What if The Heartfelt Story this week was one picture? No accompanying story, rather an invitation to contemplate a picture in silence at a pace that is slow to middlin.
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Breaking news – the case against the avocado farm reported in Stop the Madness on March 31st has been dismissed and the farm’s license revoked. Conservationists and community pastoralists fought back and won!
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A Turkish proverb says, “There lies a lion in every heart.” There’s something about lions that is raw, real, and totally mesmerizing. Here’s the story behind the image on the cover of my children’s storybook A Mother’s Love.
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This week, I wrote a short children’s storybook about some of my favourite African animal mothers and babies in honour of Mother’s Day. I am grateful to Haya (3) and Mara (6) and their mothers who gave me valuable feedback about which images they preferred. I wrote this book with them in mind.
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When we arrived, our camel train and guides were waiting for us. My camel looked at me calmly, her big brown eyes shaded with two rows of eye lashes, perfect protection from sun, wind, and sand. Camels are perfectly designed for their environment, therefore it’s easy to understand why they are such precious assets for tribal nomads in the desert.
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It’s Earth Day this week and I have some good news—over the last several months, a team of rescuers have worked tirelessly to safely move a group of stranded Rothchild’s giraffes off an island on Lake Baringo, Kenya. The Rothchild’s (Nubian) giraffe numbers have plummeted by 80% over the past few decades, so every giraffe saved is an important step in restoring their population.
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With the vaccine rollout I’m daring to dream about my next travel adventure. There’s a voice that echoes in my head “safari, safari, safari.” I want to breathe in the air, the smells of the Kenyan landscape. I long to go to sleep listening to the rumble of elephants or the roar of lions outside my tent.
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I spotted a rodent-like grey shape, bigger than a squirrel, smaller than a raccoon, with a set of round dark eyes and twitching nose. A cousin of the elephant? Seriously!? An elephant? If at first glance they seem like complete opposites, upon closer inspection, these cousins share quite a few characteristics.
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This week the International Union for Conservation of Nature, announced that Forest elephants are critically endangered and Savanna elephants are endangered. Until we see wildlife as a partner in collaboration for the healing of the planet, success in the fight against climate change and preservation of the earth is in peril. How can you help?
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The use of the pesticide DDT had a catastrophic impact on the environment. One of its effects was that eagle eggs became so thin they did not survive. As a result, eagles all but disappeared from North America and were declared an endangered species. But there is good news! Nature recovers if we let it—this year I’ve seen as many as 10 eagles circling in the sky at one time.
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Elephant species have survived on the planet for 55 million years. Whereas our ancestors have walked the earth for only 6 million. Elephants have similar social structures to humans and show clear signs of emotional intelligence. When dealing with interpersonal conflict, raising families, and caring for the earth humans would be wise to consider “What would the elephants do?”
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What do elephants and avocados have in common? They both need land to survive. The major difference? Avocados can grow in locations outside of Amboseli in Kenya while two thousand of the world’s genetically unique elephants cannot. Significant threats pressure this pocket of remaining wilderness in East Africa–population growth, agriculture, and climate change.
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“Do you know why hippos open their mouths so wide?” asked Daniel, my Maasai guide. “No, why?” I asked, sensing a creation story in the making.
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The maniacal whoops of spotted hyenas sent a shiver of excitement down my spine as I pulled the covers up to my chin and wriggled my toes on the hot water bottle at the foot of my bed. What was going on out there in the dark beyond my tent?
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I saw a tiny form tucked in amongst the elephants. The herd travelled several kilometers across the Amboseli plain and paused for a mud bath where we strategically parked midway on their route to water. The matriarch turned towards us, like a crossing guard to ensure safe passage for the little one when the elephants continued on and crossed the road.
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Feb. 4, 2020: Big Tusker Tim is dead. I looked at my email in disbelief. Impossible. I felt the gap between comprehension and acceptance in my gut. I saw him alive and well just 3 weeks earlier. Twenty Big Tuskers left on the planet—now there are 19.
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Sex on the savannah—it’s everywhere! Being on safari is like being in class in real time—zoology, botany, anthropology, geology, conservation—teaching opportunities are everywhere including sex education.
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I have exciting news! Fig, my favourite spotted celebrity, is a new mother. Fig lives on the Olare Motorogi Conservancy adjacent to the Maasai Mara in Kenya. When I saw her in January 2020, she looked healthy and… pregnant.
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The truck came to a grinding, abrupt stop, part of its underbelly hung up on a rock. It was the end of the day on safari on the Maasai Mara. Nathan, our guide and driver, asked, “Do you want to meet a new pride of lions?” We nodded eagerly and a mad dash ensued across the savannah.
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“Come! Come! You won’t believe this.” My friend pulled me to the edge of the bluff above Kenya’s Mara river. My breath caught in my throat. On the opposite shore of the river a baby hippo sniffed around a massive 12’ crocodile. Riveted, we feared the worst.
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