Lion Park

When we announced to the boys that we were moving to Africa, we of course wanted to add to their excitement, and promised that they would see lions, zebras, elephants, and all kinds of animals in the wild.  The boys, of course, expected that we would go on safari as soon as we landed, and anticipated it, playing with their plastic animals and pretending to see them in the wild.  Sunday afternoon we  took the opportunity to go to a nearby Lion Park.  It is only about a 20-minute drive outside the city from where we live, and not too big to explore in an afternoon.  Aunt Gail, a volunteer who works in the Regional Office with Daddy, went with us.  We were each able to pet lion cubs, and the boys loved exploring the area, watching the lions of all ages, zebras, ostriches, giraffes, and antelope in a natural environment.  Mommy, Daddy, and Noah all fed a giraffe, though Noah didn't seem too thrilled afterward with his messy hands.  Then we drove through different areas of the park where we were able to see more lions, including a mother lion and her cubs and a pride of lions resting in the grass.  We also saw cheetahs and hyenas and lots of fascinating birds.  Noah's new word for the day was "foul" (guinea foul) and he loved identifying the animals as "wion" (lion), "yena" (hyena), or "bebra" (zebra, or any of the other animals).  It will certainly not be our last chance to see these animals in Africa, but it was a great first experience for the boys.

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