Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Normally I would say, “to get to the other side.”  But here in Tanzania, the kuku (chickens) pretty much rule the roost wherever they go. 

In the US, the only place I see kuku are on a farm or in someone’s little backyard coop. They don’t wander the streets at large. Here in Tanganyika, it is possible to  see them anywhere:  in the road, ditches, yards, local businesses, etc. In fact, I can’t leave go anywhere without seeing kuku. Here are a few of many examples:


A few times I have seen a big glob of them attached to the back of a pika pika (motorcycle), but animal lover that I am, I wasn’t too excited about memorializing that image in a photo. ??

I don’t have anything philosophical to impart in this blog entry. Rather, I just want to show what things are like in a large cosmopolitan city in Africa. It is still very different from the US, but I embrace it. Vive la difference!

Notably, there are also many mapaka (cats) running around. They come into local restaurants looking for a handout. This, of course, breaks my heart. Perhaps I will do a post showcasing the sad plight of the myriad stray cats in Africa. 

Badger out for now. 

2 Comments

  1. Reply
    Kathleen Nedrow

    We are experiencing the same here in Hawaii on the Island of Kaua’i…..thousands of kuku roaming around almost everywhere with no natural predators. Here, they are called “feral chickens”.
    I think the “feral chickens” we’re the first thing I recorded on my vacation log.
    They have not been a pest for us, and we did feed some at an outdoor cafe a few days ago, which made us quite popular.

  2. Reply
    Nicki

    Ha love the motorcyclist photo bombing you very coolly.

    At least you might find eggs?

    Are you going to get yourself a motorcycle for transportation?

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