Lucky Shot

Samburu is starkly beautiful; a fierce volcanic desert. The terrain reminds me of the Anza-Borrego desert near San Diego and some parts of Nevada, but with acacia trees and more exotic animals. As we drove with our new guide toward the lodge, he spied the most unique antelope in Africa, the elegant long-necked gerenuk, feeding in a clearing by the road. Gerenuks are like giraffes in that they, too, have extremely tough mouths and long necks. They feed exclusively from acacia trees and never drink water. They get all their liquids from their food. It was lucky I got a good picture because we never saw another gerenuk.