ANIMALS

HIPPOs

Hippos are boring. They're also deadly. They usually lie in water looking completely lazy--but if they get riled, they can run and chomp and kill like no other.

As we drove through Tarangire National Park, we got to the hippo pool, got out, and stood looking at the boring old hippos. And then a high-pitched shriek came from the hippo pool. We stared, trying to figure out what was going on, and then finally focused in on the action. A mother hippo had given birth just that morning--after being pregnant for 15 months. And now a male wanted to mate with her, but since a female can't/won't mate while she's nursing, the male went after the baby. He chomped down on it (the initial scream), chomped again (another scream), and kept at it for about 10 minutes until the baby was good and dead. The mother, still with the blood of labor on her, watched the whole thing. My friend Jenn said that she looked sad. I couldn't tell--for being so deadly, they really just continued to look pretty darn boring.



ELEPHANTS

I love elephants. I love them for being the one matriarchal animal--the women actually have a say. I love them for protecting each other, for their whipping tails and their snagged ears (the ears get caught on trees as they go through forests, so they get torn from thorns just as if they'd had earrings torn out of them). Mostly I love that they move so slowly that even a beginner photographer can take great pictures of them!






GIRAFFES

I'vealways said that giraffes are my favorite animals. This started when I was 3 years old at the zoo. We stopped at the giraffes, and a baby giraffe came close to me. I offered him/her my tommy tippy cup, and he leaned over to drink. I don't know if that endeared the giraffe to me, or if it was my mom telling the incident to my relatives and making me sound super cute that did it, but I've always these animals.




Stay tuned -- I promise to be quicker about this!