Now, I had caught glimpses of Meerkat Manor on the television back home every so often. I have recollections of them standing up on their hind legs, very still, watching for predators. These Meerkats were not still at all. They were little, and they were fast! It was really hard to get a good photo of them because they kept chasing our feet as we walked past. I have lots of blurry shots, not so many clear ones. One thing DS #1 commented on was how perfectly their feet were designed for digging. He figured the long, strong, curved claws could move a lot of dirt quickly.
DD just thought they were "soooooooooooo cute".
Just beside the meerkats were Marabou Storks. The marabou is the largest in the stork family and it shares the distinction of having the largest wing span of any land dwelling bird with the Andean Condor. It is a carrion feeder much like vultures and for that reason has a bald (mostly) head. The soft downy feathers have been used for hats.
The Blue Crane is the national bird of South Africa. Commercial forests and civilization have been encroaching on it's natural habitat for decades and they are now endangered and their habitat severely restricted. (That's just a shadow accross the beak. It's not really darker)
Tanikwa has several Blue Cranes and as they are part of the conservation and breeding program their wings are clipped to prevent flying. As we were walking through the cat exhibit earlier in morning the guide pointed to, what he thought was a hawk eagle, until we heard the distinctive Blue Crane call and the Tanikwa cranes answered it. Our guide was shocked that it was flying so high. He had never actually seen one that high in flight before.
It was a rare treat according to the guide, so we spent as long as we could watching and listening.
Next post - Monkeyland. - Part One
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