Nature – Jadi Campbell

Save the Animal Kingdom! #13

Yes. It’s time for another post on our endangered friends: installment #13 from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

The screech screeched.
Unlike the peapod, this pod is almost extinct.
The flutter fluttered off the rock.
The gaze gazed from under the trees.
Wings winged away across the sand.
The tower towers.

Pod member, Mekong River, Laos border to Cambodia

Answers:

Screech of gulls [1]
Pod of Irrawaddy dolphin [2]
Flutter of butterflies [3]
Gaze of raccoons [4]
Wing of plovers [5]
Tower of giraffes [6]

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration gutted environmental protections. Take action. Volunteer. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] Gull species are in serious decline. BBC News [2] Uwe and I made a trip to the Lao-Cambodia border to see this creature before it vanishes forever. Dams being built up-stream will guarantee the extinction of the Irrawaddy dolphin. [3] The monarch butterfly population has declined by 1/3 since a year ago. biologicaldiversity.org [4] Raccoons are highly adaptable species; nonetheless, the pygmy raccoon is listed as critically endangered. livescience.com [5] While Piping Plover numbers have increased in recent years, the species remains listed under the Endangered Species Act. It is considered Endangered in the Great Lakes region and Threatened in the remainder of its U.S. breeding range. The species is listed as Endangered in Canada. abcbirds [6] The IUCN Red List classifies the giraffe as vulnerable. The number of giraffes has plummeted dramatically over the past three decades—by up to 40%. Some people refer to this as a ‘silent extinction’ because the decline has been so slow that it’s almost gone unnoticed. IFAW© Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de. Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

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The only thing that can beat a black mamba

We had a great guide on our trip to Tanzania. Khalilu Munisi with Wilkinson Tours was with us for ten days, telling us all about the Big Five, the Ugly Five, and every critter in between.

While we were stopped in Tarangire Park to watch birds, a huge black snake suddenly slithered across the road. (Along with being attacked by lions, another good reason to never leave the jeep!) Khalilu identified it as a black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. How deadly? Around 100% of black mamba bites are fatal. I’d say that’s pretty deadly.

It’s faster than a king cobra and its venom takes effect more quickly. A black mamba bite can kill a lion. One of the mamba’s only serious foes is the secretary bird. Khalilu told us he’s seen them fighting, and the bird won.

looks too silly to be a serious threat to a mamba, doesn’t it

Much as I’d love to watch that particular fight someday, that snake moved fast. I want to be far out of striking range!

NOTES: The black mamba is named for the black colour of the inside of its mouth. © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

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Gentle Giant in the Mountains

My sister Pam lived and taught in northern Spain for several years. In 1992, I spent part of the summer with her. We did a lot of exploring, including Somiedo, the second least densely populated municipality in Asturias. Somiedo has beautiful countryside and lots of trails.

Pam, her roommate Alicia, and I hiked in to a view point. We sat admiring the view. A heavy paw suddenly landed on my right shoulder….

I turned and looked into the face of a huge dog. He was powerfully strong and wore an iron collar covered all over with heavy metal spikes. They were to protect him if wolves attacked the sheep he guarded.

The dog sat by my side as if we were old acquaintances.

His master, the shepherd, was probably in his 50s. We talked for a while; he pointed out his large flock of sheep, down the hillside. He was moving the flock to the next valley.

He whistled for his companion and they headed towards the sheep. I reluctantly said goodbye to the gentle dog. We had bonded and I was seriously in love. In an impossibly short amount of time they covered the distance back down to the sheep. We watched as he, the dog, and their charges vanished into the hillside.

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Save the Animal Kingdom! #12

Here for your reading amusement is installment #8 from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals. Thanks to rollbacks on environmental protections, more and more will die out. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

The roll rolled up tight.
The flight took flight.
You don’t want this wake at a wake.
We spotted three stands standing on the beach.
The parliament looked parliamentary and regal indeed.
The risk risks being turned into dinner.

Answers:

Roll of armadillos [1]
Flight of butterflies [2]
Wake of buzzards
Stand of plovers (on land)
Parliament of owls [3]
Risk of lobster [4]

Flight, back trails Cranberry Lake, Adirondacks USA

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration is gutting environmental protections. Take action. Volunteer. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] Giant armadillos are listed as endangered and may go extinct. Institute for Wildlife Conservation [2] “Bumblebees, beetles and butterflies are at greater risk of extinction than lions and tigers, according to a global study by the Zoological Society of London.” www.telegraph.co.uk [3] There are 227 species of typical owls, 24 of them Vulnerable, 13 Endangered, and three Critically Endangered. birdlife.org [4]On September 28, 2016, Food&Wine Magazine wrote that Maine lobster are in trouble thanks to global warming. © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de. Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

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Meet The Ugly 5. #3 Maribou Stork

Ah, the Maribou Stork. This bird is one of the infamous Ugly 5.

Dining out is the best! Nothing beats a well-aged steak. Chobe National Park, Botswana

This bird is a real stinker. Literally. A Maribou stork eats whatever’s lying around and was killed or died a reaaaallly long time ago. The first time we met this stork was in Botswana. We drove past the remains of a very, very dead water buffalo that we smelled long before we reached it. As we drove by, a head suddenly popped up. We’d interrupted a stork enjoying its supper.

In January in Arusha Park, Tanzania, we had the unnerving experience of seeing a flock of these storks flying overhead. The Maribou is huge, and it’s strange.

Several flying at the same time really fill the sky. Tanzania

Maribou aren’t picky eaters. They’ll dine on termites and small birds, garbage, and the carcasses of animals, including elephants. Other storks are elegant, but not this one. A Maribou can weigh as much as 7kg, grow to 1.52m, almost 5′ tall, and an 8’8″ wingspan – 2.7 meters! When one flies by, you definitely notice.

Next up: warthogs and vultures.

NOTES: © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

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Save the Animal Kingdom! #18

Here is the 18th installment from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals. More and more are endangered. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

This Cambodian army member should have never left the army.
Nigh I saw the nye, they had vanished.
The ambush didn’t ambush anything. [1]
He put the purse in her purse.
The leap leaps down.
The conspiracy conspires to escape.

Answers:

Army deserter captured by member of another army, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Army of frogs and monkeys [1]
Nye of pheasants (on the ground) [2]
Ambush of tigers [3]
Purse of sand dollars
Leap or leege of leopards [4]
Conspiracy of lemurs [5]

Look closely. Leap member in background, Kanha Tiger Reserve, India

NOTES: [1] Amphibians are the most endangered class of animals on the planet. Frogs [2] Pheasants are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world. Earth Life [3] Tigers are on the brink of extinction. WWF, Tiger Temple [4] Leopard skins and teeth are traded in Africa and poaching is common in Asia. Animals Facing Extinction [5] Updating these lists is so depressing. Lemurs are the most endangered group of mammals. 98% of lemur species are threatened with extinction, and 31% of species are critically endangered! IUCN Red List © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de. Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

Ambush, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno, Thailand

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Meet The Ugly 5. #2 The Wildebeest

The goal of everyone who goes on safari is to spot The Big 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo. It took us 3 tries to see them all, but in January this year we finally did it!

You talkin’ to me? Etosha National Park, Namibia

Less famous (or looked-for) are The Ugly 5. The 5 are known for weird body builds and dull coloration, on a continent where each animal is more striking than the next. I give you #2:

Keeping their distance from everybody else. Etosha National Park, Namibia

The Wildebeest. It’s not only one of Africa’s Ugly 5: the wildebeest, along with the zebra, takes part in the largest migration in the world. In January we watched from a jeep as 1.5 million animals made the winter trek in Serengeti National Park.

the Great Migration at Serengeti Park, Tanzania

Like the hyena (who we met as Ugly #1), the blue wildebeest has short hind legs and longer front legs (for endurance) and wide forequarters (greater lung capacity). The wildebeest has a strangely flat face, both sexes grow horns, and their coloring is a dark grey, blueish sheen. I’ve heard them called the ‘spare parts critter’: the horns of a juvenile buffalo, the tail of a horse, the beard of a goat, and a sloped, hyena-like back. Definitely a strange looking dude!

NOTES: https://www.sabisabi.com/ I just discovered that the wildebeest has the honor of being the only animal on the Ugly 5 AND the Stupid 5 list. I’ll get to that list soon! © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

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The Great Migration

One of the most spectacular sights I’ve ever witnessed is what’s known as the Great Migration. One and a half million wildbeests and zebras are all traveling at the same time. The animals make a huge loop from Kenya down to Tanzania and back again, following the weather patterns for water and grasses. The best times to see the Great Migration is in the summer when it’s raining and massive herds have to ford raging rivers.

Serengeti Plain. I love this picture. I think this is one of the best photos Uwe’s ever taken.

The other best time to go is in the winter during the dry season and see the herds with their babies. Uwe and I went in January for ten days of safaris on the Serengeti Plain and the surrounding national parks.

Look at this photo! Those are animals as far back as you can see.

This little zebra’s stripes will darken as it ages

The Serengeti National Park is beautiful, a stunning and stunningly impressive nature reserve. I would have been blown away by the opportunity to see it without all the animals. Getting to watch from the middle of the largest migration on the planet was unbelievable.

NOTES: We used the Wilkinson Tour Agency and I recommend them whole heartedly. A really well-informed guide is worth his or her weight in gold – or animals. https://wilkinson-tours.com© Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

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Meet The Ugly 5. #1 Spotted Hyena

Rosalind: I will laugh like a hyen, and that when thou art inclined to sleep.” As You Like It, IV. i. 147-9. – William Shakespeare

The goal of everyone who goes on safari is to spot The Big 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo. It took us 3 tries to see them all, but in January this year we finally did it!

Less famous (or looked-for) are The Ugly 5. Uwe and I have spotted every single one over time. And yes, they are UGLY. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to them, one at a time….

First up is the spotted hyena. They like grasslands and open terrain. From our tent in the Serengeti, in the middle of the night I heard them laughing hysterically. The spotted hyena is chatty!

a mud bath. Because he’s not filthy enough yet

following the Great Migration and hoping something gets killed soon

Unlike most hyenas, the spotted hyena is a social animal and hunts in packs, probably because they follow migrating animals.

When they do their own hunting, spotted hyenas kill with their teeth and not their claws. They take care of other animals’ leftovers with those sharp teeth (and lack of compunction about eating something that’s clearly been dead for ages). As Wikipedia describes them, “Spotted hyenas evolved sharp carnassials behind their crushing premolars, therefore they did not need to wait for their prey to die, and thus became pack hunters as well as scavengers.” [1]

Along with bats, the spotted hyena is one of the very few creatures that can survive a rabies infection. Their diet of rotting meat gives them powerful concentrations of antibodies in their saliva.

Our safari guide told us that lions only eat meat. The hyenas then move in. They’re able to completely digest the organic matter found in bones, and their skulls and teeth are specialized to crack large bones and cut through animal hides.

Along with the hyenas come the carrion birds – two more of the Ugly Five. You’ll meet them soon.

NOTES: [1] wiki/Hyena; The Hyena Family © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

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Shanti Arts and Still Point Arts Quarterly

This is the first time I’ve ever had a poem published. Still Point Arts Quarterly is a very beautiful publication. Shanti Arts

I could not feel prouder or more honored to have Cranes accepted by this magazine.

The summer issue can either be purchased as a printed magazine or viewed online for free. If you scroll down this page for Still Point Arts Quarterly, click on my name to read Cranes. The entire issue is gorgeous, and worth ordering in print. You can also view it directly here: Cranes

I’m over the moon with happiness. Enjoy!

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Category: Nature

Save the Animal Kingdom! #13

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The only thing that can beat a black mamba

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Gentle Giant in the Mountains

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Save the Animal Kingdom! #12

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Meet The Ugly 5. #3 Maribou Stork

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Save the Animal Kingdom! #18

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Meet The Ugly 5. #2 The Wildebeest

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The Great Migration

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Meet The Ugly 5. #1 Spotted Hyena

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Shanti Arts and Still Point Arts Quarterly

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