Predator Biologist Report on Tanzania: Touched by a relative and more National Geographic Moments (includes photo link)
Jun 6th, 2008, 04:24 PM
#63
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See, there's another one! That recessive gene shows up all over Africa--Tanzania, Zambia. Thanks for the vindication Africaditct!
Your reading public will be here when you can return to your report PB@
Your reading public will be here when you can return to your report PB@
Jul 9th, 2008, 11:12 AM
#64
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Sorry for the huge delay and losing all momentum but I will attempt to restore your interest with this next installment. From Suyan Camp and into the Serengeti.
We had breakfast at Suyan, packed up and headed for the famed Serengeti National Park. We entered and stopped to pay park fees at the Naabi Hill park headquarters. Here we had box lunches before proceeding on toward Gol Kopjes in hope of big cats. Along the way had a surprise sighting of a serval, it was quite shy so the viewing was brief but a great treat. For a good stretch approaching Gol Kopjes there was absolutely no animals, it had me wondering how there would be any cats with nothing to eat. As we began to circle around our first rock formation and up on top of a large boulder was a number of lionesses and some older cubs probably approaching a year old. In the grass at the base of a tree was two males but the view was mostly their bellies and paws with the manes barely visible through the grass and brush. As we were watching for movement, what little there was from this pride of flat cats I glanced out to the open savanna and where there had been nothing there was a line of wildebeest approaching and stretching for as far as I could see. It was incredible how there was no grazers to be found anywhere and all of a sudden there were thousands arriving. We continued on inspecting kopjes one by one until we arrived at one with a lioness on a ledge adorned by two beautiful little cubs! These were young cubs, probably only 5 or 6 weeks old and we watched as they harassed their mother climbing on her, seeming to want to nurse but not being allowed to. One of the little cubs headed down the ledge and as the mother and other cub followed it was a bit of a struggle to keep balance. The mother kind of straight leg skated parts of the slope. Then from above in a different area a third cub revealed itself and the family came together – now the cubs were allowed to nurse and we were party to witness this wonderful natural event. These were the first wild lions ever seen for everyone in my group so it was a very exciting time, and as a big bonus we were the only two vehicles at the viewing. We reluctantly left but to make it to Olakira Camp in Ndutu by dark and avoid a violation we had to hustle.
Olakira Camp is a seasonal mobile camp moved occasionally to be well positioned for the migration. At this time of year it was inside the Serengeti National Park in the Ndutu area. It had a nice setting which was convenient to the road to head down to the Lake but remote enough that while in camp you felt like no one else was in the area. The camp had 6 tents when we were there so always our group plus one other couple. The tents in my mind are perfect for this type of safari, they are basic, roomy enough for the large bed and to hold your luggage, and have the bathroom attached to the back. There is a bucket sink, bucket shower, and a chemical toilet similar to what you might find in an R.V. There are zip flaps to separate the toilet and the shower for privacy from the rest of the tent. No extra frills, just a comfortable place to sleep and maintain yourself which I think is fitting for a mobile safari camp. My only knock would be the tents are placed fairly close together so there is not much privacy from your neighbors, I would prefer that they are spread out more but there could be rules about that in the area and it definitely helps minimize the impact keeping camp tight together. There was a large community tent with a long dining table and a small lounge sitting area. Food was always good, usually fairly simple but well cooked. Homemade potato chips to accompany drinks around the fire is actually what I remember being pretty thrilled with. Service was always good too. There were a lot of different choices for seasonal camps and I worked for a long time with Eben at Kiliwarriors to find the best option for us. Olakira is one of the more reasonable cost camp choices and I think it was perfect for us so we received very good advice from Kiliwarriors. For a comfortable level of accommodation, good service and food, as well as being in an excellent location I think this camp provides good value. To me there is no reason to pay for things like chandeliers in the tent, or a private tent butler when you are traveling with your own guides and vehicles.
After we were settled into our tents we began the routine that would run for the next 4 nights. Namely having drinks and talking about the day around the fire and then prior to dinner. On 3 of our 4 nights we were treated to the ‘Squrriel Band’, basically most of the staff play one type of instrument or another, lead by a guitar and sing traditional songs ending with some dancing. These guys have a lot of fun with their fireside gig and our group got pretty into it with the last night turning into a big dance around the fire.
I was excited for our first morning game drive in Ndutu, here we hoped to see cheetah, lions, great herds, and perhaps a hunt and kill. I had read of the amazing mother cheetah, known as Eleanor, and her 6 cubs so with great anticipation I was seeking that sighting. As we drove we found a troubling site that would become common, lost baby wildebeest. It was always heartbreaking to find these youngsters just a couple weeks old wandering aimlessly with no other wildlies in sight. You could take some solace in knowing they would soon feed predators and serve a purpose but each time it was a troubling site for me. Other wildebeest had already fallen to serve the masses and we saw many squabbles of spotted hyena, vultures, and jackals. At this time of year every animal looks full as can be, the grazers have the rich grasses and the predators and scavengers have as much as they can possibly handle – a true time of plenty. I love watching the interactions at the carcasses and hyenas would waddle off ready to burst and then come bowling back in sending vultures to flight while the jackals are always looking crafty.
While enjoying these interactions there was the telltale sign of a cheetah sighting, a number of vehicles gathered together in the distance. We went to check it out and there was a cheetah just opening up a Thomson’s gazelle in an odd high patch of grass. Movement in the grass revealed the bobbing little heads and whitish/blonde mantles of shoulder hair of cheetah cubs. This was indeed Eleanor and the 6 cubs (about 3 months old) although it was hard to see more than two or three of them at a time as they were in the grass eating. There were 12 vehicles all to one side of this feast but everyone was well behaved. The afternoon before, cheetah researchers were having to come to vehicles and warn them to give this family room to hunt as there had recently been too much interference causing difficulty and Eleanor had not been able to make a kill for two or three days so this was relieving to see the family gorging quickly. The mother was smart to drag the kill into the only high grass around and thus was not discovered by any scavengers, the first vultures only arrived when the meal was almost complete. She was also very cautious and would stop eating and look around every couple minutes to make sure no other large predators would catch her young by surprise. After about 20 minutes she chirped and called the cubs to follow her away from the kill. One by one they came until there were 5, and then a minute later the 6th straggler came off of the kill. I think she was just checking for danger because after a minute they all returned to eat some more. After another 5 minutes one of the cubs soon to be joined by others came to mom for what I dubbed the ‘cheetah bucket shower’ as she would lick their faces clean of the blood. We had witnessed a real National Geographic type moment, the kind you hope to have once on a safari but fortunately we would have more to come. With just some scraps left the mother once again chirped and began to lead the family off for shade, the problem was she wanted to walk far across the plain to the closest trees while the young cubs saw a much closer opportunity as they headed straight underneath one of the vehicles. She chirped and chirped for them and would get a few rounded up but 6 is more than a pawful! One of the cubs climbed up a tire into the wheel well of a vehicle making an interesting photo for me but not my preferred way to see wildlife. After a couple minutes mom managed to summon all of them and walk between two vehicles to head off in her preferred direction. At this point the vehicles all start up and grateful for the gift of this amazing sighting we are ready to head back to camp. Mind boggling though 2 vehicles that had actually left the sighting during the riveting feeding return at this point and start following them across the plains as they head for a nap! It would seem these cheetah likely have vehicle escorts virtually every waking hour. Seeing 6 cubs is almost unheard of as there are 95% cub mortality rates in the first 18 months for Serengeti cheetah, this mother is crushing the odds so far and it was an honor to spend time with this family.
All the trip photos are at bgiven.zenfolio.com This last portion is covered in the Gol Kopjes and Serengeti-Ndutu folders.
More from the Serengeti to come…
We had breakfast at Suyan, packed up and headed for the famed Serengeti National Park. We entered and stopped to pay park fees at the Naabi Hill park headquarters. Here we had box lunches before proceeding on toward Gol Kopjes in hope of big cats. Along the way had a surprise sighting of a serval, it was quite shy so the viewing was brief but a great treat. For a good stretch approaching Gol Kopjes there was absolutely no animals, it had me wondering how there would be any cats with nothing to eat. As we began to circle around our first rock formation and up on top of a large boulder was a number of lionesses and some older cubs probably approaching a year old. In the grass at the base of a tree was two males but the view was mostly their bellies and paws with the manes barely visible through the grass and brush. As we were watching for movement, what little there was from this pride of flat cats I glanced out to the open savanna and where there had been nothing there was a line of wildebeest approaching and stretching for as far as I could see. It was incredible how there was no grazers to be found anywhere and all of a sudden there were thousands arriving. We continued on inspecting kopjes one by one until we arrived at one with a lioness on a ledge adorned by two beautiful little cubs! These were young cubs, probably only 5 or 6 weeks old and we watched as they harassed their mother climbing on her, seeming to want to nurse but not being allowed to. One of the little cubs headed down the ledge and as the mother and other cub followed it was a bit of a struggle to keep balance. The mother kind of straight leg skated parts of the slope. Then from above in a different area a third cub revealed itself and the family came together – now the cubs were allowed to nurse and we were party to witness this wonderful natural event. These were the first wild lions ever seen for everyone in my group so it was a very exciting time, and as a big bonus we were the only two vehicles at the viewing. We reluctantly left but to make it to Olakira Camp in Ndutu by dark and avoid a violation we had to hustle.
Olakira Camp is a seasonal mobile camp moved occasionally to be well positioned for the migration. At this time of year it was inside the Serengeti National Park in the Ndutu area. It had a nice setting which was convenient to the road to head down to the Lake but remote enough that while in camp you felt like no one else was in the area. The camp had 6 tents when we were there so always our group plus one other couple. The tents in my mind are perfect for this type of safari, they are basic, roomy enough for the large bed and to hold your luggage, and have the bathroom attached to the back. There is a bucket sink, bucket shower, and a chemical toilet similar to what you might find in an R.V. There are zip flaps to separate the toilet and the shower for privacy from the rest of the tent. No extra frills, just a comfortable place to sleep and maintain yourself which I think is fitting for a mobile safari camp. My only knock would be the tents are placed fairly close together so there is not much privacy from your neighbors, I would prefer that they are spread out more but there could be rules about that in the area and it definitely helps minimize the impact keeping camp tight together. There was a large community tent with a long dining table and a small lounge sitting area. Food was always good, usually fairly simple but well cooked. Homemade potato chips to accompany drinks around the fire is actually what I remember being pretty thrilled with. Service was always good too. There were a lot of different choices for seasonal camps and I worked for a long time with Eben at Kiliwarriors to find the best option for us. Olakira is one of the more reasonable cost camp choices and I think it was perfect for us so we received very good advice from Kiliwarriors. For a comfortable level of accommodation, good service and food, as well as being in an excellent location I think this camp provides good value. To me there is no reason to pay for things like chandeliers in the tent, or a private tent butler when you are traveling with your own guides and vehicles.
After we were settled into our tents we began the routine that would run for the next 4 nights. Namely having drinks and talking about the day around the fire and then prior to dinner. On 3 of our 4 nights we were treated to the ‘Squrriel Band’, basically most of the staff play one type of instrument or another, lead by a guitar and sing traditional songs ending with some dancing. These guys have a lot of fun with their fireside gig and our group got pretty into it with the last night turning into a big dance around the fire.
I was excited for our first morning game drive in Ndutu, here we hoped to see cheetah, lions, great herds, and perhaps a hunt and kill. I had read of the amazing mother cheetah, known as Eleanor, and her 6 cubs so with great anticipation I was seeking that sighting. As we drove we found a troubling site that would become common, lost baby wildebeest. It was always heartbreaking to find these youngsters just a couple weeks old wandering aimlessly with no other wildlies in sight. You could take some solace in knowing they would soon feed predators and serve a purpose but each time it was a troubling site for me. Other wildebeest had already fallen to serve the masses and we saw many squabbles of spotted hyena, vultures, and jackals. At this time of year every animal looks full as can be, the grazers have the rich grasses and the predators and scavengers have as much as they can possibly handle – a true time of plenty. I love watching the interactions at the carcasses and hyenas would waddle off ready to burst and then come bowling back in sending vultures to flight while the jackals are always looking crafty.
While enjoying these interactions there was the telltale sign of a cheetah sighting, a number of vehicles gathered together in the distance. We went to check it out and there was a cheetah just opening up a Thomson’s gazelle in an odd high patch of grass. Movement in the grass revealed the bobbing little heads and whitish/blonde mantles of shoulder hair of cheetah cubs. This was indeed Eleanor and the 6 cubs (about 3 months old) although it was hard to see more than two or three of them at a time as they were in the grass eating. There were 12 vehicles all to one side of this feast but everyone was well behaved. The afternoon before, cheetah researchers were having to come to vehicles and warn them to give this family room to hunt as there had recently been too much interference causing difficulty and Eleanor had not been able to make a kill for two or three days so this was relieving to see the family gorging quickly. The mother was smart to drag the kill into the only high grass around and thus was not discovered by any scavengers, the first vultures only arrived when the meal was almost complete. She was also very cautious and would stop eating and look around every couple minutes to make sure no other large predators would catch her young by surprise. After about 20 minutes she chirped and called the cubs to follow her away from the kill. One by one they came until there were 5, and then a minute later the 6th straggler came off of the kill. I think she was just checking for danger because after a minute they all returned to eat some more. After another 5 minutes one of the cubs soon to be joined by others came to mom for what I dubbed the ‘cheetah bucket shower’ as she would lick their faces clean of the blood. We had witnessed a real National Geographic type moment, the kind you hope to have once on a safari but fortunately we would have more to come. With just some scraps left the mother once again chirped and began to lead the family off for shade, the problem was she wanted to walk far across the plain to the closest trees while the young cubs saw a much closer opportunity as they headed straight underneath one of the vehicles. She chirped and chirped for them and would get a few rounded up but 6 is more than a pawful! One of the cubs climbed up a tire into the wheel well of a vehicle making an interesting photo for me but not my preferred way to see wildlife. After a couple minutes mom managed to summon all of them and walk between two vehicles to head off in her preferred direction. At this point the vehicles all start up and grateful for the gift of this amazing sighting we are ready to head back to camp. Mind boggling though 2 vehicles that had actually left the sighting during the riveting feeding return at this point and start following them across the plains as they head for a nap! It would seem these cheetah likely have vehicle escorts virtually every waking hour. Seeing 6 cubs is almost unheard of as there are 95% cub mortality rates in the first 18 months for Serengeti cheetah, this mother is crushing the odds so far and it was an honor to spend time with this family.
All the trip photos are at bgiven.zenfolio.com This last portion is covered in the Gol Kopjes and Serengeti-Ndutu folders.
More from the Serengeti to come…
Jul 9th, 2008, 02:28 PM
#66
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Thanks MDK, glad I haven't lost all of the readers.
Now the conclusion of the Serengeti!
Following the afternoon siesta time we headed out and focused a bit on birds. Overall birds in the area were great with some nice raptors such as the lanner falcon and a juvenile bateleur. As we were driving we pulled slightly off the road close by Lake Masek to see some flamingos and as we went to drive again we were stuck! Lots of digging, gathering rocks, logs, etc. Jacking up the back of the vehicle etc., we tried to tie a rope to our other vehicle but it was not strong enough. Fortunately after close to an hour of working the problem another vehicle came by who had a winch and in about 10 minutes he was able to pull us out. We had heard lions were mating on the other side of the lake and it was getting close to dark, our first vehicle made it around the lake just in time to see 60 seconds of lion mating while the rest of us missed it. Unfortunately, no time to wait for another mating bout due to the park rules. We did catch a nice silhouette of a hyena dragging a drowned wildebeest out of the lake but we could only stop for one minute for a quick photo and had to leave that sighting behind too. Of course sitting around the fire the only other couple in camp told us all about the mating lions and a very relaxed leopard on the ground that was not far beyond.
Next day we would do an all day trip with box lunches to Seronera. I would have preferred more time in Ndutu than devoting an entire day to Seronera but with a group of first timers seeing leopard was of course in high demand and Seronera is where they are commonly sighted. On the way we did stop at Simba Kopjes and sure enough found two very relaxed lionesses. This was nice as again we were the only vehicles and we watched them laze around for a bit, then some warthogs showed up and they did try to stalk them. They were discovered quickly by the warthogs, but it was excellent to see the stalking behavior. Seronera is known for it’s year round resident game and there is a nice variety with hippos, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, kudu, etc. Some good general sightings but there was also lots of traffic, always other vehicles in view at any decent sighting. We searched and searched for leopard but unusually no one had seen one all day. I did spot the hung carcass of a baby buffalo in a tree right by the road so it appeared a leopard had been here overnight. Then the call came in, someone claimed there was a leopard in the grass. We were close by and pulled in to look. This was comical as about 35 vehicles triple parked up and down the road. There was high grass and an unknowing warthog was wandering in, but where was the leopard. Nobody knew, in fact nobody could actually say that they had seen one. After about 30 minutes of anticipation it was time to leave and take the long drive back to Ndutu as a throng of people waited for the mythical leopard that may well not have existed at all. In my opinion I would not make the drive to Seronera again unless desperate to look for leopard – Ndutu has a section of habitat that is very similar with far less people, saves the all day drive, and you can go off road. Of course, that is no surprise coming from me as I dislike areas where you are confined to the road and subject to subsequent crowding while you view from afar. I prefer it to being home of course but also consider it to typically be a sub-par viewing experience compared to other options and this is a huge reason why I planned Serengeti for the best time in Ndutu where you can go off road.
After a losing a lot of time with our stuck vehicle followed by an all day of average viewing it was time to get back to some exceptional viewing. We made an earlier start than usual, out at first sunlight. As we drove along out in the distance in lush green grass we found a lioness with 3 roly-poly little cubs (about 6 to 7 weeks old) playing around her. The lighting was perfect and this was as pure a sighting as one can have. We watched for a while from across a little water channel as they cavorted with one another. As another vehicle showed up we headed off into a woodland where we found two more lionesses stalking wildebeest. There were flies everywhere in these woods and one poor lioness looked miserable, our only day of bothersome insects. They gave up on the hunt and we moved on through, spending a little time with some banded mongooses.
Coming out of the woods we found a lone male cheetah strutting his stuff, it appeared he had not eaten and that he was walking out to the plains with a purpose so we followed at slowly at a distance. He sat on a little mound giving the classic cheetah view, we looked to and spotted herds in the distance so drove ahead and found a good out of the way position to observe from and stopped. Of course others eventually spied us and joined the watch including two Kibo vehicles, who must have radioed a third, because he came barreling in late from the other side of all the other vehicles who were positioned to observe and leave space to the herd the cheetah was approaching. This guide (and I use that term loosely here) zooms all the way in and nails the brakes about 30 feet from the cheetah covering him in a cloud of dust as they come to a stop. Consequently so does the cheetah, who sits down. Soon as the cheetah sits the other two Kibo vehicles fire up and zoom in from the other side for their close up photos. I was livid! We repositioned further a field and fortunately, about 10 minutes later he started to hunt again and all of a sudden there was the burst, from a bit of a distance all I could see was two rapidly moving clouds of dust with one gaining on the other until the dust merged and a cheetah came skidding out with a young wildebeest that he quickly clamped around the throat and began a dance of death, waltzing with his prey as we all approached closely. After a minute he took his quarry to the ground and continued to vice on the throat. Occasionally he would stand up a bit to reposition and a little kick of the wildebeest would be a sorrowful reminder that it was not quite dead yet. After a few minutes the life of one of the many had ended and the life of one of the few would continue. Cheetah incredible sprinting takes it’s toll with enormous spike in temperature up to 105 degrees so after a full on chase he needs to recuperate before eating. It took him 15 minutes of mostly laying and panting, sometimes on top of the prey (perhaps to conceal it from sight), before he began to feed. He then ate for 30 straight minutes to the point of being satiated. Amazingly many of the vehicles left soon after the kill was made not waiting to watch him feed or see what kind of interactions would follow as if they were going to find something better at 10 a.m.? It was nice as there was a maximum of about 5 vehicles at the feeding and for much of it just 3. Truly another National Geographic moment and the kind of sighting I dreamed about seeing in the Serengeti.
While watching our boy eat we saw a gathering of vehicles a quarter of a mile off, so we decided to check it out. We pulled in to find yet more cheetah eating going on. This time a mother with 4 very large cubs, about 85% as big as her and probably 10 to 12 months old. Hard to believe the 95% mortality rate with these 4 quickly approaching adulthood but for sure this was the time of plenty. We got to see more eating and then a nice round of ‘cheetah bucket showers’ with Mom administering the bath to her large cub and a party of 3 cubs doing a mutual bathing of one another. What a morning this turned out to be! An amazing kill sequence, another family of cheetah eating, the lioness and her cubs and lionesses on the hunt in the woods – definitely one of the top game drives I have ever had.
We returned to eat and then I went out immediately to scout for leopards with a couple others while the rest of the group had their siesta and would meet us later. We found the lioness in the tree again but all to ourselves this time. We found a breeding herd of elephant, big herd of eland and zebra, and lots of outstanding birds before our second vehicle met us. We then found a large nursery herd of wildebeest and before the drive was done a handsome young leopard perched high in the classic sprawled position of a horizontal branch. Yes, there would be big dancing around the fire tonight jamming with the Squirrel Band. Everyone very happy we had an excellent last night meal and in the morning we would head for Ngorongoro Crater.
Next up – Ngorongoro Crater, including a moment that shocked all the guides, and the Sopa Lodge ….
Now the conclusion of the Serengeti!
Following the afternoon siesta time we headed out and focused a bit on birds. Overall birds in the area were great with some nice raptors such as the lanner falcon and a juvenile bateleur. As we were driving we pulled slightly off the road close by Lake Masek to see some flamingos and as we went to drive again we were stuck! Lots of digging, gathering rocks, logs, etc. Jacking up the back of the vehicle etc., we tried to tie a rope to our other vehicle but it was not strong enough. Fortunately after close to an hour of working the problem another vehicle came by who had a winch and in about 10 minutes he was able to pull us out. We had heard lions were mating on the other side of the lake and it was getting close to dark, our first vehicle made it around the lake just in time to see 60 seconds of lion mating while the rest of us missed it. Unfortunately, no time to wait for another mating bout due to the park rules. We did catch a nice silhouette of a hyena dragging a drowned wildebeest out of the lake but we could only stop for one minute for a quick photo and had to leave that sighting behind too. Of course sitting around the fire the only other couple in camp told us all about the mating lions and a very relaxed leopard on the ground that was not far beyond.
Next day we would do an all day trip with box lunches to Seronera. I would have preferred more time in Ndutu than devoting an entire day to Seronera but with a group of first timers seeing leopard was of course in high demand and Seronera is where they are commonly sighted. On the way we did stop at Simba Kopjes and sure enough found two very relaxed lionesses. This was nice as again we were the only vehicles and we watched them laze around for a bit, then some warthogs showed up and they did try to stalk them. They were discovered quickly by the warthogs, but it was excellent to see the stalking behavior. Seronera is known for it’s year round resident game and there is a nice variety with hippos, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, kudu, etc. Some good general sightings but there was also lots of traffic, always other vehicles in view at any decent sighting. We searched and searched for leopard but unusually no one had seen one all day. I did spot the hung carcass of a baby buffalo in a tree right by the road so it appeared a leopard had been here overnight. Then the call came in, someone claimed there was a leopard in the grass. We were close by and pulled in to look. This was comical as about 35 vehicles triple parked up and down the road. There was high grass and an unknowing warthog was wandering in, but where was the leopard. Nobody knew, in fact nobody could actually say that they had seen one. After about 30 minutes of anticipation it was time to leave and take the long drive back to Ndutu as a throng of people waited for the mythical leopard that may well not have existed at all. In my opinion I would not make the drive to Seronera again unless desperate to look for leopard – Ndutu has a section of habitat that is very similar with far less people, saves the all day drive, and you can go off road. Of course, that is no surprise coming from me as I dislike areas where you are confined to the road and subject to subsequent crowding while you view from afar. I prefer it to being home of course but also consider it to typically be a sub-par viewing experience compared to other options and this is a huge reason why I planned Serengeti for the best time in Ndutu where you can go off road.
After a losing a lot of time with our stuck vehicle followed by an all day of average viewing it was time to get back to some exceptional viewing. We made an earlier start than usual, out at first sunlight. As we drove along out in the distance in lush green grass we found a lioness with 3 roly-poly little cubs (about 6 to 7 weeks old) playing around her. The lighting was perfect and this was as pure a sighting as one can have. We watched for a while from across a little water channel as they cavorted with one another. As another vehicle showed up we headed off into a woodland where we found two more lionesses stalking wildebeest. There were flies everywhere in these woods and one poor lioness looked miserable, our only day of bothersome insects. They gave up on the hunt and we moved on through, spending a little time with some banded mongooses.
Coming out of the woods we found a lone male cheetah strutting his stuff, it appeared he had not eaten and that he was walking out to the plains with a purpose so we followed at slowly at a distance. He sat on a little mound giving the classic cheetah view, we looked to and spotted herds in the distance so drove ahead and found a good out of the way position to observe from and stopped. Of course others eventually spied us and joined the watch including two Kibo vehicles, who must have radioed a third, because he came barreling in late from the other side of all the other vehicles who were positioned to observe and leave space to the herd the cheetah was approaching. This guide (and I use that term loosely here) zooms all the way in and nails the brakes about 30 feet from the cheetah covering him in a cloud of dust as they come to a stop. Consequently so does the cheetah, who sits down. Soon as the cheetah sits the other two Kibo vehicles fire up and zoom in from the other side for their close up photos. I was livid! We repositioned further a field and fortunately, about 10 minutes later he started to hunt again and all of a sudden there was the burst, from a bit of a distance all I could see was two rapidly moving clouds of dust with one gaining on the other until the dust merged and a cheetah came skidding out with a young wildebeest that he quickly clamped around the throat and began a dance of death, waltzing with his prey as we all approached closely. After a minute he took his quarry to the ground and continued to vice on the throat. Occasionally he would stand up a bit to reposition and a little kick of the wildebeest would be a sorrowful reminder that it was not quite dead yet. After a few minutes the life of one of the many had ended and the life of one of the few would continue. Cheetah incredible sprinting takes it’s toll with enormous spike in temperature up to 105 degrees so after a full on chase he needs to recuperate before eating. It took him 15 minutes of mostly laying and panting, sometimes on top of the prey (perhaps to conceal it from sight), before he began to feed. He then ate for 30 straight minutes to the point of being satiated. Amazingly many of the vehicles left soon after the kill was made not waiting to watch him feed or see what kind of interactions would follow as if they were going to find something better at 10 a.m.? It was nice as there was a maximum of about 5 vehicles at the feeding and for much of it just 3. Truly another National Geographic moment and the kind of sighting I dreamed about seeing in the Serengeti.
While watching our boy eat we saw a gathering of vehicles a quarter of a mile off, so we decided to check it out. We pulled in to find yet more cheetah eating going on. This time a mother with 4 very large cubs, about 85% as big as her and probably 10 to 12 months old. Hard to believe the 95% mortality rate with these 4 quickly approaching adulthood but for sure this was the time of plenty. We got to see more eating and then a nice round of ‘cheetah bucket showers’ with Mom administering the bath to her large cub and a party of 3 cubs doing a mutual bathing of one another. What a morning this turned out to be! An amazing kill sequence, another family of cheetah eating, the lioness and her cubs and lionesses on the hunt in the woods – definitely one of the top game drives I have ever had.
We returned to eat and then I went out immediately to scout for leopards with a couple others while the rest of the group had their siesta and would meet us later. We found the lioness in the tree again but all to ourselves this time. We found a breeding herd of elephant, big herd of eland and zebra, and lots of outstanding birds before our second vehicle met us. We then found a large nursery herd of wildebeest and before the drive was done a handsome young leopard perched high in the classic sprawled position of a horizontal branch. Yes, there would be big dancing around the fire tonight jamming with the Squirrel Band. Everyone very happy we had an excellent last night meal and in the morning we would head for Ngorongoro Crater.
Next up – Ngorongoro Crater, including a moment that shocked all the guides, and the Sopa Lodge ….
Jul 9th, 2008, 04:23 PM
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I was so excited to see this back at the top, and of course was even more excited once I started reading. You had such amazing sightings. One oi my favorite experiences is watching animal interaction such as that between Eleanor and her cubs. I am so glad you found them. The cheetah kill of the wildebeest must have been a real highlight, although I did shutter a little when I read about the legs kicking with the wildie still alive. Your description of lost baby wildies almost brought tears to my eyes.
It's a shame the Kibo guide behaved so badly when the cheetah was hunting. I am so glad I'll have my own vehicle, with excellent guides, on my trip.
Olakira sounds wonderful, squirrel band and all.
It's a shame the Kibo guide behaved so badly when the cheetah was hunting. I am so glad I'll have my own vehicle, with excellent guides, on my trip.
Olakira sounds wonderful, squirrel band and all.
Jul 14th, 2008, 05:57 PM
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Your group had an exceptional first lion sighting, with very young cubs nursing!
Your Seronera comments were helpful. Great luck with the cheetahs in Ndutu, even if there was some bad luck with a guide or two. The screeching to a halt in a cloud of dust is terrible.
You finally found your leopard!
Your Seronera comments were helpful. Great luck with the cheetahs in Ndutu, even if there was some bad luck with a guide or two. The screeching to a halt in a cloud of dust is terrible.
You finally found your leopard!
Aug 19th, 2008, 09:28 AM
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Dana: not a pain at all. I wish I could afford to hire you to help manage my various projects!
Picking up with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater...
I was sorry to leave Ndutu and head for our last stop, Ngorongoro Crater. Having formed an expectation from reading other people’s thoughts I really wasn’t looking forward to visiting the Crater, I expected crowds and a bit of a zoo-ish feel to game viewing here.
Upon arrival I quickly realized that at least one thing I expected was incorrect. I had read many reports of the harrowing entry road winding down to the Crater floor. As someone with a fear of heights and edges I was dreading the ride in but arrived to find what I would consider to be a road in very good condition. I have driven many steeper and more treacherous roads in Colorado, most of which are far less maintained, thus I was pleasantly surprised and glad not to be on something comparable to ‘Oh My God’ road that is a white knuckler near where I live. When we reached the floor there was a bus with a crowd of children all around it, while I normally want to see no other people when looking for wildlife I was happy to see a bus full of Tanzanian children getting exposure to their natural heritage.
We game drove across the Crater to the lunch picnic area, game viewing along the way with hyenas and some wonderful crowned crane sightings being the highlights, such graceful and gorgeous birds. The picnic area was wall-to-wall vehicles and people. I highly recommend skipping it if at all possible – it was the only chance for us to use the bathroom unfortunately. Having read of the aggressive behavior of the black kites I warned my group to beware while eating, and the kites were indeed coursing over the area. At this point in the trip I almost wanted them to steal my box lunch, as I was quite sick of those lunches. As we stood talking one of my clients held his sandwich in his hand around his shoulder height and in an instant a kite came from behind, right past his head and snatched the sandwich from his hand, luckily just nicking the finger and not leaving a real injury. It was a frightening moment for him and then it was either eat in the vehicle or sit on the ground between two vehicles and still eat with caution. To add to the dismal experience of the picnic area a hippo somehow managed to get stuck on its side between rocks and a bank two-thirds of the way out of the water. Park rangers were trying to figure out what to do and the situation did not look good for the hippo.
Back on the road we searched the swamps and spotted two enormous old bull elephants with tusks just about dragging on the ground, by far the longest that I have seen. They were far from the road so this was primarily a binocular sighting. We then found our main objective, the first rhinos of the trip – two black rhino who were again pretty far out requiring binoculars to observe. The grasses were lush and there were smatterings of gazelles, wildebeests, and zebras throughout. Vehicles were seen frequently but did seem to be spread out for the most part. We came upon some lionesses concealed in high grass with about 8 vehicles in attendance, we snapped a few pics and quickly continued on finding a mating pair of lions who had just completed a session. We waited 30 minutes for their next bout but there was no sign of interest so we continued on. My clients began a discussion of the Disneyesque quality of the Crater as we moved from one sighting to another. Traffic was actually considerably worse when we visited the Central Serengeti and for certain in Lake Manyara so I’m not so sure what it is that caused the tame, safari park like feel but I did feel it too, however, this feeling was about to come to an abrupt ending. Time was dwindling and we needed to work our way toward the exit road to the Sopa. Most vehicles must need to exit on the other side where there are multiple hotels because we stopped seeing any other vehicles. We came across a coalition of 3 big boy male lions, they were chilling together and you had to be quick to get photos during the brief times of raised alert heads as mostly there was just repositioning and flopping. I always love to see the bond the males have, and it is most evident as they flop all over each other choosing to keep lots of contact between the three despite having the freedom to spread out as much as they want. Witnessing the bonds of brotherhood close to the road, with no other vehicles, seemed like a good quality sighting to end our day on and we headed for the exit. As we make our way there is a nice size herd of Thomson and Grant’s gazelles, all of a sudden many of them start trotting and I spy a lioness walking straight through the herd. She is conspicuous, strutting with no effort to stalk or conceal her presence – both she and we know there is no way she is going to run down either gazelle species. Then my eyes catch two Grant’s gazelle rams deeply engrossed in a battle to determine supremacy. Heads down, horns engaged, the focus is on establishing a breeding advantage. It instantly registers that they might not see the lion, and as I verbalize this opportunity quick twitch muscles explode and the casual lioness converts from a stroll to an opportunistic meat seeking missile. A galloping gait of rippling muscles covers the open ground with just 4 strides, at one stride from impact the fortunate ram facing the attack catches the blur of movement and jerks out of his engaged battle and pivots to run as the lioness arrives enveloping the back two-thirds of the other ram and rolls it to the ground one step shy of clipping the legs of the second ram who sprints to safety as his opponent is now in the vise clamp eternal sleeper hold of the lioness. This would not be the prolonged choke of the cheetah that we witnessed in the Serengeti, life was gone within three minutes and in less than another five feeding begins. Unfortunately at this point we must rush to make the 6 p.m. closing gate and avoid a fine so reluctantly we pick our jaws up off the floor, rein our transcended wild spirits back into our bodies and proceed up the road. As we climb out of the Crater there is a breeding herd of elephants on both sides of the road but we can only slow down, no time to stop and we make the exit gate two minutes before closing. The surprise hunt is discussed and replayed over and over. Later, the guides meet by the pool to enjoy a Tusker at sundown and we decide to a man that this opportunistic ambush is the sighting of the safari and as breathtaking a hunting moment as anyone of has observed.
One more drive in the Crater and then the trip wrap up....
Picking up with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater...
I was sorry to leave Ndutu and head for our last stop, Ngorongoro Crater. Having formed an expectation from reading other people’s thoughts I really wasn’t looking forward to visiting the Crater, I expected crowds and a bit of a zoo-ish feel to game viewing here.
Upon arrival I quickly realized that at least one thing I expected was incorrect. I had read many reports of the harrowing entry road winding down to the Crater floor. As someone with a fear of heights and edges I was dreading the ride in but arrived to find what I would consider to be a road in very good condition. I have driven many steeper and more treacherous roads in Colorado, most of which are far less maintained, thus I was pleasantly surprised and glad not to be on something comparable to ‘Oh My God’ road that is a white knuckler near where I live. When we reached the floor there was a bus with a crowd of children all around it, while I normally want to see no other people when looking for wildlife I was happy to see a bus full of Tanzanian children getting exposure to their natural heritage.
We game drove across the Crater to the lunch picnic area, game viewing along the way with hyenas and some wonderful crowned crane sightings being the highlights, such graceful and gorgeous birds. The picnic area was wall-to-wall vehicles and people. I highly recommend skipping it if at all possible – it was the only chance for us to use the bathroom unfortunately. Having read of the aggressive behavior of the black kites I warned my group to beware while eating, and the kites were indeed coursing over the area. At this point in the trip I almost wanted them to steal my box lunch, as I was quite sick of those lunches. As we stood talking one of my clients held his sandwich in his hand around his shoulder height and in an instant a kite came from behind, right past his head and snatched the sandwich from his hand, luckily just nicking the finger and not leaving a real injury. It was a frightening moment for him and then it was either eat in the vehicle or sit on the ground between two vehicles and still eat with caution. To add to the dismal experience of the picnic area a hippo somehow managed to get stuck on its side between rocks and a bank two-thirds of the way out of the water. Park rangers were trying to figure out what to do and the situation did not look good for the hippo.
Back on the road we searched the swamps and spotted two enormous old bull elephants with tusks just about dragging on the ground, by far the longest that I have seen. They were far from the road so this was primarily a binocular sighting. We then found our main objective, the first rhinos of the trip – two black rhino who were again pretty far out requiring binoculars to observe. The grasses were lush and there were smatterings of gazelles, wildebeests, and zebras throughout. Vehicles were seen frequently but did seem to be spread out for the most part. We came upon some lionesses concealed in high grass with about 8 vehicles in attendance, we snapped a few pics and quickly continued on finding a mating pair of lions who had just completed a session. We waited 30 minutes for their next bout but there was no sign of interest so we continued on. My clients began a discussion of the Disneyesque quality of the Crater as we moved from one sighting to another. Traffic was actually considerably worse when we visited the Central Serengeti and for certain in Lake Manyara so I’m not so sure what it is that caused the tame, safari park like feel but I did feel it too, however, this feeling was about to come to an abrupt ending. Time was dwindling and we needed to work our way toward the exit road to the Sopa. Most vehicles must need to exit on the other side where there are multiple hotels because we stopped seeing any other vehicles. We came across a coalition of 3 big boy male lions, they were chilling together and you had to be quick to get photos during the brief times of raised alert heads as mostly there was just repositioning and flopping. I always love to see the bond the males have, and it is most evident as they flop all over each other choosing to keep lots of contact between the three despite having the freedom to spread out as much as they want. Witnessing the bonds of brotherhood close to the road, with no other vehicles, seemed like a good quality sighting to end our day on and we headed for the exit. As we make our way there is a nice size herd of Thomson and Grant’s gazelles, all of a sudden many of them start trotting and I spy a lioness walking straight through the herd. She is conspicuous, strutting with no effort to stalk or conceal her presence – both she and we know there is no way she is going to run down either gazelle species. Then my eyes catch two Grant’s gazelle rams deeply engrossed in a battle to determine supremacy. Heads down, horns engaged, the focus is on establishing a breeding advantage. It instantly registers that they might not see the lion, and as I verbalize this opportunity quick twitch muscles explode and the casual lioness converts from a stroll to an opportunistic meat seeking missile. A galloping gait of rippling muscles covers the open ground with just 4 strides, at one stride from impact the fortunate ram facing the attack catches the blur of movement and jerks out of his engaged battle and pivots to run as the lioness arrives enveloping the back two-thirds of the other ram and rolls it to the ground one step shy of clipping the legs of the second ram who sprints to safety as his opponent is now in the vise clamp eternal sleeper hold of the lioness. This would not be the prolonged choke of the cheetah that we witnessed in the Serengeti, life was gone within three minutes and in less than another five feeding begins. Unfortunately at this point we must rush to make the 6 p.m. closing gate and avoid a fine so reluctantly we pick our jaws up off the floor, rein our transcended wild spirits back into our bodies and proceed up the road. As we climb out of the Crater there is a breeding herd of elephants on both sides of the road but we can only slow down, no time to stop and we make the exit gate two minutes before closing. The surprise hunt is discussed and replayed over and over. Later, the guides meet by the pool to enjoy a Tusker at sundown and we decide to a man that this opportunistic ambush is the sighting of the safari and as breathtaking a hunting moment as anyone of has observed.
One more drive in the Crater and then the trip wrap up....
Aug 19th, 2008, 06:55 PM
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A lion kill in the crater. Grand finale for you and the poor gazelle. You used the Sopa road, right? That one is not bad.
Would rangers really get involved if a hippo wedges itself between some rocks? If it can get water to stay hydrated, won't it just lose weight and eventually slip out? If not, then wouldn't it just be nature taking its course? Maybe hippos wedging themselves in rocks are best left out of the gene pool.
In contrast, I was just reading about a hyena with a snare around its neck. I would hope there would be something rangers could do about that.
Would rangers really get involved if a hippo wedges itself between some rocks? If it can get water to stay hydrated, won't it just lose weight and eventually slip out? If not, then wouldn't it just be nature taking its course? Maybe hippos wedging themselves in rocks are best left out of the gene pool.
In contrast, I was just reading about a hyena with a snare around its neck. I would hope there would be something rangers could do about that.
Aug 20th, 2008, 05:50 AM
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Lynn: this lion kill was the crowning event for the trip and one that I will never forget. I do not think she was really hunting, just saw an easy opportunity and took it creating an incredible sighting for us that was truly pure luck. We did no work to get this treat, just right place at an extraordinary time.
We used both roads as we entered the Crater arriving from Ndutu on the west access road and then utilized the east road by the Sopa the rest of the time. I thought both were in good condition, but using the east road did seem to help a lot with having less vehicles around early and late in the day.
I am a firm believer in the hands off policy for interfering with wildlife and I'm not sure what level of effort the rangers were going to put in as we left. This was a bit of a dilemma as the picnic ground is so crowded with tourists and the bus load of children were all crowding around this poor hippo. If there is a direct human cause to the issue, like a snare on a hyena, then I think it is appropriate to act. I did not fight through the crowd to see but it's possible that this hippo was stuck due to a manmade structure in the lake but I'm not sure. It was pathetic though as the hippo was sprawled over between its back and side moving legs trying to dislodge its behemoth mass. I'd rather think about the lioness.
We used both roads as we entered the Crater arriving from Ndutu on the west access road and then utilized the east road by the Sopa the rest of the time. I thought both were in good condition, but using the east road did seem to help a lot with having less vehicles around early and late in the day.
I am a firm believer in the hands off policy for interfering with wildlife and I'm not sure what level of effort the rangers were going to put in as we left. This was a bit of a dilemma as the picnic ground is so crowded with tourists and the bus load of children were all crowding around this poor hippo. If there is a direct human cause to the issue, like a snare on a hyena, then I think it is appropriate to act. I did not fight through the crowd to see but it's possible that this hippo was stuck due to a manmade structure in the lake but I'm not sure. It was pathetic though as the hippo was sprawled over between its back and side moving legs trying to dislodge its behemoth mass. I'd rather think about the lioness.
Aug 20th, 2008, 09:42 AM
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Lynn: yes, we had a good variety as well as some good quality sightings in the Crater.
I believe everyone in the group definitely wants to return to Africa and there has been talk of me leading them to Botswana, as well as possibly a South American destination! Nothing immediately on tap as the saving process begins again but they have paid me the ultimate compliment of referring quite a few friends and I have two new groups to lead in 2009 directly attributable to this one. They were all really nice people and a pleasure to be on safari with and at this point they have become my friends.
I believe everyone in the group definitely wants to return to Africa and there has been talk of me leading them to Botswana, as well as possibly a South American destination! Nothing immediately on tap as the saving process begins again but they have paid me the ultimate compliment of referring quite a few friends and I have two new groups to lead in 2009 directly attributable to this one. They were all really nice people and a pleasure to be on safari with and at this point they have become my friends.
Aug 22nd, 2008, 06:16 PM
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YIPPEE--more of PBs report!
Bill,
I wish I could hire someone to manage my own projects. I have been back from my last vacation (Costa Rica) almost a month and I haven’t even started a trip report or posted photos yet.
Thanks for the update/continuation.
I'll remember to avoid the picnic area at the crater and ask for some variety in those box lunches.
Oh, that poor hippo. Not just to be trapped, but to be trapped amidst a boat load of gawking tourists. Ouch!
How wonderful you got some less crowded time in the Crater, especially watching the bonding of brotherhood among the lions. To be followed by the lioness taking down one of the dueling Grant’s must have been fantastic. That must rank right up there with your close encounter with Orion. What an amazing surprise ending to the day. I am sure it will be etched in your mind forever. Don’t you just love being on safari? Every time I read something like that I can almost imagine being there. It is then that I realize that no other place on earth comes close to offering such an experience.
You had me hooked at Orion. Any other amazing surprises?
Bill,
I wish I could hire someone to manage my own projects. I have been back from my last vacation (Costa Rica) almost a month and I haven’t even started a trip report or posted photos yet.
Thanks for the update/continuation.
I'll remember to avoid the picnic area at the crater and ask for some variety in those box lunches.
Oh, that poor hippo. Not just to be trapped, but to be trapped amidst a boat load of gawking tourists. Ouch!
How wonderful you got some less crowded time in the Crater, especially watching the bonding of brotherhood among the lions. To be followed by the lioness taking down one of the dueling Grant’s must have been fantastic. That must rank right up there with your close encounter with Orion. What an amazing surprise ending to the day. I am sure it will be etched in your mind forever. Don’t you just love being on safari? Every time I read something like that I can almost imagine being there. It is then that I realize that no other place on earth comes close to offering such an experience.
You had me hooked at Orion. Any other amazing surprises?
Aug 25th, 2008, 10:54 AM
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Hi Dana: wow, Costa Rica, I'll have to look out for your report. Sounds great, and yes there is nothing else like being on safari.
The lion kill in the Crater was phenomenal but also completely different than the experience with Orion. Basically the lion kill was one of the most amazing moments you could ever watch, but with Orion I exited the role of observer and for a moment became an actor within his society, transending boundaries between us.
The lion kill is the last National G experience from the trip. I still have to report the last drive in the Crater and a summary of the trip but that is it for the Wow! highlights. Looks like I need to get out on another safari as soon as possible.
The lion kill in the Crater was phenomenal but also completely different than the experience with Orion. Basically the lion kill was one of the most amazing moments you could ever watch, but with Orion I exited the role of observer and for a moment became an actor within his society, transending boundaries between us.
The lion kill is the last National G experience from the trip. I still have to report the last drive in the Crater and a summary of the trip but that is it for the Wow! highlights. Looks like I need to get out on another safari as soon as possible.
Sep 12th, 2008, 05:48 PM
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I still haven't started the CR trip report, but I'll let you know when I do.
I'm not surprised you don't have any more "wow" factors or National Geographic moments. Most of us don't get even one in a lifetime yet two on one vacation. What a wonderful trip you had. I'm looking forward to the last installment and wrap-up when you have time.
Of course another safari is in order. Isn't it always?
I'm not surprised you don't have any more "wow" factors or National Geographic moments. Most of us don't get even one in a lifetime yet two on one vacation. What a wonderful trip you had. I'm looking forward to the last installment and wrap-up when you have time.
Of course another safari is in order. Isn't it always?
