Next day: animals, animals, animals


 
The local giraffe
    Early the next morning we walked down to the lake to see the local animals.  There was a lone giraffe, working his way along the lake shore, nibbling on treetops.  Giraffes are kinda shy and hard to get close to.  There was also a group of about five zebras.  Zebras are rather calm, and you can walk up rather close to them.  And there were some impalas, but they were rather skittish.

     The residents here must take extraordinary measure to keep the animals AT the lake and AWAY from their homes.  There are stone walls, steel gates, and electric fences.  Hippos, in particular, are very dangerous, aggressive creatures.  Horror stories abound in these parts of people killed by hippos, and it takes a lot to keep a determined hippo from coming into your yard in the middle of the night in search of green foliage.  Water bucks are also big, dangerous and aggressive.  To live here, one must learn how to identify and avoid dangerous animals.

Zebras are rather calm
      Monkeys are clever thieves who will figure a way to get inside your house and eat everything.  All the houses here have steel bars over the windows to keep them out.  (Monkey bars?)

The "superb starling"





     Birds are everywhere.  In fact, Lake Naivasha is well-known for its abundant population of birds.  You constantly hear them chirping and squawking.  Occasionally the relative silence is broken by the cry of a fish eagle or an ibis.  The most beautiful bird in these parts is the superb starling, with their metallic turquoise backs and bright orange breasts.

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