this past weekend (my last in zambia) i went to a safari at kafue national park. it was pretty much what i expected out of a safari - we camped in the national park for two nights and went on a game walk and a game drive during our stay.
there were loads of hippos there - and at night they are one of the loudest creatures so staying in the tent you always think they are closer than they actually are, ready to bring the rampage down on you. there were even more loads of the antelope-family creatures - puku, impala, etc... we saw some zebras as well. someone has to explain to me how black and white striping is evolutionarily advantageous camouflage against the golden serengeti backdrop. we saw a few elephants, a few hyenas, and various smaller creatures including jannets (spelling?), hares, and civets. unforunately, we did not come across any of the big cats (lion, leopard, cheetah) and there were no giraffes or rhinos in that park.
one thing that amazed me was the moon. we had near-on full moons both night we stayed, and it was incredibly bright. the light cast by the moon blotted out many of the stars and created a permanent twilight that didn't dissipate until around 530 AM when the moon set and the starts came out to play again. perhaps its the bright city lights that takes away from the majesty of the moon at home
Apparently their irregular striping only works when they travel in groups - the lines disrupt the predator's perception of where the zebra actually is and how many of them are together. It's really disruptive in motion. I also heard that their striping is so that they appear to blend in with the surroundings when viewed by colourblind animals. Yay for Advanced Perception with Loepelmann!
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