Safari In the Den!

In the middle of a wild work week, a peaceful enclave is just what the doctor ordered. This week's safari took us to exactly that - an African themed region called Lioness Den on Genesis Roleplay Grid, as guests of Lavia Lavine. As always the full HG Address is at the end of the post.

Lavia Lavine: You're very welcome and if this is everyone we'll get started. 

Tosha Tyran: let's  ...whoever comes late, will serve as a dinner for the lions

At the landing point we received a gift, in the form of a totally adorable elephant with heart, which James Atlloud immediately wore...

Whirli Placebo: Looking good James

Forest Azure /me pats her elephant

Sunshine Szavanna: yesss

Lavia Lavine: I made this region to represent a wildlife game reserve for endangered and "extinct" animals in Africa. People know about it but not a lot is being done, so this region is to continue the awareness of the issue.

A brisk walk took us to the museum, vibrant with typically African textures, from the fabrics to the skins on the walls and the sisal and cane screens dividing the exhibits, which include a range of endangered animals. Another free gift awaited, a tankard. bound to come in handy on Safari.

 Renae the receptionist: whispers: Welcome to Lavia's Safari Wildlife Reserve affectionately called the Lioness Den.  Here we have a variety of animals known to live in Africa, and also many that represent endangered or even extinct African wildlife.  We hope you will enjoy your visit and learn something from it for as Mr. Spock once said 'To hunt a species to extinction is not logical.'   Also please take a notecard from Eli the Elephant, and learn about the important work of the African Wildlife Foundation.

Lavia Lavine

Lavia Lavine: there are panels with information and pictures that tell you about each of the animals so many are reduced in numbers and even extinct, for instance the African Lion is now down to just 30 thousand in the world. A bad feline sickness could wipe them out. All of the animals on this floor are registered as extinct or nearly extinct. The African Wildlife  Foundation has been working tirelessly to preserve these animals.

Thirza Ember: this is a great way to combine serious info and entertainment, Lavia, which animal is your favorite?

Lavia Lavine: my personal favorites are the Lions. Especially the white lions.

Sunshine Szavanna: Cape Lion

Lavia Lavine: The gray parrot which is above me on the perch is dwindling in number because of the illegal exotic pet trade... people like them because they can make sounds like humans giving the illusion of talking

Whirli managed to do the whole museum trip on horseback, which is a testament to Lavia's building skills and his riding, although the horse was walking on only its front feet for a lot of the visit.

Thirza Ember: i didn't even know a horse could do that, whirli

James Atlloud: strong front legs!

Lavia Lavine: You might not want to try to ride the horse through the museum

whirli placebo: lol

Forest Azure: so who will sweep away the horse poo?

Lavia Lavine: the person who is riding it.

James Atlloud: pack it in - pack it out!

Lucy Afarensis: Horses can poo in opensim now ?

Forest Azure: of course,  they can poo anywhere.

The visit was enriched by a really good video about the African Wildlife  Foundation

Thirza Ember: did you learn  a lot making this region Lavia?

Lavia Lavine: I did, for instance I learned that the marula tree has a male and a female

Lavia Lavine: the female tree produces the marula fruit from which Amarula liquer is made... Una knows about that.

Unadecal.Arado: MMMmmmm.... Amaruuullaaa... :) lol

Lavia Lavine: And the African women make a beer from it that they use as an aphrodesiac for their men.

Forest Azure: how very feminist :)

Lavia Lavine: The Barbary Lion is another extinct species of big cat in Africa.  Such a beautiful and majestic creature hunted to extinction and their home encroached by growing human civilizations. The Zanzibar Leopard had one potential sighting in 2018 but they are believed to be extinct.  I love this quote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "When we destroy what God gave us to enjoy, we lose touch with him." Our wildlife and we are connected. 

Ayla Alvarez: we hear about species becoming extinct all the time but are new species ever appearing?

Unadecal Arado: Ah, speciation is a veeery slow process and very difficult to pinpoint

Ayla Alvarez: mhm

Forest Azure: well, there is the new covid bug

Unadecal Arado: We see new species of bacteria evolve all the time, and we also see new bird species appear in isolated habitats

Beyond the Museum lies a vast park - truly huge, and if you have plenty of time, it is a treat to wander around enjoying the many sounds and sights so carefully laid out. If your time is limited though, you may want to use the teleport system - the pads are roundels with an African motif rather like a carpet, seen on the ground in the center of this photo.  This was the perfect mix of a little bit of walking and a few teleports, a perfectly thought-out tour, no rushing, and plenty of details, giving the maximum joy in our short visit. 

Lavia Lavine: if you enjoy what you do get to see, please come back and visit and take your time there is much to see. Do not pet or feed the animals. They, like Una, are wild.

James Atlloud: /me looks for pet gesture

Thirza Ember: don't sit on the rhino he doesn't like it *personal experience*

Lavia Lavine: simply touch the TP select your location and go, and no, do not sit on the rhino

James Atlloud: Wow - these are some amazing trees too.

Beth Ghostraven, in dinkie form, was running a little late, but by going to the clubhouse, she found the LMs and was able to join us easily. The LMs and notecard are organized wo you know which destination we are visiting at 12.00 SLT, and which one we go to at 1pm SLT.

Francisco Koolhoven: hi Beth

Beth Ghostraven: Hi Fran! I found you all!

Thirza Ember: a dinkie cat meets the big cats

lifted pixel: maybe they'll raise you as their own

Beth Ghostraven: lol, maybe I'll raise dem!

lifted pixel: maybe you can translate into cat speak

Lavia Lavine: These donkeys are going extinct in the wild but most have been domesticated.

Thirza Ember: the animesh is really great

Lavia Lavine: Thank you, they were provided by Roland Francis

Thirza Ember: great how there is so much cross-grid collaboration

Lavia Lavine: Yes Roland and Glen Xplative and Dusty Falls, all helped. Many of the animals are Satyr Farm animals. Also I want to take this time to thank Una here for keeping this grid running smoothly so I can do what I do.

Lavia Lavine: This is a huge preserve hence the TP for a tour. I've tried to give the animals a very natural habitat. there are Hippos over here. The hippos were a gift from Andremus Miklos

James Atlloud: They are amazing.

Beth Ghostraven: also surprisingly dangerous!

Lavia Lavine: Yes Hippos are ill tempered like my ex.

Unadecal Arado: they have no sense of humour - they'll tear you limb from limb if you even look at them

Ayla Alvarez: I once pitched a tent to close to a hippo feeding ground

Lavia Lavine: How did that go Ayla

Ayla Alvarez: they make a lot of noise chewing on grass all night

Unadecal Arado: where was this Ayla?

Ayla Alvarez: Kenya

Thirza Ember: have you ever been to Africa yet Lavia? would you like to go?

Lavia Lavine: I would love to travel to Africa but my health prevents me. Though I believe Una knows a good deal of it.

Lavia Lavine: And here are my babies. The elephants. The African Forest elephant is in grave danger

Ayla Alvarez: lovely flora

Thirza Ember: also what a great scene you have set up Lavia, beautiful

Lavia Lavine: one thing I did learn is that most of the animals love the Marula fruit, so I created marula fruit for them to eat, It looks kind of like a yellow small melon

James Atlloud: cool about the Marula fruit!

Sunshine Szavanna: I used to live next to a Marula tree for about a year

Unadecal Arado: the main problem with elephants is that they need extensive ranges. they can go through crops in a few minutes, so there is constant conflict with farmers, so they are relegated to nature reserves where there isn't enough space, so they have to be culled regularly

Lavia Lavine: Thank you for the information Una I'm learning as I'm showing. It's sad that they are losing their homes. very sad. There are also Zebra and Giraffes, but let's go see the Lions

Lavia Lavine: Here I created another natural scene for the lions, I'm doing my best to keep it all looking very natural and somewhat realistic.

Sunshine Szavanna: love it

Thirza Ember: the prowling is so well done

Lavia Lavine: Yes that again was Roland Francis, he did an amazing job. They can roam in a small area or full region

lifted pixel: this is a lovely lion home :3

Nara Nook: living with virtual lions is ok, not sure I'd like it RL

Our final stop was the glow worm cave, showcasing the occasional surrealness of the natural world. Glow worms are also endangered, probably due to light pollution. Their inclusion here shows that Lavia hasn't left out even the smallest of creatures. Plus a great photo op. before it was time for us to head to Destination 2.

lifted pixel: this is a lovely region! you've obviously done a  lot of searching for all the great assets and it's good to be reminded the animals are still in a lot of trouble

James Atlloud: Have we been in one region the whole time?  It seems so large.

whirli placebo: so educational!

Beth Ghostraven: yes, great tour and great place! Thank you!

Ayla Alvarez: its all beautiful Lavia...ty!

Francisco Koolhoven: Wonderful sim!

HG Address grid.genesis-roleplay.org:8002:Lioness Den

and watch Jessica Pixel's video of our event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND0mmGqBLAo