After Thanksgiving, we went "on holiday" by going on safari! We took Eli's parents to two places: Sweetwaters in Ol Pejeta Conservancy and The Ark in Aberdares National Park. Both locations offer the chance to stay right next to a waterhole where the wildlife simply come to you. It's spectacular. And no jostling around in a safari jeep as you bump around the savannah. You just kick back and relax and marvel at God's creation.
And we saw so much of God's creation! At Ol Pejeta the herd animals were plentiful. Antelope, buffalo, and zebra abounded.
We also saw several giraffes which are some of the most regal and stately animals on the planet. They carry themselves with such calm and poise. I love giraffes.
I think the great excitement, however, was all the elephants and rhinos we saw. There were so many coming and going to/from the waterhole. We sat on the porch of our tent and watched the show.
Elephants are perhaps my favorite African mammal. I've said before that if I had to be an animal, I'd be an elephant. They are incredibly intelligent (including emotional intelligence), they're committed and loyal to the herd, they spend years nurturing the next generation for success, and they're social creatures who take care of each other and love to just play together. Elephants offer a beautiful picture of life in a healthy family/community and I greatly admire them.
This mother/child duo had wandered from the herd a bit and spent a long time directly in front of our tent. They continually kicked up tufts of grass to eat and it was fascinating to watch these enormous creatures patiently eat a tiny bit at a time over and over again.
There were several babies around and I think I squealed with each baby I saw. Baby elephants have a powerful "cute factor" that cannot be ignored. They are preciously attached to mom, staying close by her side, and they are also mischievous and playful, which means lots of wildly flapping ears and trunks. Watching baby elephants is simply delightful.
What more could we ask for? Well, God blessed us with lots of rhinos in addition to the elephants! These huge pachyderms all mingled on the plains, never minding one another, sharing the space like good neighbors.
This was the view from our tent.
And the up close and personal view with only an electric fence separating us from the wildlife.
Mt. Kenya served as the backdrop to everything. I absolutely love this mountain.
I also absolutely love little boys who aren't so little anymore but who still need daddy snuggles.
The biggest highlight of all was finding Monty, a baby rhinoceros that we adopted and named. Wildlife conservation is near and dear to our hearts, and Ol Pejeta Conservancy does a remarkable job with not only conservation but community development as well. We are very happy to support the work they are doing. Their rhino conservation is notable in particular. (This is the place where the last two northern white rhinos on the planet reside, and where scientific efforts are underway to save the species.)
We saved up enough funds to put toward naming a baby rhino earlier this year, and the boys chose the name Monty. When we made plans to visit Ol Pejeta with Eli's parents, I decided to ask about trying to find and see Monty. I knew it wasn't a guarantee, but it was worth a shot. (Part of Ol Pejeta's rhino conservation efforts include tracking every single rhino every single day. If a few days go by without spotting a rhino, a huge search effort ensues to find the missing rhino to make sure it hasn't been poached. All that to say, I knew the chances of finding Monty were not nil.) Ol Pejeta was incredibly kind and helpful, and plans were made for a ranger to accompany us in our own vehicle to look for Monty. When the time came, instead of one ranger, an entire extra jeep of rangers assisted us. We followed them to the other side of the conservancy where Monty's and his mother's range was. And by God's grace, the rangers found them for us. Monty and his mama were relaxing on the plains.
It was such a special moment for our family! Monty has grown a lot in the past months since we first adopted him and it was so wonderful to see him healthy and doing well with his mama.
Besides the rangers who brought us to the correct part of the conservancy to find the rhinos, we also met the rangers who encamp in that section of the park, charged with daily keeping track of the rhinos in that specific territory. These are wildlife warriors and it was amazing to meet them and extend our thanks for taking care of God's creation.
What a joy! What an honor! What a gift! Our hearts were very full after meeting Monty.
Not much could compare after that, but there's lots of fun to be had at Ol Pejeta. We visited Baraka again, the blind black rhino who serves as an ambassador for his species. Then we walked through the visitor center and learned about all kinds of animals that live in the conservancy.
Lastly, we stopped at the equator. Like the mountain, the equator is an iconic part of living in this region. We regularly cross the equator and the boys love to call out whether we're currently in the northern or southern hemisphere. Last month we traveled to a meeting in western Kenya and crossed the equator no less than six times during the drive (I actually lost count). It's like our own unique version of "I Spy."
Do you see what's in the background of this photo? So cool!
After all of that excitement, we ventured to the Aberdares next and spent one night at The Ark. Eli and I had been there for our anniversary a couple years ago and the boys have been begging for us to take them ever since. This was the perfect opportunity.
It's not a long drive to The Ark once you're inside the park boundaries, and the landscape is mostly brush and forest - not the best for wildlife sightings. Because of that, I did not have my camera out and ready. It turned out to be a foolish mistake.
Because on that short drive to the Ark, we encountered a leopard on the side of the road! Asa, who was in the back row of the car, was the first to spot the huge cat and he gasped the loudest gasp I've ever heard. Even Eli, who was driving, didn't notice it right away. Thankfully Eli was able to stop the car before we lost sight of the cat, and I frantically fumbled to get my camera out of the bag. That leopard was huge and it sauntered right next to our car before jumping onto the bank beside us and loping off into the forest.
It all happened so fast, and this blurry photo was the only proof I could capture of the moment.
Leopards are notoriously elusive and we hadn't seen one in five years. The hype in the car was immense. We felt energized the rest of the day. We'd seen a leopard! Right next to our car! What a gorgeous creature and what a grand grace from God!
So we arrived at The Ark in incredibly high spirits and the boys were practically bouncing off the walls. It's a good thing there were so many stairs to run up and down from one viewing level to the next - it worked to wear them out before the night was done!
Many animals visited the waterhole during our short stint there. It's a big area with lots of room for wildlife to convene. Besides the obvious pull of the water, the soil is enriched with minerals which attracts the animals too. Elephants and buffalo come to literally lick the dirt and so indulge in the minerals therein.
On a clear day you can see Mt. Kenya in the distance. The view can't be beat.
This buffalo's horns also can't be beat! I've never seen a buffalo quite like this. She cracked me up!
We saw a handful of giant forest hogs, which we've only ever seen in this park before. They're bigger and darker and, dare I say, uglier than warthogs. And prime eating for hyenas...which I'll get to in a bit.
Soon a herd of elephants arrived. There were some babies and I swooned, as usual. I'm telling ya, elephants are incredible creatures that really capture your heart.
I also enjoyed watching the symbiotic relationship between oxpeckers and buffalo. This thorough bird kept pecking at this buffalo's eye. Seems like it should drive a poor fellow mad, but the buffalo only exhibited nonchalance.
As dusk descended, we noticed a confrontation happening across the waterhole between a mother forest hog and a pack of hyenas. At first there was one hyena pestering the mom. Then two. Then three. And finally four. They surrounded the family of hogs and played it slow. The whole encounter went on for about 15 minutes. The mama hog occasionally charged at the hyenas in an attempt to ward them off. Her piglets always rushed to stay as near her as possible. The hogs were able to inch their way towards the forest and eventually disappear within, but the hyenas followed them and shortly thereafter we heard the eerie whoop of a hyena. It sounded like a dinner bell. We couldn't see what was happening anymore, both because of the darkness and because the conflict had gone into the forest, but I'm sure the hyenas were successful somehow. Whether they got the mama or the piglets or the whole family, we'll never know, but it was an intense animal encounter and our boys were totally enthralled to see the circle of life in action.
The final bit of excitement took place right outside the windows of the bottom viewing area. A pair of large-spotted genets made several appearances as they hunted insects for supper. They are beautiful nocturnal creatures and it was so fun to see them up close. It was even more fun to watch the boys bounce back and forth (literally) to keep up with the genets and watch their every move. What a way to end our safari experience!
We never take it for granted that we live in such a beautiful part of the world and have access to safaris. There's a lot we can't do and a lot we've given up in order to be here, but this a sweet recurring gift we get to enjoy. And what a gift it is.
