"Z" is for BliZZard... and Zebra...

It's been a nasty nasty day here today - we're experiencing another nor'easter. Call it a major storm, a blizzard, whatever you like... I call it ridiculous. Ridiculous that in mid-March we would still be getting a major storm!!! It's been snowing hard since late last night, and with high winds the visibility is very poor. There were times when I could hardly see the fence in my backyard. A good day to stay at home and not venture out. Yes. Well. I would not have gone out without due cause. Oliver has been sick since late Friday night. He cannot keep food or water down and by this afternoon I was starting to worry about dehydration. So after a phone consultation with the Vet on call, he recommended a product that we had to go out for. Hubby drove and I prayed. The streets have not been plowed and at times the visibility was almost nil. Glad we didn't have to go too far. Now if we can just convince Ollie how yummy this vile smelling stuff is... and that it will make him feel better... hopefully.. I think we'll be visiting our own Vet tomorrow morning anyway. It's funny how an animal is so similar to a child when it's sick. He just wants his Mama. He is sitting on my lap as I write this. Pats and ear scratching seem to help... He's thanking me with his loving purrrrrr. (Just call it our Mutual Admiration Society)

Mama and foal

So let's leave this nasty weather behind and return to Florida where the sky is blue and the grass is green and there are no raging blizzards... Back to Lion Country Safari. We'll finish up the drive-through preserve today. The last area of the preserve is called Hwange National Park, named for the famous reserve in western Zimbabwe, and is home to White Rhinos, Zebras and Giraffe, among others. After the lions, the zebras and giraffes were tops on my "Most Want to See" list.

"Do these stripes make my butt look big?"

Zebras are part of the horse family, and have beautiful striped coats. Each has unique markings, and like the human fingerprint, no two are alike. I have always thought of zebras as black and white, but there is actually some dark brown there as well (look closely.) Zebras are very social animals and form close knit groups composed of a stallion, several mares and their foals. These groups join together to form a herd. They were not the least bit bothered by our presence; they were very close to our vehicle, and I'm sure I could have patted a few if we had been allowed to roll down our windows.

I can't say I would have cared to pat the Rhino though. They are BIG beasts!!! You could almost feel the ground shake as they lumbered by. "Delicate" they are not!! There are several signs posted warning visitors to give them the "right of way" as they can easily damage vehicles. Ha! you wouldn't have to tell me that twice!! These are "White Rhino" - not because they are white in color- they are actually a very dark grey- they get that name from the Africaans word wyde meaning wide or square-lipped. I can easily picture these as prehistoric creatures....

The Hartebeest, although rather odd looking, is actually one of the fastest and most enduring runners among the antelope family.

This area was also home to chimpanzees and gibbons. The chimps were on several islands surrounded by water. I never knew that chimpanzees are very poor swimmers - they cannot float well. They have little body fat, and muscular stocky bodies, so swimming is difficult. None of my attempts at chimp photos came out well- their black fur against the light sky just didn't work. (They were all up playing on high structures and rope "swings".) I did manage to capture this laid back guy though, does he remind you of anyone you know? "He" is a White-Handed Gibbon, a handsome fellow, I thought. Just chillin'...


I'm going to leave the giraffes for another post, as I have a lot of giraffe photos....

The storm is still raging. We have a 3 foot drift on our back deck where it was bare yesterday...many of our windows are covered in snow...will. winter. never. end????

Peace,
Linda

"Earth was created for all life, not just human life." ~ Anthony Douglas Williams