Hey, it's a Bana!

Today I saw hippos! My friend’s parents recently came to Niger for a visit. Today they planned to do a boat ride and find hippos on the Niger River and invited some Peace Corps friends along. Hippos can be found along the Niger River as far south as Niamey. I’m not sure why they don’t hang out farther downstream. We didn’t have to travel far when one of the people on our boat spotted two hippos peaking their heads out of the water. When they saw the boat, they got suspicious and ducked under the water. Then, being very sneaky, one hippo at a time would poke his eyes and ears out of the water to check if we were still there. The men manning the boat had a few tricks to get the hippos to stick their heads out of the water. The hippos didn’t like when the boat engine was revved or when the men tapped the side of the boat. I snapped several pictures of the hippos from far away. But just when I let my guard down the bigger hippo swam about 10 feet from the boat and stuck his whole head out of the water. No picture but that was amazing. I don’t have my camera on me right now but soon I’ll add a hippo picture to the blog.

Hippo is “bana” (pronounced bong-a) in Zarma. They’re huge, violent, and are supposedly delicious. A volunteer living far north up the Niger River, where there are many, many hippos, once ate hippo meat that also fed the entire village.

This trip on the river to see hippos was a helpful reminder that I am in Africa! When I was on a boat in Niger's Park W, I saw six bathing elephants and a couple of baboons. Another time I was in a bus driving from the south towards Niamey and three giraffes ran across the road just like any old deer, or more Niger-appropriate, just like any old sheep. I wonder what the next animal will be!