Wednesday, February 26, 2020

An Ode to the Mara


Most stay for a weekend
But I stayed the whole year through
And there’s nothing to say but
You’re the coolest of the cool

You got me into birding
So I’m officially a grandma
But I don’t mind
They make me ooh and ahh

And thanks for putting me with Jana
She tolerates my b.s.
Even when I ask her
To drive down The Abyss

You brought me close to my hyenas
And for that I’m forever thankful
Not to mention all the sightings
Cheetahs and leopards, you’re never dull

We drive your tracks like we belong
But don’t worry, we never take you for granted
Getting stuck when we least expect
Leaving our respect for you, un-slanted

Your skies make our jaws drop
Burning suns behind wispy clouds
Teaching us to use our cameras
And making our photos the talk of the town

Each of our clans that grace your lands
Entertain us to no end
Happy Zebra, North, and South
Intertwining, and hard to count

ANUB* and ONEK* from South to North
MOMO*, GOLI*, KNG* and more
Moving back to South, ensuring
South returns to it’s former glory

With only a few weeks left
It’s a bittersweet goodbye
You’re biggest drawback
Is you don’t have tacos
But that isn’t a surprise

So thank you for the memories
The photos and the fun
My hyenas and I won’t forget
This year even when it’s done

*Full Name: ANUB (Anubis), ONEK (Onekama), MOMO (Momo), GOLI (Goliath Bird Eating Spider), KNG (King Ghidorah)

Please see below for some of my favorite wildlife photos taken this year:
Camera stare

AMOR* on top of mom, WAFL* 
AMOR* smushed against mom, WAFL*


SPCE* framed by termites

ANUB* throws a carcass

KRKN* carries a carcass

HRLY* freaks out

UNO* freaks out

NEDL* prance

SAW* rolls 
A grumpy baby TLDA*



WSKY* got a vertebra

SNUG* yawns weirdly

Scratch!

So many yawns

Bedhead

Flehmen response

Flehmen response again

Wanna go?

Don't fall off mom!

Ohhhh man

Trumpet!

Snack time
More flehmen response!
Full Names: AMOR (Amoretti), WAFL (Waffles), SPCE (Myspace), ANUB (Anubis), KRKN (The Kraken), HRLY (Harlequin), UNO (Uno), NEDL (Needle), SAW (Sawtooth), TLDA (Matilda), WSKY (Whiskey Sour), SNUG (Silver Nugget)

4 comments:

AFriedman said...

Hi Waffles! You'll never know, but your reputation precedes you and you are my hero. <3

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see Waffles is still pumping out cubs. Were these photos taken from after she abdicated the throne?
How is LCS doing? Breathing?

redstoneprime said...

Since AMOR is the cub of former matriarch Waffles, would that make them a possible candidate for becoming the next matriarch? Also, how come we haven't seen Waffles other cubs (Mrs. B, Ant J and LogC) for a while?

redstoneprime said...
This comment has been removed by the author.

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