Africa Wild Dogs - The Painted Edition!

While in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, we were visited by a large pack of painted dogs!

The painted dogs (aka African Wild Dogs aka Lycaon pictus) is an endangered species as their habitats are disappearing and poaching targets them.

Here they are standing at attention:

They were waiting for a member of the pact--here they are greeting the member.

Here's a glimpse of their greeting--it was so enthralling to watch, first they circled and circled the member in a cyclone then this:

Aren't they just so beautiful and some how kind of ugly at the same time?

We were very lucky to get to see them!

For more information on the painted dogs, click here!

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The Imire Sable

While visiting Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe, we came across these beauties.

Sables, of the antelope family, are becoming rarer and rarer.

They are absolutely beautiful to watch, very regal.

Why, hello, sable!

A zebra at Imire.

Zimbabwe is covered with just so many stunningly beautiful trees.

For some reason, our ride at Imire struck me as particularly hilarious.

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The Imire Elephant: Matriarch of the African Buffalos

Some of the elephants at the Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe.

One of the elephants eating.  It's amazing how powerful they are, taking down trees.

Hi, elephant tush!

A baby elephant.  Still my favorite of all the animals, how can you not just love a baby elephant?

Imire has an elephant who is rather famous for her 'identity crisis.'

Nzou is the matriarch of this herd of African Buffalo.  That's right, she's the head of a herd of African Buffalo.

When Nzou first arrived at Imire, she was placed with a bull elephant within the only large herd Imire a had at the time---a buffalo herd.  By the time the bull elephant died, Nzou had immersed herself so completely within the buffalo herd that she became distressed when Imire tried to move her to the elephant herd they had obtained.  The buffalo also became visibly unsettled by her absence.

When I visited, fourteen male African Buffalo had challenged Nzou for head of the herd over the past 30 years---she won every time.

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Chobe's Animal Traffic

While visiting Chobe National Park in Botswana, we came across these beautiful sables.

Watch their crossing (the safari version of traffic!):

A different perspective, seen from the safari vehicle.

We saw this --- a giraffe corpse, a few days old kill.

Which meant this lion pride was near by.

The sables were just too magnificent not to sneak another photo in!

Then there were these.  Monitor lizards.  They are simultaneously so cool and gross.

They were swimming on the Chobe River, heading toward elephants.

They slither across the top of the water.

Check it out (so creepy and amazing):

More animal traffic!
These giraffes didn't know what to do with our approach so they just froze and stared at us,
until the one on the right decided to high tail it out of there!

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Snapshots from the River: The Chobe Crocodile!

The mighty crocodile of the Chobe River.

A crocodile suns itself in Botswana's Chobe National Park.

I find crocodiles terrifying.  Can you blame me? I mean, look at those teeth!

A river safari always reminds me to have a healthy fear of rivers in Africa!

A water lily.

A herd of elephants drinking at the Chobe River.  Oh, Botswana, you always are so lovely.

Waterbuck!

The wonderful Chobe River.

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Hope is a thing with feathers

This lilac breasted roller may possibly be one of my favorite photos taken in southern Africa.

I'm a little shocked about it. I don't really like photographing birds, even bird watching bores me.

But there's something about this photo that I just love.

Also while in Chobe National Park in lovely Botswana on safari, we came across this stunning sable.

Hello, bird!

This stork was hanging out on the banks of the Chobe River.

A bird in flight. . . maybe if I paid more attention, I'd remember birds' names. Maybe.

He made me think of a soldier standing at attention!

 Inspiration for the post's title:

Hope is a Thing with Feathers

Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

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A Love Affair with Elephants Continues

After a stunning visit to Victoria Falls, we visited Chobe National Park.

Where Botswana reminded me instantly of how much I love elephants.

Isn't this guy just adorable?!

Chobe overs the chance for land and river safaris and my love affair with elephants to grow.

A mama and her baby.

I love the mutual relationships you find in nature, especially the tiny bird and elephant relationship.

A mama elephant helping her baby through a mud bath.

Oh!  What this old elephant has seen in Africa.

A breeding herd drinking at the Chobe River.

I was just floored by the size of the hippos in Chobe.  This elephant was huge.  Look at the size of those hippos next to him!

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