Reporting Date: 21ST NOVEMBER 2011

In the world of nature, there is alot of competition  among the  hunters and the scavengers.  Animals like the lions would not like the survival of other meat-eaters like cheetahs, leopards and hyenas. whenever an opportunity arises, they make sure that they eliminate  either the young of  other cats or the bigger ones. In most instances they would kill but not eat, simply trying to bring down competition in the wild.

In the  Serengeti national park, we saw a situation whereby a leopard killed an hyena then drags it into a tree but not eating. This is an incident in which the leopard came closer to eating an hyena as they would sometimes kill  them ( especially young or sub adults) and abandon the carcasse on the ground. Meanwhile the cheetah is the most disadvantaged of the bigger cats when it comes to competition as it cannot fight because its limps are adapted only for high speed, so in tight situations, they are easily overpowered by lions.

Reporting Date: 28/11/2011.

Today on a halfday game drive Charles and his two guests were heading towards the Masai mara game reserve while it was drizzling. They thought it would be a dull day interms of animal sightings. As they were driving deeper into the game reserve they suddenly saw a cheetah on a distant plain. As they got closer they noticed she was carrying a young Impala in its mouth. They decided to persue her for a while because it seemed she was headed for some near-by bushes. Normally they would feed on the spot so as to avoid attracting attention from other predators. Everyone was curious to see whether she had cubs hidden. At first she was hesitated to call them out but to everyone's suprise two 3 months old cubs popped out! They watched for a while then decided to carry on with their game drive.

Reporting Date: 27/11/2011.

The rains have brought good fortune for all carnivores and herbivores roaming the Mara's grassy plains. The grass is getting higher and higher as each day goes by. Most of the animals time their breeding and calfing period during or after the rains. This is important so as to ensure the new borns have enough to eat.

On a game drive around the Mara bushtops conservancy Ferdinand and his guests were happy to see alot of young of many different species of animals. Best of all was when they came across a herd of elephants with a very young calf which they estimated to be about 3 weeks old. They found it funny watching the calf trying to grab some shrubs just as the mother was doing only that it never managed to get any. It was also walking as though it was drunk!!

Elephants are born after a twenty two months gestation period and the calfs have to learn how to use their trunks as they get older. As they age their feet also get stronger thus making them more stable and accurate as they walk around.

Reporting Date: 18TH NOVEMBER 2011

As Godson was doing his early morning game drive with his guests, they started by the area around the camp where they saw a big male lion which was heard roaring the whole night. As they approached Wogakuria Kopjes, they spotted a female leopard with one cub, there were also Buffalos and Elephants  close by .They then proceeded to the Mara river where they saw some wildebeests that had just crossed over. From a distance they spotted three male cheetahs with a fresh kill of a wildebeest that had just crossed the river. The three brother cheetahs which have been together for almost five years seemed to be very alert as they were  eating the kill very fast  and looking around as  scavengers always follow  them. Not long before they could enjoy their kill, Hyenas and the Vultures arrived and took over the kill.  The  three Cheetahs walked away with big disappointments with an expression that nature is always against them as they work  hard for a meal but will not always enjoy it. With the cheetahs moving away, Godson also felt  that it was time to drive on,  he  headed to Bologonja river where  suddenly they came across a herd of wildebeest trying to cross on their way to the South. From a distance, they could see a rhino and later on a black-maned lion. His guests who had been longing to see the rhino could not hold their happiness as they  had already seen lions, leopard, buffalo’s and elephants and only needed to see the rhino to complete seeing the Big Five in the Serengeti.

Reporting Date: 25/11/2011.
 

Lions normally live in prides of 2-30 members with two or three dominante males.

Japeth and his guests were heading towards the Talek river to go see some hippos and crocodiles. It was also in this same area that he was hoping to find the Talek pride which comprises of 23 members (three big males, six lionesses, eleven 10 month old cubs and three 3 month old cubs). In compensation for not coming across the big pride they saw one of the lioness and her three cubs. They watched the little cubs play with each other while one of them kept on harrassing its mother for some milk.

After a while they set off towards the river which was very full due to heavy rains in the area. Even the hippo were finding it hard to sit in water due to the strong current.

Reporting Date: 24/11/2011.

Its the rainy season and the Mara is receiving a good amount of it making the grass very green and some of the roads impassable.

Today on a full-day game drive, Peter and his four guest were on a quest to see alot of cats still active due to the cool weather. As they were driving around they came across two female Grant's gazelle troting around as though they had seen a predator. On arrival they saw a cheetah feeding on a baby grants. His guests were sad about this but also understood that it was nature and the cheetah also needed to eat.

Cheetah prefer hunting gazelles but choose young ones becuase it requires less time and energy to capture.

Reporting Date: 14TH NOVEMBER 2011
 

It was a cool cloudy day as Deus drove on the Kiunga plains for a full day game drive. On this plains are found scattered Desert date trees which form some umbrella shape, large termite mounds as well as pockets of croton bushes. Under one of the Desert date trees, Deus found some two adult lionesses with three cubs which were almost one year old. About a hundred meters away were some two male lions resting in the open grassland. As they continued driving towards the sand river which lies on the border between the Serengeti and the Mara, they found a cheetah on some termite mound looking so keenly on a group of Gazelles that were grazing happily at a distance of about two hundred  meters. Carnivores have different lifestyles, cheetah is mostly solitary while lions lead a social lifestyle with high chances of succesful hunting.

Head Scout’s daily report.

Reporting date: 21/11/2011.

Charles and his two guests set out on a gamedrive in the Mara bushtops conservancy. As they were watching a tower of giraffe browsing away in some thickets just infront of the camp they noticed some impala starring in the same direction. They soon drove to where the impala were and to their suprise they saw some hyaenas chasing away a young female cheetah from a fresh impala carcass. It was sad because the cheetah had hardly eaten anything. His guest were shocked to see how quick the carcass was finished.

Cheetah tend to avoid any confrotation because if they get an injury it can be fatal and may affect their hunting.

Reporting Date: 20/11/2011.

It is very rare to see nocturnal animals during the day.

During a fullday game drive Peter and his four guests came across an unsual sighting. They found it hard to come up with a conclusion of which animal it was since it was tightly tucked behind a thicket. At first they thought it was a Jackal then again a hyena, suddenly on of the guests exclaimed 'its an Aardwolf'. The conclusion was made and his guests were impressed because it was a new mammal to add on their list.

Aardwolfs 'Earth wolf' are generally solitary/nocturnal mammals which mainly feed on termites and insect larvae. They live in self dug-out burrows or shallow dens.

Reporting Date: 19/11/2011
 

Today during the early morning gamedrive, ranger Alex and his four guests came upon mother cheetah and her two cubs. it was very relaxed and was using her tongue to leak her young ones.

A female cheetah normally gives birth in long grasses or among tall vegetation, upto six cubs are born in a hallow created by their mothers body in long grass.

Their eyes open by the time they are two weeks old, and remain hidden for the first six weeks. A mother often moves her cubs from one hidding place to another during this period carrying them in her mounth.