Stanley especially loves Giraffes and Zebras

Stanley is a gentle person and he likes to make friends. It is not always easy to make friends with cheetahs, lions, elephants and rhinos because they are sometimes irritable. So Stanley was very happy when he made friends with some zebras and giraffes! They are almost always in a good mood!

Did you hear what the Safari guide said? Giraffes have the same number of neck bones (vertebrae) as humans: only 7! Those bones must be very big.

Stanley learned from the guide that a group of giraffes is called a "journey."

Stanley also learned that a group of zebras together is called a "dazzle!"

One zebra Stanley met he really, really liked! This zebra had a red mane and red ears. This really made the zebra stand out (and most zebras like to blend in, that's what the stripes are for). Another thing that made the zebra stand out was the fact the zebra came right up to Stanley and wanted to be friends right away!

The zebra really liked the fact the Stanley was an adventurer and explorer. Stanley was very friendly. And, Stanley was also wearing black and white!

Stanley and the zebra began going everywhere together. Here they are at the local watering hole:

Here they are picking out melons:

The woman selling melons wanted zebra to stay with her, but Stanley and the zebra explained they were the very best of friends and could not be separated. She was happy that they were such good friends and gave them a melon for a good price!

But... soon it would be time for Stanley to go back to Jamaica Plain... and since the zebra is just as friendly and adventurous as Stanley, he thought maybe it would be nice to visit the place Stanley was from... the zebra heard there were great places to eat breakfast in JP! Will the zebra go?

Stanley Around Town

Stanley loves running around Botswana's capital city: Gaborone. He loves to eat new foods at new places and make new friends!

Wearing a Queen Latifah t-shirt is a real conversation starter!

Here is Stanley with his papaya smoothie and his friend Oscar.

Here is Stanley with his friend Thabo, whose job it is to decorate ostrich eggs, yes, ostrich eggs! Those eggs are big (eating one ostrich egg is the same as eating about 22 chicken eggs)!

Here is the American Ambassador to Botswana, Kate Canavan, with her arm around Stanley!

Here is Stanley making friends with a group of girls at the supermarket, of all places!

This ice cream vendor peddles by once a day, honking the horn on his handlebar (can you see it?) to let people know ice cream is fast approaching! Stanley loves the lemon-lime popsicle the most!

Here is Stanley wearing his Nelson Mandela t-shirt and playing hide-and-seek in the traditional baskets.

Stanley at the intersection of Zebra and Elephant!

Now Stanley pretending to ride a zebra, but really it's a sculpture of a zebra just the right size for him!

Seems Stanley really likes smoothies! This one is made of lychee fruits. It's called a Chilla! And Stanley is chillin' with his penguin t-shirt. Those penguins live very near Botswana in South Africa.

And then there's the local barbershop where Stanley likes to get his haircut because he always wants to look neat and professional (even when he is not in his suit) so he can make a good first impression when he meets his new friends.

Stanley and the Lion!

On his Safari, Stanley saw a lion!

The guide said the lion had just eaten and that's why he was lying down, keeping very still. The only thing he moved was his tail...

But then the lion suddenly stood up!

And he started roaring! Play the video below to hear him:

Piet, the Safari guide, said the lion was probably talking to other lions nearby. Piet knew a lot about the animals and he worked all day teaching people about them. Stanley even thought about becoming a Safari guide himself one day!