| In which we learn more about the Animals of the Gambia |
| When Kate's parents and their friends the Browns were visiting us in the Gambia at the end of March, we took them out to Abuko nature park, about 25 minutes drive from their hotel. The park was set up by a German naturalist, and provides refuge for monkeys, alligators, and numerous species of bird, plants and trees. We were also told that there was an animal orphanage of sorts, where some bigger and rarer species are nursed back to health. Kate and I felt like real Gambians as our immigration cards secured us the local rate for admission to the park � 10 Dalasi as opposed to D25. Initially we decided not to hire a guide, but as the visitor�s guidebook was �finished� and the trees weren�t marked, we reconsidered and engaged the services of a friendly fellow in uniform. It wasn�t until we started walking for a while that we discovered that �G.P.F.� on his lapel stood for Gambian Police Force, and that far from being from the forestry department, he was a cop moonlighting to make ends meet! He knew as much about the trees as we did, but he did have some amusing stories to tell us about the history of the park. We saw several red monkeys, this time up close, although they were by no means tame. Those who have followed Kate's and my exploits with the monkeys in Bijilo Park (at the end of February) will recall that the red ones are shy and tend to stay hidden up in the trees (unlike the smaller brown ones, who will eat peanuts out of one�s hand, or worse � more anon). We also saw the tail end of a small crocodile in a pool, but he didn�t photograph so well. It was a long but pleasant walk under the canopy, with monkeys occasionally heralding our progress. After about 45 minutes, we came to the orphanage at the far end of the park. Here we saw our first hyenas. Actually cuter and a lot bigger than we�d expected. Our guide soon drew our attention to the lion pen. Took a while to spot the male (under a tree, about 15 feet from us), but the female was lying up against the fence and we could literally touch her through the chain link. Her paws were simply enormous � her legs were as thick as my shins at least. In the west we�d have been behind a moat or two and held way back from harms way � but here in the Gambia all that separated us from the lions was an (admittedly high) chain link fence. These creatures were once native to the Gambia (or so it was claimed), but have long ago been driven out by humans. See photos. After a long walk back, we were ready for lunch. We set off for Lamin Lodge, a tourist restaurant built on stilts and jutting out over the river. We had a wonderful view of the river behind us, and the food was good, but the (brown) monkeys were a bit troublesome. They�d clearly been fed by tourists past, and were quite unafraid of humans. The lowpoint of our day was when one particularly aggressive one swung down from the roof, through the window, jumped onto Mrs. Holdsworth�s plate and helped himself. When threatened, he snarled, and it got a bit ugly before he was chased off, although it was a bit unclear whether the monkey or we were more scared! The waiters have been issues with sling shots to ward them off, but at the moment the monkeys seem to have the upper hand. See pictures of the animals from our adventure Back to main News page Back to main Photos page Read about our prior experiences with the Animals of the Gambia |