Hippos . . . The Most Dangerous Animal on Earth

Several years ago when I was on safari in Kenya, I remember learning an interesting fact--the most dangerous animal on the continent was the hippo. I have to admit I had a hard time believing that fact. After all, I was coming face to face with larger than life elephants and lions whose roar sounded quite ferocious and leopards who could leap down from a tree faster than a human could blink an eye. Every time we spotted a hippo, he was floating in a river and the most we ever were able to see were the two big eyes on the top of his head, peering out at us. 

How could the hippo be the most dangerous animal?

Still when we were on safari, the only time the guides carried rifles was when we were in the vicinity of the hippo. And the only time we were allowed to get close was when they were in the water. So precautions were being taken, whether we realized it or not. 

Fast forward to this year. Chuck and I decided to go to the Philadelphia Zoo. To see the hippos. This time we weren't separated by a river of water, like when we were in Kenya, with guards who carried loaded rifles--just in case. A mere wire fence
separated Chuck and I from the most dangerous animal. And actually there were two--a boy and girl hippo--and from where we stood, staring at them, they seemed pretty NOT dangerous to us.

Chuck was more skeptical than I was. I'd heard the stories. I'd read the literature. I knew that on land, hippos could move their bulky bodies rather quickly. And when they opened their mouths, my oh my, if Chuck ever ended up in between their jaws, he would be a mere snack.

So I was the cautious one. When Chuck begged to get closer--his bright idea was to climb over the fence and stand on the edge of the water so he could get a better look--I said, "No. As far as I'm concerned, we're close enough."

When you travel with a curious cat, you have to be firm. And sensible. So we stood there and watched as their keeper fed them large quantities of veggies--entire heads of lettuce that they gobbled down in one bite. It was a wonder to watch. Thankfully, it was enough to convince Chuck.

We had no close calls that day. And one glorious show. Hippos are amazing. And the best part was--we lived to talk about it!

Beau - One Cool Giraffe.

When I can't hop on a plane or train and get away . . . to Africa or China or somewhere exotic,
I content myself with going somewhere local. One of my favorite places is the zoo.

Now Chuck is not always in favor of a trip to the zoo.  We usually go in the summer and he doesn't like being hot. And going to the zoo usually means walking around . . . a lot. And Chuck is no fan of walking. And getting Chuck into the zoo is a lot of trouble. Zoos have enough animals without people  bringing more animals inside the gates so it requires some pretty careful maneuvering. Much like the way we transport Chuck on board a plane--by stuffing his poor deflated cat body into a carry-on case until we arrive at our destination, that's about what we had to do on this occasion. And then we found a nice quiet place and inflated him and we were ready to go. 

We did all of this a few weeks ago because he wanted to see Beau. The new baby giraffe. At the Philadelphia Zoo. He'd heard about Beau and even watched some video because when a baby giraffe is born at the zoo, its big news!

Beau is only a few months old now, but he's already six feet tall, and although that seems tall to us, he's a shorty compared to his mom.  He's delightful to watch because he doesn't just walk sedately like most older giraffes--he runs and skips and literally frolics around--like a kid would do. 

While we were there visiting, we learned a number of interesting facts about giraffes:

--Interestingly enough, they only sleep a few hours a day. In the wild, this is invaluable because they can keep an eye on their enemies.

--They have very few natural predators, other than man. Their hooves are so large, they can easily fight off an attack by a lion. 

--If you watch them closely, they always seem to be chewing. They have a very interesting digestive system, which basically allows them to eat food that would be difficult for humans to digest. Giraffes have four stomachs. They are called ruminants because the extra stomachs assist with digestion.

At present Beau lives with his mom and sister Abigail.  His father Gus is living in a separate quarters until Beau is a bit older. That's another interesting tidbit about giraffes. It's often difficult for two male giraffes to share the same space.

When Chuck and I arrived, there were a lot of fans hovering around, waiting to see what Beau would do. No one even noticed Chuck, who clung to the railing and peered in--remembering the last time he saw baby giraffes was in Nairobi in Kenya at the Wildlife Conservation Center, which was established to protect the Rothschild giraffe.

Chuck would have loved to have crawled over the fence and met Beau face to face. But I was not in favor of that plan. "Chuck," I said to him, "he looks harmless enough. But can you imagine what his mother would do if you showed up? To her, you're just a miniature lion. Do you want to get stomped to death?"

So Chuck had to be happy watching Beau from a distance.