News from Maasai Mara, Kenya June 20th 2008

Our guides at Mara Intrepids have reported the head of the migration is still streaming in, albeit at a slow pace, over the past week. Traditionally, zebras lead the rest of the migratory herds, and as we are reliably informed, it won't be long before the official migration is on. Our guests have witnessed a few crossings in the past few days. Low water levels and fewer herds have not stopped the crocodiles from trying to grab the zebras on the shallow waters.


Once across the river, they enter the Mara triangle, spreading out southwards onto the recently burnt area of the conservancy. While most other areas are still teeming with grass, this area still requires some rain for the new shoots to sprout. If the grass on the Mara plains is not burnt, then the herds may spend more time here. What remains to be seen is whether they follow their natural instincts to move on - that natural calling that abounds above all else.

PREDATORS:
Lions:
Lion sighting was reported throughout the past week. Long grass on the plains is forcing them to go up vantage points to spot their prey and survey their territories.
Shonko Pride has moved north of the Talek River towards the junction with the Mara River. This is normally part of the Ridge Pride's territory, but they have also moved east towards the border of the reserve with Olare-Orok Conservancy. The scarcity of prey has forced the pride to split into three small groupings.

Olkiombo Pride has settled to the east of Mara Intrepids and Explorer camps. They are now in two groups, one with five adult females with six cubs and another with three adult females with four cubs. Lion cubs have a rare survival rate, especially during the drier seasons where food is scarce. We hope these cubs will survive till the arrival of the main migration herds when food shall be in plenty.

Leopards:
Our guests at Mara Intrepids saw Olive twice over the past week. In one of the times, she was seen carrying a carcass of a gazelle for over a kilometre, and our guides believe that she may have small cubs - watch this space for confirmation in the coming days!

Bella has not been seen for the past one week, but the Rekero male was spotted once near the Mara River.

Cheetah:
There were few cheetah sightings over the past week, with the long grass being the main cause. They are mainly to found in areas where the grass is short with an abudance of game. There was one female seen near Double Crossing area and another one with a cub at the Topi plains. Two sub adult males were also seen near Ntiakitiak River.


Paul Kirui, Lead Safari Guide, Heritage HotelsMigration%20Map%20-%20June202008.jpg