The Queen of England passed away when I was in the Congo. I'm not much of a royal follower, but there was something reassuring about Elizabeth, even to an American. Maybe, it was just having an anchor in an ever changing world.
From the Congo, I moved on to Uganda, arriving in Entebbe, rushing to my hotel for breakfast and a quick nap, and then, I was in the air again. So it was that I ended up watching chimpanzees in the rain on only 45 minutes of sleep. Apparently, chimpanzees don't much like the rain. They huddle in the crotch of a tree, fold their arms, and look miserable, until it passes.
My Uganda journey began with chimps and will end with gorillas, but in between I visited Queen Elizabeth National Park. That was not its original name, but it was renamed in the queen's honor when she visited in 1954. Yes, that's right, she assumed the throne in 1952. The life expectancy in Uganda is about 64 years, so an entire cohort of Ugandans was born, lived, and died, within her reign. The park that bears her name has outlived her, but not without suffering the ravages of time.
When the park was formed, everyone living there was moved out, but later, some were allowed to return. There are villages within the park, and, also, lions, leopards, hyenas, and a host of other creatures that weren't told they're supposed to get along nicely with the villagers. Livestock contributes 4% of Ugandan GDP, and annual wages for low skilled workers in Uganda are about $1,326 USD. In 2018, 11 lions were poisoned by herdsman within the park.
The biggest draw for Queen Elizabeth tourism is their tree climbing lions. Tourism accounts for 7.7% of the Uganda Economy. In 2002, each lion in the park was estimated to contribute $13,500 USD to the Uganda Economy. In the last 10 years, the population of Lions in the park has fallen from 6/100 km sq. to 4/100 km sq. We saw two lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Both wore tracking collars. Elsewhere in the park, non-native grasses have become so prevalent, wildlife viewing from the road has been significantly impacted.
This American will miss The Queen, as, I suspect, will some Ugandans.
Chimpanzee in Kibali Park before the rain.
Lots of beautiful birds in Queen Elizabeth Park. This one was displaying to a termite mound. I'm sure they'll have a long happy life together and many beautiful babies.
A Bishop in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Spoonbill on a lakeshore in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Hey, look at this cute animal. It looks friendly :-)
Woah! Did that hippo just swallow an entire cape buffalo? Hippos are terrifying!
Cape Buffaloes keep their young close in the wake of another hippo related family tragedy.
Oxpecker on the back of a Cape Buffalo.
Olive Baboons along a lake shore in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Sunrise in Queen Elizabeth Park. That's right, Sunrise. Game drives start early.
But the early mornings are worth it. Elephants in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Love following along with your trip! I have been reading the blog, but just now have gotten signed in. Technology is hard! I can picture those chimps just being bummed with the rain. You should teach them to build shelters. They would make you king and name a park after you!
Shouldn’t the Oxpecker be a buffalopecker? I agree with the chimpanzee rain sucks when you are stuck in it! You are looking at beautiful scenery!