Page 13 - Gateways_Summer2023_Neat
P. 13

L a u ra D e P a s q u a l e :   B e f o r e  w e  w e n t
          Laura DePasquale:  Before we went
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        on a game drive, we did a hike through the
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        African jungle through the eyes of birds and
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        Af
                g
        monkeys. We saw the blue monkey and the
        m o n k e y s . W e s a w t h e b l u e m o n k e y a n d t h e
                 o
               a
                      t
                          e d
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        yellow baboon! After we drove around a bit,
                      e
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        we saw one lone elephant walking straight
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        d o w n t h e r o a d . I t w a l k e d s o c l o s e t o t h e je e p    Above (clockwise from left): Cindy and Richard Phelps have
        down the road. It walked so close to the jeep
                v
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        I could have touched it. Seeing the elephant     their first encounter with an elephant, Credit: Chris Panek;
            ld h
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        with its ears flapping and the quiet way it     one of the many lions the travelers saw, Credit: Jeanne Godfrey;
                     i
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                   p
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                      n
        w a l k e d w a s l i k e a s p i r it u a l e x p e r ie n c e .    view from Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, Credit: Lynn Gagala
        walked was like a spiritual experience.
                                              Right: Chris Panek, CZS vice president of membership,
             s
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        D
        Days 3-4: Ngorongoro                  Credit: Mindy Michalak
                 -
                               g
        Crater and Ngorongoro
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        C on s e r v a t ion  A r e a        s sunup; the scenery, the landscape, and the
        Conservation Area
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        The Ngorongoro Crater is a UNESCO World     l light were beautiful! The cauldron walls were
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        c caldera of an extinct volcano in the world. Riding     orange. It was an extraordinary experience. .
                    i
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        in their range rovers, the travelers descended 2,000     C i n d y P h e l p s:  W e s a w s o m e l i o n s a n d a
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                                               Cindy Phelps: We saw some lions and a
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        f feet at a steep grade into the crater. The caldera     f fresh kill. The lioness and the cubs were eating
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                                   . T
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        fl floor is vast—roughly 100 square miles. The     w h i l e t h e m a l e l i o n s a t a n d w a t c h e d . J a c k a l s
               s
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                                             while the male lion sat and watched. Jackals
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        group saw an unusual number of big cats—lions,  ,    were around waiting for their turn, then the
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                                                                                    Richard Phelps: The most amazing thing
                                               l
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        leopards, cheetahs, and servals—species that are     vultures came. It was very interesting to see     R ic h a r d  P he lps :  T h e  m o s t  a m a z in g  t hin g
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        usually very secretive. “The only animals not down     how the food chain works and see the animals     was how close we could get to the lions
                                                                            m
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                        T
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                                                    a
                         u
                                                                            .
                                                             . W
                                     e t
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                                        e
        t
        there were giraffes because they can’t make the     in their natural habitat. We saw a serval cat.        a and their cubs—within 10 feet of them. There
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                  a
                                                h
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                                 ’
                                                                         l c
                                    a
                             e
                                                                                  was a lion sleeping under a tree at the edge
                                                                —
                                                    s
                      a
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              a
                                                                  w
                                                                    o m
                                                                         s w
                                                 a
                 o
                                               e s
                    ,
                    ” s
                                                                           e
              l
                   n
                                                                  t
                                             W
                                                               g
                                                                       a
                                                                        l
        steep walk down,” said Panek. .      We saw ostriches fighting—two males were     w a s a l i o n s l e e p i n g u n d e r a t r e e a t t h e e d g e
                                                            h
                                                         s fi
                         a
        s
                                                             t
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                       d P
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                                                                            r
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                                                              i
           p w
                                                                                                       e
                                                                                                    e
                                                                                   f t
                                                                                                                —
                                                                                  o
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                                                                                                               g
                                                                                                              n
                                                                                                     s w
                                                                                                   r
                                                                                                u
                                                                                          . . . T
                                                                                        a
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                                                                                                  u
                                                                                    h
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                                                               l o
          Lynn Gagala: Ngorongoro Crater was     kicking one another until one finally ran away.  .    of the road. . . The vultures were amazing—
                                                                 n
                                                               i
                                                              t
          L
                                                                  e fi
                                                        o
                                                     e a
                                                       n
             n G
                                                                    n
                                                                                  we saw 10 to 15 of them around a recently
                                    s
                       t l
                                   y
           a
                              n e
                      e
                           t
                          . I
        a always on my bucket list. It’s an ecosystem     W e s a w c h e e t a h s, l e o p a r d s, w a r t h o g b a b ie s,    w e s a w 1 0 t o 1 5 o f t h e m a r o u n d a r e c e n t l y
                         i
                                 o
          w
                                  s
                            ’
                                c
               n m
                                             We saw cheetahs, leopards, warthog babies,
         l
                     c
            y
                            s a
             s o
                          t
                    u
                  y b
                      k
                                     e
                                    t
                                      m
                         s
                                                                                                               l
                                                                                       n
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                                                                                     d a
                                                                                                               l
                                                                                        m
                                                                                                   d s
                                                                                                     e
                                                                                                          e
                                                                                                 o
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                                                                                                        r
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                                                                                                      v
                                                                                           . T
                                                                                             h
                                                                                           l
                                                                                                              a
                                                                                          a
                                                                                                 t
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                                                                                              e
                                                                                               y s
                                                                                    l
                                                                                   i
                                                                                   l
                                                                                    e
                                                             o
                                                            h
                                                 t
                  c
                                                 h
                   a
                                                            t
                                              nd
                     s
                                                                           e
                                      .
                                             a
                                                                          b
                    u
           o it
                                                                         e
               lf b
             s
                                                     nd
                                                    s
                                                     a
              e
                                                                        d
                                                       s
                                                  o
                                                         nd
                                                                       i
                 e
                                                         a
                                                   u
                                                                       l
                                                                              s
                              a i
                                                                      w
         n
                                                                             s
                                                                             t
                                s s
                             r
        unto itself because the caldera is so vast.        and thousands and thousands of wildebeests     k killed animal. They stood several feet tall.  .
                                                                     f
                           ld
        u
                                                                    o
                             e
                          a
                        e c
                                                              u
                                                               s
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                                                                 nd
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                                 o v
                                                                   s
                                    a
                                                                            e
           e
           v
            n h
         t e
        I It even has lakes and streams. . . We left at     and zebras. .
                      d s
                                   e
                                 e l
                                    f
                                      t
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                                    t a
                          e
                          a
                           m
                             s
                         t
                              . . . W
                         r
                                                   r
                                                  b
                 a
                s l
                                                    s
               a
                                                    a
                                              nd
                    s a
                                             a
                                                 z
                                                 e
                  k
                   e
                                                                                     BROOKFIELD ZOO | SUMMER 2023  13
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