Night in the Wild

Hello,

On our way back from Crescent Island we circled the lake and spotted hippo logs. Sometimes we could see their mouths open. We did not get close to them because they are apparently rather dangerous. We also saw quite a nice variety of mostly nameless waterfowl.

Dinner was late by my standards, but it did not matter much since my body had no clue as to the time and when it should be filled. It was a very elegant meal at which I felt underdressed. A guide wielding a flashlight escorted us back to our cabin. He continually scanned the area around us looking for hippos because they come out of the water at night to feed. If you are between a hippo and the water they feel insecure and might attack you.

Because I was having trouble sleeping, I checked outside almost every hour looking for hippos. In the middle of the night I heard noisy footsteps. I carefully drew the curtain aside a little and looked out at a zebra feeding about six feet away. I softly said, “Leroy,” and again “Leroy.” He did not wake up and I did not want to talk louder and scare the animal. It was very interesting because I could hear the grass tearing as he ripped off a mouthful. The grass was so short I was amazed that he could find so much to eat. Soon I could see another zebra coming from the side just as the first one seemed to see me and move away. The second came closer, maybe caught sight of me, and leaped away. At that moment two more came around the corner racing on to safety.

Now I really spent time looking outside. Closer to dawn I saw a small antelope type creature that was the size of a big house cat. “Leroy,” I whispered, “Come look at this.”
This time Leroy was awake, but not fast enough to see even the tail as it ran away. We think it might have been a dik-dik, but we do not know for sure. In the morning I learned that I was the only one who had seen these animals, so I guess there are some benefits of jetlag. I had to stop complaining about lack of sleep.

Paula