DAILY PHOTO: Baby Elephants of Lilayi Elephant Nursery

Taken in May of 2016 at Lilayi Elephant Nursery near Lusaka, Zambia

Taken in May of 2016 at Lilayi Elephant Nursery near Lusaka, Zambia

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DAILY PHOTO: Bushbuck on the Trail

Taken in May of 2015 at Chaminuka Game Reserve

Taken in May of 2015 at Chaminuka Game Reserve

 

 

DAILY PHOTO: Baby Crocs at Kalimba

Taken at Kalimba Reptile Park near Lusaka, Zambia in May of 2016

Taken at Kalimba Reptile Park near Lusaka, Zambia in May of 2016

 

A close up

A closeup

 

Mass flight to water

Mass flight to water

DAILY PHOTO: Tusker in the Tall Grass

Taken on May 25, 2016 at Chaminuka Game Reserve near Lusaka

Taken on May 25, 2016 at Chaminuka Game Reserve near Lusaka

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DAILY PHOTO: African Carpenter Bee on a Flower

Taken in May of 2016 at the Palmwood Lodge in Lusaka

Taken in May of 2016 at the Palmwood Lodge in Lusaka

 

I’m back from travels in Thailand, Zambia, and the UAE with lots of new photos. This is an African species of Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa caffra) hanging from a flower. Lusaka was in full bloom, despite the fact that it’s [southern hemisphere] winter there and the weather was cool.

DAILY PHOTO: Uncouth Chimp

Taken in November of 2013 at the Mysore Zoo

Taken in November of 2013 at the Mysore Zoo

DAILY PHOTO: Hungry, Hungry Hippo Hides

Taken in November of 2013 at Bannerghatta

Taken in November of 2013 at Bannerghatta

DAILY PHOTO: Just What Makes that Little, Old Chipmunk…

Taken on April 10, 2016 in Amritsar

Taken on April 10, 2016 in Amritsar

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We watched a chipmunk tug a blanket up a tree in the garden of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama in Amritsar. It was neither a small cloth nor a small tree. (But the heart of that rodent was huge.) It’s a beautiful garden, and the museum is highly undervalued by the “must-visit” lists–e.g. as TripAdvisor.  If you’re in Amritsar, give it a try.

This is the tree in question.

This is the tree in question.

 

And here are some flower photos from the garden.

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This is the tree in question.

DAILY PHOTO: Elephants at the Amber Fort

Taken in November 2015 in Jaipur

Taken in November 2015 in Jaipur

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POEM: Conceit of Man

An elephant will never forget.
No car keys to misplace, I’ll bet.
A tiger is fearless, I will confess,
but it’ll never be audited by the IRS.

An owl may be wise; you can tell by the eyes.
But it’s never asked to comment on the size of a girl’s thighs.
Dolphins are smart ones, that much is true.
But, pray tell, who is in whom’s zoo?

In all domains humans think themselves the greatest.
And we are the very best of sadists.
You’ll never see a bonobo bureaucrat,
nor get tech support from a vampire bat.

At masochism, too, we’re none too shabby.
At the karaoke bar, ever see a tabby?
Ever seen a chimp with a nipple ring?
I’ll tell you now, that’s not a thing.

Our narcissism has grown beyond the pale.
One lifetime to the rocket from the sail
will give any species some cerebral swelling.
I’m not saying our’s isn’t a tale worth telling.
Let’s just make sure it doesn’t turn cautionary.
Basking in awesomeness, one forgets to be wary.
Next thing you know, super-smart apes are getting the itch,
or the Alpha Centaurians have made Earth their bitch.