Animal Orphanage

There are a number of attractions to see in Kenya, not the least of which is its amazing wildlife!

Kenya is home to a number of animal orphanages. I am told they get most of their animals from illegal animal trafficking. They are able to release many of the animals back into the wild but many of the Big Cats (lions, leopards and cheetahs) can never be re-integrated.

Instead they endure hours of baking in the sun, sleepily watching as tourists pass with cameras in hand.

What they must think of the show... I can only imagine!

Stripped hyenas and civet cats have little havens next to a whole mess of lions and one eerily large ostrich.

(Honestly, I didn’t think they could get so big! Now I see how people could saddle and race them! But riding one looks like a disaster ready to happen. Images of bull riding mixed with a chicken with the speed of a pedigree stallion jumps to mind. Just saying.)

I got to have a monkey eat from my hand. Which was fun. I like monkeys.

And we almost got to hold a 3 month old lion cub... but in the end couldn’t be arranged. The guide would have had to sneak us in and well, the bosses were watching. We came at the wrong time of day.

It was worth it, of course.

Oh... and I even saw a Zee-donk!

What’s a Zee-donk?

It’s what you get when a donkey and zebra fall in love.

Think grey body, pointed ears and stripped legs. Beautiful and unique, but definitely an Oops.