Shai Hills Reserve

Our Saturday outing was a visit to Shai Hills Reserve about an hour outside of Accra.  Yes, there are hills and the Shai people used to live here.  We have enjoyed the baboons outside the fence as we drove by, but have never gone in.  Check out these teeth; I wouldn't mess with this guy - alpha male for sure! 

We found out that there are 19 troops of baboons here.  The best fed are the troop that greet the visitors entering the reserve.  I'm sure the lady there selling bananas has something to do with that.  Unlike monkeys, who prefer green bananas, these guys are fine with yellow.

We also saw an enclosure of ostriches.  This was a big surprise to us.  We understand that over the next year they will be acquiring giraffes, zebra, and lions (inside a secure area).  Of these, the lions are the only animals that used to live here.  There are still a very few up in the north of Ghana at the Mole Reserve. 

We also saw  20-30 antelope, of two varieties:  the Uganda Kop, and the Orobi.  They look so majestic and almost posed for the camera.   

We climbed up a hill (with the help of a rope) and enjoyed the panorama.  We also visited the bat cave.  I had forgotten just how bad guano smells.  I guess being good fertilizer is its only redeeming quality.  In the days before the bats, this cave was the home of the Shai Chief.  The cave offered protection and they could roll boulders down on any advancing enemy.