The summer of 2013 is one I would remember for a long long time to come because it gave me opportunities to escape to lush green valleys and white-sand beaches very frequently. English countryside is colorful and just plain beautiful during summers and I missed no chance to explore places that came up in my google searches. Being a SRK devotee, Longleat House was on top of my list. I believe some movies have a central character which is not human. Sometimes it is a city, an animal, a letter – you get the drift, right? And in one such SRK movie, it was the Longleat House or the Gurukul of Mohabbatein.
It is a little known fact that the Gurukul of Mohabbatein is home to a large variety of species of the animal kingdom. It is not just a pretty building, but the family that resides in its lush green lawns is one that makes man stop and wonder about mother nature and what she is capable of. While this post is dedicated to everything I saw in the lawns, there will be one about the heritage of Longleat House soon. So, lets concentrate on the living-breathing heritage for now.
A perfect not-to-be-missed photo opportunity awaited us, just before we entered the beautiful campus.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
A few shots later, we entered the gardens and this monkey was our first encounter with someone from the Longleat family. We handed over a few bananas to please this guy!
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
Soon, we were out of our car and were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by giraffes. These were the cutest animals I have ever seen. Living in perfect harmony with their natural and man-made surroundings, they seemed to be a really friendly lot. To me it seemed that they loved posing for the camera as well!
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
Before we knew it, we were actually walking with the lemurs. It was like Ice-Age playing live in front of our eyes. They were busy playing, quarrelling, making-up and then fighting all over again.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
While the playful lemurs were full of energy, the next we spotted someone who felt like a guy heading home to his wife after a long day’s work. He was in no hurry!
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
It was time to get back in the car, as the signboards demanded. We were ready for action! Look who came strolling towards our car. We were scared to open the window panes to take a better picture.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
And then came the rhinos! They were busy feeding themselves while we were too occupied to even remember that it was time for lunch.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
Spotted an ostrich and couldn’t help but wonder about the marvels of mother nature. What could it have done to deserve being called a bird, have wings and still could not fly! Karma?
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
And the kings of the jungle were spotted taking a nice afternoon nap. Afterall who is courageous enough to disturb them?
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
We were so damn lucky to spot this tiger, claiming its fame. The stripes were sure a great style statement.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
Very far away from the tiger, was this striped species of a different kind.They were not bothered by the attention they were getting and instead, chose to show us their backs.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
There were many other interesting species as well. Some of them were animals I was seeing for the very first time. But then, I saw parakeets and nothing interested me more than these colorful and friendly birds.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
And then we found an owl that wasn’t ugly!
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
And butterflies feasting on slices of citrus fruits. I’ve never seen so many of them at a single place.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
Next we headed to the boat which promised us a view of sea-lions and it did not disappoint. They moved with us as people threw fishes for them to catch.
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
The babies were ultra cute and I was fortunate to get this moment clicked. Love is what we all live for and these baby sea lions reminded us just that!
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| (c) Akanksha Dureja |
We were super fortunate to spot a gorilla from the boat! It was a little shy at first and kept its back towards us. But my camera captured the moment it decided to check on us.
This colorful bird seemed to be having a great Me-Time, wandering around and exploring its surroundings, just like us.
It was one amazing experience being able to see these creatures living in their(almost) natural habitat. We all can live in harmony, it is just that man needs to draw a line and let other creatures be – They have the equal right to planet Earth as we do!
Stunning pictures! Nice Summer fun.
Thanks! Yes, it was a day very well spent and we had lots of fun!
That was a beautiful recap, Akanksha!
Thanks! 🙂 I tried to put as many of our friends from the animal kingdom as I could. The Longleat House deserves an entire new post though. Glad that you liked it.
Lovely pics and it sounds like lot of fun. Enjoyed going through this post.
Well, this means so much to me- A pro like you saying good things about my pis 😀 You have made my day- It can't get any better!
Amazing clicks and beautifully described in each of them!!
Really enjoyed reading this post!!
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Lucky you, it's my dream to visit England. Stunning shots, Akanksha.
Thanks Saru! I fell in love with the English countryside, Do visit if possible. It'll keep you spellbound!
Thanks for great article….
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Mind blowing images are displayed in web page with perfect explanation….
Glad you liked it so much.
Such a nice article with al types of animal and creatures………thanking author for providing….
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Wow amazing picture of Wide Animals. .
Many thanks for you post , this is good post i find for today.
So many wild things at one place…it’s like Noah’s ark