Go Wild! Travel Exclusive: Sleeping with man-eaters in Kenya
Grey crowned cranes are found throughout Kenya and are the national bird of Uganda.
All photos by Jillian Weislo
By Jillian Weislo, WildNewJersey.tv Correspondent
Ever wonder what it would feel like to fall asleep to the sound of hippos, the number one man-eater in Africa, moaning right outside your tent? Or the sounds of elephants trumpeting throughout the night? How about the sound of giant hermit crabs scratching at your tent with their long skinny claws?
For the month I spent in Kenya, this all became my reality. As part of a study abroad program at Rutgers, I embarked on a journey that has been one of the greatest experiences of my life to date. At first, I was a little hesitant to go. Not only was I going half way around the world, but political turmoil, caused by presidential elections in December, was still causing instability in the country. Since most of the rioting was in cities, and we were going to be away from most civilization, I deemed it safe to go and submitted my application.
It was a good thing we stayed away from the cities. Nairobi is gray and covered in a thick layer of smog. The taste of diesel is stagnant in your mouth as you sit in hours of traffic. Then, you look up in the trees only to see marabou storks sitting on branches that don't look nearly as strong enough to support such large birds. It was one of the most bizarre sites I've ever seen.
A giant tortoise at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.
We were spoiled and got to stay in a hotel for two nights and then headed into the wild. Our first stop was Mount Kenya; we stayed at Nanyuki River Camp. It was a gradual transition into our new lifestyle. We visited the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, which cares for orphaned and injured animals in hopes of returning them back to their natural habitat and out of harm's way. They are most noted for the Bongo Repatriation to Mount Kenya Project. Bongos, a species of antelope, were once found in great numbers in the Mount Kenya region.
The mountain bongo is considered to be critically endangered with more specimens in captivity than in the wild.
Indigenous people once revered bongos because they were believed to live close to God. This was both a blessing and a curse. Having a bongo skin also meant you were a blessed person. As older generations died-off so do did their superstitions. Today, bongo populations are dwindling to near extinction due to hunting and poaching, but the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy is not the only group trying to save bongos. Zoos throughout North America have bongo breeding programs that are attempting to increase the population by reintroducing bongos into Kenya.
Black-and-white colobus monkey.
Ever wonder what it would feel like to fall asleep to the sound of hippos, the number one man-eater in Africa, moaning right outside your tent? Or the sounds of elephants trumpeting throughout the night? How about the sound of giant hermit crabs scratching at your tent with their long skinny claws?
For the month I spent in Kenya, this all became my reality. As part of a study abroad program at Rutgers, I embarked on a journey that has been one of the greatest experiences of my life to date. At first, I was a little hesitant to go. Not only was I going half way around the world, but political turmoil, caused by presidential elections in December, was still causing instability in the country. Since most of the rioting was in cities, and we were going to be away from most civilization, I deemed it safe to go and submitted my application.
It was a good thing we stayed away from the cities. Nairobi is gray and covered in a thick layer of smog. The taste of diesel is stagnant in your mouth as you sit in hours of traffic. Then, you look up in the trees only to see marabou storks sitting on branches that don't look nearly as strong enough to support such large birds. It was one of the most bizarre sites I've ever seen.
A giant tortoise at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.
We were spoiled and got to stay in a hotel for two nights and then headed into the wild. Our first stop was Mount Kenya; we stayed at Nanyuki River Camp. It was a gradual transition into our new lifestyle. We visited the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, which cares for orphaned and injured animals in hopes of returning them back to their natural habitat and out of harm's way. They are most noted for the Bongo Repatriation to Mount Kenya Project. Bongos, a species of antelope, were once found in great numbers in the Mount Kenya region.
The mountain bongo is considered to be critically endangered with more specimens in captivity than in the wild.
Indigenous people once revered bongos because they were believed to live close to God. This was both a blessing and a curse. Having a bongo skin also meant you were a blessed person. As older generations died-off so do did their superstitions. Today, bongo populations are dwindling to near extinction due to hunting and poaching, but the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy is not the only group trying to save bongos. Zoos throughout North America have bongo breeding programs that are attempting to increase the population by reintroducing bongos into Kenya.
Black-and-white colobus monkey.
Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 9/30/2010 1:00 PM 
Categories: Go Wild! Travel Exclusive
Tags: Nanyuki River Camp Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy elephants bongos. Rutgers Kenya Africa hippo
Categories: Go Wild! Travel Exclusive
Tags: Nanyuki River Camp Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy elephants bongos. Rutgers Kenya Africa hippo
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