HARTLAUB’S TURACO (Tauraco hartlaubi)

The Hartlaub’s Turacos (Tauraco hartlaubi) have been at the Great Rift Valley Lodge since mid-November 2018, having flown in from the neighbouring Eburru forest during the recent drought. The colourful turacos love to feed on the fruits of the Chinese berry, the Rhus natalensis, pepper tree and fig tree.

The turacos are in the bird family Musophagidae (literally ‘banana-eaters’), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away birds are commonly known as loeries.

They are semi-zygodactylous. This means that the fourth (outer) toe can be twitched back and forth. The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species.

The turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments giving them their bright green and red feathers.

They are medium-sized arboreal birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where they live in forests, woodland and savanna.

Their flight is weak, but they run quickly through the tree canopy. They feed mostly on fruits but will also eat leaves, buds and flowers, occasionally taking small insects, snails, and slugs.

As their name suggests, turacos enjoy bananas and can become tame as to be hand-fed. They are also partial to grapes and pawpaw (papaya).

They build large stick nests in trees, and lay 2 or 3 eggs. The young are born with thick down and open or nearly-open eyes.

Hunting Independently

Weather

March began with heavy rains which washed away some camps, flooded the rivers and made the bridges impassable.

However the rains brought a sigh of relieve for the wildlife and the communities that were desperately looking to the rainy season. The livestock belonging to the Masai communities had been ravaged by the drought.

It’s cool most of the time with temperatures ranging between 16ºc in the mornings and evenings to 24ºc during the day.

Wildebeest Phenomena in the Mara

The wildebeest began to drop their young in the Mara in February and are still giving birth in large numbers. This is a phenomenon because wildebeest give birth in the Serengeti and in the Loita Plains but not in the Mara.

The Loita herds of wildebeest and zebra are back in the park heading south towards the Talek River. Some have crossed to Possee Plains.

General game

Game viewing has been good with lots of plains wildlife feasting on the green pastures and water.

The topi continue to rut. Males display their dominance in the breeding grounds (leks) with females moving in and out of them.

Warthogs, buffalos, Maasai giraffes are well fed and calving. Herds of eland are common around the Mara Intrepids camps where they are marooned between the Olare Orok and Ntiakitiak Rivers.

On a recent early morning game drive we saw a python strangle and swallow a dikdik.  

Predators

Lions

The Olkiombo Pride

It is reclaiming its former territory along the Talek River. The pride has two big, dominant males named Maridadi and Kaka including four females and nine cubs.

Maridadi seems to be a bit bigger than his coalition mate and has been crossing the Talek River but does not venture far from it. He may be looking for new territory.

The Ridge Pride

It’s in its territory at the Topi Plains. The pride was seen feasting on a cow and a hippo. Blacky and Lipstick are still the dominant males. There are also three young males in the pride who may be kicked out soon as they are almost sexually mature.

The Enkuyanai Pride

It’s along Ntiakitiak River, crossing the river every time the water goes down. The lions killed a buffalo and they feasted on it for three days. The dominant males - Oloolpapit and Olbarnoti – then started to mate.

Leopards

Bahati

She and her cubs are roaming around the Mara Intrepids.  We have named the two cubs Hatari (the male cub) and Bella 2 (the female). They seem to be separating from their mother at a very early age as they are barely one year old. However the cubs are already independent and hunt for themselves. On several occasions, they have been seen with kills of young impala and scrub hares up in the trees.

Recently, Bahati killed a big male impala but didn’t bother to call the cubs. She ate for two days and left without looking for the cubs.

Kaboso

She and her two cubs are also doing well. Kaboso with the help of her older male cub Blue Eyes is keeping a serious watch over the cubs as there are many baboons and hyenas around. Blue Eyes helps his mother to hunt gazelles and warthogs.

Luluka

She’s at Olkeju Rongai and has been seen with gazelle and impala kills up on a tree on different occasions.

Cheetahs

Malaika

She and her two male cubs were on the western side of Olare Orok River when the water level was at its highest.  There are unconfirmed reports that Malaika may have tried to cross the flooded river and drowned.

Other reports are that she may have left her cubs who are now old enough to hunt.

Malaika had shown some signs of coming on heat and we our keeping our fingers crossed that she is fine. Her cubs are still searching for her.

Imani

She had a new litter of four cubs around the Lookout Hill.  She has lost one and we hope the remaining three will survive as she seems to be taking very good care of them.

By R. Koikai

Senior driver-guide at Mara Intrepids/Explorer Camps

GRVL Fun Facts

Trees/shrub

Common Name: Broad-leaved Croton

Swahili Name: Mfurufuru

Usage and treatment

Part used: Leaves, fruits, seeds and stem
 Attractive tree often planted to provide shade in plantations
 Stabilizes and enriches the soil
 Seeds are used as a fish poison
 A vegetable salt is prepared from the ashes of the burnt leaves
 Most parts of the plant are used to treat various conditions
 The juice from the leaves is used as an anthelmintic to rid the body of parasites and toxins
 A root decoction is used as an anthelmintic for tapeworm
 The juice is also for dealing with skin problems, applied on wounds to hasten clotting and treat sores, warts and ringworm
 The leaves or young shoots are eaten to treat fever and oedema
 A boiled leaf decoction is drunk, or the ashes taken orally, as a treatment for cough
 A decoction of the young leafy shoots, combined with Justicia schimperiana, pepper, butter and milk, is used in the treatment of jaundice, and for an eruptive disease resembling small-pox
 An extract of leaves is used against itchy scalp, as a purgative, to treat malaria and venereal diseases
 The bark is an ingredient for effective purgative and vermifuge
 The seed is eaten to procure abortion
 A preparation of the seed is instilled into the ear as a remedy for ear-troubles
 The crushed leaves and seed mixed are drunk in water as a remedy for tapeworm.

Fun fact:
 Eburru forest has diverse habitats
 It’s home to 188 known species of birds
 Here are some of the most beautiful ones

Doherty's bush shrike

Eastern double-collared sunbird   

By Kilonzo, senior naturalist at the Great Rift Valley Lodge

Fun Facts: Ostriches

Did you know that?

• Ostrich have bigger eyes than any other living vertebrate on land. With their acute eyesight and hearing they can sense predators like lions from far away. 
• When being pursued by a predator, ostriches have been known to reach speeds in excess of 70 km per hour (45 miles per hour), and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km per hour (30 miles per hour).
• They have an external ear unlike any other bird.
• They have unique pubic bones that are fused to hold their gut.
• They have no feathers on their legs.

• The bird stands on two toes, with the bigger one resembling a hoof. This is an adaptation unique to ostriches that appears to aid in running.
• The neck is so flexible that they can pick anything on it using its own bill.

• They have 50–60 tail feathers, wings have 16 primary, four alula and 20–23 secondary feathers.
  
• Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. The small vestigial wings are used by males in mating displays. They can also provide shade for chicks. The feathers are soft and serve as insulation, and are quite different from the stiff airfoil feathers of flying birds. There are claws on two of the wings' fingers.
  
• Their chest is bare which the ostrich covers using its wings when sleeping or feeding.
• They have strong and long legs.
• Ostriches live in nomadic groups of 5 to 30 in Samburu. They often move together with other grazing animals such as zebra and antelopes. They feed on seeds and other plants and will occasionally eat insects. 
• They swallow pebbles to aid digestion.
• An adult ostrich typically carries about 1 kg of stones in its stomach.
• When threatened, ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks using their powerful legs

 Heritage Hotels (Kenya) manages one luxury camp in Samburu National Reserve, the Samburu Intrepids Camp. A lush oasis on the banks of the great Uaso Nyiro River, this tented lodge is a delight to be in – deliciously cooled by the river breeze and the forest. Report and pictures by Steven Tilas, Naturalist, Samburu Intrepids.  ©Heritage Hotels Ltd, Kenya. http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/

Fun Facts: Elephants in Samburu

Did you know...

• That in Samburu we have 66 families of Elephants, which make a total number of 750 residents’ elephants?
• During rainy seasons, the number can exceed up to 1200 individuals.
• Young baby elephants are weaned in their first year. The calf depends on the mother for three to five years

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• A new-born elephant at birth weighs 77-113 kg. But they weigh only 4% of an adult female's weight and only 2% of an adult male’s and may consume 11.4 litres of milk a day.
• They have good memories and their brain is 30-40% the size of an adult. Mothers allocate care and interact differently depending on the baby's sex.
• The young calves are tended not only by their mothers, but also by other females of the herd. 

There are many eyewitness accounts of the females in the herd gathering around to welcome the new-born.  Within minutes of the birth, the mother and other females trumpet, rumble and scream, oozing temporal secretions down the side of their faces.  During these initial minutes the mother also attempts to help the new-born rise to its feet. This is a matter of survival since the new-born must stand to drink its mother's milk. Without this necessary food, the calf is sure to perish.

Watch Samburu animals and elephant numbers in the video below.

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