The Animals of Lake Nakuru

As posted elsewhere (in the setting of a slight misadventure), I spent the last week at a medical conference in the city of Nakuru. One of the perks of this was when I got to head out with our hosts (Jim and Alice, a missionary couple who live there in town) and fellow traveler Alyssa (who also has some pics up) to the National Park at Lake Nakuru. Just a few pictures to share the afternoon.

Above: it must have been that time of year. Lots of animals had babies. Here is a mama baboon watching her baby learning how to climb.

Below: what Lake Nakuru is known for most is the thousands and thousands of flamingos that follow the edge of the lake almost all the way around. (You may have to click on the image to get a more magnified view)

Above: I liked this picture because it shows the incredible density of wildlife, here with a rhino, cape buffalo, eland (the largest of the antelopes), and zebra, all in one photo.

Below: We stopped and ate lunch overlooking the lake from "Baboon Cliffs", which is apparently named so because of the "baboon menace".

Above: the single biggest highlight of the drive was when we crested a hill to see an open field with a total of 22 giraffe standing together out in the open. Whoa.

Below: Jim and I by the lake with the flamingos (and near some of the ever-intimidating cape buffalo) when the car refused to restart. One of the battery cables had severed. In true bush fashion, we were able to repair it with a band-aid, some spare electrical tape from another wire, and a plastic clothespin that Jim had found earlier on the ground.