Possibly Africa’s most famous ethnic group, the Maasai people are semi-nomadic people located primarily in Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
According to their own oral history the Masai people originated in the Nile Valley in Northern Africa and migrated south around the 15th century with their cattle.
Once considered fierce warriors and feared by all tribes in the area, the Maasai lost much of their power in the 19th century.
The Maasai have now adopted a more sedentary lifestyle that includes growing and buying cultivated food.
Real practice or only folkloric demonstration for the easily impressed tourists, the realization of a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood is mastered by the Massaï.
The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. Although at one time red deer were rare in parts of Europe, they were never close to extinction. Reintroduction and conservation efforts have resulted in an increase of red deer populations, while other areas, such as North Africa, have continued to show a population decline.
Amboseli National Park is a national park in Kenya that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It has great views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Almost 85 percent of the ice cover on Kilimanjaro disappeared between October 1912 and June 2011. At the current rate, most of the ice on Kilimanjaro will disappear by 2040. 😢
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is a short story by Ernest Hemingway.
The plains zebra is highly social and usually forms small family groups called harems, which consist of a single stallion, several mares and their recent offspring.
Early on, a mother zebra keeps any other zebra away from her foal, including the stallion, the other mares, and even her previous offspring. Later, though, they all bond. Within the group, a foal has the same rank as its mother.
Elephant mothers carry their babies for nearly two years before giving birth. Then they ensure their babies get the best food, teach their children the most useful skills and show their children how to lead the herd during hard times.
Elephants learn how to pick the best plants for eating, how to defend against predators and how to navigate steep embankments — all from their mothers.
As we drove slowly through the large empty spaces of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, I was fortunate enough to perceive a spot of slightly different color in a small group of bushes.
It was difficult to really see what it was, luckily a little bit of photography gear material can help!
The African fish eagle is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur, like lake Nakuru.
The adult is very distinctive in appearance with a mostly brown body with a white head like the bald eagle and large, powerful, black wings. The head, breast, and tail of African fish eagles are snow white, with the exception of the featherless face, which is yellow.
Some people say lions sleep 22 out of every 24 hours. It's true we often see them lying in the grass, sometimes yawning. But it doesn't mean they sleep when we're not there. “Lions lying sleeping in the shade on a hot day are […] conserving energy during the least energetically efficient time of the day. […] If the energy costs involved in an activity aren’t outweighed by its potential benefits, they simply won’t do it.” Clever.
It's hard to believe but it will be soon one year since Drake left this world. These photos popped up as one year ago today (five days before his final day), when we had our last walk and took the last picture together. He has been watching me from the better place to make sure I'm OK. Thank you my sweet boy. I miss you every day.