Hippos

In Guinea, there really isn’t much to do of a “touristy” nature. That’s probably because there is no tourist industry in Guinea to speak of. Mali, on the other hand, is more used to tourism due to it having Timbuktu, a huge tourist draw, within its borders. So, for the two weeks in Guinea, we by and large hung out with the family, except for the times that I accompanied my brother-in-law to villages to see his ministry work. The only exception to that was the trip that my brother-in-law arranged for us on the Niger River to try and find hippos. In all of Guinea, the area around Siguiri is one of the only spots, if not the only, where hippos can still be found. This is, in part, due to the belief by the Manika people (they are the people group located in that part of Guinea) that hippos are really people who are able through magic to transform themselves into the animal, and thus they are not hunted.

So, we (Julie and I, my brother-in-law Tim, Tim’s administrative assistant, Dai, and the driver) set off for a cruise on the Niger, keeping our eyes peeled for hippos. For a while, it looked as if we wouldn’t find any, as we went to two prime locations, only to find that they weren’t there. But, we pressed on, and in the end were rewarded. We got somewhat close, and got some pretty good pics. It was pretty cool to see them in the wild. They would pop up for some air, they retreat under water, only to resurface in another spot. We were pretty attentive, as we wanted to see them, and because they are actually killers. Yes, hippos are killers. In fact, they kill more people than do any other African animal. Surprised? I was, too. But, they are really more dangerous when they are on land, at night. Our driver had never heard of a boat being attacked. But, Dai (who by the way told us a story of when he was younger and some people in his village killed a hippo, dragged it via tractor to the village, and then had a big-ol hippo BBQ—he said that hippo is a tasty, albeit very oily, meat), upon leaving the area where the hippos were, was audibly relieved, as he let out a big sigh. He knew enough to know the dangers of the hippo.

Well, enjoy the hippo pics (I am trying out Flickr, so to see all the pics, simply click on the photo, and then you can see the four pics of hippos)!