Hunting Black Wildebeest with Lew Harris Safaris 2008…
The African Safari PapersThe African Safari Papers is an intense and outrageous portrait of a family so troubled that their family trip is, in a word, torture. Richard Clark, ... Read More >
I've always had the sneaking suspicion that animal group names are more poetic than scientific. Come to find out, that many of them actually are made up by some eccentric lady more than 500 years ago. Dame Juliana Berners wrote an essay on hunting in the Book of St Albans in 1486. In the essay she classified groups of animals with nouns that she simply thought sounded good. And so we have a gaggle of geese, an army of ants, a school of fish, a pride of lions, a troop of baboons and some of my favorites:
A crash of rhinos
A cackle of hyenas
A coalition of cheetahs
An obstinacy of buffalo
A conspiracy of ravens
An intrusion of cockroaches
A murder of crows
A tower of giraffes
A bloat of hippos
A leap of leopards
Some groups of animals have more than one name. You can say a herd of buffalo, a troop or a gang. But I think an obstinacy of buffalo sounds best, don't you? The good thing about group names having their basis in poetry and not science is that we can simply make them up ourselves. How about a snort of hippos, a rumble of elephants, or a polka of leopards?
Find more group names from the San Diego Zoo and the NPWRC.
Tower of Giraffes -- © Getty Images/Theo Allofs
A Crash of Rhinos originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 12:27:40.
Since bad news is news, and Africa has its fair share of that, we often end up skimming the headlines and never really get to know much about the individuals affected by war, famine, poverty and disease. Most poor or marginalized people have stories that are seldom heard, they have no voice. Advocacy.net is an organization that is trying to give a voice to these marginalized communities. They have blogs written by students (mostly from the US and Europe), who spend 3 months in remote communities, listening to personal histories and helping people claim their basic rights. If you've ever wanted to work or volunteer in Africa, read some of these blogs. They're eye-opening, educational, moving and important.
Current fellows of this program include Ned Meerdink a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He's based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His latest post includes a current update on the security situation in South Kivu; an explanation of an local alternate fuel program he's helping to raise money for; and a report on the successful distribution of new school uniforms and supplies that benefit children of single mothers, widows, and victims of sexual violence. He says "A small gap in fighting opened up the roads for movement South from Uvira, and now lots of kids are back in class, albeit a bit late."
Click here to read more Advocacy Project blogs. And if you're interested in this program or just want to find out more about volunteering in Africa, here are some resources to get you started:
Blog of the Week -- The Advocacy Project originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 15:13:30.
You may well know that over 2000 languages are spoken in Africa. The guttural sounding Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) dialects in the north, give way to softer sounds as you travel further south. And when you reach the very southern parts of Africa, a strange clicking noise enters into the vocabulary. When I visited Cape Town for the first time, it was the conversation interspersed with clicks that excited me most on arrival. I ignored my luggage making its way round the conveyer belt a few times, just to listen to the customs guys chat about the weather in Xhosa, it could have been Zulu. Either way, both have clicks and make up two of South Africa's 11 official languages. (That's right, eleven official languages).
I had previously been under the impression that "clicking" was exclusive to San Bushman languages. I didn't expect to hear it under the glare of city lights. If you want to hear a sample, check out this video of a young man in Port Elizabeth, patiently explaining the various Xhosa clicks. Or this young man telling a tongue-twisting Xhosa tale at the Robben Island Museum. I also found a delightful Zulu song, with plenty of clicks to go around. I'm Dutch, so it's easy for me to roll my R's as well as any Latina, and my G's sound nice and throat-cleary. But, heaven help me, I absolutely fail at any and all variations of the click.
Xhosa Tongue Twisters originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 14:17:42.
“Tansania-Safari” Hab mal einen Trailer gemacht. Unterlegt mit Musik aus “Der König der Löwen”. Serengeti, Masay Mara, ngorongoro Krater. Ihr wisst ja wie das ist… 20 Std Videomaterial… wo fängt man an wo hört man auf zun schneiden. Jetzt hab ich mal mit diesem Kurzfilm begonnen und freu mich über jeden Komentar und Kontakt! Es lebe die Schönheit Afrikas und “the circle of life”! Euer Pa…
China Safari: On the Trail of Beijing's Expansion in AfricaChina Safari tells the extraordinaryand largely unknownstory of the rise of China’s economic empire in Africa and how it will change the twenty-... Read More >
I recently got some beautiful photos from Linda Fogarty who travels to various parts of Africa for work. I've added them to my ever growing gallery of pictures that have been sent to me over the years. If you have any photos of your travels to Africa that you would like to submit, please use this form.
This particular set of photos are not ordered in anyway, I think it simply showcases the diversity and beauty of Africa. But, if you're looking for a destination in particular, there are lots more sets to take a look at, click here for a list.
Village in Lesotho -- © Linda Fogarty
Your Photos of Africa originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 12:31:41.
Souvenirs that I got while on safari in Kenya PLEASE LOOK AT PART 1=AFRICAN SAFARI PART 1…
Diving Safari in South Africa…
We All Went On SafariJoin Arusha, Mosi, Tumpe and their Maasai friends as they set out on a counting journey through the grasslands of Tanzania. Along the way, the childre... Read More >
C3-DVD-SAF – An unforgettable, captivating video safari of Kenya’s spectacular wildlife, dramatic landscapes &un-crowded beaches, National Parks, classic safari scenes &marine life, exhilarating activities, safari lodges and beach resorts. This visually stunning DVD includes a narrated film showcasing Kenya’s National Parks and an interactive feature to help you explore your safari destinations. W…
The First Footsteps In East AfricaBy the side of the camels ride my three attendants, the pink of Somali fashion. Their frizzled wigs are radiant with grease; their Tobes are splendidl... Read More >
Kenya has just been through one of the worst droughts in its history, the rain finally started to fall a week ago. I was browsing through one of my favorite web sites, WildlifeDirect.org, and came across this great photo taken a few days ago, in a blog post by a project called "Ewaso Lions". They work with local people to enhance the co-existence between lions and communities, in the arid Samburu region in Northern Kenya. It's a very thin Oryx, making the most of the new grass, two days after the first rains.
If you're not familiar with WildlifeDirect, it's an amazing project founded by Richard Leakey and other prominent conservationists. The web site is collection of blogs, written by those who are working on the ground, protecting vulnerable wildlife as well as communities, in some of the most remote areas around the world. The blogs allow those who care about wildlife, the opportunity to follow the day to day activities of these remarkable people and donate to whatever project really speaks to them. Donations go through Paypal, it takes just a minute of your time and you can donate any amount, even as small as $5.
Image - © Ewaso Lion Project, Kenya
Woohoo! It's Finally Raining in Kenya originally appeared on About.com Africa Travel on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 14:20:13.
In the Lion and Rhino Park, Gauteng! More animals will come soon….
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to CapetownIn the travel-writing tradition that made Paul Theroux"s reputation, Dark Star Safari is a rich and insightful book whose itinerary is Africa, from Ca... Read More >
Safari di una giornata nel parco di Kruger. Kruger National Park South Africa day safari…
White Hunters:The Golden Age of African SafarisEast Africa affects our imagination like few other places: The sight of a charging rhino goes directly to the heart; the limitless landscape of bony h... Read More >
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