Today we have photos from a new contributor, Michelle Pearce. Her descriptions are indented:
Here is a small collection of photographs from a recent trip to Kenya and Rwanda.
Daisy, the Rothschild’s giraffe [Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi], eating kibble with her long tongue. Taken at the Nairobi Giraffe Centre.
The smallest baby elephant [Loxodonta africana] we saw. The male in the picture has had his tusks shortened because he used them to disable the electric fences. Taken in the North of Kenya.
A Grévy’s zebra [Equus grevyi]:
This mother and baby rhino [Diceros bicornis] were covered in mud and flies, surrounded by hungry egrets!
This male cheetah [Acinonyx jubatus] was so full its belly practically dragged on the ground.
A Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer):
This lioness [Panthera leo] was part of a research programme. Her collar needed adjusting as it was getting too tight. She didn’t look unhappy though.
A leopard (Panthera pardus):
A mother and son.
Foot of a mountain gorilla [Gorilla beringei beringei]in Rwanda:
Very nice, thanks!
Holy cow, you have seen it all, and you have pictures to prove it! Thank you for sharing.
There is still so much more to see! I hope it’s there for our descendants to appreciate as well.
Great shots, Michelle. Love the gorilla’s face, and foot! I wonder how/if they trim their nails? They must just get worn down naturally.
Maybe. Or they are nibblers…
Yup, and they CAN reach their toenails, too🙊
Just checked–I can still do that too, but only with my left foot. (I know, TMI.)
But I trust you don’t chew your toenails in public🐸
Gorilla feet sadly bring to mind that movie about Diane Fosse in which she exposed the horrible practice of killing gorillas in order to make ashtrays (!) out of their hands and feet…
I try to remember not to…
Yes, many sad things about gorillas…and Dian Fossey. (Yet another Diane/a version!) Have you read Mowat’s book about her?
Farley Mowat? No, is it good?
Yes, FM’s. It’s titled, “Woman in the Mists.” (Wasn’t that the name of the movie, too?)
I thought it was good. Without much of his signature humor, of course–serious subject.
If we lived closer, I’d lend it to you!
Thanks! I’ll look for it. Yes the movie had a name like that. I somehow remember seeing only most of it in a hotel in a ski area south of Buffalo with my pre-teen kids. We were all disgusted by the ashtrays. I like Farley Mowat.
“I like Farley Mowat”
Oh, me too! Have you read, “And No Birds Sang?”
Looks like he’s written 3 books about Fossey: Virunga, Gorillas in the Mist, and Woman in the Mist…
I did not know that! Thx!
‘Gorillas in the Mist’ was a 1983 book by Fossey, not one of Mowat’s. Thanks for bringing him up though, I’d barely heard of him before and now have a new author to excavate.
“‘Gorillas in the Mist’ was a 1983 book by Fossey, not one of Mowat’s.”
*Checks to make sure I didn’t mistype*
Yes, I know, and I have that book too. That’s why Mowat called his book “Woman in the Mist,” which I’m relieved to see I did write correctly above. Easy to understand how you misread it, though! 🙂
(it was in Merilee’s list of 3 books) 🙂
“(it was in Merilee’s list of 3 books) 🙂 ”
Doh!
Sorry, John!
I wonder if modern Gorilla sanctuaries sell ashtrays made out of gorilla poacher’s hands?
You could justify it under sharia law. Or common-or-garden vindictiveness.
I would have wondered if the cheetah was pregnant, but you said it was a male and I suppose a pregnant belly will hang differently.
One of our cats has a belly that always hangs down. I think when they fixed her they did not get everything tucked away. Never seems to slow her down, but she always looks like she just hate an entire gopher family.
My male kitteh has a hanging belly. Seems to be mostly loose skin. He’s also pretty long, nose to tail base…very good at slinking!
Booker’s like that, too. My vet calls it an apron, though he’s much better at eating than cooking.
Interesting!
Because Winston’s skin seems so…loose, I guess, I sometimes call him a bag of skin with a cat in it.
Damn, that gorilla foot would be really handy for heel/toe downshifting. More so if the great toe was on the other side I suppose, but still, I just can’t help but admire a good tool.
…and yes, I do drive barefoot when weather permits.
Since the moment I saw that pic I’ve been thinking of how cool it would be to have gorilla feet. 🙂
Minor point – the grazing rhinos are Ceratotherium simum (“white” rhino), not Diceros bicornis (“black” rhino).
Great big cat photos, especially the leopards.
These all made me smile. Thanks!
I was curious about the birds sitting on the cape buffalo. It looks like they are the yellow billed oxpecker.
Indeed! And that’s the species I still need to see for my web-cam virtual list!
What beautiful photos. I love the close up of the leopard and the pics of the gorillas especially. There’s something about looking into the eyes of our fellow earthlings…
African animals always stir the curious child in me. The male lion made me smile with his pouty-looking lips. I’ve never seen a giraffe’s head next to a person’s hand; I was amazed at how small the hand was/how large the head was.
I also loved the baby gorilla’s “Einstein hair”.
What a wonderful experience you had Michelle, and what lovely photos! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Michelle! Riveting photos!
You created a very fine record of your visit. Thanks for sharing.
A delightful collection of photos!
I would have thought they’d put something in the collar construction so that they’d separate some time after fitting. Stitching that becomes brittle over time due to oxidation, or something like that. I gather that fitting a collar is a traumatic and dangerous action for the animal (since it requires trapping and restraint, or darting, and recovery from the anaesthetic), so would be an intervention to be minimised.
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!