Patrick Boynton, Cody Ambrose, Tim Smith, Benji Richwine Tikis

April, 25 2004

The rich economy of Kenya is heavily dependant on tourism, and when people say theyre going to Africa most mean they are going to Kenya. With its charming atmosphere no wonder this is everyones choice for a fun vacation. Yet for all its fun most people dont come to Kenya for a relaxing time. The most common reason people choose is that they can take a safari through the Kenyan wilderness. Kenya contains a diverse environment though, and a day after taking a safari you might be swimming off of a coral reef. In this report we have the information we researched about the different parts of a safari and other aspects of Kenyan tourism. One animal we researched was the hippo. The hippos name means for obvious reasons river horse. Surprisingly the hippos yawn is a threat to others. Hippos have killed the most humans out of any other animal in the world. With their powerful jaws they can bite a small boat in half. Their roar is 115 decibels; equal to a loud car horn or loud rock music. We also researched the cheetah. This amazing animal can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour on short spurts of speed. Despite being this fast they are an endangered species due to over hunting. Despite this over

hunting they have no natural enemies in their natural environment. When living a normal life they can get to be 12 years old. Before they die most have up to eight cubs. One other animal we researched was the zebra. Zebras have been proven by scientific studies to be close relatives of horses. All zebras have excellent hearing and eyesight, and attain speeds of 35 miles per hour. When attacked by predators they use their back legs to deliver a powerful kick. Lone predators can rarely ever attack one zebra because zebras are herd animals and their stripes blend together to confuse enemies. The male zebras are called stallions. Zebras really have black skin with white stripes but sometimes it appears the other way around. The lion, tawny to sandy brown in color, is the largest of the African carnivores. They live in groups of lions called prides and work together for the benefit of the others. Lions eat mainly impala, wildebeest, zebra and gemsbok in their diet. They communicate through grunts, coughs, growls, and roars. Typically a lion's roar will start with a series of low grunts, building to a reverberating crescendo before trailing off again. Most often lions live 13 years but one lion in a German zoo lived to 29 years old.

Many tribes are native to Kenya but one tribe in particular stands out as unique. They are the Masai living in southern Kenya. Masai regularly give tours of Masai Mara National Park and the Kenyan wilderness. Despite their close contact with tourists the Masai have retained many of their traditions with the exception of food and silverware. However they continue many practices that are considered unsanitary by todays standards. One such practice is the tradition of cleaning knives by wiping them on cow dung. The Masai are almost completely dependant on cattle for food. A type of yogurt is made by adding curdled milk to cows blood. The highest ranking person in each enkang, or village is the chief. Next down is the town elders, followed by the Morani, or warrior class. The lowest class is the regular people and children. The Morani are very warlike and become elders after proving themselves in battle. Young children play a game to make them become brave so they will become Morani. The game is when a group of children take turns putting stones on the back of a sleeping rhino. The person who puts the pebble on right before the rhino wakes up is the winner. This is obviously very dangerous. Each Masai tribe is unique but all of them contribute to make a Kenyan safari unforgettable.

Kenya has many features that make it a popular destination for tourists worldwide. And just like at Disney World Florida, tourists can come all year because of the warm climate. Combined with its amazing interior Kenya is a wonderful place to visit. The Kenyan economy is doing very well mostly because of its tourism programs.