FASHION TRAVEL HEALTH DELICIOUS TALES FROM THE SAVANNA
Check out Africa’s rich wildlife in their uninhibited best at this not-for -profit conservancy situated in countryside Kenya
Every road is like a different storybook, reciting tales inspired by its own surroundings. We say this because the long road we took on a pleasant June morning revealed the kind of stories we had never heard before — of eightarmed trees, of a bird that eats children and of a tribal family that had invaded a ranch after the drought, killing the owners and taking their livestock. Folklores, current events, true incidents — evocative and juicy, all kind of narratives. Little did we know that this road lined with pineapple farms, coffee plantations and eucalyptus trees was actually taking us towards our own fascinating story — one that was to begin at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy — a wildlife conservancy situated on the equator west of Nanyuki, between the foothills of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya.
RESCUED CHIMPS
“It’s not a zoo. You will see what nature wants to show,” said the guide in response to our uncontainable curiosity. But before the surprise trail began, he took us to meet Sultana, Poco and a bunch of other chimps at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary — a harmonious space (within the conservancy) for orphaned chimps rescued from human atrocities. At the information centre, we learnt that about the chimpanzees that arrived here from West and Central Africa and that they had been subjected to abuse — some sold for bush trade, some kept in cramped conditions and some in captivity at gas stations to entertain people. The backstory of these adorable creatures was heartbreaking but one couldn’t help but see hope in the way they were loved, fed and counselled at the sanctuary. While the thoughts of human unkindness lingered on, we moved on and embarked on our long-awaited day safari.
NATURE’S RAW ABUNDANCE
Talking about Ol Pejeta, it is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa and is also home to the last three surviving northern white rhinos. Besides providing cover to the endangered, this conservancy is an appropriate example of nature’s true wealth — comprising of grasslands, marshlands and bushlands decorated with whistling thorn acacias and yellow barked acacias. The well-known Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard) rest in its lap and it also gives shelter to over 200 migratory and resident birds.
The day safari turned out to be a gentle drizzle of delightful surprises. We spotted a parade of African elephants grazing away in peace, two cheetahs stretching on a dead bark, a protective herd of wild buffaloes with their offspring, a herd of graceful antelopes, the endangered rhinos, a dazzle of zebras looking like a box of blackand-white colour pencils and a majestic lion that left us