I walk past this paddock all the time, but today I noticed something special: Ankole cattle. This breed of cattle, native to East Africa and known for its peculiarly large horns, is absolutely beautiful.
I remember seeing them years ago when I was driving through Uganda. Little did I know I would come to work in the International Livestock Research Institute and be surrounded by scientists studying to understand, improve, and protect indigenous breeds of cattle like these Ankole!
A few months ago I was given a forty-shilling coin as part of my change in the grocery store. Cassandra hadn’t seen one before so she was really excited about it. Because they’re not very common we’ve started a little tradition of saving them.
At first it was just a joke… but now, just a few months later, we’ve amassed sixteen of them!
Unofficially known as the “ka Lucy” (little Lucy, after President Kibaki’s wife), these things were printed to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Kenya’s independence.
Update (March 14, 2012): We now have 23 of them!
Update (August 30, 2013): We now have 59 of them!
Update (October 27, 2015): We now have 103 of them!
As I walked into work today I passed this monstrous metal contraption in the Uthiru roundabout. I’ve ridden (and enjoyed) swing rides before, but I think I’ll pass on this one!
It’s closed today, but I’m sure it’ll be packed this weekend. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt… that thing looks super shady.