After spending time in the first two Animalian colonies, it was time to visit the new African colonies. It was going to be a long flight across out of South America and across the Atlantic Ocean. Once across, the planes flew south of Western African and straight across to the Eastern part of Africa. Once in Kenya, the planes made a beeline straight for Maelewano. Unlike Vilcabamba, there was plenty of clear space to build an airstrip, though it was more hard-packed dirt than pavement so it'd be less intrusive to the environment.
Maelewano easily stood out from its surrounding, though that wasn't a hard feat considering all the flatlands surrounding it. The huge kopje that made up the community center, shaped like Pride Rock, stood out like a beacon. Sprawling around it were several villages, each differing in styles of construction. They ranged from futuristic eco-friendly houses to simple grass huts.
The reason why there were so many houses became clear when the visiting Animalians stepped into the villages. There were dozens upon dozens of people here, stretching far into the hundreds, but not all of them were Animalians. Many of them were people of Africa who had been displaced from their homes by wars or particularly bad famines. The refugees were building a new home here where they'd be protected by international law. Also, there was a Rhino Guard here to dissuade any warlords, poachers, or big game hunters from making any trouble.
But there were plenty of Animalians here as well. Some of them were uplifted from the local fauna, though there were plenty of Animalians originally from Lyre who have moved here to be closer to their natural habitat. Notable new residents included Rosie and Michael. The leopard couple had loved the colony so much during their honeymoon that they decided to move here. Though Rosie was an Indian leopard instead of an African leopard like Michael, she was still welcome here. Another familiar face from Lyre was Zoe. Though the lioness wasn't a resident here, she was here on her second vacation and already planning on moving after graduation. She had been talking with Maggie about setting up a modeling school in Maelewano.
There was plenty to see in Maelewano. The villages themselves were interesting, though there was some caution advised with visiting them. As some of the villages were built in the style of the past, so were there people dressed in that style, which meant a minimum of clothing that left women topless and children completely naked. There were photo safaris to look at the mundane animals living in the savanna. And probably the biggest attraction was Maelewano's production of the Broadway version of 'The Lion King', shown every two months. Fortunately, the visiting tourists were in time to see the last show for June.