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Impalas at Zoo

Kisumu, Kenya, Africa

By Kelly HornePublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Sorry it appears a little blurry. I had to pull it off google photos. Taken Fall of 2019.

Ever visited a zoo in another country? I have; on a mission trip to Kenya, Africa in 2019.

You may be interested to know that not all zoos in the world are set up the same way. Some zoos are more open than what we experience here in the States; or at least what I have experienced visiting zoos in North Carolina.

This was actually on our last day of our mission trip and our host decided since it was my daughter and my first trip to Africa that we simply could not leave until we had seen some of the natural wildlife up close. As far as seeing nature, we had also seen where the equator was during this trip. The sign had been taken up though because of all the traffic headache it had caused with tourists wanting to stop to take a picture on the equator. We had also seen a beautiful waterfall. It was decided we now needed to see the animals.

We had already had some encounters with wildlife. Each morning we were serenaded with bird song. Once we went to the second location we were scheduled to visit, we had seen a many wild baboon wonder about the area. Like we have wild cats around, they are used to seeing wild baboons.

We saw native to the area animals at the zoo in Kisumu, Kenya. The name of the zoo is Kenya Wildlife Impala Park. I just did not realize that not every animal is caged. I guess maybe I should have took a hint at the name of the zoo, but I did not. We first went by the large cats. Interesting fact, Simba is not just a name of a famous Disney character. It is the Swahili name for a lion. We then saw ostriches; in a cage of course. A few more animals and then the next thing we know we are seeing the impalas just hanging out amid the public. Imagine my shock when every zoo I have ever visited, the only animals you see outside of cages is usually if a handler has them outside, or most likely just regular birds. Not an impala. Oh, and the one I photographed, he was not alone; there were families of impalas. We also had a close experience to a zebra that my teenager was just dying to try to get as near as possible. We finally convinced her she was close enough and got a few great photo opportunities with the zebra in the background. I could not get over the impalas though. There were little wooded areas around, and we were basically next to a lake so I can see how the area is perfect for them to thrive. I just did not expect to be in their territory. It was amazing and had a way of humbling you. They were skittish, much like our local deer, so no one even tried to get close to them.

I have some great photos of our visit, and my daughter, who at the time thought she might go into veterinary school, was having a ball. It was an awesome opportunity to see the wildlife from that area up close and in person. From giraffes to Simba ;) we saw the most beautiful wildlife thriving in their natural habitat. In our local zoos these habitats have to be created to fit the animals. Nothing wrong with that, especially since in a lot of cases it has been done to preserve a species, but there is just something about seeing the animals running wild and free. I do think there was some sort of gate around the bigger section of the park if I remember correctly. Just not a specific enclosure for the impalas. They just went wherever they pleased. It was a wonderful experience and one I will not forget for the rest of my life.

Nature
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About the Creator

Kelly Horne

Married. Loving mother to my daughter and son. Full time employee of local government office as an Admin Asst. Currently in process of obtaining my Master's Degree in Library Science.

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