Elephants and Lions (oh my!)

I'm getting used to sharing a bungalow with a family of bats. (Most of the time they are better roommates than Tia! ;)  They only get upset when I turn the bathroom light on during the night so I've learned to pee in the dark. I barely notice their tiny squeaks and they have been extra careful not to soil the room. If they decide to move their toilet we may have to give them an eviction notice. Until then, we are friends.

The past few days have been filled with safaris! We've seen some pretty extraordinary animals! Elephants are a daily occurrence and yesterday we sat in a forest surrounded by over 100 of them!

                                 (Sorry for the poor photos - the good ones are on my camera!)

We also spent a good half hour hanging out with a pride of lions. The 2 females and 2 males were quietly resting after a big meal (what a relief). As we approached they didn't even stand up. A glance in our direction was the only indication that they even saw us at all! Paola and the lion team have done an excellent job habituating them to the safari vehicles. Sitting with them that close in the wild gave me an overwhelming sense of peace but also fear. The fear does not come from the animal but from the sheer fact that I know these lions may not be around for long. Just this week the lion M02, probably the most well-known male lion in the park, was killed by poachers. He stepped in a steel-jaw trap and died as a result of his injuries. Gin-traps are illegal in Mozambique and have been banned in Europe as well. In the US though, these traps are still widely used. Unfortunately M02's story is not unique. One in three lions in the park have been victims of snares or jaw-traps. It's heartbreaking. I certainly hope one day my children and grandchildren will be able to see these incredible animals in the wild.

On our way back to camp last night we were surprised by the number of elephants we came across. It was after dark when we headed back home and a breeding group of females who were just off the road trumpeted loudly at us. The truck engine and the spotlight we had been using to view nocturnal mammals along our route had to be quickly turned off as to not aggravate them further. There's nothing like the sound of nearby elephants in the dark of night to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up! Luckily they moved on without incident and we were able to start the engine again and continue on our way. I spotted another one closer to camp. This time it was a lone large bull elephant, and once again we shut off the engine and sat in silence in the middle of the road. I could hear the trees crushing beneath his feet as he slowly moved away. It was thrilling!

Now for another night with my roommates.... Gosh I love this place!