Where are we today? Heading toward "Null Island"

I'm still trying to catch up on our adventures before we come to our next port -- Takadori, Ghana.

While at Thanda, we went on six game drives.  We happened across two different lion kills in 24 hours.  Our guide had never seen two that close.  One was a lioness who had borne three cubs.  When she tried to return to the pride with her cubs, she was rejected as the pride didn't want that many extra mouths to feed.  So, she is essentially a singe mother raising three nearly grown boys, who are already sparring with each other, and a girl.  Whew!

The second feeding we saw was the full pride.  We found them in a stupor early one morning after they had feasted the night before.  A couple of young ones yawned and stretched and went back for a snack before taking another nap.

Here are some of the other animals we saw at Thanda.  

We saw kudus, like those in the above photo, frequently.  Once, we happened along when two were strutting.  They have a non-violent way of settling some disputes between two males.  The hair stands up on their heads and from their chests, and they high step around, showing each other their size in a sideways pose.  Somehow, one or the other will yield in a dispute over grazing area.  Here is one in full strut.

On the last morning, Dave said he wanted to see a yellow beak hornbill.  Our guide said that we could try, but she and the tracker couldn't guarantee finding one.  Many people don't see the amount of animals we had already found. But, she would drive us to the area where the hornbills hang out.  There were two sitting in a tree!

Zebras were my favorite until one person asked our guide if a certain zebra was pregnant. She said it was hard to say; zebras are always gassy and full of parasites, and it's easy to mistake a female's simply swollen abdomen for a pregnancy. Vets tried deworming zebras in the wild, but it turns out that the zebras do best with the parasites.  Babies will even eat their mother's poop to acquire them.  They're still cute, though.  

Aside from the animals, Thanda is gorgeous.  The terrain ranges from high hills to rolling hills to flat, savannah like land. There are so many beautiful plants, as well. 

Enjoy your day!