Have You Seen Any Cool Animals Yet?

Have You Seen Any Cool Animals Yet?

       Lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, and many more animals come to mind when people think of Africa. Here in Macha though, those animals are not around. If you go on safari you will see many African animals but running into a lion is just not possible here in Macha. When I first arrived, I saw some baboons on the side of the road but have not seen any since then. Even though Macha is not the home to many of the typical African animals, there are still many interesting ones roaming around.

     When walking down the road, having a picnic, or doing anything really, there is a good chance of you running into a heard of cattle, goats or even pigs. I was not expecting this when I first arrived but have now become used to the sound of cow bells in the background.

     Giant spiders are another thing that you will often see everywhere. They call this creature a mosquito spider because it eats those annoying flying insects. They get really big and crawl on the walls. They would never mess with you though and do more good than harm. This fact does help some but they are still startling when you do not expect to see them and they are there all of the sudden.

      This giant snail is not as active as the spiders. I have only seen it once when we were clearing fairways for the new course. It was super slimy and gross but also very beautiful. I have never seen a snail that big before! It looked kinda like one that I would've colored in a coloring book as a kid.


Chameleons! Zambians do not like chameleons. I'm not sure why exactly but I was told that it was because they crawl up your arm then make a weird breathing sound in your ear. Whatever the reason, they do not like them and thought I was crazy for wanting to hold one. One of my friends though was nice enough to catch it for me to that I could hold it.




The cobra was probably the craziest creature so far. The after school program was about to start and kids were beginning to show up. One of the guys came in and said that he saw a cobra next door and needed help killing it. Soon, a crowd had gathered and everyone was excited and on edge to see the cobra. On the way to where the snake was hiding, the guys began to pickup rocks to use as weapons. When we got there, one of the guys used a rake to pull back a tarp and there he was. About three guys launched rocks at him and took him out. One cobra down.

    So I may not run into hippos and elephants everyday but there are definitely some really cool creatures in Macha! I am honestly okay with just seeing those big animals from the safety of a safari truck!