Khama Rhino Sanctuary

White rhinos

Last weekend I went up to a rhinoceros sanctuary. There is a sanctuary because lots of people hunted rhinos to get the medicine that is in their horns and left the meat to rot. The rhinos were almost extinct before people made the sanctuary. Now there's like twenty-seven white rhinos and three black ones.

White rhino

White rhino resting when it gets hot

The difference between them is that the white rhinos are whiter and the black rhinos are darker grey and black rhinos eat leaves and twigs from trees and white rhinos eat grass.  So if you see rhino poop, you can pick it up and break it to see if there is grass or twigs in it.  If it has twigs and leaves in the poop, then it is a black rhino.  If it has grass in the poop, then it is a white rhino. White rhinos are stronger than black rhinos, but black rhinos are faster.  White rhinos can run 45 kilometers per hour, but black rhinos can run 55 kilometers per hour, I think.  When the rhinos poop, they scatter it around to mark their territory.

White rhino poop and dung beetles

The beetles you see in the rhino poop are called dung beetles and they like to eat the pieces of grass in the rhino poop.  They have little wings that come out of their body and when they fly they make a buzzing sound like a humming bird.

A dung beetle in my hand!

Our camp site under a baobab tree

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (this part is solid water during the rainy season)

These are the biggest waterfalls in the world.  They are called Victoria Falls.  There’s like 10 other parts of Victoria Falls.  The first one would be like to the left about 5 feet off of the computer screen.  And that one was separated from the others by a big stretch of land. And then there’s like 5 others that are separated by little rocks.  Then there’s one that is by itself a little farther down to the right.  And then there are 3 separated by land and then there are the ones in the picture.  Victoria Falls has a big spray that gets you when you’re at the gate.  Then when you look out at the waterfall about ¼ mile from the gate, it sprays you like it’s raining when you look out over the falls.  

Me at Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

My family at Victoria Falls

You can see tiny people in the upper right

Victoria Falls

This was a shear cliff without railings!

At the gate there were lots of monkeys and baboons.  A baboon and 2 monkeys had babies and the babies held on to their moms’ stomachs.

Vervet monkey

Vervet monkey mama with baby

When I went to Victoria Falls I had to go into Zimbabwe.  In Zimbabwe you used to need lots of money to buy stuff so a 100 trillion dollar bill was worth like a gum ball.  Now they are using U.S. dollars.

Today at the Japanese family’s house where I do Japanese I collided with Elliot while going out the gate.

Just kidding!

The Trip

Here is the flag of Botswana at JSIS.

 

The plane ride was really long but fun because I got to play my DS. The food on the airplane was kind of good.  It was really bright when I got off the plane, so my eyes hurt.

I think all of the animals get mad if you bother them, but if you bother the "big five" they will attack you! The animal I am most excited to see is the lion. The thing I like most about the lion is its mane because it makes it look cool.

This is the house where I am staying. There are two apartments in this building and about 15 in the whole place. It is pretty nice except for the fact that the plants are poky.

All systems go!

At the airport, about to board.

Sayonara, boku wa genki desu!

Going to Botswana

In one week I an going to Botswana. Botswana is a country located in southern Africa. Botswana has lots of anamols.  The most dangerous are the lion, African buffalo, leopard, elephant, and the black rhino.  if you make them mad, they will crush, devour, and kill you!  you will be dead dead dead.  any questions?