"There is a lot to cover here," Roger commented as Animalia Ambassadoria.
"Most all of it is new," Malice commented, "and interesting with all the new sites!"
They nodded and agreed as they looked out over the area of savannah that surrounded the colony's central hub. Building it to look like "Pride Rock" from the Lion King was a neat idea, and probably cost Horizon and Animalia a hefty price given how fiercely Disney protected its copyrighted material, though it did make for an imposing "welcome" that many would find attractive. And the site would include some measures of protection for people fleeing other areas. From what Sophie had read in some of the news articles that related to the colony's building, there had been some measure of debate within the African Union and within Kenya over allowing it, particularly as conservative movements around the world were decrying immigration of any kind and accusing refugees of being sleeper agents for terrorist organizations or gangs.
However, it was allowed, and from the viewing platform on the section that jutted forward and they looked out over the area, they could see the various smaller villages dotting the edges of the colony with their local work going along with them. A lot of this looked like farming and ranching, at least from what Abby and Samson could see as there was a lot of activity that looked like moving things around. There were also some various open areas that looked rather wild between the smaller villages, and what came as the biggest surprise was the astonishing number of trees. They didn't look like the trees that were native to the US or what were in the other colonies that they'd been to, which made sense, as Africa was a different continent, but there had been some figuring that since it was the savannah that there would just be a lot of open grassland. But there were a lot of trees, far more than what would be expected. They were in clumps here and there and mostly close to the river that ran along Maelewano's western edge. In a sense it allowed for the interruption of the grassland, and Samson thought he saw something that looked like some of the trees that were there were also part of measures to protect local livestock as well.
"And must be hard to protect given all the land area this colony covers," Sophie commented as she looked at a provided map, "it's easily bigger than any of the others..."
"The distance has more to do with keeping some measure of control over the local wildlife, which wasn't completely uplifted and does have some free reign of movement through various sectors of the colony," came a deep male voice, making them turn to see one of the members of the Rhino Guard. The large White Rhino Animalian wore a uniform that would be closer to those worn by Kenya's national police forces/park rangers, but he did look relatively comfortable, even in the warm African sun, "it means there is a lot patrolling to keep lions, hyenas, and leopards out of people's homes... not to mention confrontations with snakes and scorpions which could all be deadly. Thankfully a Michael has agreed to move here..."
"Michael?" Travis wondered.
"An Amur Leopard Animalian," the Rhino Guard member answered, "supposedly worked as a vet in Lyre's zoo from what I've been told. He's agreed to help with regard to medical care for the people here and with any issues the animals may need, be they wild or domestic."
"The bigger thing might be bug removal," Roland commented and extended one wing to shoo away a mosquito that seemed interested in investigating it. They all had plenty of repellant, and it did work, but that didn't mean that biting insects weren't repelled to miles away from them. Still, the fact that the repellant worked was enough. He remembered that one of the people who'd recently joined Animalia through Project Phoenix had been on an African safari and ended up with the infection that had swelled up his legs and required the treatment.
"Horizon's paid in that department," the Rhino Guard member informed them, "people here can be remarkably well treated for those sorts of things. The good thing is that the people here will be safe from more human threats and problems... Even the wild animal threats are less of an issue. The lions, leopards, and hyenas that weren't uplifted seem a bit... hesitant around the areas where there are lion, leopard, and hyena Animalians. We've actually put some of them with every village as a security measure for the human residents and for those Animalians that are normally prey for those animals."
"Smart," Simon commented, "it'd leave the animals not uplifted free to move where it's open and live life more naturally and you don't have to exterminate entire animal populations to keep the people safe."
The Rhino Guard member nodded, "We still have to patrol, obviously, but yeah... that's been the basic principle."
"So... how will we cover all of this?" JC wondered as he glanced to areas that surrounded the main building. The smaller villages did go in a sort of circle with the community center being on the eastern side of that circle and allowed for the large airfield to be in the middle. The area covered was easily larger in land area than any of the other colonies.
"I'd think a brief overview would be best," Roger commented, "we go to every spot together and show some highlights for each village and how Animalians are adapting to the new area... and show how everyone is cooperating."
"And together we can make sure that no one gets too frisky over things," Sarah said with a glance to Malice.
"I didn't see you or Travis complaining," Malice answered with a smirk.
Jessica and Sophie glanced to each other as the two sisters traded jabs. It'd been well known that Animalians generally had a higher libido than humans and quite easily accepted it. It often meant that those in committed relationships were often very active with each other, and Abby with Samson, Sarah with Travis, and Malice with Simon had been no exception to that. However, Jessica also knew that as she continued to grow up and mature that that sort of thing would apply to her and Roger as well. In fact she'd even noticed that when her thoughts did turn to Roger, they weren't always about just hanging out. She knew she loved him and she wanted to be with him and that included everything. Jessica was fairly certain that also applied to Sophie and Roland as well, as while they weren't double dosed, they were still Animalians that had a dedicated partner. In this the pull HAD to be there.
The stay in Vilcabamba had allowed for a little of that in the sense that the room they'd been in had two beds, one for her and Roger and the other for Sophie and Roland. They didn't actually mate with each other, but the stay there had allowed for Jessica to be able to cuddle with Roger, which she'd found nice. His fur was soft and warm, and waking up in his arms felt comforting, and judging by the semi-aroused scents she picked up, Jessica figured that both Roger and Roland liked the sleepwear their bond-mates had.
"I'm not complaining," Sarah answered, "but you remember the guide warning that some of the refugees here are living in the way they always did... which means the greater potential for nudity, and not isolated to a specific island or tree top area. And also likely without an area for more... adventurous mating areas. And with the edicts against public mating we don't want to get into an area and let that lead into something that would get us in trouble."
"Yeah, yeah," Malice nodded.
"We can give an areal shot between each village," Roland commented as he gestured to himself, Sophie, JC, and Pauline, "something to edit in as a time piece between villages. Interviews can then be handled when you guys arrive..."
"Hopefully with translators," Sophie commented, "in case someone doesn't speak English."
"What languages are spoken here?" Pauline wondered.
"Within Kenya, it's mostly Swahili," the Rhino Guard member answered, "though as it was a British colony for a time, a fair amount of the country's population has at least a rudimentary knowledge of English. Though... with the colony here also being a sort of refuge from wars and famines, there could well be the possibility of other languages as well. We do however have some members that have joined this chapter of the Rhino Guard that also know these languages and are setting up some language schools as well. You should be fine."
It was at this point where a pair of local safari vehicles pulled up on the road way. One was large and especially sturdy with a member of the Rhino Guard in the driver's seat of one. She was a female White Rhino Animalian, and she waved up to the Rhino Guard member as she brought the vehicle to a stop. The glanced to the Rhino Guard member who they'd been talking with, and noted a small blush on his grey skinned cheeks. He then waved back while Animalia Ambassadoria looked at the map again.
"I'd think to go in the direction they're presently facing," Travis commented as he looked at the map, "it may mean going counter clockwise... but it'd give us a pretty clear path to every village."
The others nodded and soon made their way out. The shots they got were good, and with the female Rhino Guard member's help, the interviews also worked out great. Sophie found it quite good in that many of these refugees were being welcomed and cared for in ways that their countries of origin couldn't for various reasons and that the countries that had the ability, like the US, simply didn't care to actually do anymore. It was further helped by the fact that a few of the residents were converted humans that became Animalians after their arrival and had stated wishes to protect those living in the colony and showed sympathy to the others there, regardless of being Human or Animalian. It showed a certain amount of balance that showed that refugees could be handled without outright banning entry. The Rhino Guard had also explained their vetting process, which had worked fairly well. The human parts of the various villages often tended to be rather centered on specific tribes and groups, but they got along with the Animalians and the other measures allowed for some measure of interaction that would allow them to all share stories and experiences. That was something that would be a good selling point.
It all made for good coverage, though, as they got back to Maelewano's community center, the thing that was most eagerly awaited was coverage of the production of the Lion King. It would have to be interesting, and similarly probably had cost Horizon and Animalia a fair amount of money, as Disney also had offices in the Community Center.