One thing you notice about many of the animals in eastern Rwanda is that they have friends. Sometimes of the same species, but often not. Here's a big old hippo who has some bird friends with him. Actually, they kind of give away his location.
Note the huge tooth sticking out of his mouth–a clear give away about his age.
And this Cape Buffalo has some friends too.
The park is full of many kinds of antelope. In part, I suspect, because there are no lions. About ten years ago the local villagers got rid of the lions because they were attacking cattle. They did so by allowing them to kill a cow, then briefly chased the lions away so that the villagers could then poison the cow. They then let the lions return to the freshly killed but now poisoned cow. There is hope for the lions, however, in the form of an electrified fence that will run the length of the park's western boundary. Once completed, the plan is to introduce new lions to the park. I wonder what sort of introductions the rangers have planned between the lions and the antelope. I doubt that the antelope were consulted about this plan.
And here are some of the guys who protect the animals.
But the animals know how to protect themselves too. For example, here are two zebras showing us how to fall into a defensive position. Apparently the appearance of a two-headed animal confuses the predators.
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