Wild Thornberries

If you are not an avid cartoon watcher like myself and my brothers, you may not understand the title which is in reference to an old favorite of mine about a family travelling in an RV around Africa. The main girl can speak with animals and I must confess, just as I thought Prince William would fall in love with me if he met me, I imagined that if I ever came in close contact with wild beasts, I would be able to talk to them like Eliza did and they wouldn't kill me. Don't worry, this was a long time ago (high school/college/still a little today) So needless to say, I was quite thrilled about the opportunity to go to Kruger National Park and see big game in their natural habitat. (Question: are they called, "game" for hunting purposes? Just curious) I actually was in a situation where my life was threatened and sadly, I did not think to try to convince the demon-possessed beast that I was his friend but rather backed away slowly and peed my pants. (not really, but I was terrified. I don't know why I keep including comments about me peeing my pants. I can't think of anything else one might do in a scary situation.) I'm curious now as to what animal you are imagining nearly killed me. More details to come.

I went with Madalena, our tour-guide and driver extraordinaire, and Pastor George who was visiting from Brazil. Turns out he sort of did have the gift of communication with animals and was talking to them all the time. (I was secretly quite envious that the animals listened to him and not me.) Kruger is officially my new favorite spot on the planet. This may be the jinxes of all jinxes but it is where I want to come on my honeymoon. I suppose I have to meet someone first yeah? Minor detail. The beauty in this park is unlike anything I have ever witnessed and the closest I've felt to heaven. I love Maputo but I've never been a huge fan of big cities and in every sense of the phrase, this trip was a "breath of fresh air." I confess that when I first decided to move to Africa, I pictured myself living on the set of the Lion King. (Yes I realize it was a cartoon and they didn't actually have a set but you get the idea) I started humming, "The Circle of Life" more than ever and thus was a bit disappointed to discover that Maputo is a far-cry from Simba's territory and the only animals I've seen are goats and guard dogs. Even if we hadn't seen any animals, Kruger would still be my favorite spot on earth. The beauty is difficult to describe and impossible to capture with my camera (partly because of my poor photography skills)but I will do my best to give you a glimpse into my version of "heaven on earth." (I was definitely humming Madonna's hit while we drove) The picture is of me in a blissful state of contentment: Kruger, pineapple fanta and chocolate, can life get any better? I propose that it cannot.

Consider this entry to be your "animal education" for the day as I describe our personal encounters with African animals and share interesting tid bits of info about each one we saw. Yes, I am cheating and referencing the manual we read as we drove around the huge park, searching for animals. You can use this information to impress your friends, get an answer on Jeopardy correct, or prove that you are indeed "smarter than a 5th grader."

The first animal we came into contact with was one of the big five! Yes, I say, "big five" like everyone should know what that is because it seemed like everyone at the park knew about them but me. The big 5 are the 5 most deadly animals and consist of lions, leopards, rhinos, buffalo, and elephants. Before we even entered the park, we paused to sit right next to 2 buffalo as they grazed next to the road. I'm not going to lie, the buffalo was on the last of the big 5 that I really wanted to see because I thought, "Oh buffalo. We have those in the States. " Well I quickly realized that buffalo in Africa are much different than our buffalo. I didn't get a great shot of their face from the front but they remind me of our founding fathers in those ridiculous wigs because they have this odd tuft of hair on the top of their heads.

Seeing these magnificent beasts so close was remarkable. I knew I was in for a day of awe of wonder as I sat mesmerized by these 2 giant buffaloes eating breakfast. An hour later, my jaw dropped again on account of the buffalo. We stopped the car along side 2 other cars which had paused and we scanned the surroundings to find what they were looking at. Take a look at what we saw.Look closely on the hill and you will see hundreds of buffalo. Below is a closer view of the incredible herd. And for your random piece of animal trivia: 10 minutes after birth, calves can stand but can only keep up with the herd after several weeks so the mother and calves are often left behind and go into hiding. Since I kept thinking, "George Washington" when I looked at the buffalo, I didn't quite see why they are included as a part of the "big 5" most dangerous animals in the park. Then I read in the manual that if wounded, buffalo have been known to double back on their tracks to ambush the hunters pursuing them. Talk about holding a grudge? Geesh. An average size herd in Kruger is 250 but the old bulls stay by themselves, hence the 2 loners we passed in the early hours.


We didn't have to drive far before we nearly hit the next of the "big five." Dumbo and his mom were grazing on either side of the road. Something about watching an elephant eat and walk about in their natural habitat was incredibly thrilling. There are approximately 12,000 elephant in Kruger and they are bordering on over population which was evident in the many crushed trees. I however, greatly appreciated that there is a surplus since we got to see so many of these not so gentle giants. Throughout the day, we would stumble upon groups of 3 to 7 elephants munching on trees. Animal fact: the females look after the "nursery herds" while there are separate male bachelor herds. Elephants also have very strong family bonds. (Doesn't that make you love them even more?) They become extremely aggressive and charge when irritated (I wish this was a social norm for humans because I too have the "elephant instinct" to charge and tackle people at times when irritated) or when protecting their young. I'll post all the elephant pictures here although we saw them throughout the entire day.
This was the first elephant we saw. It was insane how close we were to the elephants. My facial expression is saying, "this is nuts!" (can a facial expression "say" something?) Knowing very little about elephants, I didn't realize this was a baby until his ginormous mother crossed the road. Apparently she hasn't lost the baby weight yet. Her leathery and wrinkling skin reminded me of my imminent future.
Look closely at the next picture of mama (no not you Mom) and remember, I have 2 brothers and am easily entertained.

We must have stopped and watched at least 4 or 5 different ma and babe elephant combos. Each one, amazing. I admit that I was a tiny bit apprehensive as the mama elephant walked right next to our car to graze. Stop thinking I'm a coward, this girl was HUGE and I swear she looked right at me as she walked by.
There is something very odd about seeing elephants cross paved roads. Gives new meaning to the expression, "pedestrians have the right of way."

I love this next shot. I've entitled it, "Oblivious."
As we headed for the exit, the sun was setting and we stumbled upon one last incredible shot. It reminds me of those pictures that used to be popular where you have to stare hard at the picture to see the "hidden picture." I secretly hated those because I could NEVER see the hidden picture but felt the need to pretend like I could. Can you see the elephant in the picture?
I think I've made a mistake. Why did I start out with the elephants? Now everything else won't seem quite as impressive although I will save my favorite animal for last. (Hint: SB zoo) After we had our first elephant-sighting, we continued on towards the restaurant in the park for breakfast. (The roaring in the backseat could have been mistaken for a lion roar so I was eager to eat.) As we drove we passed numerous herds of impalas. When I first saw one, I was amazed and yelled for Mada to stop the car. Madalena laughed at me because she knew these were the animals that were all over the park and I suppose they are equivalent to seagulls at the beach. (However they are much prettier than seagulls and don't steal your food) There are over 130,000 adult impalas at the park and are easy prey. They ran in front of our car a bunch of times and I was very relieved not to be driving seeing as I was quite distracted and most likely would have hit one. Animal fact: Single rams have harems of 10 ewe on average. I didn't realize an animal could have a harem. Weird. I wonder if the ewes resent this. Here's a nice shot of their butts.So graceful.
And this is my favorite picture of the impalas: the 2-headed impala, quite a rarity in Kruger:I quickly learned that Madalena is blessed with x-ray vision. We'd be driving and I would be diligently scanning the land for animals and then she would stop the car and point out animals that I was quite certain was a tree or rock. One such time she actually spotted a rhino in the distance! Even with the binaculars, I had a tough time spotting the horned-beast. See if you can find him in the picture:Hint: he's to the right under the green tree and sitting down doing a wonderful job looking like a rock. (anyone else singing the Chevy song?) Jim Carrey was on my mind a lot during our trip and unfortunately, talking about rhino's the first thing I pictured was the scene in Ace Ventura when he comes out of a rhino and I threw up a little bit in my mouth. I also thought of Jim Carrey while at lunch. We were eating and I noticed everyone looking up at the ceiling so I too glanced, only to discover tons of sleeping bats!!! Immediately, I thought, "Guano!" I was much more disgusted by the bats than I let on. I thought of Jim again during lunch when the birds came to collect the scraps. Even the annoying little birds at Kruger at beautiful. They are the brightest tourquoisish-blue (not sure how to describe this color) with neon orange eyes and so of course I thought, "Pretty bird, pretty bird." If you are not a huge Carrey fan, I apologize for these seeminly random quotes.

Later in the day, Mada used her superpowers again to spot a wildebeest. Possibly the coolest name in my opinion. Unfortunately, they are sitting so you can't see their hilariously skinny legs compared to their massive bodies.We finally reached the restaurant for breakfast which is located right near a river so you can watch the crocodiles and hippos while you eat. Here are some shots of the crocs:Here's a picture of Madalena and I at the restaurant. What movie does it make you think of?Answer: "My Giant."

While eating our eggs, we had our "lion-encounter." I wish this was more impressive and I could say we were sitting within feet of a huge lion! But in reality, the waiter spotted a lion sitting in the shade so far away I truly thought it was a publicity stunt at first. See if you can spot the lion.Remember, she's in the shade. Here's a zoomed in shot and Nala is sitting to the left.After breakfast, we came across a pond filled with "hungry,hungry, hippos!" I really used to love that game. I don't think these hippos were actually that hungry. Being nocturnal, we didn't see much action except for one yawn which revealed the largest mouth I have ever seen.Notice the other animals in the background of this next picture. Looks like quite the game of tag was going on between impalas and warthogs.

Random animal fact: hippos can submerge for 6 minutes at a time and can be one of Africa's most dangerous animals since it attacks when surprised. (I understand the elephants attacking when they're irritated, but come on hippos- attacking when you're surprised? That just seems mean. Good thing I'm not a hippo because my brothers love to hide behind doors and jump out and scare me.) They also have mucous glands which secrete oily red fluid to protect their thin skin from sunburn. Can you imagine if we had those? I don't think sunbathing would be quite as fun.

We passed Bambi's cousins awhile later. First, on the left, a female Klipspringer who is known for, "freezing in the face of danger before bounding off." Apparently she is a relative of Bambi since she too has the "deer in headlights" reaction. We later saw a bushbuck who are "secretive, seldom move out of bush cover and very good swimmers." You can therefore understand why I couldn't get a great picture of this secretive fellow hiding in the bush but you can see the target shape on his hindquarters.
Next, the animals with an unfortunate name: warthogs. If my Disney memory serves me correct, I believe Pumba was a warthog but it could have been Timone. Ironically these, "pig-like animals" have very little fat on their bodies so they hate cold weather. Despite their bad rep, warthogs may just be the holiest animals since apparently they pray while they eat. Take a look at the bowing position they take while eating lunch. If one was a warthog, what was the other animal in the Lion King?

When I first learned about kudus, I heard about them from my friend's little brother who killed one while hunting in Africa. Having witnessed this grandiose beast in all it's glory, now I am somewhat saddened about the hunt although Grant assures me it will look like it is alive again when it is hanging on his wall. Random fact: when they flee, their tails raise which flashes a white signal for others to follow. If you have a memory like an elephant's, you'll remember we passed a kudu on the drive to Mozambique but I didn't see it so I was quite excited to finally get to see them up close. The first 2 are males and the last is a female. If you've still hung with me on this animal tour, I commend you. We've got 3 more to go and then my favorite spotting. (pun intended) One of my favorite animals to observe, were the baboons. They would just be chilling on the side of the road watching the cars go by. As they would cross the street, they would "mad-dog" us which was really quite frightening. I love this the look on the first guys' face. It reminds me of my sister in junior high, pissed, waiting for my parents on the curb when they were late to pick her up.Look closely at this family and see if you can notice the third family member.The little ones were so cute how they would hang onto their mom's front or jump on their back for a "Baboon-back ride." (where on earth did we get the expression "piggy back ride?" As far as I know, pigs do not do this.)

They also would be "hanging out" in trees. I named this guy, "Pensive Peter."

Yes, I felt awkward even watching animals breast-feed. Some may think it's "cute" but I took a quick picture and looked away to give them some privacy.

Not to be confused with baboons, we also passed many "velvet monkies" hanging out by the road. I've named the first two, Jenny and Lesley. They look so cute and innocent right?

WRONG!!! Random animal fact: "Newcomers are not welcomed by a troop and are often viciously attacked." Talk about a worst nightmare for the new kid in school. Perhaps if I had read about their viciousness before-hand I would not have gotten myself into my "near-death experience." Yes, these were the violent creatures that scared the heck out of me. Let me give you the play by play. So first, we stopped at a rest stop where you are allowed to get out of your cars and many people eat their sack lunches. In the picture below, you'll notice that these cute, cuddly velvet monkeys also decide to have lunch at this spot and harrass the poor picnickers. Fearless Katie walks right up to these cute little monkeys to get a closer shot of them eating food they had stolen from people.Fearless Katie was also, "blonde Katie" and was carrying an opened chocolate bar while taking the picture which apparently Mr. Monkey noticed.So when I was thinking he was turning towards me for a better picture for me, apparently he was taking note of my delicious chocolate. Me, totally oblivious, decide to take a picture of myself with the cute little monkey. Please look closely at the picture. I've entitled it, "Oh crap."When I turned back around "Maniac Monkey" was right in front of me. You can see in the picture he has begun to walk closer to me and my chocolate. When I turned back around, I confess a tiny bit of pee may have come out. He was no longer a cute money. Right in front of me, he suddenly looked huge and was SHOWING HIS TEETH!!! I am only relieved that no one else was with me at this point to see my reaction. In my head I was envisioning this crazed-beast strangling me, scratching my face, and pulling my hair. I have not idea how monkeys would fight against humans, but this is what I immediately envisioned. They did not teach us what to do in my "self-defense class" when defending against a velvet monkey. I did however use what I learned in that class and literally put my hand out and said, "STOP. Don't come any closer!" as I continued to slowly back away. My animal-talking powers proofed fruitless, as the monkey did a "leap-frog jump" towards me and showed his teeth again. At this point, I did realize I was holding an opened chocolate bar but quite frankly, this chocolate was delicious. It was my third bar of the day (back off, I love it ok) but I was not about to give it up to a greedy, teeth-bearing monkey. Luckily for me, at that moment, George noticed I had wet pants. No, not really, but he did come over to take a picture, not noticing my pale face and frightened demeanor. Mean and hungry monkey then turned his attention to George and jumped at him. Confession: my thought at that point was, "Oh thank God. He doesn't notice me anymore." George had no food and gave the monkey a stern talking to and after some very vigirous finger-pointing, the monkey lost interest. (I was halfway to the car by this point. I am somewhat ashamed to say that I crumbled under pressure.) And that my friends, was my near-death encounter at Kruger. I can laugh now, but I was seriously scared.

As the sun began to sink, I was worried we weren't going to see zebras. I am fascinated by these striped beauties. I turned out to be pretty awful at spotting animals. Madalena and George kept pointing out animals I had a hard time seeing with my binaculars. I began to panic that I would never actually have my own "sighting" and was frantically scanning the horizen after lunch. Starting to hallucinate and see all types of animals that were actually just trees, I was very suspicious that someone had put something in my drink at lunch. My imagination can be quite vivid and in my mind, I saw a ton of lions and cheetahs very close to our car- but never in real life. Needless to say, when I was the first to see a zebra, I was a little too excited and literally shouted, "ZEBRA!!!" Leave it to me to find the black and white animal in the area with little bush-cover. Hey, it still counts. I took a picture to try to capture my excitement of finally seeing an animal on my own. Can you see the zebras in teh background? No, I don't know what I am doing with my hand. Random fact: "No individual zebra has the same pattern. Stripes are thought to confuse predators who cannot single out an individual." Good thinking God! So consider this to be like a game on the back of cereal boxes (well the cereal that kids enjoy) and try to figure out which pictures include the same zebras based on their stripes.
And finally, my official new favorite animal. Have you guessed it yet? Some might not think they are that impressive since we have them in zoos, but up close, the giraffe is a breath-taking, beautiful beyond-belief, beast. (how's that for alliteration!) We saw them two different times during the day, both times leisurely munching on trees. These gigantic, graceful animals scream God's creativity. Something about seeing them so close, literally made me gasp.

Notice how this guy is smiling for the picture.And that is the end of the "Kruger Tour." I was blessed with a glimpse into God's character and power that I hadn't seen before. It is so easy to see Him in creation and I was constantly reminded throughout the day just how amazing and creative our Creator is. Walking the streets of downtown Maputo yesterday, I thought back to how God's hand seems easier for me to see in nature. Surrounded by dirty, concrete high-rises and smoggy, trash-lined streets, I don't immediately think, "God you're beautiful!" like I did in Kruger. However, one thing Maputo has that Kruger does not, is thousands of God's greatest creation: man. I have been asking Him to show me Himself through people now since I won't always be in areas like Kruger. He answers this prayer in different ways each day. I can see Him in my students laughing and asking good questions, in street children playing with cans, in women selling their vegetables, and in the bright smiles of people passing me by on the streets. God's beauty in nature is incredible, but His hand in my life and the lives of those in Maputo is beautiful as well.