Words of Wisdom:  NEVER chase a hippo!

Friends took notice and asked him to photograph their own beloved objects, their children’s and even their pets’. “It seems everyone I talk to has something from a trip or a family member that’s meaningful to them,” Mr. Jaillite said. “But they don’t know how to showcase it, so it’s stuck in a closet or drawer. This is a modern way to preserve that memory.”

Mr. Jaillite shoots the items in his home studio, on a white backdrop, then ships the photo with what he calls a “gallery mount” (sandwiched between quarter-inch UV-protected Plexiglas and Sintra board) or as-is, so the client can frame it as he or she prefers. Prices start at $500; information: (646) 535-4476 or hippopota.com.

All adrift on the Zambezi August 23, 2010 Elephants crowd the riverbank and crocs and hippos cruise the depths below as Shaney Hudson paddles down a mighty river. “WHATEVER you do, do NOT swim in the river!” Our guide Anna meant business. She stood covered in diesel oil, hands on hips, the disembowelled parts of our overland truck strewn across the grass behind her. You could tell she wasn’t happy about letting us wander off into the wilds of Africa for a few days without her. “Just because you can’t see the crocodiles, doesn’t mean they’re not there. If you do swim, there’s a good chance you will end up like Jackal over there,” she said, motioning at the small brown dog sitting beside our packed canoes. Jackal, the campsite’s three-legged dog, wagged his tail. His missing leg had been taken by a crocodile. We got the point. No swimming. While Anna fixes the truck, we’re taking a three-day canoe safari with a local guide along the Kafue River, a major tributary of the lower Zambezi River which forms the geographic boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We’d chosen this trip because it offered an alternative to the traditional four-wheel-drive safari most visitors to the continent take. It’s a stunning part of Africa. Broad floodplains stretch out from the river banks before the land arches sharply to a rugged escarpment on the Zambian side. A series of national parks and private game reserves lines the banks and there’s an abundance of wildlife in the region, including hippos and elephants. We’re travelling in sturdy 18-foot canoes and our tangle of gear, food, tents, sleeping bags and first-aid packs have been secured with nets. After Anna’s talk and a briefing with our African guides – and the inevitable splashing and collisions when we enter the water – we’re off. We move with the current and it’s a pleasant, easy way to travel. The only things we have to really paddle hard to miss are sunken trees, which could capsize us, and the hippos that could chomp us. Our local guide taps the side of the canoe with his knuckles to “see if any hippos are home”. It seems a bit of an absurd pantomime but it’s the best way to check if there is potential danger ahead. The vibrations travel underwater and alert the hippos, who surface to find the source of the sound. Taking their cue, a hundred metres away three pink heads with beady eyes and long snouts pop up. Hippos scare me more than any other African creature. Forget your Saturday morning cartoons depicting hippos in tutus; they are aggressive, territorial creatures, killing more people in Africa a year than any other animal. And there is a pod every few hundred metres along the 35-kilometre stretch we’re paddling today. Luckily, the river is wide and it’s easy to manoeuvre around them. It’s hard not to relax as you settle into the rhythm of dipping a paddle into the water. The conditions are perfect: no wind and clear blue skies. We are surrounded by nothing but bush. There are no roads, no towns, no people, no rubbish. It’s a rare side of Africa’s environment we’re glimpsing – one untouched by politics, race, disease, foreign aid or social status. Inevitably, though, man has left his mark. On our second morning, our guide points out a small private concession on the Zimbabwe side where trophy hunters pay up to $US80,000 ($88,500) to kill elephants and lions in the park. Neither the idea of these amazing creatures being killed, nor the idea of a stray bullet whizzing by as we paddle past, appeals all that much to me. The only shooting I’m doing when we finally encounter elephants is with my camera. We draw up our paddles and drift past them. In the end, my camera ends up discarded in my lap. I can only watch. It is a large herd, some on the river bank, their legs hidden by metre-high grass, others wading in the shallows. Large ears shaped in a perfect map of Africa flap dust while small, white storks with bright orange feet perch on elephant backs. Their massive bulk looms over us from the steep embankment. The current pushes our canoes within a metre of them. It’s quiet and still. We stare at each other with quiet curiosity and what feels like a little understanding. They are truly magnificent creatures. Crocodiles are harder to spot, distinguishable only by a splash as we frighten them into the depths of the river. We pass 1.5-metre-long babies warming themselves in the morning sun and, on our last day, we watch a three-metre monster slash into the river, his thick, armoured tail flicking the water in a frantic serpentine shape. The heat is intense and – unbelievably – neither the sight of this three-metre croc nor Anna’s warning can dissuade my fellow English travellers from splashing around on a sandbar. No amount of teasing can get me to go in for a dip. As far as I’m concerned, only mad dogs and Englishmen go swimming in a crocodile-infested river. I’m happy to sit on the riverbank and watch. At night, we camp on tidal islands in the middle of the river. There’s plenty to do once we land: secure and unpack the canoes, set up camp and start dinner. Chores done, the simple pleasure of watching an African sunset takes over. The escarpment fades to black, the river turns to gold and the sky glows red. After we’ve turned in, the real entertainment begins. You could lay awake for hours listening to the rustle of elephants, the honk of hippos, the whooping calls of hyenas and the territorial defiance of lions roaring into the night. It’s the sweet sound of night time in Africa. The next morning, we wake to find hippo prints outside our tent. It’s only a short paddle across the river to be picked up and driven back to camp. But I’m keen to keep paddling, to see what lies beyond the next bend. Trip notes Getting there The nearest major airport to the river is in Lusaka, Zambia. South African Airways flies from Sydney to Lusaka via Johannesburg, priced from about $2600 return. 1300 435 972, flysaa.com. Flights to Livingstone, near Victoria Falls, in Zambia, are also available from about $2600. Paddling there Safari Par Excellence runs a variety of canoe safaris on the lower Zambezi of between three and nine days, priced from $US395 ($441) a person. This includes guides, canoes, meals, tents and road transfers back to the departure point. Transfers from Lusaka or Livingstone are extra. The minimum age for participants is 15. Game drives can be arranged for an additional fee. +44 845 293 0512, safpar.com. TOP TIPS – No previous canoeing experience is necessary. While some swimming experience is recommended, swimming in the water is not. – - During the day, wear sunscreen and sunglasses; at night, use mosquito repellent and wear long-sleeve clothes and pants. The rainy season runs from September to October, when temperatures are highest; the author travelled during May to July, in the cool season, and experienced scorching days and hot nights. – Tipping is not compulsory but makes up a large portion of a guide’s income in Africa. Source: theage.com.au

Interview with Water Polo Phenomenon Phoebe Bakanas ’10.

I don’t know about you, but I would so totally wear this dress!  All I want to know is, does this come in plus sizes?  Actually, I think the dress would make more sense for me to wear it.  I mean, really, what right does a skinny girl like this have to wear my hippo dress? 

Gertrude, the 47-year-old matriarch of Woodland Park Zoo’s hippopotamus trio, was humanely euthanized on Wednesday, March 24, due to complications from osteoarthritis. “Gertie” had been a resident since 1966 and at the time of her death was the oldest animal at the zoo. She is believed to have lived there longer than any other animal in the 110-year-old zoo’s history. Medication enabled Gertie to enjoy a good quality of life for many years, but the pain of osteoarthritis had finally caused her to become lame, making it difficult for her to move about. Her longevity compares favorably with that of other hippos, which may live up to 49 years in captivity and about 45 years in the wild. Wild hippos, as adults, are not preyed on by any species other than humans. They are considered a threatened species due to the toll that hunting for meat, hides, ivory, and fat has taken on their numbers. The continual shrinking of their grassland habitat around lakes, rivers, and swamps in western, central, eastern and southern parts of Africa also endangers wild populations. At the time of her death, Gertie tipped the scales at about 5,000 pounds–nearly as much as two minivans. Typical hippo weight ranges from approximately 1,750 pounds to 7,050 pounds or more. Nearly 1,000 pounds consists of its hide alone; the head constitutes about a third of the animal’s total weight. Dr. Darin Collins, director of the zoo’s Animal Health department, noted that Gertie’s condition had declined rapidly during the past week and that she was clearly in great discomfort. “We could no longer medically manage her pain and we had to follow her cue that the quality of her life was becoming seriously compromised,” he said. “Therefore, we had to make the difficult, but humane, decision to euthanize her. Mammal curator Martin Ramirez summarized Gertie’s life by reflecting on the many years of fascination she brought to zoo visitors in her role as an ambassador for the animals of Africa. “It is with a heavy heart that we say good-bye to Gertie,” he said. “This is a very difficult time for our staff. No matter how much we try to prepare ourselves for losing an animal we’ve cared for, it’s never easy. She had a long and active life, and her old age is a strong testament to the excellent care she received during her time here at the zoo. We know our zoo family and our community will miss seeing Gertie swimming in the pool, grazing on the lawn or chomping on pumpkins during the zoo’s popular, annual Pumpkin Bash.” The zoo’s two remaining female hippos will follow in Gertie’s broad footsteps at the zoo for many years to come. Water Lily, at 31, is middle-aged, and her companion Guadalupe is but 10 years old. Children viewing the hippos can also delight in clambering aboard a statue of a partially submerged hippo located close to the exhibit.