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Laura Rancie

@laura.rancie

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2026 •🐓Chickens • 🍞Sourdough• Jesus • 🦍Uganda Great Apes Tour • 🦈Ocean • 🎨Illustrator @curiouscreative.studio @illustrated.bylaura

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1st Game drive * Murchison Falls National Park.

Tree Lion
Giraffes
Monkeys
Vultures feasting over dead carcasses
Baboons crossing
Elephants
Hippos bathing
Antelope
Buffallo by @laura.rancie

“Ummm … Lola … is that an elephant bull coming toward us on the road? “ by @laura.rancie

This was the morning when one of my biggest dreams came true -
For many years I had seen Dr Jane Goodall inspire listeners at her conferences, podcasts and on social media at her Roots & Shoots programs, reciting “Together we can. Together we will. We must change the world”

This was the moment I got to be there. In person. Amongst these beautiful people, in Uganda. At an actual JGI Roots and Shoots program and heard it live.

And then they said it.

“Together we can. Together we will. We must change the world” (see slide 2)

In this region of Uganda (& probably all across Africa), girls miss many days of school each month when they get their period bc they don’t have sanitary pads. And many days add up to months each year of missed school. When they realised this was why girls weren’t coming to school, this school adressed the problem by investing in sewing machines and fabric, to get everyone - boys and girls - involved in handmaking sanitary pads.

Roots & Shoots, through the @janegoodall_ug is for people like u. Like me. To look within your local area and see what change u can help make.

To inspire and empower young people to recognise their own potential to make a difference, and to change the world, one person and one action at a time.

Can u imagine the impact these teenage boys and girls are having on each other by reciting each day “together we can. Together we will. We must change the world” and then boys and girls side by side sewing pads together to alleviate the problem.

Its not something cool to talk about or even discreet. But just look at slide 14, to see how amazing what they are doing is!

This is a real local issue for these communities and they are working out themselves, how to navigate that and become leaders and problem solvers, side by side.

Do u know what a local need in your direct community is? Why dont u lookup, “what is a local need … where I live?”

I bet u something like homelessness, DV and increased anxiety amongst youth comes up. Find out. And then Go, do something within your own abilities.

I will forever be grateful to @raw_africa_ecotours for taking me here.

#jgiuganda #jgi #rootsandshoots #togetherwecan by @laura.rancie

I cant pick a fave.
I’ll just post every favourite for different reasons for the next year. by @laura.rancie

DO NOT WATCH THIS if you dont like elephants.

disclaimer. This reel contains ... a sneaky, wild elephant!

So … we were walking back alone to our tent (ok it was a glamping tent in a bush lodge next to Queen Elizabeth National Park). The lodge sits on the Kazinga channel home to up to 6000 hippos! This makes it one of the highest hippo concentrations IN THE WORLD!

So at night and allll during the day all u can hear (& see) r hippos. Dont even get me started on the crying night hyenas.

So picture us - walking back to the tent, happily a safe distance from the hippos and we spot monkeys. Yay. 🎉 BUT THEN … a big wild elephant was spotted behind our tent bathroom.

This made me sooo happy. The rest of the afternoon Lola and I hung around on our balcony as it chewed through some vegetation behind us and to the side.

#wildelephant #elephant #uganda #hippos #motherdaughtertrip by @laura.rancie

Some of the wild animals we saw in 2 weeks in Uganda, restrained by the 20 picture limit.

The full list includes -
*Chimpanzees
*Gorillas
*Vervet monkeys, Colobus monkeys, Golden monkeys
*The last pic is a baboon chasing a local woman who was outside her hut hanging laundry
Baboons are everywhere and bc I dont like them particularly, Im only posting this pic of them.
They r impressive to look at though.
*lions
*hyenas
*cheetah
*hippos galore
*elephants in abundance
*crocodiles
*many antelope species
*buffalo
*black snake
*Giraffes
*vultures
*warthogs
*white rhinos

And Lola thinks she saw a chipmunk in our tent, that then terrorised me all night long. ALL NIGHT LONG.

#animalsofuganda #wildanimals #hippos #africanwildlife #gorillas by @laura.rancie

BUCKET LIST #43💭

Great Apes Uganda Tour retracing Dian Fossey and Jane Goodalls contributions to conservation.
Lola and Me.
September 2026.

✅DONE🦍 by @laura.rancie

The first few minutes of starting the greatest adventure of mine and Lola’s life.
Gold Coast-Sydney-Johannesburg-Uganda-Rwanda by @laura.rancie

Today we got to visit ZIWA WHITE RHINO SANCTUARY - made possible through @raw_africa_ecotours

In 1982 (my birth year) White Rhinos became extinct in Uganda. Think about that! The problem was poaching - the horns were used for traditional chinese medicine as a powder, horns displayed as an elite status in the home and had an exorbitant price value on the black market - more than gold!

But Ziwa White Rhino Sanctuary very successfully established a sanctuary and brought them back to Uganda on this protected 70 sq km reserve, home to other species as well … as you can see in the video. I saw my first warthogs! These days, you can do a guided on-foot trek to find white rhinos within this protected space with guides trained through a group I will forever champion and respect due to the significant changes they have established within Ugandan wildlife but also vulnerable local communities and people - the @ugwildlife Uganda Wildlife Authority.

#uwa #uganda #whiterhino #animalsafari by @laura.rancie

After our first gorilla trek (see previous post), and a very big hike back down the mountain - we visited a beautiful strip of locals stalls displaying handcrafted baskets, carved wooden sculptures and a few gorilla tees. Then … THIS HAPPENED!!

After having trekked for 8 hours up and through and around and down again, we got to spend time with a 2nd gorilla family who decided to trek themselves into town. WOW!

#rushaga #bwindi #gorilla #gorillatrekking by @laura.rancie

A day that will live with me forever. Sept 27,2026 thanks & deepest respect and awe of Brooke Squires, founder at @raw_africa_ecotours

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST. Rushaga sector.
Mine and Lola’s first ever Gorilla Trek, Uganda. 🦍

We trekked the …. gorilla family, of 11 members.

FAQ’s

WAS IT HARD?
Yes. The altitude made frequent short stops necessary. The incline meant at times, we were on hands and feet. We were on a dirt path for a large section but once gorillas are found by the trackers ahead, we cut into the thick forest.
So was it hard? but effort brings forth opportunities that cant come any other way.

WHY WEAR MASKS?
Bc we have 98.4% of the same DNA, and zoonotic diseases (spreading from human ↔️gorilla is now their biggest threat). Covering up means we help to keep them safe.

DID I EVER FEEL UNSAFE?
Its not like that. Gorillas are not carnivores so they would never attack us to eat us. They have been habituated so are used to seeing up to 8 humans for one hour everyday. They will react to you - if u are calm and respectful, they will be too. They are beautiful, gentle, curious and inquisitive.

WHERE CAN YOU DO THIS?
Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. All need an organised permit issued by local authorities. Rwanda is $1500 usd for 1 person for 1 trek. Uganda is $800 usd. DRC is not recommended for safety reasons, and is the cheapest.

#gorillatrek #uganda #gorillatrekuganda #uwa #motherdaughtertrip by @laura.rancie

Entebbe Botanic Gardens.

Oh and I forgot to mention the WOW factor of Lake Victoria - With an average depth of 40metres, but its deepest parts are 80 metres and it spans 3 countries! Its Africa’s largest lake and meetsup with Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Its also the worlds largest tropical lake and the worlds 2nd largest fresh water lake - it is that big! Its shoreline alone is more than 7100km and from one point to another sources say is up to 337km!

#entebbe #botanicgardens #vervetmonkey #uganda by @laura.rancie