pictures - kenya

Hippo

The aim of any safari-goer is to achieve the Big 5 which are the five most sought after animals to see (and in olden times, to shoot). We had seen the rhino, the elephant, the leopard (in a tree far away so I couldn't get a picture for you), the lion, and finally the hippopotamus. One of the few times we got out of the van in the game reserve, we walked down to the river to see the hippo where he spends most of his time. This one had a baby on its back and was therefore in a rather protective mood. At one point, he charged straight at the people on the shore to the left of me. More people are killed by hippos than any other animal in Africa. This sounds unbelievable until you see a gigantic beast moving at unimaginable speeds toward your friends.