How much can a Samburu lion eat a day?

Welcome to 2011. After the 2009-2010 severe drought followed by the massive floods, the Uaso Ng’iro River has dried up again!

The 2009 drought was the worst in Northern Kenya and the river was dry for nine month.

The river divides the three Game reserves – Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba. Shaba is the driest, almost barren; Buffalo Springs is the least arid and mostly with rolling plains while Samburu is more rugged with rocky outcrops. The reserves are on the southern end of the range for birds of the arid northern bush. There is plenty of bird life in the Acacias and Doum Palms along the river banks. The shade provided by the trees also makes them a favorite place for elephants during the midday sun.

The Isiolo River, which runs through Buffalo Springs and empties into Uaso Nyiro is still flowing. It originates from the springs and has permanent water. It’s the best place to find Kingfishers, and crocodiles. Stretches of the Isiolo River with overhanging grass are good for the small herons.

Wild Dogs

The wild dogs are back!  On 3^rd March a pack of 16 (11 adults and five young ones) was spotted about six kilometers to the West Gate in Samburu National Reserve.  The same pack was later spotted hunting near Observation Point in Buffalo Springs National Reserve.  The puppies looked healthy meaning the adults are not having a hard time hunting down prey.

Lions

I took this picture in February 17 in Samburu National Reserve when our guests Alex, Collins, Holly and Mary saw the above two females from the Koitogo pride. They were very excited to spot them before they left for home.

We followed these two lionesses for five minutes, and our patience was rewarded when the alpha female caught a sleeping gerenuk fawn (giraffe-neck antelope)! It was an amazing sighting. We followed the female with the kill through the toothbrush trees near the Old Samburu airstrip where the whole pride was and we saw five more lions running towards the female with the kill. It was before breakfast and we watched the pride for 15 minutes before we drove back to the camp. Excitement is never far off in Samburu due to its dense vegetation.

Baboons

Baboons are opportunistic eaters and fond of crops. They are the bane of many African farmers. The baboons eat fruits, grasses, seeds, bark, and roots and have a taste for meat. They eat birds, rodents and even the young of larger mammals, such as antelopes and sheep. Baboons have large troops, composed of dozens or even hundreds of baboons, governed by a complex hierarchy that is fascinating, especially on game drive. Males use physical power to dominate rivals. Baboons spend endless hours carefully grooming one another to remove insects and dead skin

How much can a lion eat a day?

Lions in Samburu will eat every three to four days and can go without food for more than a week. This means that the average "daily" intake of food in about 5 to 7 kgs. A lion can eat up to 25% of its own body mass when needed. The average lion will normally only kill enough to sustain himself – which is about 15 animals per year. There are incidents of young lions killing needlessly, picking on small and weak animals just for the sake of killing.

Courtesy Brian and Alison Bloch.©

The Uniqueness of Samburu

The mane of the adult male lion, unique among cats, is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent intimidation display; this aids the lion during confrontations with other lions. The lions in Samburu have shorter manes compared to their Mara cousins. They are are paler in colour, which is an adaptation to this arid land. 

Courtesy Brian and Alison Bloch.

Gerenuk antelope

Reticulated giraffes with Beisa's oryx

Grevy's zebra

Somali ostrich

Samburu is world famous for its famous five; the long-necked gerenuk antelope, Beisa's oryx, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra and Somali ostrich. Our leopards are difficult to spot but with our expert guides, one will think the Samburu leopards know us. The Koitogo Mountain has five leopards while one of the females among them has a cub. She lost the second cub last year. Our leopards have not been named but we can recognize some of them from their behaviour.

In Samburu, I've always had great luck spotting leopards while taking guest on game drives. Once a leopard climbed into a tree while we watched. I recommend Samburu for leopards

Leopards living in desert areas tend to be pale yellow in color. Leopards inhabiting grasslands are a deeper golden color.

Northern Kenya is a huge expanse of scrub desert, bisected by a few life saving rivers. A true wilderness, this area of Kenya is very sparsely populated, and game patterns have been little affected by humans. 

Steven Tilas, Resident Naturalist, Samburu Intrepids Camp ©Heritage Hotels Ltd