts and livestock incursion because of dry seasons and the
destruction of habitat, which affects elephants the most.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYtqvV_N2nzcRwymKlyG9En7SLKHGFoBM83GyBKaxefFtfmVzZYzbcvHEmreBlU2m-Bt-ygb5D0r23OszIed84fBbVk6hZRRUOGuD8aZPQ3sO5ra5gvcP9XP550O-b1OP3GjHWzgzrB34/s1600/14+Pili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYtqvV_N2nzcRwymKlyG9En7SLKHGFoBM83GyBKaxefFtfmVzZYzbcvHEmreBlU2m-Bt-ygb5D0r23OszIed84fBbVk6hZRRUOGuD8aZPQ3sO5ra5gvcP9XP550O-b1OP3GjHWzgzrB34/s400/14+Pili.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orphan Pili was found clinging to a pepper tree near the river after his mother died in the drought</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Surprisingly for large animals that look so robust, Angela
explains that elephant are in fact the most fragile of all species.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Sadly elephants are the first to die in a drought. Nature
has made them that way. They are the most vulnerable to lack of food and water.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Due to climate change Kenya is prone to drought. To see
these beautiful animals under such stress at the hands of humans is heartbreaking.
The planet is so messed up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“Sitting here in the
perfection of nature, we realise that humanity is on such a destructive path. We
can learn so much by saving such a glorious species and quite frankly if we can’t
save the elephant then we’re not going to save ourselves.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What’s so Special
About Elephants?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If you had asked my
mother this question, her answer would have been the same. It’s not that
elephants are our favourite animals. If you asked Daphne she would say her
favourite orphan was an impala called Bushy and mine was a little gazelle
called Jerry. All animals are extraordinary when you are able to know them
intimately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The Trust also cares for a host of orphaned wildlife
including hippos, rhinos, buffalos, zebras, impalas, Thompson gazelles,
duikers, kudus, warthogs and monkeys and many more in our Tsavo centre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“But what’s so special about elephants is their huge
capacity for compassion and forgiveness. It’s humbling when you think what they
have suffered and very quickly they can overlook human cruelty and give love in
exchange for saving of their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eHtwvp7h1Zilyc30khZVLZkaO3yjw6yF1JvuO2mYuZ1epB1K8-9Ub3BSz2u7iFZrfg8de2lZso3Mo9LEoH5ugSNZ-jAMXcYXfVks-kxpl_316aZQAx3AA8T2-4q4hEdf0u212q6MUm4g/s1600/15+caring+elis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1024" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eHtwvp7h1Zilyc30khZVLZkaO3yjw6yF1JvuO2mYuZ1epB1K8-9Ub3BSz2u7iFZrfg8de2lZso3Mo9LEoH5ugSNZ-jAMXcYXfVks-kxpl_316aZQAx3AA8T2-4q4hEdf0u212q6MUm4g/s640/15+caring+elis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants feel and express a powerful love for their mates and babies and herd, other animals and their human carers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Their compassion transcends species as elephants are
nurturing to all our orphan animals.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The intriguing thing about elephants is they are so like
us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Elephants have the same lifespan as humans, living 80 or
more years, with the same stages of mental and emotional development. Babies
are dependent for a long childhood, and only come into maturity in adolescence.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Whenever a new orphan is rescued, says Angela, it will need
10 years of care before being released into the wild. Just like a child isn’t
ready for a sleep-over until about five or six, an elephant is about the same
age before being confident enough to leave the keepers and stay with wild
friends overnight!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Elephants form deep bonds with their families and herds and
suffer extreme, prolonged grief, mourning loudly and shedding copious tears, when
a loved one dies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Because we’ve had the luxury of knowing 200 elephants
intimately, we know that when an elephant is killed by poachers, it’s not just
a statistic or object that dies, it's a real individual with a personality and
vital relationships in the herd. None of our orphan babies were raised by a
single mother. It is always a collection of females in a circle of love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We know the magnificence of that animal, the inbuilt wisdom
that is so needed by the population. A dead elephant is a fallen monument, not
just a carcass.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And according to Angela, baby elephants have their own
quirky, loveable personalities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Some are of our orphans are shy and introverted, or insecure
clinging vines while others are gregarious clowns and kooky nutcases!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yet the intelligence of mature elephants is profound and the
matriarch faces daily moral dilemmas in leading her herd in drought conditions.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“She is anchored to waterholes because the calves can’t walk
70 miles in a day in search of food but she has her whole family of three
generations and their offspring to care for. So she has to make the terrible
decision to abandon an ailing calf so the others can survive. It’s heart
breaking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Elephants are Pivotal
in the Ecosystem<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Many people do not realise that elephants are crucial in the
survival of other species. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Without elephants, many other species would die off. Other
animals are dependent on elephants because they knock down the dense woodlands
and create grasslands for all the browsing species; zebras and buffaloes and
all the herbivores. They dig the water holes in dry seasons and create paths to
the waterholes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Elephants play a vital role in this intricate,
inter-dependent system.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCdrs4HOX5A_tPLiP4WOiR0hRTvWVVdAJxzew94gW2iug3QllXhoG7a9hxWpxYl84Y1P0_d8JPW05lixyPH3E49ScNmTRHVZqtOTpkv4Y2kLW289-TMS1UTE6zNhglUuVy3w2RWdkHko0/s1600/16+eli+and+zebras.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="500" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCdrs4HOX5A_tPLiP4WOiR0hRTvWVVdAJxzew94gW2iug3QllXhoG7a9hxWpxYl84Y1P0_d8JPW05lixyPH3E49ScNmTRHVZqtOTpkv4Y2kLW289-TMS1UTE6zNhglUuVy3w2RWdkHko0/s640/16+eli+and+zebras.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fostering is the Key
to Saving Baby Elephants<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although daily visitors to the popular orphanage on the edge
of Nairobi National Park generate some revenue, most vital funding comes
through the Foster Programme, with people from all over the world sponsoring
baby elephants through the Trust’s <a href="https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/index.asp">website</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because of the drought last year the Trust rescued numerous
desperate collapsed cases on the verge of death, and the Foster Programme makes
it possible to care for the precious babies giving them a second chance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The question is, if we are not motivated to save our
precious elephants, can destructive humans save themselves?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcvrp5BQZTcoLC8t2RN4OPTPwIu7dWiC8g3QJDgSgxpY2fuYRqokDBmUcbA9VcAC4XWui6JINApFQJBacRp9oveUXJ5ekCY_tYBvuxwClvtvjrRN-vbIMpPE4VOPsef78lGWduizMCgjF/s1600/17mudbath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcvrp5BQZTcoLC8t2RN4OPTPwIu7dWiC8g3QJDgSgxpY2fuYRqokDBmUcbA9VcAC4XWui6JINApFQJBacRp9oveUXJ5ekCY_tYBvuxwClvtvjrRN-vbIMpPE4VOPsef78lGWduizMCgjF/s400/17mudbath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHkrTeGj3WXrIeO8cVHFxdEdRv7wY_OhVUrbSzrDWsYkVCi_bzQpB2EfXhJp0ZtC51exznS1seec-Dr90KI1M-tOzTJibAqsTCh76BfhbF99Xo5JU3X3CHDaF8PoCO2rvXWc3hEGiUVct/s1600/18+Daphne+and+Angela+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHkrTeGj3WXrIeO8cVHFxdEdRv7wY_OhVUrbSzrDWsYkVCi_bzQpB2EfXhJp0ZtC51exznS1seec-Dr90KI1M-tOzTJibAqsTCh76BfhbF99Xo5JU3X3CHDaF8PoCO2rvXWc3hEGiUVct/s400/18+Daphne+and+Angela+2017.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-33281160348441023202017-11-21T02:54:00.002-08:002017-11-21T03:09:41.173-08:00The remarkable God Bless Miracle School in Uganda offers hope to the poor<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr7tViIjnSwFNTpnR2gfUEPEGFhNtBkQhmCh04zI_BxBfHvKHWi59e7AJFmU0Nc9tIqiBcbCTwst83Kn1KU_pfK41fh8Fd38gd8B4lxG8pn8e495XlDIgf4W7FFDjf5y-FLZ9vUvBo6Uw/s1600/1+school+Uganda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr7tViIjnSwFNTpnR2gfUEPEGFhNtBkQhmCh04zI_BxBfHvKHWi59e7AJFmU0Nc9tIqiBcbCTwst83Kn1KU_pfK41fh8Fd38gd8B4lxG8pn8e495XlDIgf4W7FFDjf5y-FLZ9vUvBo6Uw/s400/1+school+Uganda.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I first met
Reverend Andrew Mbabazi, a warm and enthusiastic man, on the top of a craggy
cliff surrounded by volcanic mountains in Kisoro, southern Uganda in October
2016. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was <a href="http://bestafricamatters.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/hope-for-batwa-people.html">visiting
the Batwa tribespeople</a> as part of an adventurous cultural experience while
on safari with Absolute Africa. Aching and sore from <a href="http://bestafricamatters.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/trekking-mountain-gorillas.html">trekking
the mountain gorillas</a> in the famous Bwindi/Mgahinga National Park the day
before, this profound experience with the Batwa took me completely by surprise.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QxUT0AEEG1SM1Z35kiYfC-3GFGlE4UEoH9YdRhgdy3ZB9ZF6MZFT2FYnn-cHtzrAZs4esOLWMpciiO9BlJRTLg4Ezr2yh-KdKaDYcsc5ERqGNL9eTUiW-KfN5mR2X_fhAPMli2qvg_V4/s1600/5+school+uganda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QxUT0AEEG1SM1Z35kiYfC-3GFGlE4UEoH9YdRhgdy3ZB9ZF6MZFT2FYnn-cHtzrAZs4esOLWMpciiO9BlJRTLg4Ezr2yh-KdKaDYcsc5ERqGNL9eTUiW-KfN5mR2X_fhAPMli2qvg_V4/s320/5+school+uganda.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I discovered that
the Reverend has been ministering to this marginalised, impoverished community
for years and championing their rights to the basic human needs of housing,
food, water, sanitation and the opportunities to education and work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rev Andrew is
especially passionate about education for disadvantaged children and has dedicated
his life to giving them opportunities to break free from poverty. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To achieve this,
he has established the Light for the Needy and Vulnerable in Uganda, Africa
(LNVUA), which operates a Pre & Primary School of 200 pupils, including
orphans, Batwa children, refugees from the DRC Congo and children from poor
families.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">God’s Miracle</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The God Bless
Miracle Primary School is located in verdant countryside between Mountain
Muhabura-Mgahinga Forest National Park and the Crater Lake Mutanda.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With a dedicated
staff of nine teachers, the pupils are making excellent academic progress,
learning singing and dancing and drama and sports. The children are given a
daily lunch and the boarder also have supper. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On a <a href="https://over50mad.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/helping-batwa-find-home.html">return
visit</a> to support the Batwa community, I was invited by Executive Director,
Rev Andrew and the LNVUA Board to be special guest at the graduation ceremony of
the Pre-School children on Saturday, October 28, 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkH1gf5uhkI5oMYV4DdHME-4NdzyXIdNYeRV6V5BpeObff8k3dq4RlvWNbDe-jGBlxrzYXp0y9SLjglYdKgV8RR5weKQvL_MYIWjSGC-RH8vEPk8FLwu6lrdTdq57xGRJKU-9HHUIVDS9/s1600/2+school+Uganda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1600" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkH1gf5uhkI5oMYV4DdHME-4NdzyXIdNYeRV6V5BpeObff8k3dq4RlvWNbDe-jGBlxrzYXp0y9SLjglYdKgV8RR5weKQvL_MYIWjSGC-RH8vEPk8FLwu6lrdTdq57xGRJKU-9HHUIVDS9/s320/2+school+Uganda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">And I was honoured
and delighted to share in the joyful celebrations. After Rev Andrew gave a
bible reading and Holy Communion, the children performed songs, dances and
drama that they hav</span>e been rehearsing for many weeks.
They were absolutely spectacular in their vibrant uniforms of orange and pink with yellow cardigans and red socks! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The little children graduating from
Pre-School to Primary school, filed out in their resplendent robes and
mortarboards, making their parents very proud. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ3E43zyXPklxyYRScRkT_x6p1o3i6ACBg-wu38E-879AWHThRCiIKQhSbZ_gGRnT_b4LEi8WFHuS3-j5bUCMoofe4KEV1Ll5fyDMbkc6GPomN6uk4YR22hI4pVCNp7KT72PT8Q3wu7ir/s1600/11+school+uganda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ3E43zyXPklxyYRScRkT_x6p1o3i6ACBg-wu38E-879AWHThRCiIKQhSbZ_gGRnT_b4LEi8WFHuS3-j5bUCMoofe4KEV1Ll5fyDMbkc6GPomN6uk4YR22hI4pVCNp7KT72PT8Q3wu7ir/s320/11+school+uganda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But all of a sudden the tropical rain
started pouring down which sent the children running for cover. The marquee
roof filled with water and the field was flooded! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We all waited patiently for the rain
to subside - which it did eventually - and we resumed the ceremony under the marquee with
speeches and cake to celebrate the graduation! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Later I joined the Board and
officials and other guests, Joseph and Dianah, for lunch of delicious Ugandan
dishes. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was a wonderful occasion that I
will always remember!<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hope for the Future<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rev Andrew and the
LNVUA want to break the cycle of poverty by giving children from poor
backgrounds the empowering opportunity of education.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The LNVUA aims to
educate poor and needy children and orphans up to university level or
vocational institutions so the next generation can flourish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Plans include the
construction of permanent classrooms, dormitories, and a medical clinic to
provide health services for the children and surrounding community. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The LNVUA also
plan to construct houses for the poor families and the Batwa tribespeople,
living in abject deprivation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The UNVUA is
seeking international partners to share the vision and help the dream become a
reality. And with God’s blessings, miracles will happen for the beautiful
children and families of southern Uganda.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-58723941988043494212016-10-24T06:38:00.000-07:002016-11-01T05:56:08.992-07:00A Scenic Tour of the Kibera Slum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-ci2kmIbjqymD57OMYHKWeiTA_hAh0Sl94PzdNprv1HrX3fNwpK8_iO2rYfYAIZhBcYJcJevF2PKoeqY45PpnwlMqJZ-EuCxn0mzaFnLYSgH9qq9Kx5TfaM6VD8zYXZ_vA_zwQ14RP4c/s1600/CHILDREN+WATER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-ci2kmIbjqymD57OMYHKWeiTA_hAh0Sl94PzdNprv1HrX3fNwpK8_iO2rYfYAIZhBcYJcJevF2PKoeqY45PpnwlMqJZ-EuCxn0mzaFnLYSgH9qq9Kx5TfaM6VD8zYXZ_vA_zwQ14RP4c/s320/CHILDREN+WATER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My last “tourist attraction” in Nairobi is a visit to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibera">Kibera Slum</a> where 1.3 million
people live in abject squalor; where dangerous live power lines drape between rusty
tin shacks, where drinking water runs next to raw sewage and children suck
contaminated water from leaky pipes and get sick from typhoid, cholera,
dysentery, chronic diarrhoea and parasites, where there’s no proper sanitation and people
live surrounded by mountains of rotting garbage. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I arrive with my guides Victor and David, suddenly two
huge black men appear and I joke: “Are these guys my body guards?” and everyone
laughs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlLdZgGI0udBH7zjuiV3ciQNPUHLULCHaaiEgcitUZw08K0G1FxMd1vvminbID_StI1sLAO0LEjFfPJUwcTSZbqmynKHelXtvZYQgw6Mgh5PH797X2CendgpBh0M5vecd-i4JzLoWsH2W/s1600/ME+%2526+BOBYGUARDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlLdZgGI0udBH7zjuiV3ciQNPUHLULCHaaiEgcitUZw08K0G1FxMd1vvminbID_StI1sLAO0LEjFfPJUwcTSZbqmynKHelXtvZYQgw6Mgh5PH797X2CendgpBh0M5vecd-i4JzLoWsH2W/s320/ME+%2526+BOBYGUARDS.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We pick our way through the colourful market stalls festooned with
products that nobody can afford to buy, to narrow back streets lined with
hundreds of minuscule derelict shacks, trudging through squelching mud and
layers of filthy rubbish, jumping over puddles and rocks, along a railway line
that runs right through Kibera amongst the teeming hoards, with trains running
regularly to distant places as far away as Uganda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMY2UdraA9ZBRuq4SiCOLVlX1wumahVMapZHEZa8g_fcXjcm74e2HFt-X9NvRaFlNAyNztufX1OG3ZvM3KTLDt1FCTqhAI2B0CXOTlk9Yyi6rroA3xP80W007JvH8qr9BdMr-U9smQun0Z/s1600/HUTS+WASHING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMY2UdraA9ZBRuq4SiCOLVlX1wumahVMapZHEZa8g_fcXjcm74e2HFt-X9NvRaFlNAyNztufX1OG3ZvM3KTLDt1FCTqhAI2B0CXOTlk9Yyi6rroA3xP80W007JvH8qr9BdMr-U9smQun0Z/s320/HUTS+WASHING.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am impressed by how the gangs of boys are keeping a
respectful distance from me; a conspicuous blonde white woman carrying a handbag
containing money and a smart phone. The adults smile and say “Jambo” while the
little kids cheekily call out “Muzungu” (amused by my stark white skin) and
sing out the English phrase they have rehearsed: “Hello, how are yooooo?” I
respond in a musical voice: “Very fine. How are yooooo?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we wander through appalling conditions unfit for human
habitation, I ask my guides; “How does the government allow this?” And then
right here in the middle of the largest urban slum in Africa, I receive an
education about the unjust politics of Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d07lFPl7NeL-FDbqb48m1y30FN5FUzU7tGHRTzeisJ-sPg3yTJ9ZjpSGA6Y3_CU8qK1XoRe0RfbzKk7Ti-20tFEygM1wyGn3yNuptVGpG40D86PkGstKlwhnLm-1JQyID12HsSwZZjQP/s1600/RUBBISH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d07lFPl7NeL-FDbqb48m1y30FN5FUzU7tGHRTzeisJ-sPg3yTJ9ZjpSGA6Y3_CU8qK1XoRe0RfbzKk7Ti-20tFEygM1wyGn3yNuptVGpG40D86PkGstKlwhnLm-1JQyID12HsSwZZjQP/s320/RUBBISH.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is well known that Kenyan politicians earn <a href="http://buzzkenya.com/abnormal-salary-kenyan-politicians/">outrageously high salaries.</a> </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Some make $50,000USD per month when you add
up their exorbitant salaries and numerous allowances for entertainment and
travel expenses, acquired from the taxes of hard-working Kenyans. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Apparently
politicians have better things to do than address the horrendous problems of
the Kibera Slum. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Granted there have been some government efforts to relocate a
small number of families, to provide a few schools and a community centre but
these projects barely make a dent in the scale of the overwhelming problems and human rights violations.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The four men are all members of the <a href="http://www.odm.co.ke/">Orange DemocraticMovement</a> working for social justice and human rights. One of the big guys who
joined our Slum Tour is standing for the county election next year to
represent the neglected people of Kibera. He is an admired community leader dedicated to improving conditions for families trying to survive in this 1000
square acre wasteland and he has fierce support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kibera has grown into an entrenched sub-standard outer
suburb offering cheap housing to many thousands of rural families who moved to
the city seeking work but failed to gain employment where nepotism and tribal
connections often determine who gets the well-paid jobs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is also well documented that <a href="http://buzzkenya.com/uhuru-kenyatta-profile-biography/">President Uhuru Kenyatta</a>, the son of Kenya’s
first black president, <a href="http://buzzkenya.com/facts-about-jomo-kenyatta/">Jomo Kenyatta</a>, after Independence from British rule in 1963, is
fabulously wealthy, owning massive tracts of land and property and many Kenyans say that his silver
spoon upbringing has made him oblivious to the suffering of the poor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One example of doing it tough is my new friend David who has
cared for his four young sisters since their parents died tragically years ago.
They live in Kibera and often go without food. This devoted Big Brother
sometimes resorts to casual labour carrying 50 kilo bags of cement up several
storeys on building sites to make $3 a day. The girls wash laundry on Sunday to
make a few shillings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However David uses the public library to study for a degree
in International Relations with an ambition to become a Diplomat. His sisters
are studying hard at high school to become human rights activists and lawyers
and the youngest girl wants to be a doctor. They are driven to escape the slum
and make a better life. Hearing his determination and discipline, I have
complete faith that this family of siblings will eventually succeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">David asks me about poverty in the UK. I stop and consider:
“Well I suppose the most extreme form of poverty is homelessness where people
sleep on the street or in the underground train stations and beg for money from
city workers …but then I suppose the homeless in London at least have access to
clean public toilets and clean water and can buy food.” I realise that poverty
is measured in units of desperation for basic survival needs and dignity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are positive, inspirational rays of hope that shine
from the bleakness of Kibera; many ingenious people here are enterprising in
the ways they devise to make a living; running stalls selling all kinds of
goods and services. They are truly entrepreneurial, realising they must help
themselves and invent clever ways to survive every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The guys take me to meet their friend Jack, a talented
craftsman who runs the <a href="http://victoriousbones.com/">Victorious Craft
Group</a>. He makes exquisite jewellery from recycled materials such as cow
bones, wood and brass and trains young people in his unique methods to produce
necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bowls, salad spoons and other beautiful items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we leave the Slum after three challenging hours of
having my eyes opened to true urban poverty, I realise the big guys were in
fact acting as my bodyguards. Without them walking on each side of me I could
easily have been mugged. I guess I’m lucky to have escaped unscathed, while the
human beings condemned to living in these unhealthy, degrading conditions are
not so lucky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you are interested in volunteering in the clinic or
schools at Kibera, contact David at <a href="http://www.jungleworldsafaris.com/">Jungle
World Safaris</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-57990259842077828272016-10-24T06:20:00.002-07:002021-12-28T10:14:14.828-08:00Meeting Beautiful Eyael<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">I have flown from Nairobi to Addis Ababa to meet Eyael, a
little girl I’ve sponsored through <a href="https://www.compassionuk.org/">Compassion</a>
for 12 years since she was eight.</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Eyael is now a young woman of 20 who has travelled with a
project worker over 300 kilometres on a public bus for seven hours from her
rural home in Yirgalem in the southern region where she lives with her parents
and three brothers and three sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">This is an exciting and emotional day! I’m in the Ag Place
Hotel, a pleasant Three Star hotel, waiting for Eyael to arrive with her project
worker, the Visit Host and a driver, who will take us around for the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">When I explain why I’m here, Ganet the charming hotel
manager, invites us to sit in the private VIP lounge for our initial meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">When Eyael walks in the foyer I am blown away. She is a
stunningly beautiful young woman with sparkly brown eyes, a dazzling, shy
smile, wavy black hair, honey complexion and the elegant poise of a model! My
eyes fill with tears, I am choked up and filled with joy and pride. We hug and
look deeply into each other’s eyes with a connection that goes right to the
heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">The Visit Host, Meheretab speaks impeccable English and the
national Ethiopian language of Amharic. He translates between the two of us. I
ask Eyael and the project worker, Birhane about their journey the previous day
and they say all was fine, despite a much-publicised, government-declared State
of Emergency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">I ask if she has visited Addis before and she says only when
she was a toddler so coming to the city is a big event she has been excited
about for weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">I discover the she is soon to complete high school, where
she has excelled as an outstanding student, and will then do two years of
preparatory school before applying to University. When I ask what career she
wants to follow, I almost fall off the chair when she says: “Journalism. I have
been inspired by you to be a journalist!” I am deeply touched. I can’t believe
that I’ve had such an impact on this young girl just by donating money every
month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Through Meheretab, she tells me she has an ambition to be a
television presenter and I say that with her beauty and intelligence she is
sure to succeed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell her my own
beautiful daughter Justine is an award-winning filmmaker in London with her
boyfriend Andy, who is also a drummer in a rock band. She is very interested
and wants to know all about my family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say that when I
started sponsoring her in 2004 we lived on the Sunshine Coast in Australia and
how we moved to the UK seven years ago, how my son Daniel is an entrepreneur
and is married to Aléna with a little son Alexander, how my husband Andrew is a
business coach and trainer. She wants to know if we all still live together and
I explain tht my children are grown up and live in London and how we live in
the country, an hour by train outside the city, with our cocker spaniels and
hens. I show her photos of the whole family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Eyael tells me about her family. Her parents farm their land
and grow avocadoes, papaya, spices and coffee. I say how I adore avocadoes! Her
eldest sister is a midwife and her brothers are studying engineering at
university while her little sisters are still at school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">We are building a strong bond as we get to know each other.
I suggest we go clothes shopping, the universal, cross-cultural activity that
all women love! We hit the mall with Meheretab valiantly trying not to get
bored as us girls worked through the racks. Eyael tries on several outfits and
settles on a long olive green dress and a stylish fitted skirt with a burgundy
top. This girl’s got taste! I agree to buy all three items and she is delighted
and plans to share the new outfits with her sisters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Our driver Solomon takes us to a shady tropical outdoor
restaurant attached to the National Museum and I get an education about
Ethiopian cuisine! We all have Ingera bread made from fermented teff flour with
a holey texture that looks like coral. We break off pieces and squash them in
our fingers to scoop up the delicious spicy stews. Meheretab explains that
Ingera is a healthy staple made in every home and eaten twice a day.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvV8JH2KSHVoaT8e4QLedwIGZpzVVDF88cCdZ_j7UIZyGxvK0eWtlqYAybFeqJgWCwgOGaWaTsB-DVCVeAwmwB3E8fvSavJlXwV9xyb3rx1URy9DP_WEZMamiD4J2qKUDO-F4Ja8cQ4Xt/s1600/IMG_9462.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvV8JH2KSHVoaT8e4QLedwIGZpzVVDF88cCdZ_j7UIZyGxvK0eWtlqYAybFeqJgWCwgOGaWaTsB-DVCVeAwmwB3E8fvSavJlXwV9xyb3rx1URy9DP_WEZMamiD4J2qKUDO-F4Ja8cQ4Xt/s320/IMG_9462.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;"><br /></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;"><br /></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Over our meal, Meheretab shares that he was also a sponsored
child from the age of seven. He has never met his American sponsors however he
is deeply grateful for the financial support that changed his life. He has just
completed his second degree in Public Policy and works as a counsellor and lay
pastor ministering to the needy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">He says: “Education has developed in me a good heart with a
desire to do good for others. I have a strong belief in God and believe that
every sponsored child has a God-given purpose. I do this hosting work to give
back to Compassion because of the difference it made to me and all it does for so
many children.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">I ask Eyael what sponsorship has meant for her. She says: “If
I was not in the Compassion program going to school would not be easy. My
brothers and sisters did not get this privilege. All my needs are being
provided for from the money you send. My parents have a big family. They could
not afford the school registration, uniforms and books. And the money helps my
whole family. It buys soap and cooking oil and grain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">I am flabbergasted. I did not realise my sponsorship over 12
years has meant so much to this precious girl and her family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Meheretab says there are 400 Compassion projects throughout
Ethiopia. Each project supports 250 children with just four hard-working staff;
a project director, accountant, health worker and social worker. They do an
incredible job caring for so many youngsters, getting them through school and
doing regular health checks and family support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">The next stop is Addis Ababa University, which was formerly
the Emperor’s Palace. We stroll through the beautiful gardens in the gentle
sunshine and Meheretab says the flourishing, government-funded university has
several campuses and student accommodation and around 60,000 students from all
over the country and the best academics in Ethiopia. This is where he studied
and got his qualifications and direction in life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcUQPHhZ2-SACPv7y_QnpNtwhmyQgbcuEK6hDpKG6NJyy8kPvOWf0uS-W5cZA1FPVXxnO6XJITg2ZzS8AUb_Kn9-Ki_0O6qibbJmJId4dWhJiVejNK15Ej9RSZmjqhUfGdRTjsLeMq5A5/s1600/IMG_9473.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcUQPHhZ2-SACPv7y_QnpNtwhmyQgbcuEK6hDpKG6NJyy8kPvOWf0uS-W5cZA1FPVXxnO6XJITg2ZzS8AUb_Kn9-Ki_0O6qibbJmJId4dWhJiVejNK15Ej9RSZmjqhUfGdRTjsLeMq5A5/s320/IMG_9473.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">I immediately have a vision of Eyael attending this
university doing media studies and I watch her face light up as she explores
the vast academic panorama. I imagine the opportunities this first-class
university would open to her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Mehertab is an expert on Ethiopian history and culture and
shows us around the university museum, eloquently explaining the intricacies of
the country’s rich cultural heritage and ancient sacred sites. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">He says Ethiopian is a peace-loving country with a
population of over 90 million and 80 nationalities speaking 80 different
languages and following the two main religions of Christianity and Islam, all
co-existing in harmony throughout nine distinct regions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">The next stop is the National Museum where I meet Lucy, the
renowned fossil that dates back three million years, which was discovered in
Ethiopia by archaeologists in 1974.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">We stroll around the museum looking at artefacts and
paintings and opulent relics from the Emperors’ era. Eyael is fascinated and
loves the history and culture of her country and wants to share it with the
world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">When we say our goodbyes back at my hotel, there are tears
and hugs, greetings to each other’s family and my heartfelt promise that I will
continue to support her through university and into her television career. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;">Meeting my beautiful girl has been profound. My heart is
overflowing with love and respect for Eyael and her family. And I’m dreaming of
her wonderful future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-27821532617556706652016-10-24T05:50:00.000-07:002016-10-28T09:46:55.373-07:00Hope for the Batwa people<div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyQn5gtSmzem_0y65W9UactrVEkOYJCS_BIKJ2gojGBYRfijoGPI-nQg_NmxyYwblqYavGXuGBvQG66axW_zpfCmZgqLtOyuA0XJMWnPwgKSyFSarW2zfQTmJq21IYr4ovmzQz6v_AdjF/s1600/FARMS+UGANDA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyQn5gtSmzem_0y65W9UactrVEkOYJCS_BIKJ2gojGBYRfijoGPI-nQg_NmxyYwblqYavGXuGBvQG66axW_zpfCmZgqLtOyuA0XJMWnPwgKSyFSarW2zfQTmJq21IYr4ovmzQz6v_AdjF/s320/FARMS+UGANDA.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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I am stumbling along rocky paths weaving upward through
sumptuous expanses of immaculate, thriving vegetable gardens nestled between
three imposing volcanoes; Muhavura, the highest looming peak caressed by cotton
wool clouds, Mgahinga, wrapped in lush forests and the baby Mount Sabyingo smouldering
in the distance, in this heaven-blessed, fertile cradle of Kisoro, southern
Uganda. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4o24kz3JY7kjRLua7qPVu1m7rOBlbRfg2asYqU02ce3E6_dlUBSOiZY6sSfMxxWeZiNI24Bw4ZhvzBFVnAuF3cathRLp_2dHVInOW7cH2DvQaKmoJiBqQjW7QV7WqKeC1r_X6ie0WMIz/s1600/girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4o24kz3JY7kjRLua7qPVu1m7rOBlbRfg2asYqU02ce3E6_dlUBSOiZY6sSfMxxWeZiNI24Bw4ZhvzBFVnAuF3cathRLp_2dHVInOW7cH2DvQaKmoJiBqQjW7QV7WqKeC1r_X6ie0WMIz/s320/girl.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A young girl and her mother are swinging long hoes as they
created perfect mounds of rich, dark volcanic soil ready for planting Irish
Potatoes (the Irish would be proud!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Renowned BBC gardeners Monty Don and Alan Tichmarsh would be
astonished to see such picturesque, flourishing gardens; an abundance of
potatoes and yams, wheat, corn and maize fields and acres of pretty flowering
peas and towering beans; enough to keep these families of mountain farmers
well-fed with plenty of fresh produce to sell at the market too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Handsome multi-coloured goats and cows munch moist grass as
we pass and mobs of laughing children come running, waving and giggling, flashing
their white smiles from shiny brown faces, calling “Muzunga”, Swahili for White
Person, when they spot Julio and me, a strange sight, wandering through their
remote village, way off the tourist track. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg793EShMZbkbrpthlCYeNazgVuybQP8zugB9Dxfp97JDmSu5w22-T8sVifDiSZPkLrlw-HMynEDlsJKE_bDBMVKgRvrJDaL3FqSJiT9bt2QAgNwT06qKZy8UhyphenhyphenToWmQTbrLiV8GUnrGAT3/s1600/julio+and+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg793EShMZbkbrpthlCYeNazgVuybQP8zugB9Dxfp97JDmSu5w22-T8sVifDiSZPkLrlw-HMynEDlsJKE_bDBMVKgRvrJDaL3FqSJiT9bt2QAgNwT06qKZy8UhyphenhyphenToWmQTbrLiV8GUnrGAT3/s320/julio+and+boys.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I became instant friends with enthusiastic, kind-hearted Julio
from Mexico on our Absolute Africa tour, from the minute we stepped onto the
giant yellow bus in Nairobi. Along with Merethe, a genuine, caring young woman
from Norway, we recognised each other as soul mates, joining this adventure for
the sheer joy and love of connecting with the local people, as much as seeing magnificent
animals in the wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As Merethe had to fly out early, it was just Julio and me
who opted for a visit to the Batwa tribe - the “Pygmy” people - proud hunters
who were displaced from the forest when it became a National Park to protect
the mountain gorillas in 1991.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The two of us curious travellers stumbling around these
secluded hills are accompanied by fit and agile Kisoro men, Joseph, 29, and
Godfrey, 26; knowledgeable guides who are dedicated to helping the Batwa
marginalised community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When Africans say “It’s not far” or “It won’t take long’’,
remember distance and time are measured by a different perspective here! I am
wearing inappropriate footwear of flimsy sandals and a light floral top, more
suitable for an elegant afternoon tea in a café, rather than a marathon
mountain hike in the drizzle and bracing wind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPWuZYz53H0NBod_Pcn6mRxjm2VhpLX4ISdDLSJvEnYDp_IWmfVcZEpoo2LE-PlxYPoiWv3BGIhbVC2qW_C2i9rO5dADmU9xx7aki78wLRvOqnxGiAts6gypxVGZuM9YrJl3jrKKdxVTC/s1600/batwa+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPWuZYz53H0NBod_Pcn6mRxjm2VhpLX4ISdDLSJvEnYDp_IWmfVcZEpoo2LE-PlxYPoiWv3BGIhbVC2qW_C2i9rO5dADmU9xx7aki78wLRvOqnxGiAts6gypxVGZuM9YrJl3jrKKdxVTC/s320/batwa+house.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we finally reach the Batwa “village” I am shocked out
of my own mild discomfort. We find five tiny straw huts where up to eight
people sleep, hunched on narrow ledges or standing up. There are no toilets or
bathrooms and the people fetch water from miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The humble huts are built on a craggy peak. Unusable for
growing crops, the farmers have allowed the Batwas to live here, although they
don't own the miniscule plot. The families scrounge food from the farmers’
crops, pinching a few potatoes or some maize for their evening meal on the
fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These people are the poorest of the poor, deprived of the
basics of survival; food, water and sanitation, proper housing, education,
medical care and productive work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Joseph tells the story of their past. They have a proud
heritage as strong, resilient hunters who lived in caves and hunted buffalo and
foraged in the abundant volcanic rainforests. However their natural, tribal way
of life came to an end when the Batwa were forced from the forest to protect
the endangered gorillas. Ironically the people did not hunt the gorillas, whom
they revered and lived alongside in harmony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With Joseph translating, I ask the gathering of around 20
men and women “What are your dreams? What is your vision for the future? What
do you want for your children?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One young man is quick to answer on behave of his people,
saying: “We want our own land and proper houses. We want to raise chickens and
goats and grow vegetables for food. We want our children to go to school and
learn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Julio is deeply touched by their plight and spontaneously
declares his heartfelt desire to support this deprived, forgotten community
through regular donations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Godfrey and Joseph explain that a NGO is currently working
to help the Batwa achieve the basics of human needs and restore their dignity.
We both decide we will explore responsible ways to support them, not through
handouts, but sustainable, empowering projects. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmIduCRzEuzJF7FXdoKlmEIaH3hBha03onqvgqtFTiGY7sul_F2FW67VMu1U5HiGvHlnB52pY4PRwIhaO57CiCEKNLudMs8nwHpJVqqsDPF8PN_GxGo5mVBklHGleyErgciYB7oyioUjA/s1600/batwa+dancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmIduCRzEuzJF7FXdoKlmEIaH3hBha03onqvgqtFTiGY7sul_F2FW67VMu1U5HiGvHlnB52pY4PRwIhaO57CiCEKNLudMs8nwHpJVqqsDPF8PN_GxGo5mVBklHGleyErgciYB7oyioUjA/s320/batwa+dancing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The people are keen to perform for their visitors and launch
into singing and dancing traditional songs and we join in and hold hands with
these incredible survivors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Reverend Andrew, a devoted man of God who ministers to
the community, leads us in a prayer of gratitude for this unlikely meeting of
Julio and me with the impoverished Batwa families on the hill. We pray for
their future and hope that compassionate people around the world will care for
these endangered human beings as much as they care for the endangered gorillas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sWbsfhxWSjQBRAYmY7LD7IcE4mkchn4gSRCtIuP9XilWL5wtS_Z4EIyGv_gSITh4Q3pZVYgLueoKMYmWI5z8ZgZwAJdZ54fXvF1FmOXSSCYzBmVVKUfX8a7uNH0LfrOjat-FSgDUrTpg/s1600/rev+%2526+Julio+and+me+jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sWbsfhxWSjQBRAYmY7LD7IcE4mkchn4gSRCtIuP9XilWL5wtS_Z4EIyGv_gSITh4Q3pZVYgLueoKMYmWI5z8ZgZwAJdZ54fXvF1FmOXSSCYzBmVVKUfX8a7uNH0LfrOjat-FSgDUrTpg/s320/rev+%2526+Julio+and+me+jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-52219141441829279772016-10-23T00:35:00.000-07:002016-11-19T04:40:31.533-08:00Trekking The Mountain Gorillas <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The guide spotted the problem straight away. “You’re older than the rest,”
he said bluntly, not meaning to offend, just looking out for me, when he
suggested I join the “easier” trek.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So even though I opted for the shorter, flatter trek, as
opposed to the longer, steeper climb, I almost died! That’s a little dramatic!
Okay, my heart and lungs almost exploded! My thigh muscles were on fire! (Still
too dramatic?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We climb and climb and climb as we set out in the “impenetrable”
lush rainforest of the Bwindi/Mgahinga National Park in Kisoro, Uganda.
Straight away I am panting and puffing, struggling to breathe, my heart racing,
drenched in sweat, my tee shirt soaked, my glasses fogging up, as I lean on the
long walking stick for support, my backpack weighing heavy, trailing behind my
fellow hikers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have seriously overestimated my fitness level. I’m used to
walking the dogs in the flat woodlands near our home in rural Kent or strolling
around National Trust gardens. But this uphill hiking is shocking my system
into overdrive!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A seven-man support team; four guides, one porter and two
police guards with rifles to fire shots to scare off elephants, if we should
stumble across them, accompany our small group of four trekkers from the
Absolute Africa tour. The men are so patient, kind and helpful in guiding us on
this quest to see the Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIT_zVfEwFrghq3bfnD1ZUVYYCWtoRkcA_WBqCQUb4UXzmapG4pT7Ae6T-unHO_H7zhEmCYgP5a1UC5wciv1owNntQxYpzWJmeMVg9i5SC1TYVWC_iQmwDOYZuIW0anFe90nw2jE-SoEtC/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIT_zVfEwFrghq3bfnD1ZUVYYCWtoRkcA_WBqCQUb4UXzmapG4pT7Ae6T-unHO_H7zhEmCYgP5a1UC5wciv1owNntQxYpzWJmeMVg9i5SC1TYVWC_iQmwDOYZuIW0anFe90nw2jE-SoEtC/s320/16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We started this once-in-a-lifetime day at 5 am. A quick
breakfast at 5.30, we set out at 6 am for a two hour drive through the most
idyllic beautiful country of velvet hills, a brown and green patchwork of intricate
hillside farming with fields of bananas, potatoes, yams, wheat, maize, corn,
string beans on bunches of sticks and bushes of flowering peas carved into the
steep inclines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We drive through flourishing villages, alive with morning
activity, men and women off to work, smiling and waving, and children
resplendent in their school uniforms rushing at the van, laughing and
squealing. My heart expands with joy and pure bliss to experience such warmth
and friendship as we sneak a glimpse into the lives of these hardy, peaceful, mountain
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These fertile hills and valleys of rich soil grow the food
basket of southern Uganda, a region which in recent years has also come to
embrace eco-tourism with an array of delightful lodges for visitors from around
the world who come to view the magnificent mountain gorillas up close and
personal. The new conservation industry provides purposeful employment for the
locals, keeping their youth at home in this natural paradise, rather than
seeking work in far-off cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We climb forever (or so it seems to me) after numerous stops
for me to catch my breath, before our lead guide, Onesmus tells us we are about
to descend into the valley. We ease ourselves downward through slippery, muddy
tracks finding footholds on rocks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I take off my foggy glasses and everything becomes a blur. I
drop my watch and step in a squelchy puddle, my brand new hiking
boots are covered in mud. Onesmus is holding my hand to stop me from falling.
He’s graciously taken my heavy water bottle and backpack.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am using my walking stick to keep steady and the gloves
allow me to grab the branches and bushes as we go deeper into the valley in
search of the family of eight gorillas foraging there. One guide is using a
machete to clear a path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily none of
us has been stung by fire ants or stinging nettles! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And on the bright side, the weather in the rainforest is
perfect for trekking today. Many people brave this trek in drizzle or even
torrential downpours. But my big green raincoat is still tucked away in my
backpack and the humid air is not unbearably hot and steamy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Suddenly we hear a deep guttural roar and Onesmus says it’s
the Silverback. We are close. It’s unbelievable! Is this possible? Our little
group of tourists, a couple from Scotland, a young woman from Australia and
me from the UK, are about to witness the endangered Mountain Gorilla, the largest
of all the apes, in the wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD-OOYug9m520XXjfK0_DgEZO9XM58cozGWs1nabG0blyTXtbkkCzmrQm1gvPsP5S7Fw4IODstMALEb83JP-4SRgP1ujPhjV7u_UchO4E_P6ZfqRq2ld_8TIAUfPFfjgn8TIm9sYd87bi/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD-OOYug9m520XXjfK0_DgEZO9XM58cozGWs1nabG0blyTXtbkkCzmrQm1gvPsP5S7Fw4IODstMALEb83JP-4SRgP1ujPhjV7u_UchO4E_P6ZfqRq2ld_8TIAUfPFfjgn8TIm9sYd87bi/s320/11.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We see the massive Silverback. He’s drinking from a stream
and a cheeky juvenile is playing nearby. And then a mother carrying her baby
joins him. Onesmus says the male baby is one year old and still suckling from
mum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We watch in awe, just metres away. The Big Guy is cool. He’s
seen curious humans before and as long as we stay a respectable distance from
his family he will tolerate us, without threatening displays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They move to a shady spot to sit and munch on branches and
leaves. The adults are so relaxed that, as their fibrous meals hit their big
bellies, they release long slow farts! We all giggle at this surprising,
comical sound! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The others have zoom lenses and are capturing brilliant
close-ups but I am using my Iphone and snapping a few good poses as these magnificent gorillas look into the camera with their deep,
soulful eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiWwE0hCZTD2sKdy8coPup_CZG27szpZbNQsFwnr3DMZccKz9hLs7OSI_dxirS-9MDFiLkgtJuBWBm2eiqQVKKkakF2siB4H6Tq1Do4uyawpUtXMdWsQPnZx9uBCWGljbOlWpJXWWfIZ2/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiWwE0hCZTD2sKdy8coPup_CZG27szpZbNQsFwnr3DMZccKz9hLs7OSI_dxirS-9MDFiLkgtJuBWBm2eiqQVKKkakF2siB4H6Tq1Do4uyawpUtXMdWsQPnZx9uBCWGljbOlWpJXWWfIZ2/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We can hear the juvenile whimpering in the bushes. Onesmus
explains that his mother has just weaned him as he’s now four years old and he
is protesting. He wants to feed from her. It will take some time before he
accepts he’s now destined for a 98 per cent herbivorous diet of branches and
leaves, with a few fire ants and insects thrown in for a little protein boost!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The baby decides to climb up the tree, exploring the top
branches, practising his gymnastics and stretching his long arms to swing
through the branches, but he misjudges and falls right in his mother’s lap! We
gasp as he lands with a thud. He sits up, unhurt, but I swear he looks a little
embarrassed! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And then mum leans across to groom the Silverback, carefully
picking off fleas and nits. This is such an intimate social behaviour to
witness. Apparently such a favour is reciprocal as Onesmus explains, the Big
Guy will also groom her and delight in eating the bugs he finds! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Before we set off on the trek, we enjoyed a talk about the
Mountain Gorillas in one of the National Park’s immaculate huts and learnt that
there are only three apes on Planet Earth; gorillas, chimpanzees and humans!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The gorillas’ social behaviour, bonding to the family group
and devoted parenting seem to be so close to our own. In fact we share 97 per
cent of our genetics with our ‘grand cousins’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tragically, the Mountain Gorilla, the largest of the apes,
was pushed to the edge of extinction through hunting for food and trophies. In
1991, this 331 square kilometre National Park, a World Heritage Site, began to
work desperately to increase the numbers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The park is home to more than half of the remaining gorilla
population, with others living in reserves in neighbouring Rwanda and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Onesmus explained that the National Park was gazetted in
1991 and tourism started in 1993. In 1996, the gorilla numbers were as low as 320
and when they were counted in 2011, the number had risen to 400.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The gorillas are slow breeders. Each female starts to have
babies at the age of eight, usually only one baby, occasionally twins. The baby
breastfeeds for four years before she weans the youngster and gets pregnant
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The males mature and grow their trademark silver hair on
their mighty backs around the age of four, when they start to mate. A dominant
Alpha Male will head up each family group. The gorillas live for 45 to 50 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How fascinating to learn about these wonderful great apes
and to know that dedicated conservation work and responsible eco-tourism is
succeeding in saving the endangered species. The money we paid for the trek
goes towards the vital conservation work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">I can’t believe I survived the return trek, clawing my way
up through the thick overgrown valley, helped by the attentive and patient
guides, one gripping my hand, the other pushing my fat behind! Once we hit the
home stretch we stopped for a lunch - stale cheese sandwiches, a fistful of
crisps and swig of water for me!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our Gorilla Trek was four and a half hours and cost £460 and
worth every penny and every aching muscle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjpXhqQ9ZQ4BMIF9gLVcfCqhqhekyCswZSPUoZxpbY7w7GN7S_NZLClFMvfK9fvtL6QpzzXhg4-o5kYoEx-shqit9fhHr6XCNM6iuVu5bKT_yGvemSaPBx8y0QfNXQU2ZaJX2-I79M0e-/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjpXhqQ9ZQ4BMIF9gLVcfCqhqhekyCswZSPUoZxpbY7w7GN7S_NZLClFMvfK9fvtL6QpzzXhg4-o5kYoEx-shqit9fhHr6XCNM6iuVu5bKT_yGvemSaPBx8y0QfNXQU2ZaJX2-I79M0e-/s320/14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-10395867875963486212016-10-22T02:15:00.001-07:002016-10-25T07:09:34.481-07:00Recovering from Tragedy in Rwanda<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The scale of the massacre is beyond comprehension. Over one
million men, women and children were murdered during 100 days of horror. And
what’s even harder to grasp, the atrocities didn't happen centuries ago, they
happened in recent history, just 22 years ago, in 1994.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rwanda is a peaceful, gentle country, nursing deep wounds, steeped
in grief and immense sadness, trying to recover with a spirit of resilience and
hope while remembering and honouring multitudes of innocent victims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Visiting the <a href="http://kgm.rw/">Kigali Genocide Memorial</a> is a harrowing experience
but a necessary act of homage to pay respect to those who suffered such
brutality and try to understand the descent into human depravity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-BuxMTUcMjrlbfbeGXZr6_Ol1stoJR_xT8WwyXgQAw-b6SmIvAIJXF65zGFgVEf5Gn42DSSF54pBjbvTzoPhbnRXba0x4mKc-o42GuzM8X6VUp05uaBmY_pNvxkEHj30ouNZHjPxzKnu/s1600/1+kgm+jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-BuxMTUcMjrlbfbeGXZr6_Ol1stoJR_xT8WwyXgQAw-b6SmIvAIJXF65zGFgVEf5Gn42DSSF54pBjbvTzoPhbnRXba0x4mKc-o42GuzM8X6VUp05uaBmY_pNvxkEHj30ouNZHjPxzKnu/s320/1+kgm+jpg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost everyone in the vibrant city of Kigali today lives
with the painful legacy of losing family members; mothers grieve for their precious
children, children, left orphaned, grieve for parents who were not there to
guide them growing up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I met a beautiful young man working in the hostel. His
cheerful dreadlocks and radiant smile belie a burden of pain. When we get talking
about his hopes and dreams, he tells me his father was killed in the genocide.
He was just a toddler. He’s grown up with his traumatised mother and little
brother. He says he must always remember his father but wants to move on with
his life too, free from the horrendous nightmare of how his father died an
agonising death. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The killing spree began in April 1994. Terrified little
children, screaming women and heroic men defending their families were
bludgeoned to death, hacked with machetes, mutilated, maimed, tortured and
raped in acts of unimaginable cruelty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The relentless killing was perpetrated systematically:
10,000 victims a day, 400 each hour, seven each minute, for over three months
of madness. Mangled bodies strewn in pools of blood piled high in streets
filled with the sickening stench of death and decay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Why? The Hutu clan turned on the Tutsi clan, determined to
exterminate the ‘cockroaches’ they condemned as sub-human, inferior and a
threat to their power. But this insanity did not happen instantly; the
murderous rampage by extremists was the culmination of years of calculated
propaganda and indoctrination of hatred against the Tutsis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Belgian Colonists sowed the seeds of sinister divisions
in the peace-loving society of Rwanda as early as 1923 when they occupied the
country after World War One. The colonial masters introduced identity cards in
1932 that categorised the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa clans based on fabricated racial and
ethnic distinctions. The Catholic church was complicit, encouraging Hutu
leaders to draft a malicious, racist “Hutu Manifesto” in the 1950s, fuelling
hatred for the Tutsi people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With independence from colonial rule in 1962, the new
independent Hutu government was determined to continue the persecution of the
Tutsi and 700,000 Tutsi people were exiled between 1959 and 1973.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some militant refugees formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front
and invaded Rwanda in 1990, unleashing civil war. In 1993 the Rwandan
government and the RPF signed the Arusha Peace Accords and French troops were
deployed to keep the peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">French Arms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">President Habyarimana and his political allies wanted the
peace agreement to fail and entered a $12 million arms deal with a French
company, with a loan guaranteed by the French government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The persecution of the Tutsi intensified by the 1990s with
men and women jailed and tortured and waves of sporadic massacres of villagers
erupting throughout the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As the tension mounted the United Nations and world
governments stood back as apathetic bystanders and did nothing to de-escalate
the hatred and prevent the genocide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On April 6, 1994, when President Habyarimana’s plane was
shot down, killing him and the President of Burinda, the Tutsi were blamed and
death squads began their pre-planned systematic shootings. The murderous
rampage continued for 100 apocalyptic days until the RPF mobilised troops to
stop the genocide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Human beings are alarmingly susceptible to propaganda. Once
soldiers suspend empathy and compassion and convince themselves their enemy is
not human but a vile object to be destroyed, they unleash a capacity for
cruelty and perverse atrocities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Throughout history maniacal tyrants, through a process of
brainwashing that dehumanises and objectifies other human beings, have
convinced susceptible, gullible soldiers to carry out genocide and ‘racial
cleansing’. The gangs of crazed ‘genocidaraires’ in 1994 believed they were
performing a public service by exterminating vermin, not mothers and fathers,
brothers and sisters and children just like their own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Graphic Records<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The graphic displays inside the hushed, sombre rooms of the Kigali
Genocide Memorial are shocking, disturbing and poignant. The most touching
display, that brings spontaneous tears of sorrow, is the Children’s Room full
of powerful photographs of child victims. Their smiling faces exude fun and
innocence as they beam at you while you read stories of their unique
personalities and short lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IWAKV-H0QQdGYVFpmQNQdbJf478Wzz5r7WlIbdzFIaV-4SinfAsSnbdDaiEktWw_ILFcmTnqNqRl5q0xnK3T2kVtida8DxhDuIaIWgZdmUQQR7LkGsFwGyu1AzZyQYp4nL77gI5hdxJ5/s1600/4+kgm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IWAKV-H0QQdGYVFpmQNQdbJf478Wzz5r7WlIbdzFIaV-4SinfAsSnbdDaiEktWw_ILFcmTnqNqRl5q0xnK3T2kVtida8DxhDuIaIWgZdmUQQR7LkGsFwGyu1AzZyQYp4nL77gI5hdxJ5/s320/4+kgm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUOIWTNpgCneXQ4wTJbJmGWVjOA_whjnFhHV-h00Q7LeV_nIac6Osqp_ZfAcdjvQkpCrqDwpg2fokpHS3Sr8BnYl0m7zJRin4t8zD3BqVrB_lkfdlrZubwXc5As-1ZbWtdXhUkXtfhtcK/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUOIWTNpgCneXQ4wTJbJmGWVjOA_whjnFhHV-h00Q7LeV_nIac6Osqp_ZfAcdjvQkpCrqDwpg2fokpHS3Sr8BnYl0m7zJRin4t8zD3BqVrB_lkfdlrZubwXc5As-1ZbWtdXhUkXtfhtcK/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Memorial is devoted to honouring the victims as real
people, not just statistics, and providing family members with a place to visit
to remember their loved ones and a way for visitors from other countries to
stand in solidarity with the people of Rwanda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More than 250,000 people are buried in the beautiful gardens
of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which opened in 2004, on the 10<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the nation’s tragedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most important is the section dedicated to the legacy of the
genocide. 80 per cent of this generation of Rwanda’s children lost at least one
parent. The genocide created hundreds of thousands of orphans and over 100,000
widows and widowers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thousands of women were brutally raped and mutilated and
infected with HIV/AIDS. Many died of the disease but today survivors are being
treated with anti-retroviral medication. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMbe198-j42B9V5j78JgQGuZUn9HovaK-CzaogjawY1CirDoFTKCL5YlmaJPOiuHRMocZg-PTqpw7FxtvjyYl12RYv7sZCGLUVD7VwskwJZKI4hrYj-FKCPdwM_ewIyalLXfLrx0-w8nw/s1600/3+kgm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMbe198-j42B9V5j78JgQGuZUn9HovaK-CzaogjawY1CirDoFTKCL5YlmaJPOiuHRMocZg-PTqpw7FxtvjyYl12RYv7sZCGLUVD7VwskwJZKI4hrYj-FKCPdwM_ewIyalLXfLrx0-w8nw/s320/3+kgm.jpg" width="320" /></a><o:p><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shattered families have struggled to rebuild their lives. Rwanda
is a nation still healing from trauma, a fragile, grief-stricken country seeking
to live in peace with hope, tolerance, compassion and understanding for the
best and worse of human nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Visit <a href="http://www.kgm.rw/">www.kgm.rw</a> to support
the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the families of victims.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People seeking help and support can contact <a href="http://survivors-fund.org.uk/">SURF - Survivors Fund, Supporting Survivors of the Rwandan Genocide </a></span></div>
Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-60754212308087613732016-10-21T03:42:00.000-07:002016-10-21T03:42:18.702-07:00Sharing My Good Luck<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The countryside changes instantly when we cross the border
from Tanzania into picturesque Rwanda – the Land of A Thousand Hills. Sloping
farmlands are dotted with vibrant villages and acres of banana fronds flapping
in the breeze.</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We set up the tables right on the road next to the bus for a
quick lunch. When I look up from making a cheese sandwich I am surrounded by a
mob of grinning boys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“What do you cheeky boys want?” I ask. They giggle and
signal “food” by touching their fingers to their mouths. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Okay, how many of you are there?” I ask, wondering how I’m
going to pull off this impromptu catering exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I count shiny heads out loud: “One, two, three…through to
10. No wait, there’s more…11, 12, 13…. Little black faces and outstretched
hands are multiplying before my eyes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I reach into my food bag, with comical echoes of Jesus
feeding the multitudes, and break open several packets of biscuits and press
one biscuit into each little hand. I share my cheese sandwich. I find a packet
of almonds and some crisps and a few bananas. The jostling boys are giggling
with delight.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind-Xxr8TPl3KDY3O1Fc_UevfUAOKMiAaqkTqZG6rh690NYUV4RUNlur3UCqUfSvY0_HGUCfodZ7zTPFGgni6GeqhKhxJHUksqeZb1fC96AYhy8avzYwAiZngGqSfqCmi1gjcm1xWlx6sc/s1600/20161008_124041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind-Xxr8TPl3KDY3O1Fc_UevfUAOKMiAaqkTqZG6rh690NYUV4RUNlur3UCqUfSvY0_HGUCfodZ7zTPFGgni6GeqhKhxJHUksqeZb1fC96AYhy8avzYwAiZngGqSfqCmi1gjcm1xWlx6sc/s320/20161008_124041.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I glance across the road to see a crowd of curious local
women gathering and I worry that the mothers are cross with their sons for
begging. When I smile and wave, they rush across the road and also line up for
food! I give one woman a jar of mayonnaise, another a jar of peanut butter, a
carton of milk, a block of chocolate…everything I have! Some of my friends join
in and give what they have; an avocado, some bread, a bottle of juice! The
women are delighted by this spontaneous encounter with a busload of white
tourists!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVRM1gt02rtEJ5390BAWgK9BEw17Hx2k8DTY2qXee2vT4qCJu8L2VnETrLgbAW8hYsIVnNOSrgzsNMJ8zKbV5pfzg-B-QkS_kBEIOUzkaKzJy7ALuWG1PratA9CejKqjO2geA9BYTPpxp/s1600/20161008_124056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVRM1gt02rtEJ5390BAWgK9BEw17Hx2k8DTY2qXee2vT4qCJu8L2VnETrLgbAW8hYsIVnNOSrgzsNMJ8zKbV5pfzg-B-QkS_kBEIOUzkaKzJy7ALuWG1PratA9CejKqjO2geA9BYTPpxp/s320/20161008_124056.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know hand-outs will not solve global hunger and poverty in
any sustainable way. I just wanted to share my lunch. It would be rude not to! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkXswNO7KqmxxSxn0RoS20spGlhZYaRQb6Wq78L9KPQGGbU7ZwYJHEKjXCpmUzBYtSgomtgaeG-jVoPwxVOgzMlhyphenhyphen7s-0Him4r9rClYN4f7m0BTDkUwL4risKAj-8fJ3CouT4paqAcKuC/s1600/20161008_124240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkXswNO7KqmxxSxn0RoS20spGlhZYaRQb6Wq78L9KPQGGbU7ZwYJHEKjXCpmUzBYtSgomtgaeG-jVoPwxVOgzMlhyphenhyphen7s-0Him4r9rClYN4f7m0BTDkUwL4risKAj-8fJ3CouT4paqAcKuC/s320/20161008_124240.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hiking Boots </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe in sharing what I have. My new hiking boots were covered in mud after the gruelling gorilla trek in Kisoro, southern Uganda. Contemplating how I would carry them back to Nairobi, I hit on a brainwave! I would give them to the young guide who treks the mountainous region every day. He would get much more use from them than me and besides, in my consumer world back home in the UK, I can jump on Amazon and order a new pair any time I fancy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On a roll, I give him my snazzy Velcro sandals, a hoodie, my
sleeping bag and cushion, my towel and backpack. I am relieved to lighten my
load of bulky items and my young friend is rapt with his unexpected bonanza of
useful gear. Somehow this act of sharing has formed a bond between us and I
know I will stay in contact with Godfrey, who is devoted to supporting the needy
in his community.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCACHmn-PALmix2ZpYQ6-v4uMWLGsOPL5pZB677XVac7kEvdZEKJG_1WewwGq1uXF-1-NEC6-ApBawFjokGXfzdFAfnWfxwNK3a5SRJ2GjLr9cK7QbVH2ZlZ6B_rINNffhBzp7bdWY9rh9/s1600/IMG_9283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCACHmn-PALmix2ZpYQ6-v4uMWLGsOPL5pZB677XVac7kEvdZEKJG_1WewwGq1uXF-1-NEC6-ApBawFjokGXfzdFAfnWfxwNK3a5SRJ2GjLr9cK7QbVH2ZlZ6B_rINNffhBzp7bdWY9rh9/s320/IMG_9283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am also a generous tipper. I have travelled East Africa,
peeling off notes in various local currencies to tip helpful service staff,
drivers and tourism workers. The extra money I press in their hands is a small
amount to me but makes a huge difference to people working hard for low pay to
support their children and extended families. My generosity is a way of
blessing people and showing kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cynics accuse “do-gooders” like me of selfish motives; they
sneer down their noses thinking I give to make myself “feel good”. Yes, I
admit, I do feel good in the act of giving. I really enjoy the buzz of seeing
someone’s face light up! Giving fills my heart with pure joy, love and empathy.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By a happy accident of fate, I was born in the developed
world and have enjoyed opportunities to make money and have a high standard of
living. I am not intrinsically better than the billions of people who live in
poor countries. I do not possess superior skills or abilities. In fact the
people I’ve met in East Africa are much smarter than me, having mastered
several languages and cultivated the ingenuity to survive and thrive in
extremely tough conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe resources are not mine to grasp with tight-fisted
entitlement. The resources of the planet are meant to be shared. And so I share
what I have and enjoy giving whenever I can. We are one world, one humanity,
one big global family. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwLD4nqPJVQuB0wRo559C9KPUB9odmjxaxRoEYizt4MU8XN0aVG-sNL544wQsBvu-Wlpvy-HLi5E7irZbEX5t_EUsUVpJ-bKK30pmdGwHY66mZrtaGPYW1UfcF3Jsm2tVbMSY7GqYNvkQ/s1600/IMG_9362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwLD4nqPJVQuB0wRo559C9KPUB9odmjxaxRoEYizt4MU8XN0aVG-sNL544wQsBvu-Wlpvy-HLi5E7irZbEX5t_EUsUVpJ-bKK30pmdGwHY66mZrtaGPYW1UfcF3Jsm2tVbMSY7GqYNvkQ/s320/IMG_9362.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-82847258505509777222016-10-19T23:37:00.001-07:002016-10-19T23:47:45.449-07:00Game Drives on the Serengeti and the Joys and Challenges of Camping <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Returning from the Masai Mara plains to the Big Smoke of
Nairobi, after a harrowing nine hours on the road, culminating in a delirious
karaoke session of Bless The Rain Down in Africa and Lion Sleeps Tonight and,
too exhausted to put up tents, we all opt for an upgrade to a hostel. Sunday
dawns and we pick up three extra passengers, Steve, a meteorologist from London
and Pam and Michael, a thrill-seeking couple from Scotland doing a world trip!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After travelling across the border to the bustling city of
Arusha in Tanzania, on Day Five of our <a href="http://www.absoluteafrica.com/">Absolute Africa</a> tour, we pick up five
Canadian lads who have just climbed Kilimanjaro who regale us with tales of
hiking the famous mountain. When we arrive at the camping ground, a dramatic
change occurs! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0La5Vh0XwFG0pvM1a5VXB3qR0w1aSEfkzanlgS40UMUQK_snfGITUHZDy30C_oXvJejKiETZguRlKYdfuoo4tTMjFbCPKuqkFR670cMojg1XyA9dqjV2SSazKe_o0s1TtdQbcIBMNqE4I/s1600/1+new+vehicle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0La5Vh0XwFG0pvM1a5VXB3qR0w1aSEfkzanlgS40UMUQK_snfGITUHZDy30C_oXvJejKiETZguRlKYdfuoo4tTMjFbCPKuqkFR670cMojg1XyA9dqjV2SSazKe_o0s1TtdQbcIBMNqE4I/s320/1+new+vehicle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We switch vehicles from the big yellow bus, our mobile
lounge room, to a smaller safari vehicle with canvas roll-up windows. We change
crew from our happy-go-lucky tour leader, Edmund with his cheerful motto “Let’s
make a plan” and our pensive driver Stephen to a new commander-in-chief, Joe, a
stocky, athletic guy with a direct approach and “No guarantees” (about hot
showers) and our new driver Patrick, with his beaming smile and relaxed Reggae
style! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And we combine with another tour group to become 17 passengers in total.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The transition is a mild shock that night at the Arusha
campsite when three tour groups converge and our small team is assigned to cook
for 29 famished travellers! (an additional 12 are heading in another
direction).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A Camp Feast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Edmund and I rise to the challenge to become Camp Cooks
Extraordinaire and swing into action with Merethe and Julio pitching in with
gusto. I’ve never chopped up so much coleslaw in my life! Other helpers peel a
giant mound of potatoes for mash and enough carrots and beans to feed an army and
Edmund makes a mountain of rice and chicken. What a feast!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Monday morning, we meet our new travelling companions,
Nathan and Priya, a charming Indian couple on an exciting world trip, Rachel
and Paul, high flyers from London, Barry, a burly Aussie, Yan from Canada,
Hannah and Olga from California and Danielle, a Aussie nurse who’s been on the
tour since Cape Town. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Joe announces we have a roster for cooking, clean-up, security
and truck duty. We need to go shopping for food supplies before we hit the road
so my team and I frantically search the aisles for Mexican ingredients. When we
can’t find tortillas we improvise with Indian chapattis and grab bags of
cassava chips instead of corn chips for nachos! With mincemeat, red kidney
beans, tomato paste, chilli and a massive bag of avocadoes, we’re good to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXTG-ycfrjkaEPrp3pAsm4pe68vv6Pr1pc_OC5WKhUWT2rNWa2J1OJh2fImdG_0b63DYkxDfyiU5byx-XQC-9VDtEgDApyGctdGtEprGGCY2FQL7IyBSU04GCfHVFcftRqSqQlxcbQUPa/s1600/2+crater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXTG-ycfrjkaEPrp3pAsm4pe68vv6Pr1pc_OC5WKhUWT2rNWa2J1OJh2fImdG_0b63DYkxDfyiU5byx-XQC-9VDtEgDApyGctdGtEprGGCY2FQL7IyBSU04GCfHVFcftRqSqQlxcbQUPa/s320/2+crater.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally we set off through the rolling countryside of
Tanzania, passing through little townships, waving back at happy, laughing
children, heading for the Ngorongoro Crater, to experience a unique game drive
in this spectacular volcanic caldera formed three million years ago, which
offers an ideal, protected eco-system to many species. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The term ‘game drive’ originated when hunters with their
sinister guns would go out in search of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>‘game’ to shoot and kill. Thankfully these days most people just want to
shoot these beautiful animals with their camera. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AKs3OE5DTty-avi07mZw4f1GfWkRJaZfVtNvzuSDCWw_ebyCFkIH_IgwCvW67UnkEl3gtblO6rLJv3yqs1670dbaWwBUOxDAtLKb3Vn71YvP6-VSwmiX6qQ1vYTu3F12bdeAOlmCP5z4/s1600/3+elephant+silohette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AKs3OE5DTty-avi07mZw4f1GfWkRJaZfVtNvzuSDCWw_ebyCFkIH_IgwCvW67UnkEl3gtblO6rLJv3yqs1670dbaWwBUOxDAtLKb3Vn71YvP6-VSwmiX6qQ1vYTu3F12bdeAOlmCP5z4/s320/3+elephant+silohette.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The landscape of the crater is eerie, like another planet! In
our jeep, we spot three lions and three lionesses eating a warthog surrounded by
opportunistic hyenas and a jackal, hoping to steal some fresh meat and later in
the tranquil jade green lake, we marvel at the sight of a school of basking hippos,
while a solitary elephant forms a magnificent silhouette against a mountain
backdrop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Incoming Rain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Day Seven, on the road to Serengeti is abysmal. We bounce
along rough roads for endless miles when the sky opens up and pours with rain
so heavy that water is pelting through the canvas sides. We all sit in the
vehicle in our raincoats trying to squint through the haze and spot animals but
they have all gone into hiding and our game drive is a washout! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G31arPd-z4O2VupLmA1LJeLdxIB8FKVdrz1bS2oORY-Kw-KgU7IqlRkDDOzW4z8ueMEBNuHwYfhGMPuUbGbYjdWf1hZAaVtlNSg2i8jm73HKANSGCiz6B1FP0c4iFWak-3gdwJeH2Ogn/s1600/4+raincoats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G31arPd-z4O2VupLmA1LJeLdxIB8FKVdrz1bS2oORY-Kw-KgU7IqlRkDDOzW4z8ueMEBNuHwYfhGMPuUbGbYjdWf1hZAaVtlNSg2i8jm73HKANSGCiz6B1FP0c4iFWak-3gdwJeH2Ogn/s320/4+raincoats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tired and
hungry and keen to get to our camping ground, a tanker accident on the track
blocks our way for an hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When we finally set up our tents in the pitch dark, everyone
is ravenous and tonight is our turn to make our Mexican feast. So we crack on
and finally feed the hungry hoards our African-Indian-Mexican fusion capped off
with Julio’s delicious guacamole! I crawl into my sleeping bag, exhausted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Elephants At
Breakfast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h_pJkiiE8BN05RG_e6iIe546NJDnQXlR9PWKlaelX2_vSANFITWXMe1ieFj4yfvjRhrblejIkMjqQY-csphCF71JVWLqQeM0iiDa7bZbEAykfT2BfIlVP-NBIiwBPBn6UkfzLL9UZ0EO/s1600/5+elephants+at+campsite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h_pJkiiE8BN05RG_e6iIe546NJDnQXlR9PWKlaelX2_vSANFITWXMe1ieFj4yfvjRhrblejIkMjqQY-csphCF71JVWLqQeM0iiDa7bZbEAykfT2BfIlVP-NBIiwBPBn6UkfzLL9UZ0EO/s320/5+elephants+at+campsite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After the rain, we wake up to a sparkling, perfect morning
with elephants grazing near our campsite! What a promising way to start the
day, which turns out to be magical – safari gold! The animals are out in force,
grazing on fresh, moist grass and prancing and playful as we drive across the
famous Serengeti; a national reserve, Joes tells us, is 14,763 square
kilometres and as big as Holland! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iFBAiv6llUg5EzG2VuYjIQMg8bv2HWAc9sj4V8Dn3V7YkBiYR5yeKmbs82OMAhD8hWPhiNYnxZvQ-F6Lpqg0AVHlM-v12tk_W7sPQqKtOrqv-IAWfFqT44UCFwt8RpAPJrflIh86LPQ8/s1600/giraffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iFBAiv6llUg5EzG2VuYjIQMg8bv2HWAc9sj4V8Dn3V7YkBiYR5yeKmbs82OMAhD8hWPhiNYnxZvQ-F6Lpqg0AVHlM-v12tk_W7sPQqKtOrqv-IAWfFqT44UCFwt8RpAPJrflIh86LPQ8/s320/giraffe.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We sight an abundance of zebras, gangling giraffes munching
n treetops and a herd of old cape buffalo carrying cheeky yellow billed ox
peckers on their backs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Joe is in his element sharing his knowledge of wildlife and
tells how the old, “bachelor buffaloes” hang out together, when past their
prime, they are rejected by the fit, young herd. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuKpWxG_RG8rrKzPYQITkam_gLSmqUezuUDOkgOLh9odo3uzntTXT0sIBt-PEv6YbbpzOU13d6nPsgL29mG4iu7yaToF8JWrEjYm3neTg0GlCN50rnyiKzpYUKzHlGqe4yo1eIh7mYjpG/s1600/6+joe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuKpWxG_RG8rrKzPYQITkam_gLSmqUezuUDOkgOLh9odo3uzntTXT0sIBt-PEv6YbbpzOU13d6nPsgL29mG4iu7yaToF8JWrEjYm3neTg0GlCN50rnyiKzpYUKzHlGqe4yo1eIh7mYjpG/s320/6+joe.jpg" width="218" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We are all so exuberant today to be in true safari-mode with
zoom lenses at the ready. The Serengeti boasts a population of 5000 lions and
we are itching to spot the big cats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then it happens. Dozens of jeeps are stopped on the track
with eager tourists glued to cameras poking out the rooftops and windows
captivated by some unfolding drama. The frantic scene is like the paparazzi of
the animal world with the Big Cats the sought-after celebrities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzZ4JKYjN6g8F2oxWCJ-DQ6lj-Y2qABGeF4C2_7fU9mAu263EdK3oir0HjUEIzCyUfQWYnoUJftuPRPsaYxTAIMY2xP79J9ZgSaXTL_ax950bN9VGhlQ9l_f2CKY4TKp7_btShdSBu543/s1600/7+paparatti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzZ4JKYjN6g8F2oxWCJ-DQ6lj-Y2qABGeF4C2_7fU9mAu263EdK3oir0HjUEIzCyUfQWYnoUJftuPRPsaYxTAIMY2xP79J9ZgSaXTL_ax950bN9VGhlQ9l_f2CKY4TKp7_btShdSBu543/s320/7+paparatti.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliVWzXgrKOeTgNrgsUgAGZzbA2uYg2VbvS4g82xDLtBf-wPzXjU2cyU_RGdE8Z5UUC0scuiQXttpEw_Q-R4y3rBV0ns9vqmxEkfAp9K6HnihsVGXqs3-Jx4keWuV-a21qIwGwmXTSWTM-/s1600/8+cameras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliVWzXgrKOeTgNrgsUgAGZzbA2uYg2VbvS4g82xDLtBf-wPzXjU2cyU_RGdE8Z5UUC0scuiQXttpEw_Q-R4y3rBV0ns9vqmxEkfAp9K6HnihsVGXqs3-Jx4keWuV-a21qIwGwmXTSWTM-/s320/8+cameras.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mother Lion Reprimands Cub<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we draw closer, we see a female lion pacing the road while two other lionesses guard five feisty cubs sitting obediently on a log. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We see Mum drag her kill, a small gazelle, under a tree,
where a leopard is draped in the overhead branches. She calls to the cubs with
a low growl and four of them come scampering for lunch and settle in to eat
while she keeps watch. She calls again to the tardy cub who bounces towards his
mother and she gives him a good swipe on the head and roars, reprimanding him,
as if </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to say” “Come when I call!” The other two females continue to keep watch
while all the cubs feed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What an extraordinary and thrilling drama to see played out
in nature! I have to pinch myself! We are privileged to witness this little
scenario happening in real-life, not sitting on the sofa watching a TV wildlife
show!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFJUL8nDg63xNwuvVpgho1E7ROkWt99kKKsoGpBpGLlp2xWRELpShQRZxbYAByco156cXI8kSyJqqD77JWfLSrtnPZj_In1-5KxdkFa7xxl4E3bcUtVHvyQDfGLC27SAbx5GgTFJ_dUlN/s1600/9lioness+under+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFJUL8nDg63xNwuvVpgho1E7ROkWt99kKKsoGpBpGLlp2xWRELpShQRZxbYAByco156cXI8kSyJqqD77JWfLSrtnPZj_In1-5KxdkFa7xxl4E3bcUtVHvyQDfGLC27SAbx5GgTFJ_dUlN/s320/9lioness+under+tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Joes explains that female lions live and hunt together
caring for a collection of cubs that can belong to the different mothers while
male lions usually leave the pride after mating and roam around as solitary
hunters or team up with other males. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We stop at the Serengeti tourist centre for lunch. Then five
minutes before the bus is about to leave, Julio and I behave like naughty
children running off to buy souvenirs and delay our departure, much to
everyone’s disapproval.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Leopard Encounter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am standing at the front of the bus when we approach a few
vehicles stopped on the track with binoculars and cameras glued to a small
bush. I spot her first! A leopard! She is motionless, transfixed, staring at
something in the distance. Everyone is lined up along at the open windows to
see what’s happening. In a flash she pounces and strikes the helpless gazelle
in the neck. We are gasp and shriek! Oh My God! We just witnessed a kill - the
Serengeti’s ultimate thrill! I feel sorry for the gazelle, which had obviously
wandered off from the safety of the herd. Isolated and vulnerable, he was easy
prey for the lightening fast wild cat.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskqAobx1y1vMHiO6x-BdvKz5nIrviIcG4Q5qvFYsASy7zOM6zuinP6mfo5P0YGdeolLQnVpKA7tmoSLQAJpNZG0SCKnJdTqBuP35FIvhCj82Vpmu-xQfNCfyv1DeiQjJ83IBDIY2kXZQZ/s1600/10+leopard+kill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskqAobx1y1vMHiO6x-BdvKz5nIrviIcG4Q5qvFYsASy7zOM6zuinP6mfo5P0YGdeolLQnVpKA7tmoSLQAJpNZG0SCKnJdTqBuP35FIvhCj82Vpmu-xQfNCfyv1DeiQjJ83IBDIY2kXZQZ/s320/10+leopard+kill.jpg" width="271" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now the leopard is poised clutching the gazelle in her
powerful jaws as our cameras click this incredible image but she is shy and
nervous about the human audience so drags the dead gazelle under a bush to eat
in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I admit it was irresponsible to hold up the bus buying
souvenirs, but I like to think the fateful delay led us to seeing the leopard
kill! If we’d been 20 minutes earlier on that road we would have missed this
thrilling spectacle! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A Serengeti
Thunderstorm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We arrive at the rustic Bush Camp, with its rusty iron
toilet and shower block and rickety old shelter shed in the early afternoon,
delighted to have time to wash our dirty clothes and hang them out in the sweltering
sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rcVBIo_OI5ULFOQtcaXsZelNSS2OJsLhClxRZXcTDwEdBh5d5qdzdLIQuMhWTrsGYQzmHanhU9JQPB7dhG35TcJrrncNS6xCpgsuDmKkv1lN6sLp-msC1lwfj-Eqnk4jAK5dYwooZk_D/s1600/bush+toilets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rcVBIo_OI5ULFOQtcaXsZelNSS2OJsLhClxRZXcTDwEdBh5d5qdzdLIQuMhWTrsGYQzmHanhU9JQPB7dhG35TcJrrncNS6xCpgsuDmKkv1lN6sLp-msC1lwfj-Eqnk4jAK5dYwooZk_D/s320/bush+toilets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The hot sun is like a sauna and we strip down to shorts,
singlets and sunnies for cool drinks. Some opt for invigorating cold showers,
others are hard at work scrubbing clothes in plastic dishes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A small group heads off for a guided nature walk and others
stroll to the nearby luxury lodge for drinks on the deck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But the idyllic interlude is short-lived. Gunmetal clouds are
gathering overhead. We grab the clothes from the lines and relocate them under
the shelter and Joe is going around securing all the tents with pegs. I zip up
the front of our tent and flee to the dilapidated shelter. And then it happens.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The rain teems down with frightening force, coming in
sideways under the shelter. The strung-up laundry is flapped around and saturated.
Three camp rangers seek cover but they are unfazed by the familiar torrential
rain. We watch wide-eyed as the camping ground is rapidly submerged under a
foot of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The nature walkers return to join us in the shelter, two
girls have sought refuge in the bus, Joe and Patrick are waiting out the storm in
the cabin and the rest of our travellers are watching the show at the Lodge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The deluge, thunder and distant lightning lasts for an hour
and abruptly stops. I realise I forgot to zip up the back window of our tent
and discover that one of the mattresses is soaked. Staring at the prospect of sloshing
around in a waterlogged camp and sleeping in a wet tent, in a moment of panic,
I want an upgrade to the safety of the luxury lodge! But lovely Patrick gives
us a fresh mattress and the water miraculously recedes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That night the cooking team, Priya, Yan, Danielle and
Merethe cook up a scrumptious feast of stir fry veggies and chicken and we have
a sing along in the rusty old shelter. After the storm, all is well in the camp
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Challenges of
Camping<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Taking cold showers <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*“Drying” myself with a smelly, damp towel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Running out of clean undies!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Finding something to wear from a bag full of filthy clothes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Obsessing over rummaging through my bags and sorting out
stuff<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Giving up make-up <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Dirty fingernails<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Gashing my thumb on the truck’s metal locker, and being
covered in a colourful assortment of bruises and cuts <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Getting sick from driving for hours on bumpy roads<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Catching my hair on the zip of the tent (every time!) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Putting up the tent in the dark and putting down the tent
in the dark before breakfast at 6 am. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Wishing I had a head torch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Stopping the bus on a dusty track for us girls to squat
behind a bush while the guys go on the other side<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*African toilets (say no more!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Hearing scary <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heavy </i>rain
on the tent!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Scrambling to find my hiking boots and raincoat <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Wishing I’d brought my Canon camera and zoom lens for
better close-ups of wildlife<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Joys of Camping<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Cooking outdoors on an open fire for hungry travellers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Sitting around a campfire, gazing at the mesmerising flames,
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*A chorus of bird song at dusk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Looking up at a vast African night sky ablaze with
sparkling stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Finding zebras and elephants outside our tent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*The smell of the rain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*The relief of having brought a raincoat only yesterday! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Climbing into a sleeping bag<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Lying snug inside and listening to gentle rain on the tent <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Making deep friendships by experiencing real adventures
together<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*The private bliss of riding along in the back of the bus,
watching spectacular scenery roll by, waving at happy children, while listening
to my favourite music through earplugs, snuggling next to my buddies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Game driving is exhilarating and addictive. I’ve developed a
taste for seeing animals in the wild and a taste for camping, tents and
campfires. The joys of this adventurous outdoor lifestyle far outweigh the
challenges. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-80642004318520910642016-10-16T03:13:00.000-07:002017-10-02T23:50:11.966-07:00Making Friends with Maasai Men <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My fascination with Maasai men and their culture all started
with George. A handsome young Maasai warrior with big loops in his ear lopes,
dressed in a dazzling orange and yellow check Maasai blanket and tunic and
adored with intricate bead necklaces, <b>George</b>,
the son of the chief, was our eloquent host when we visited the Maasai village
on the second day of our dramatic tour with <a href="http://www.absoluteafrica.com/">Absolute
Africa</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jumping off our massive yellow bus with relief after a
gruelling three-hour ride on a bumpy dirt road, the five of us weary travellers
are warmly greeted by exuberant, resplendent Maasai men dancing and singing and
leaping high in the air, as if on the bouncy pogo sticks I remember from
childhood.</span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The enthusiastic performance sure wakes us up! And then
George leads us into the village; a collection of mud huts surrounding a large
round yard and pens for cows, goats and sheep. A huddle of men demonstrate
starting a fire without matches (a handy skill they share with the Aboriginal
people of my homeland Australia and all clever boy scouts!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">George explains that the proud Maasai tribe that extends
across a vast territory north and south of Nairobi in Kenya, right into
Tanzania are nomadic herders who graze their livestock far and wide. The Maasai
revere their cherished cows relying on their milk mixed with their blood for
food. They also eat goat and sheep meat and these days supplement their high
protein diet with vegetables bought at the markets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">George says brides command a bride price of 10 cows, five sheep
and 10 blankets and traditionally the tribe has been polygamous. George’s
father has six wives and many children comprising a big happy blended family.
However George, a modern young man in his 20s, is content with one wife,
Evelyn, a savvy businesswoman who runs the craft shop, and they have five
children. George is also a pastor so Christianity is now modifying Maasai
beliefs and practices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">George guides us into one of the tiny mud huts, which are hand
built by the women, and shows us the miniscule beds where a wife and children
sleep, with the husband rotating around the huts each night to sleep with each
wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next the beautiful women in their colourful dresses gather
to perform a song and dance and we clap and sing along to show appreciation.
Next stop is a huge circular thatch-roofed hut overflowing with enticing jewellery
and trinkets and coveted Maasai blankets. I’m mesmerised trying to choose
bracelets and necklaces to take home as gifts for my family.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">William </b>came for
me at 5am before dawn, when I spilled out of my tent, a dishevelled mess. His
job was to drive me to the hot air balloon launch site. So we sat quietly in
the powerful Land Rover as this handsome man in his 30s, drove adeptly along the
familiar roads of his tribal land of breath-taking beauty, pointing out animals
stirring from their morning slumber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I arrive to see the massive striped balloon lying limp on
the ground in preparation for lift out, I’m nervous with trepidation, when
William glances down and kindly points out that my shoes are on the wrong feet!
We have a good laugh and he waves me off, saying he will collect me after
breakfast to transport me to the luxury lodge to rendezvous with the rest of my
group. With no idea where I am, in the middle of nowhere, I have to simply
trust my new friend, feeling intuitively that I am in safe hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">True to his word, William shows up at our elegant breakfast
on the open plains after my spectacular hot air balloon ride across the Maasai
Mara. (read my previous post for details!) As we bounce along, to my delight
and surprise, William spontaneously decides to take me on a personal game drive
to spot some of the Big Five. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I cannot believe our luck when we stumble across a family of
beautiful cheetahs, languidly luxuriating in the sunshine, draped on a mound
under a scraggy bush. There’s mum, blinking and smiling, and four playful cubs
posing for a family portrait! I pretend I’m David Attenborough and make a
little video with a voice-over, which William finds highly amusing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And then William steers us to a creek bed where we spot a
huge male lion lying on his back with his giant paws in the air, his belly
heaving with each breath. Williams explains that the lion has just feasted on a
kill and is lazing around digesting his meal, in the exact same pose my cocker
spaniel Honey takes when she wants a tummy rub. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I tease William by saying “What would happen if I got out
and gave the lion a tummy rub?” If a black man’s face could turn white! I swear
William’s shocked expression was imaging the beast having me for dessert and
how would he explain that to the boss? “I’m only joking,” I say, and we share a
laugh at dumb tourists! A few metres away down in the creek bed, we see the
lion’s female mate also resting in the shade so we leave them in peace and head
off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Driving along, I chat with William about his family. He is
the proud dad of six children and he has ambitions of a good education for all
his daughters and sons so they can get good jobs and expand their opportunities
and embrace a contemporary lifestyle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a photo together and exchange of email addresses,
William leaves me at the lodge. I’m hoping for a hot shower and fresh clothes
but my travelling buddies hustle, saying there’s no time before the next
exciting adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After getting sick with the bumpy ride in the back of the
jeep yesterday, the others suggest I ride up front with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Peter, </b>our experienced Maasai game driver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First we spot dainty gazelles scampering along, their little
tails wagging, then two adorable baby warthogs galloping after their mother,
elegant Topi antelope with their impressive horns, herds of wildebeest, their
heavy heads chomping on grass with their fine veil of whiskers blowing in the
breeze! And there’s an abundance of zebras huddled together. The mature ones,
dramatic in their black and white stripes, groom each other’s bristly necks
while the brown and white youngsters prance and cavort!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXR78aaZUo2d3SX4Htv8FC13Y-EI6XFaYc2aqsWCiROcLtRHo29eo96fA7AwZlZQk2RoF0_FYFKB2BU6kL_mhz7qf_ptkL3F2SHZy0PHMcjVmbXgvbvKgWoL_uRk2pNSJqY6fj67WPKsK/s1600/zebras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXR78aaZUo2d3SX4Htv8FC13Y-EI6XFaYc2aqsWCiROcLtRHo29eo96fA7AwZlZQk2RoF0_FYFKB2BU6kL_mhz7qf_ptkL3F2SHZy0PHMcjVmbXgvbvKgWoL_uRk2pNSJqY6fj67WPKsK/s320/zebras.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we drive towards the famous Mara River, with the pure hot
sun beaming through my side window, I glance across at Peter’s profile and ask
about the big loops in his ear lopes. He happily explains that the hole was cut
as a boy, and gradually expanded by wearing bigger and bigger sticks and he
adds that the droopy adornment can be worn “out or tucked in!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He points to a scar on his muscular black arm, in the shape
of a paw print and explains he got this when he killed his first lion… and then
another scar on his right arm and others on his thighs. Peter explains he has
killed seven lions in total since he was 15, acts of life-threatening courage
and bravery, which earned him the role of Chief. I am astonished to discover I
am chatting casually with a highly respected Masai chief and that he has opened
up freely about the tribe’s manhood rituals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He says the Kenyan government has now made it illegal for
Maasai warriors to kill protected lions in the Reserve so this ritual has
recently come to an end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peter is wearing many lavish necklaces to signify his status
as chief. His surname is Narok, the name of the bustling town we passed
through; his ancestors’ name. The family owns 190 acres of land and a guest
lodge for international visitors. I am gob smacked! He kindly invites me to
come and stay and experience the Masai way of life! Wow! Now that’s an offer I
will take up! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorTTwdXSgpoawvOKvQ0CcAXBnQAFulhOdLRehShQloUbm13WP0H0cbRJbMTCPQeA-ogCefmjKrMMBq6boSrcZIH0ftVT1rpiqybgJIaoe8tQwRbKz5N8yVL3WD49RGKqxrkA5nG141GgC/s1600/8+Peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorTTwdXSgpoawvOKvQ0CcAXBnQAFulhOdLRehShQloUbm13WP0H0cbRJbMTCPQeA-ogCefmjKrMMBq6boSrcZIH0ftVT1rpiqybgJIaoe8tQwRbKz5N8yVL3WD49RGKqxrkA5nG141GgC/s320/8+Peter.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is an amazing Maasai man successfully blending
traditions with 21<sup>st</sup> century business skills and technological
know-how. His smart phone fits nicely under his robes! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And then Peter expresses his hopes and dreams for his six
daughters. He is putting them all through higher education and university
qualifications. His eldest girl wants to be a pilot! What wondrous changing
times for rural Africa!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a picnic lunch on a Maasai blanket, we discover the
Mara River is teeming with hippos and crocodiles and watch a herd of zebra
stand transfixed on a cliff staring into the swirling waters below, seemingly
contemplating whether to cross the treacherous river to reach the fresh pasture
on the other side. They appear to be weighing up the risks of being killed and
eaten by ferocious crocs as against the lure of the greener grass! The leader
of the herd edges closer and the others follow. They stand and pause then all
of a sudden change their minds and retreat. What a spectacle to witness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZX6KGOKazLRxuqw8xsU29vbzWTJhvvsdp7PW8Ethyphenhyphen-J855pFMuWkCUVRYE5Y_GOU5-0EkGAOyY_R_jektngutFuapVZKwt_xsQL6kC1D7ubPsdirjKeKRJKLjoSDwqeUm4Q6z0GE139lq/s1600/9+me+%2526+Peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZX6KGOKazLRxuqw8xsU29vbzWTJhvvsdp7PW8Ethyphenhyphen-J855pFMuWkCUVRYE5Y_GOU5-0EkGAOyY_R_jektngutFuapVZKwt_xsQL6kC1D7ubPsdirjKeKRJKLjoSDwqeUm4Q6z0GE139lq/s320/9+me+%2526+Peter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we break camp at the Maasai camping ground the next
morning, I get to ride in the cabin with Stephen for a slightly smoother ride
than in the back of the bus, being thrown around during the three-hour trip on
the rough, unmade road to Narok.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCkKz8NU3qZChHNnwX6BO6Ei4s0XXK4Tyr0rk-eEH3q3IG_HLCk9NygUqaF5iIi9508mXcRa6EadJb8FGRVLwVSrisKO5K7qJ_pXzo2Iv__49tGdoJpD6YtFzHQriEXvNW6orekRdjN-j/s1600/10+stephen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCkKz8NU3qZChHNnwX6BO6Ei4s0XXK4Tyr0rk-eEH3q3IG_HLCk9NygUqaF5iIi9508mXcRa6EadJb8FGRVLwVSrisKO5K7qJ_pXzo2Iv__49tGdoJpD6YtFzHQriEXvNW6orekRdjN-j/s320/10+stephen.jpg" width="249" /></a><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had no idea our shy, quiet expert bus driver <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stephen</b> is also a Maasai man. He is a
brilliant driver navigating countless potholes and rocks with unwavering
concentration on this dangerous road. He does this demanding job to support his
precious family; his wife, Lily, a primary school teacher, and his three young
children, whom he’s missing, especially his baby! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stephen lives on Maasai farmlands owned by his family, 30
miles south of Nairobi. I am surprised to discover that Maasai lands extend
south of the city. When the British colonised Kenya and established Nairobi as
the capital they had no regard for carving up tribal territories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we drive along forming an unlikely friendship across our
two different cultures, Stephen extends a warm welcome to me to visit his
family on my next trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is much more to learn about the intriguing Maasai
people and I know in my heart I will return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-86566330227028230872016-10-15T02:50:00.000-07:002016-10-28T09:02:18.084-07:00Spectacular Hot Air Ballooning Across the Masai Mara<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I almost missed an experience of a lifetime – a hot air
balloon ride across the sweeping plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya to witness
the legendary migration of the wildebeest.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We had travelled for three solid hours on a rough, rocky,
unmade road to reach the Masai Mara in Kenya. The big yellow bus was shaking
and bouncing, making it impossible to take photos, write notes or even speak.
All we could do was brace our bodies against each bump and grit our teeth. The
journey was gruelling. I felt like my insides were like a James Bond martini –
shaken not stirred! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And then we piled in a jeep for a two-hour game drive on
more rough tracks and in the rush, I forgot to take snacks and water. Despite
seeing my first lion, a migraine headache was setting in and I felt nauseous by
the time we set up camp and started cooking. I couldn’t face eating. I wanted
to throw up but couldn’t manage it, pacing in circles and groaning!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I signed on for the expensive optional extra of a hot
air balloon ride I didn't know the incredible experience would require getting
up in the dark for a one hour drive to the middle of the open plains for a
pre-dawn lift-off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The prospect of another rough ride made my stomach churn. I
tried to renege. But Edmund was adamant. ‘No, I couldn’t get a refund’ and ‘No,
the trip wasn’t transferrable!’ He encouraged me to seize the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and reassured me I would feel better in the
morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So Marissa gave me an anti-nausea tablet and I collapsed
into my sleeping bag. With my iphone dead, my tent buddy Merethe set her smart
phone alarm for 4.30 am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the alarm sounded in the pitch black, I stumbled around
the tent chucking on clothes and shoes and fell out of the tent dizzy and
disorientated, trying to find the toilet block when suddenly a tall Masai
warrior, one of the camp guards, was in front of me with a torch. I jumped out
of my skin, trying to explain I was being picked up for the balloon ride. He
tapped his watch which showed 1.30 am! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turns out Merethe’s alarm was still on Norwegian time! So I
climbed back into my sleeping back fully clothed and dozed until William,
another Masai warrior, resplendent in red regalia, draped in necklaces, came to
collect me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And now, William and I sit in companionable quietness
driving across the golden plains as the birds and animals are stirring before
sun-up. I gaze at the exotic wildlife, now familiar; playful giraffes in their
striped pyjamas, herds of wildebeest; a strange composite of an animal with its
huge buffalo-like head (and rounded Roman nose), the body of a cow, a mane like
a horse and silky whiskers hanging from its neck, pretty gazelles with their
caramel, white and black striped flanks, graceful impala and the larger Topi
antelope in their yellow socks. These are the animals that intrepid travellers
from around the world come to see in their multitudes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA9LX4633YEsLLhMW3-umpYR4ZO1Ph8vVkXOcwfbEEp3O-xL7n7bh6Xpue_iM4dLry9ygkgPTeIyLs4uh6Eanz2eUBmcJpHA9LDPztjUdoZSxuc39ZWIAE6FMU2p-nm01z7kpWZo3xAdC/s1600/11+balloon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA9LX4633YEsLLhMW3-umpYR4ZO1Ph8vVkXOcwfbEEp3O-xL7n7bh6Xpue_iM4dLry9ygkgPTeIyLs4uh6Eanz2eUBmcJpHA9LDPztjUdoZSxuc39ZWIAE6FMU2p-nm01z7kpWZo3xAdC/s320/11+balloon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Around 1.5 million wildebeest, accompanied by half a million
zebra and as many antelope race across the open plains, often in single file, in
their migration from the mating and breeding grounds of the Serengeti in
neighbouring Tanzania to graze on the fresh grasslands of the Masai Mara. The
guides say the slow-witted wildebeest like to hang out with the intelligent
zebras, because they can sense the danger of predators and trigger a hasty
escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we arrive at the launch site, I am stunned to see a
massive striped balloon spread out on the ground with a basket lying on its
side and a team of men in overalls rushing around to prepare the flight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had a vague idea of stepping daintily into a wicker basket
with a balloon cheerfully floating overhead, which is kind of impossible.
Everything about this trip is a surprise and more physically challenging than I
expected. So the 14 of us, all shapes and sizes and nationalities, have to
climb into the four compartments and lie on our backs with our knees bent, squashed
together, like crack commandos, as our skilful pilot, Jason, ignites the gas
flame. Whoosh! The smell and sound and heat of the flame are exhilarating. We
are dragged along the ground until the balloon expands and the basket tilts and
we are abruptly upright and airborne. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_oFQqbSZeaT3-idb20rkmNh69fTKFXC1uSJ0IMhCHw_N0D22-q2HZeZFJkMykad35qbapBaYD3-L18Tzqf9i0Ind7W58_WhAMcAB4HWOq_7iT4lhsDynqBaCqBeK4Wtcp6W_pMigJFM2/s1600/2+balloon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_oFQqbSZeaT3-idb20rkmNh69fTKFXC1uSJ0IMhCHw_N0D22-q2HZeZFJkMykad35qbapBaYD3-L18Tzqf9i0Ind7W58_WhAMcAB4HWOq_7iT4lhsDynqBaCqBeK4Wtcp6W_pMigJFM2/s320/2+balloon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sensation of gently floating across the plains (actually
we are rushing along at 40 mph) is euphoric. Jason works the powerful butane
gas jets releasing gushes of flames that warm my back and draw us higher and
higher as the orange sun rises across the spectacular vista of the Masai Mara,
teeming with skittish wildebeest running in all directions, startled by a
basket full of humans suspended in the air by a mighty orb, sailing into
heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLnrY5hEzpJnTd6qkjDPD_C33h_dL-KFcSNkgNIQ9NhQEjsMDI6Okpdr3I7akk6gzCmThTIV_1KMSae4CsqDZIol63hQokf4OnFeJu6hSSkOx4aF6ssDpyKKJaF5ZqHMhFd_cKqJt1pLk/s1600/3+balloon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLnrY5hEzpJnTd6qkjDPD_C33h_dL-KFcSNkgNIQ9NhQEjsMDI6Okpdr3I7akk6gzCmThTIV_1KMSae4CsqDZIol63hQokf4OnFeJu6hSSkOx4aF6ssDpyKKJaF5ZqHMhFd_cKqJt1pLk/s320/3+balloon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank you Edmund, is all I can say, for encouraging me to
take this sensational ride! Even in dirty clothes, unwashed hair, with my shoes
on the wrong feet, I’m glad I’m here at dawn, soaking up the grandeur of the
natural world and the vastness of the multi-coloured sky. I’ve never felt more
alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I see the joy on Jason’s face, as he masterfully manoeuvres
this whimsical vehicle and delights in his awe-struck passengers taking in the
view, spotting animals and landmarks and the distant mountains on the horizon
until we finally crash land, bump, bump, bump. Jason laughingly assures us that
this is a “controlled crash”, as the basket hits the ground and the giant
balloon deflates and collapses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As if all this excitement was not enough, we are picked up
in jeeps to be transported to our breakfast. I imagined we are heading to a
nearby lodge but once again I’m in for a surprise as we arrive in the middle of
the open plains to see elegant long trestles beautifully draped in white and red
tablecloths and set with fine china, and an immaculate catering staff all ready
to serve us a Five Star, Silver Service breakfast. But first a flute of
champagne!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All the guests are gob smacked and delighted as we eat a
hearty breakfast and chat about this rare experience. Talking to our heroic
pilot, I discover that Jason is a Canadian, a champion hot air balloon pilot,
who flies in spectacular locations and competes in elite competitions around
the planet! What an astonishing lifestyle! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jason presents me with a certificate stating: “This is to
certify that Diane Priestley ventured aloft over the Masai Mara on the 30<sup>th</sup>
of September 2016.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s official. I did it. And so can you. The extraordinary
flight with <a href="http://maraballooning.com/">Hot Air Safaris</a> costs £320.
A bucket list must.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130642632336715712.post-42114653799401571222016-10-14T02:32:00.000-07:002016-10-17T05:45:25.187-07:00Tongue Kissing Giraffes, Close Up with Baby Elephants and Watching Lazy Hippos<div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7TFVOaxqAFkRn1lqBPttUPKuXOYUBvAhO1ezw6IV2Ykp1S7doAQeZSj1z7qi0H7c99X6xley__LgmtRoHDzoQuQxeVonhmm_X4NWzE5oFB817dFuqr_GFX6sQyRKRL6D63Ryc337r6TR/s1600/IMG_7614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7TFVOaxqAFkRn1lqBPttUPKuXOYUBvAhO1ezw6IV2Ykp1S7doAQeZSj1z7qi0H7c99X6xley__LgmtRoHDzoQuQxeVonhmm_X4NWzE5oFB817dFuqr_GFX6sQyRKRL6D63Ryc337r6TR/s320/IMG_7614.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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I never imagined tongue kissing a giraffe. The trick is to
hold a food pellet in your mouth then the giraffe extends her long mauve tongue
and licks it right out of your lips!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stacey is up for this rare intimacy. But Daisy doesn’t kiss
on the first date. She prefers to daintily lick pellets from your fingers while
Betsy likes a cuddle. You stand facing away from her and cup the pellets down
low so she reaches her huge head over your shoulder and lets you pat her
beautiful face and look into those seductive brown eyes
framed by thick black lashes. I love giraffes and have admired them from a
distance so I am squealing with delight to get up close and personal with these
magnificent animals of grand design.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is the first hour of our <a href="http://www.absoluteafrica.com/">Absolute Africa</a> safari. What a
thrilling start! We kicked off at the <a href="http://giraffecenter.org/">Giraffe
Centre</a> in Nairobi, Kenya, us five solo travellers, perched high in the
biggest 28-seater bright yellow bus you’ve ever seen, with this travelling
lounge room all to ourselves. Our jovial tour leader Edmund and skilful driver
Stephen are riding in the cabin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We met early at the tranquil <a href="http://wildebeestecocamp.com/">Wildebeest Eco Camp</a> and introduced
ourselves: Merethe, 35, a research assistant from Trondheim, Norway, Julio, 36,
a marketing whiz from Mexico City, Amy, 36, an adventurous nurse from Denver,
Colorado, Marissa, who just celebrated her 30<sup>th</sup> birthday while volunteering
in the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31540911">Kibera Slums</a>,
a well-travelled nurse from Vancouver, Canada. And me, imagining I am younger than I am, an Aussie writer living in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our second attraction is so heart-warming I almost burst
with joy! At the <a href="https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/">Sheldrick
Elephant Orphanage</a>, we saw over a dozen adorable rusty-skinned baby
elephants trot merrily into an enclosure for their morning feed of special
formula milk, given to each eager baby in a huge plastic bottle by a smiling keeper in green overalls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I watch as visitors from around the world, in hushed awe,
click their smart phone cameras and zoom lens Canons, trying to capture this
enthralling spectacle to take home some of the magic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the hungry youngsters have had their fill, and cameras
are exhausted, our guide takes the microphone and explains how these precious
babies came to be orphans; how their courageous, protective mothers didn’t
stand a chance against poachers’ guns, leaving their young alone and starving
wandering helplessly until rescued and transported to the orphanage where the
babies spent eight years in care before being carefully released into the wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmD3qZmlXgDb3SOF5Bq-qXttmrp9aTfU_5WPDuHQ_MQSTadDyxNEDm272JJu1vMujYd731Dr7ucfb3dZDkxla4p39f2hQNE9qZln5r_nQ_mSoStEgYnYKoPwd1sXBT327Q0SZgRt6JfFM9/s1600/IMG_7690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmD3qZmlXgDb3SOF5Bq-qXttmrp9aTfU_5WPDuHQ_MQSTadDyxNEDm272JJu1vMujYd731Dr7ucfb3dZDkxla4p39f2hQNE9qZln5r_nQ_mSoStEgYnYKoPwd1sXBT327Q0SZgRt6JfFM9/s320/IMG_7690.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This dedicated elephant orphanage in Nairobi was founded by
Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick in 1977 in honour of her late husband, acclaimed naturalist,
David Sheldrick, MBE who worked for over 20 years as a park warden with the <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Royal National Parks of Kenya, transforming the
wilderness of the Tsavo’s Eastern Sector into Kenya’s largest and most famous
National Park. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kenya-born Daphne Sheldrick
lived and worked alongside her husband raising and rehabilitating many wild
species. She is recognised for perfecting the milk formula for infant milk-dependent
elephants and rhinos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Daphne and her family have
built the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and its pioneering Orphans Project
into a global force for wildlife conservation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The intensive work of caring
for the elephant babies is carried out by a team of highly trained keepers,
young men proud of their tribal roots and devoted to raising the the dependent
babies into fully-grown, healthy elephants who can survive in the wild.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This remarkable work is made
possible through proceeds from visits to the orphanage and <a href="https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fostering.asp">fostering</a>
of babies. I decided to foster 10-month old Jotto, who was recued after he fell
down a well in the Namunyak Conservancy in Samburu. It costs just $50USD (£33)
per year to support one of these precious animals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We pile in our gigantic yellow
bus and hit the road heading north through the gorgeous Rift Valley to the
Masai Mara camping ground set right on the edge of the magical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Naivasha">Lake Naivasha.</a> We were
meant to do a Hippo Cruise on sunset but arrived too late, so Edmund announced
we would get up early and do the cruise at sunrise!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In my first experience of
putting up a tent, my delicate little fingers battle with the metal clips and I
struggle with the metal poles and hoisting the heavy canvas so I’m grateful
that my tent buddy, Merethe is an experienced, hardy camper and takes charge! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once our tents are set up,
it’s dinnertime and at last I have some skills to offer my camping buddies! I
volunteer to cook and Edmund dubs me “Master Chef”, a grandiose title for
chopping a few veggies and boiling some rice! But I am in my element cooking on
the open fire under a canopy of stars and breathing in the fragrant night air
and listening to the hippos growl and roar! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The nocturnal herbivorous hippos
wander around the grounds at night in search of food then return to the lake to
snooze and keep cool through the day. A mother hippo protecting her baby can be
fierce, fast and dangerous in charging a marauding human so we all snuggle into
our sleeping bags ready for our early morning cruise!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNbBHWaP8Mv3dAcgvLzX5G38fkbw5GEV4F06mlDzeJC6RNwJE9tl-JYUnqHvMlkfU4xibjlE6sSeLyiLaE2RIvpRf1Z77j-ehDWCCUttfx8k_ppogjC8Y4Wxx2JTe8xhUoGXCJERFua55/s1600/IMG_7818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNbBHWaP8Mv3dAcgvLzX5G38fkbw5GEV4F06mlDzeJC6RNwJE9tl-JYUnqHvMlkfU4xibjlE6sSeLyiLaE2RIvpRf1Z77j-ehDWCCUttfx8k_ppogjC8Y4Wxx2JTe8xhUoGXCJERFua55/s320/IMG_7818.JPG" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As the sun comes up, the
shimmering lake is beautiful and surreal with masses of twisted trees rising
from the water casting wobbly reflections. We climb aboard a traditional long
boat with our expert boatman Josh at the helm and our cameras poised to capture
huddles of bulbous hippos, sleeping in the shallows.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Josh knows exactly where they
are and we skim across the glassy water to discover two schools of these
massive animals snoozing, their heavy heads resting on each other’s backs, the
little ones staying close to their mothers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They are comical animals, so
tubby and bloated, on tiny legs. Their adorable faces have huge muzzles, with
hooded eyes, rimmed in tan, set high on their foreheads and funny little ears
poking up – a cross between a French Mastiff and Shrek! It’s easy to love a
hippo but their cuteness is deceptive when I remember they can take a giant
bite out of you on land! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhbQXPWmkllqo_95KGqk9CJxHiFySHizzjDy-UdomfUFn2aJfxXAKEF1oa_LGcM999e6TkUDKc7iZCYeeYNXJQ9ms9498qo9JnRJshpekQc9W4bZUnEW5-scZZEDRyFk7UGpuEEGqMGSC/s1600/IMG_7814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhbQXPWmkllqo_95KGqk9CJxHiFySHizzjDy-UdomfUFn2aJfxXAKEF1oa_LGcM999e6TkUDKc7iZCYeeYNXJQ9ms9498qo9JnRJshpekQc9W4bZUnEW5-scZZEDRyFk7UGpuEEGqMGSC/s320/IMG_7814.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We observe the antics of the
hippos for ages then zoom off to Crescent Island, a natural sanctuary for
gentle prey animals, safe from predators. We spot our first zebras, wildebeest,
impala, water buffalo wallowing in the reeds and a flock of gangly pelicans. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then just when we think this idyllic
scene can’t get any more thrilling, Josh puts on a show. He whistles to a sea
eagle, throws a fish into the tranquil water and the majestic bird swoops and
catches it and takes flight with slow motion flapping wings into the sky
overhead. Awe-struck at this rare glimpse into the natural world at sunrise, we
zoom across the glistening lake to breakfast and taking down our tents. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I could grow to love this
outdoor life drinking in the beauty and wonder of the wilderness of Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Diane Priestleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13127873201576326389noreply@blogger.com0