Life and death go hand in hand in the bush

The giraffe is the national symbol of Tanzania. 

The skyscraper-like-animal moves very elegantly and radiates a benevolent calmness. It is a social animal with tight family bonds and a strong community life. Tanzania chose the Giraffe as its national animal to represent these qualities.

One day at camp I was told by my team member to grap my camera. Malaki seemed to be in a hurry to go somewhere. He told me that our guide discovered a dead giraffe close to the camp. It was my task to take pictures of it and to notify the rangers. I quickly followed his instructions and in a bit we drove out in the vehicle to look for the corpse. 

In the bush there are no streets nor signs to be used for orientation. This makes it challenging to describe a certain place. We drove around for about half an hour and followed the tracks of the other vehicle. The search was of no use. Luckily, the mobile phones had reception and we could communicate with Michael to locate his finding. Once Michael and his two guest arrived, we directly went to the corpse. In case you have a weak stomach, try to skip the following photographs. 

From observing this picture one might get the idea that the giraffe was killed for its meat. The straight cutting marks proof that someone was using a sharp tool to cut the skin. Since it just happened the previous night, the smell was still bearable. Once the rangers from the Wildlife Management Area arrived, their trained eye immediately noticed the lack of any hunting injury. There was no blood coming out from wounds caused by a spear or a gun. After few minutes of observation, the ranger concluded that the giraffe died due to an unhappy circumstance. It suffered from an eye infection causing it to faint. While dropping down to the ground, it fell unfortunately and broke its neck. This accident killed it along with the baby it was carrying with it. Shortly after its death Maasai happened to be around it. They saw the dead corpse and cut of some slices of meat. 

A giraffe with its child in the Amboseli ecosystem close to Shu'mata Camp

Standing like a human

The Gerenuk rotates its hips 180 degrees to reach plants that other animals don't.

It conquered a niche to sustain itself in a highly competitive environment. This advantage allows the Gerenuk to feed at a height unreachable by Gazelles.

It is a very shy animal that is difficult to get hold of. Luckily, the following family was enjoying itself on a Sunday morning in the bush. Every member is as clean as it gets. This is not due to the occasion but rather to show predators that one is strong and healthy.

The Gerenuk is common around Shu'mata area.

What do you think of Africa?

Africa is a world for itself. Whether it's the sheer size of the continent, its cultural diversity, or its seemingly eternal landscape with an abundance of unique flora and fauna. Previous knowledge is reconsidered while new boundaries are taking shape. For a modern mind it is difficult to understand what it means to live in the wilderness. No tab water, no electricity, no supermarket, no public transportation - no Civilization? A majority would argue so..

A giraffe saying good morning during a safari nature drive.

During the day tThe sun burns furiously.  Blessed are shadows from Acasia treess.

As quickly as an Austrich runs the night time conquers the day.