Defying time and tradition, huge herds of wildebeest are still to be found in the northern Mara, where Kenya’s most celebrated visitors have continued to enjoy a busy ‘second migration’. With the rest of the Mara left largely bare of grass from the first migration in July/August, the northern area was spared – providing a handy grazing reserve for the wildebeest on their second run through. Over the past week, most of the herds have been congregating in the northern part of the ‘Mara Triangle’ near Oloololo Gate and the Olpunyata Plains. To the east, there are still some herds around Rhino Ridge, Paradise Plains and Musiara, while sporadic herds can also be seen in transit between the Talek River and Roan Hill.
Earlier this week, our visitors were treated to several mass river crossings at the Paradise point, with thousands of animals passing west into the Triangle in what is believed to be the first sign of a mass exodus. Although river levels are normal, the stampeding animals have left behind a lot of casualties, providing a feast for the few crocodiles that still have an appetite left over from August. There was a moment of drama when the river current swept a handful of wildebeests towards a pod of hippos, causing considerable consternation (but no casualties) among both parties!
Predators
With another season of plenty upon them, all of the big cats in our game viewing territory have been having their fill a second time over. The Ridge pride of lions recently killed 10 wildebeest near Mara Intrepids’ airstrip over two nights – a record for our area. The ever opportunistic hyenas and vultures also had a field day, giving rise to several fights between the lions and hyenas. Cheetah sightings have also been good, with several gazelle fawns falling easy prey to these fleet-footed cats. Bella and Chui the leopards have been very active, placing themselves strategically along the Talek River to ambush crossing animals. We have also witnessed a couple of daytime hunts, which is a rarity among these usually nocturnal cats.
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