(Editor’s Note: Former West Sherburne Tribune and Citizen Editor Gary W. Meyer recently returned from a Sept. 6-20 visit to six Kenya, Africa wild game reserves and national parks, the idea being to get up close and personal with all of Africa’s ‘friends of the Savannah.” That they did. This is the second of a two -part series.) 

Pachyderms, they’re called. Big, heavy. Standing 12-14-16 feet up from the earth. Weighing in at eight or nine tons. Nothing gets in their way — and neither did our safari rig, piloted by expert animal guide Patrick Njugunagi. The giant male elephant lumbered alongside our rig and with a deft snatch of his monstrous trunk, pulled a hefty hunk of grass from the soil, shaking it slightly free from its dirt and dust before jamming it into his mouth - missing not a step. His is not a life about which books are written. Chased out of the family at age five, he’s been on the outside, except for mating arrangements. These guys live for 50-60-70 years. That is their story. 

“There can’t be much nutritional value to that grass he just put in his mouth?” I asked. 

“No,” replied Patrick. “But that’s all they have. After monsoons, it’s much better.” He also reminded me the big elephants need to put 300 to 400 pounds of grass in their bellies just to get along. 

Our second evening on the eastern Kenya savannah was spent at The Ark Lodge, a unique college-style dormitory facility. Not great for aesthetics, but it got us up close and personal with the animal occupants. Nature provided a big pond for swimming and drinking for the animals - plus a natural salt lick outside our door attracted all sorts of visitors - all within camera range. 

Just after dark, an elephant-style bellow came from a far forest line, followed by crashing brush. A mother elephant was on the warpath, chasing down a hyena who had gotten too close to her baby. The ruckus settled down after a minute and mother elephants, their “teenage” babies and smallest babies — the targets of the hyenas — paraded cautiously to the salt lick. Babies were always under their mothers’ bellies. Mothers and other daughters in a split second could form their defense system, in penetrable by those who could do harm. 

And the hyenas weren’t far away, setting up sentry points just beyond the flood lights, but not further than 50 years away from their prey. Hyenas are the biggest killers on the continent, some say. 

Mother elephants are the hardest-working animals on this planet - because they have to be. Day and night. They love their babies, and they want them to grow up to be as smart as they are. Amen. 

So, They Can Run Fast 

One day, our attention fixed the screaming of a female and male ostrich, heading right to left across the prairie at a speed rated no less than hell bent for election. Ostriches can reach 44 mph speeds when need be — and the guess was the female leading the chase wanted to go even faster. In pursuit of her — in a mating maneuver — was the male. She wasn’t interested. 

We don’t know if he caught up to her, but . .. had he. She would have laid up to a dozen eggs — the largest of any laying bird in the world — within the next year. And, should they have successfully mated, the mother and father would have become more cooperative. She, in plumage of white and tan, would nest with the eggs by day; he, with the black feathers, would nest with them by night. That’s nature in action.

Beauty and Speed Of the Antelope 

Kenya’s family of antelope is so widespread you will always have one in your viewing scope. They come in many sizes, too, the eland being the largest. They are about the size of the American elk. Among other family members, the bush buck, topi, the impalas and Thompson Gazelle. Tiniest — at just a foot tall, are the Dik Dik. 

One afternoon our rig was making its way across a savannah when Patrick the driver spotted a female impala frantically searching the grounds, darting with breakneck speed from one location to another. Patrick suspected the animal had just given birth, but had left the baby on scene — for one good reason. Babies do not have a scent, so they have some protection from predators. After what seemed like several minutes, the mother spotted the baby lying on the ground and raced to it, calling it to stand. In a flash, they were off and running, the newborn matching mother in stride and speed. Remarkable, this Kenyan nature. 

The Chimpanzee Project 

During an afternoon at Sweetwaters, our group visited the 250-acre Chimpanzee Project, a refuge for abused primates from around Africa. It was originated many years ago by Jane Goodall, the animal lover. 

Since the majority of the 29 on-site primates had experienced abuse by humans, they were not friendly, nor were humans allowed inside their cages. Chimpanzees occasionally killed chimpanzees; that was their way of dealing with each other. Males introduced to the project were sterilized to keep the group in size. 

Smart? Human-smart, according to the Mgr., Martin Kinyua. One of our group asked why a juvenile Chimp was balancing a stick on his shoulder as he walked, on all four. “To play?” she asked. Kinyua suggested the chimp was carrying the stick on his shoulder because he figured he would need it later that day. Task? Yet to be determined. 

How much are they like humans? Kinyua answered: Chimpanzees share 98.6% of their DNA with humans. Anger, with an astute memory. These Chimps have it. And they’ll live to be 50 to 60 years old. He reported it costs about $4,000 a year to house a Chimp.