Whilst I Go on Safari… One Kilometer from My House

Earlier this week Bao and I did a bit of exploring in a wooded area on the west side of the national parliament building here in Lilongwe. If I haven't described it yet, Lilongwe is a "garden city," meaning it is exceptionally spread out with large plots of land that are free of buildings yet are still touched by humans: cultivated for corn, a few stumps and trees, used as trash receptacles, or have been clear-cut waiting for developing. Just to the west of parliament, within walking distance of our house, is one such area that has been spared the woodsman's saw and has received some attention as a park. It was in this area that Bao and I went walking and, quite by accident, embarked on a fifteen minute safari. It all started when I emerged from a thicket…

There, to my left not fifty meters away was an ape that, while I am unsure, looked like a baboon. He stared at me. I stared at him. He stared at me, I waved at him. He stood up. I waved again. At this point, Bao spotted him and took off running with me yelling, "He'll whip your butt, Bao!" Bao isn't the most athletic little guy and had no chance catching him.

Just as this happened I saw movement to my right and into the woods ran a large four legged animal. It was bigger than deer but smaller than an elk and beyond that I didn't catch much. Wow! In just a few minutes I saw two free-roaming animals. Bao returned from his fruitless romp and we continued down a footpath only to stumbled on a flock of guinea fowl, about 40 in number. They make quite a racket when flying into the trees, which Bao made sure they did. Just then we emerged onto a bigger path and, lo and behold, not fifty meters to my left was another baboon ambling away from us.

Again, Bao decided it would be a fun chase and, again, he was woefully unsuccessful. This time, however, the ape climbed a tree and was barking at the dog: a humorous irony for an American dog-owner in Africa. Just as I reached the path to retrieve Bao, off to my right a very small deer-like animal sprinted across the road about one hundred meters away. What am I, in Jumanji?!?! Finally, I dove into the forest to find Bao who was still the target of barking from his chase, and heard rustling to my left. I figured it was more guinea fowl or, perhaps, primates, but I was surely surprised to find it was a pack (herd? group?) of warthogs snuffling in the undergrowth just 30 meters away.

To recap: In fifteen minutes I saw two monkeys, one big four-legged animal, one small four-legged animal, a flock of guinea fowl, and a pack of warthogs all within a kilometer of the national parliament. The Lion King.