Safari Animals in Wood

The first time I saw the perfectly shaped wooden , rhinocerous I could almost hear it splashing in the water of a stream in Africa.

It had ears, horns, and sturdy legs carrying a round, heavy body.

Nearby was a mama elephant with her darling baby beneath her trunk. Again, the wood carving had been done by an expert because the final product looked like real elephants but in miniature. However, instead of wrinkly flesh, their bodies had been carved out of wood.

Nuns ran the gift shop where I first found the wooden animals. 

     "What a great collection these would make," my brain told me. "These animals would make perfect gifts for my husband."

Upon receiving my paycheck from the job I had at that time in my life, one by one, I bought a perfectly carved animal. A giraffe and scary-looking lion joined the rhino and elephants.

Then came graceful gazelles. 

African tribal men came across my path at yard sales. They were perfectly suited to watch over the jungle animals.

So, that's how the wooden animal collection on our mantle began. It was one purchase at a time until the mini safari group was completed. I'm grateful to all the woodcarvers who fashioned these unique art forms. Most had a "Made in Kenya" sticker on them.

The animals traveled with us to the southwest and are now on the mantle in Massachusetts so they are very well traveled.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WOODEN ANIMALS?