Serengeti Day 2

We went to sleep to the sounds of hyenas, heard a group of lions attacking something, during the night, and the wind howled through the canvas walls. The Masai men walked us to an early morning breakfast outdoors, then we’re off at 8:00am for a full day of wildlife viewing.

Early on, we see a family of Olive baboons crossing the path, but too fast for me to take a photo. Joel tells us that the males dominate the troop, and defend the group if they are attacked. Lots of gazelles, some zebras, and giraffes nearby, here’s the link to the video of a giraffe walking toward a tree. Their gait reminds me of how professional ballet dancers walk, turned out, with each step carefully articulated. https://vimeo.com/184134524

Soon we’re in an open area, where we begin to look for leopard or cheetah. Aileen spots a leopard in an acacia tree, her tail hanging down. Joel says that the leopard hunt at night, and bring their kill up into the tree to eat and rest. This one is really sacked out, draped over the branch, after her big meal. This particular leopard is too far away for me to photograph with the iPad, but is spectacular through the binoculars. I will try to add Barney’s photo later.

The Big Five discussed in African wildlife are the Lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, and Cape buffalo. So far we have seen all but the rhino.

We pause at a little rest stop, where there were many other vans stopped as well. And a flock of Superb starlings (the iridescent ones), and Buffalo weavers (the black and white and orange ones) had clearly decided this was a good place to hang out and scavenge. The Buffalo weavers create the fluffy yellow nests in some acacia  trees, and the entry hole is at the bottom to prevent other animals from getting in. Some of the birds gathered around Joey and Barney and Mary, almost as if listening to their conversation.

Along the road, we came to a lone zebra, posed majestically and looked right at us, who crossed just behind the truck. They are stunningly beautiful.

Then suddenly we see some other vans gathered near a leopard at the base of a tree. The big male leopards sleeping at the bear of the tree, and we spotted his prey, a dead gazelle, suspended in the tree. He starts to clean himself, them stretches and rolls over. He is in complete command, just resting while his prey is safely stored. The tiny bit hanging below the tree is the hoof of the gazelle, the head and antlers are above the limb. In the big tree view, the tiny white bit hanging down lower left is the leg of the gazelle.

We decide to wait, most of us eat lunch, hoping that the leopard will wake up and climb the tree. And after a while, he gets up, pees, walks around the tree, then leaps up into the tree and climbs up to where he stored his kill. He checks it out, then walks past it further out the limb, and lays down for a nap. He is digesting heavily and breathing deeply, his back leg moving in sync with his breathing. We all watch raptly as he settles into a new nap, his kill secure.

Farther on, we come to a herd of elephants, mothers and babies and cousins, no bulls, as they are solitary. The young males, about 15 years old, then hang out in gangs for a while, until they are about 25 and can push out an old male and take over a herd. Males continue to grow physically until they are about 40, females until about 25. In this group, there is a tiny new baby elephant, barely visible over the top of the grass, looking like a gray shadow. The herd is moving toward a large tree, where they circle up to rest in a starburst formation, so they can protect the several young ones.

Then we come to the first view of water we’ve seen. Herons stalk the grass, occasionally poking down for fish. Numerous hippos  are in the water, silent and unmoving like large gray rocks. Th,ree crocodiles sit half in, half out of the water, also unmoving. On the side is a truly newborn Thomson’s gazelle, Joel says les than 30 minutes old, as it is not yet standing up, and still has some placenta attached. The moth stand guard on top of the tiny hill while the gazelle trie s to stand. Byte time are about 30 minutes old, the gazelles can stand on their own, and start to walk with the mother at about two hours old, amazing considering ha I no muscle tone after a six- month gestation. A reebok hops by, seems to confer with the mother gazelle, then moves on. We learn from our guide John that the word Serengeti means “endless” in Masai.



Another rest stop, with nice newish bathrooms and small tables to eat, and an interesting. Nature walk. A major feature is the kobje, granite outcroppings that have been pushed up over geological ages. These inspired the “Simba Rock” in the Disney film The Lion King. Near the picnic area we saw a small group of Hyrex , small rodent-like animals which are actually related to elephants, with similar feet and small tusks.











Off to an area near the river, we encounter a huge herd  of Cape buffalo, perhaps 500-750 head, essentially in a large circle around our truck. The males with the big tusks that grow like a cap over their heads are staring at us, keeping a very close eye on things.


Then John spotted something under a large umbrella acacia tree, which turned out to be a lion and a lioness, the brown dots under the tree (better photos from Barney to come). Joel told us that males can tell which lioness is in estrus, and will cut her from the herd.hey then stay together for 2 days to one week, mating and resting, mating and resting, fasting the whole time.we see them sleeping under a tree, and the. The lioness gets up and stretches, so catlike, and then the male rises too. He turns to her and mounts her, briefly, then they separate, and lie down again. We are all in awe, even Joel said it was only the second time he has seen lions mate. Ari actually gets it on video, breathtaking.

Serengeti Day 2

Soon we come to a gathering of about 15 trucks, gathered near a pride of lions. On the left are two lionesses, pacing and then finally weaving through the parked jeeps to the other side. There we see a pride of lions, about 6 cubs and 8 lionesses, feeding on a zebra, who we can identify  by the stripes. The lions’ lips and noses are red from the blood. Then about 50 yards away comes the male, who walked alongside our truck and put his feet up on a small hill in the "Lion King" pose, setting off a barrage of photography. By his time nearly 40 jeeps had gathered to see the pride with the kill and the lion, and the lion turned away from the trucks which separate him from the kill, and walked off into the tall grass. Joel said these animals are used to the trucks that have been operating here for generations, but still it seems to have distracted the lion from crossing over to the kill. 

We left and continue on the road to the lodge. On the right, Joel spotted a mongoose, and the two jackals walking in the background. Turns out they were stalking a young Thomson's gazelle, which they then started to chase at high speed, running in front of us and then in a big arc to the left. Despite the two jackals on one gazelle, the gazelle seemed to escape  which we were all relieved at. Joel said it was the second time on these trips he had seen a chase, that it is quite rare.

Then closer to the lodge the jeep ahead spotted some cheetah cubs with their mother, five cubs in all. They are adorable Little fluff balls, we just wanted to pick one up and cuddle it. Joel said they were about 4 months old. The mother cheetah was keeping a vey close eye on us. John said that the cheetah mothers sometimes have problems when they on a 2-3 mile long chase, as they leave their cubs behind, and sometimes then cannot find them after. The leopards and lions are a considered "good mothers" as they stay close for hunt, and then can go back easily to get the cubs to come and feed. If a cheetah cub is left on its own, it may be attacked my a lion or leopard, or hyenas which hunt in packs.

What an incredible day, we are so lucky in all the amazing things we have seen today. We arrive back at the lodge, hot and tired and dusty. The outdoor shower feels delicious, and we have a little time to sit on the deck and gaze out onto this beautiful landscape. It seems so serene from a distance, yet now we know how teeming with life it is up close, from the mating to the birth to the adulthood to the chase and finally, in death nourishing other life.