Indeed, based on my readings, there is a long list of birds and animals that are endemic to Africa. For a face-to-face encounter of the abundance of these creatures, they can be enjoyed in national and safari parks or some advertised trekking expeditions.
For now, let me share those whose pictures I actually took in the streets of Gulu.
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| I thought they were eagles. |
The marabou stork.
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| The cattle of kings |
The Ankole cattle.
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| The pasture, close to where I work |
After I took this picture I continued to walk to my destination. A man greeted me and said, "You are footing." I begged his pardon and he said, "I saw you taking pictures of the cattle. You are footing. " - his index and middle fingers showing the sign similar to the yellow pages logo of let your fingers do the walking.
Eighty-Three Hippos Dead In Uganda
ReplyDeleteposted by: Judy Molland 10 hours ago
Eighty-Three Hippos Dead In Uganda
At least 83 hippopotamuses have been poisoned by anthrax at Uganda's most popular game reserve and safari park.
The hippos died at Queen Elizabeth National Park, located in western Uganda and known for its population of around 100 mammal species and 615 species of birds. Apparently it is also the home of the anthrax poison, which emanates from bacteria that live in the soil surrounding one small lake in this vast park.
What Is Anthrax?
Anthrax spores occur naturally in soil and can remain dormant for years. Drought, floods or wind expose the spores and they can be ingested when livestock graze close to the ground.
A Repeat Performance
The park was hit by anthrax poisoning in 2004, when more than 300 hippos died from exposure to the lethal spore-forming bacteria. Tom Okello, area conservation manager for the park, told AFP that lessons were learned in this earlier incident and that officials are close to containing the current problem. "We really have improved," he said. "The situation is under control."
How Does Anthrax Spread?
Six years ago, some scientists believed that the large scale of the infection was caused by cannibalism. The New Scientist quoted Joseph Dudley, a biosecurity and agriculture analyst based in Washington, as saying: "The widespread mortality may be a result of the communal scavenging or 'cannibalism' of carcasses of anthrax-filled hippos by other hippos."
Other veterinarians and scientists believed that the cause lay in over-crowding in the park. As The Daily Telegraph reports, these experts stated that over-population leads to fights over resources, and anthrax can be spread via battle wounds. Flesh-eating vultures and large cats are also known to spread the disease.
Keep the pictures coming. They speak thousands and thousands of words.
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