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Vision Reporter
SHE loves animals, particularly the types most people would fear such as lions, rhinos, snakes, chimps and crocodiles.
Not only does she love and trust them, she also earns contentment and a living out of them.
“The reason I love animals is that they are not hypocrites and they will always reveal their true feelings,” said Peace Nakitto, curator at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe.
Her love for animals has kept her working at the centre, formerly the zoo, for the last 10 years.
In an interview with Sunday Magazine, Nakitto pointed out that care and respect are key in forging a bond with animals.
“Your sounds, expressions and body language determine whether the animals will like you or not,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of communicating with the animals in order to be able to come close to them.
“Animals are unpredictable. Use their vocal calls and postures because a simple mistake can cost you your life,” she warned.
Nakitto’s affair with animals has not been without ugly incidents. On a few occasions she has narrowly survived savage attacks.
One of her worst encounters was when a buffalo charged at her in Lake Mburo National Park after she encountered it at a watering hole.
“I had to run for my dear life, oblivious of the thorns tearing my skin, until I found a thicket, climbed it and began screaming,” she recalled.
Another narrow escape was in a park in South Africa when she survived being bitten by a green mamba, a poisonous snake.
But these incidents did not stop her from cuddling a tiger and bottle-feeding it in the South African park.
See full story in the Sunday Magazine (Dec. 20th, 2009 - Dec 27)
Published on: Saturday, 19th December, 2009
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