Double Crossing

The migrating herds of wildebeest and zebra are advancing towards the Greater Mara. The herds have already crossed Sand River on the Kenya-Tanzania border and are now at the Burrungat Plains, heading towards Possee Plains. There has been some rain that has sped the movement of the migration. Some herds have crossed the Olkeju Rongai River and lots more are in the Olmisigiyioi area advancing towards Possee Plains.

With the rains still in the northern part of the Mara we expect that in a few days’ time the herds will be crossing the Talek River into Olkiombo moving towards the rain and thunder storms which they can smell from afar.

Another herd is expected to cross Sand River heading towards Keekorok in a few days.

Below Lookout Hill on the southern side are other big herds that seem to be moving towards Mara River. They may be crossing into the Mara Triangle for the new fresh grass that is very nutritious for them.

The resident herds are also in plenty at Topi Plains and Double Crossing. The Topi Plains herds are headed towards Paradise Plains. The herds at Double Crossing are also crossing the Ntiakitiak River and moving towards the Talek River and will be crossing the Talek River to meet up with the main herds at Possee Plains.

As all this is happening the predators are having a field day. The lions, leopards, hyenas and the crocodiles in the rivers are feasting as the food moves through their territories. Flocks of vultures are seen circling and descending on carcasses that have been fed on by other predators.

By Koikai, senior naturalist and driver-guide at Mara Intrepids/Explorer Camps

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

The Migration Series

Weather

Dry but with very cold early mornings - temperatures as low as 15 degrees Celsius. The day warms up to 30 degrees Celsius.

Evenings get cool with temperatures at 18 degrees Celsius.

Rivers

There have been no rains in the Mara for some weeks except in the northern and eastern parts which has made it possible for the rivers like the Talek and the Olare Orok to swell and flow.

The Mara River – the life-lung of the Mara – is quite high meaning that there is some rain in the Mau forest - the source of the river.

Wildlife

With the onset of the migration, there is spectacular wildlife with the big herds of wildebeest and zebra spread all over the savanna grasslands.

There have been fantastic crossings over the Mara River with lots of wildebeest and zebras crossing at different points. All seem to be heading towards the Mara Triangle and to the salt lick at Enkoiguaate at the base of the Oloololo Escarpment. This area is very lush because it was burnt recently before the rain for fresh grass to regrow.

Some of the crossings have been at Lookout Crossing and Paradise Crossing.

At Rhino Ridge and Topi Plains near Mara Intrepids and Mara Explorer camps there are several hundreds of wildebeest and zebra making their way to the Mara River.

An interesting observation:  An albino zebra on the southern side of the Mara Intrepids and Explorer camps.

During the annual migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti, elephants tend to move to less crowded areas but there have been sightings of families of up to 15 individuals by the riverine forests in search of pasture as there is hardly anything for them to eat on the plains.

Rhinos have been seen at Olkeju Rongai and around Chemarta.

Buffalos are common but out-numbered by the migrating wildebeest and zebras. Several hundreds’ are calving.  

Eland are also common by the sundowner site by the camp.

Giraffe, impala and gazelles are in plenty despite the dry season.

Predators

Lions

Ridge Pride: doing very well with the pride growing in size with a new set of cubs. Most of the adult females are also pregnant.

The pride has been at Double Crossing and having a great time hunting wildebeest every two days. The three sub-adult males (Mandevu) and their sister Ashlina seem to be getting pushed out of the pride. They have been seen on their own trying to hunt near Rhino Ridge. The dominant males - Blacky and Lipstick- are still in charge of the pride, going strong.

Paradise Pride and the Rekero breakaways: Doing great. They have several cubs.

The Musketeers are in charge of both prides. The prides are around Paradise Crossing and Chemarta hunting wildebeest and zebras.

Long Face who was the dominant male for the Maji ya Eland pride has been loitering around Rekero Crossing and Smelly Crossing. He seems unsettled since he was pushed out of his pride by the four nomads. He was last seen alone at Smelly Crossing.

Lookout Pride: Is below Lookout Hill doing well with the Notch boys in charge though they seem to be getting frail due to old age.

Cheetahs

The coalition of five male cheetahs who are of different ages have been giving us some very good sightings in most parts of the park.

They are also hunting wildebeest and at times they have made multiple kills. They seem to move a lot at night. They moved into the Olare Orok Conservancy for a night and the next day they were seen at Olkeju Rongai which is quite a distance for them to cover in a night.

Imani has left her cubs. The cubs are moving around Rhino Ridge, Possee Plains and Maji ya Eland. They have been successfully hunting - though the kills are small and sometimes they lose them to hyenas.

Malaika - the grand dame of Mara - and her two cubs are also in the same area but a bit further at Concrete Crossing near Lookout Hill. The cubs seem to be doing well but Malaika is getting weak and less efficient at hunting.

Leopards

Bahati: She and her two cubs have been elusive and spotted only once at Mara Intrepids’ Swing Bridge across the Talek River.

Her elder son Safarilink was seen in the same area. They are doing fine and the little cubs are growing.

Kaboso and her two cubs and the older cub are doing very well. They have been seen together sharing kills.

This family has been roaming between Olare Orok River and Kaboso crossing point. They have been hunting wildebeest calves as they cross the rivers.

News alert!

African Wild Dog

We had another rare sighting of a lone hunting dog at Double Crossing who was a bit nervous, running up and down.

The African hunting dog has a satellite collar fitted by researchers to learn more about his movements.

In the early 20^th century, the African hunting dog was almost shot to extinction as farmers saw it as vermin.

Numbers are now on the increase.

Senior driver-guide at Mara Intrepids Camp

By Raphael Koikai 

The Great Migration Is On!

Weather

Last two weeks: Chilly mornings and hot afternoons coupled with heavy rains - an average of 10mm per day.

Most of the crossing points are quite impassable. The Olare Orok River crossing is ok because there isn’t much rain on the northern side of the park.

The Mara River is higher than in previous years meaning there will be spectacular crossings of the wildebeest this year.

Temperatures

13^0c morning

26^0c at midday

15^0c after sunset

THE GREAT MIGRATION

The migration is on.

The first batch of wildebeest and zebras arrived in their thousands, around Zacharia, Pololet hills, Murram ya Ashnil and Sand River.

With the migration we are also seeing lots of vultures– like the Ruppell’s, African white-backed and Lappet-faced vultures.

The Loita herds are spread out around Billa Shaka and Milima Tatu and another bigger herd around Kilomita Tisa east heading south to meet with the migratory herds from the Serengeti.

We are waiting for these herds to make the famous crossing across the Talek River into Possee Plains any time now. 

Wildlife

The last two weeks the impala have been breeding close to our football pitch and around the landing strip.  Occasionally a big bull elephant comes around Mara Intrepids and Mara Explorer including a small family of several females and young ones. There’s a herd of fifty elands and their calves, giraffes and the Loita wildebeest and zebra.

PREDATORS

LIONS

Ridge Pride

The Ridge pride is still at the Topi plains and seems to have established a permanent home there. The pride is expanding its territory towards Billa Shaka because the four musketeers are not around. Lipstick and Blacky are taking advantage of their absence.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the musketeers get back to reclaim their territory.

Two females from the Ridge pride who had crossed the Mara River over to Mara Triangle are back with a cub aged about six months. They killed a wildebeest calf a week ago and seem to be doing fine.

Lipstick has been seen with two females from the Double Cross pride that had disappeared.

One of the males left after having a feast from the wildebeest kill that the females had made by Mara Explorer Camp. The following day during the morning drive he was at Billa Shaka with his mate Blacky – meaning that he travelled 15 kilometers that night.

Olkeju Ronkai Pride

This pride has been at Burrungat plains because of the huge herds of plains game -wildebeest, topis, zebras, warthogs and gazelles.

The five cubs are doing great and we have another female that has given birth to two cubs although they are still hidden.

The only male is still holding on to the pride but Earless and Boxer Nose - the other two big males around Kivuko ya Pussy are in that area as this is their territory.

With the onset of the migration, the pride is headed towards Maji Mbili in readiness of the wildebeest that are already headed towards Olmisigiyioi area.

Olkiombo Pride

The pride has been elusive but is seen around the Talek River.

LEOPARDS

Bahati has been spotted on several occasions by guests on the opposite side of the Talek River by the swimming pool at Mara Intrepids with her two cubs.

Siri the pump house leopard has been seen in Shamarta area. She had been missing for some time. There are reports that she has three cubs which we are yet to confirm.

Lorrian along Olkeju Rongai has been a common sighting. She was seen with a kill near Kivuko ya Pussy and on the following day with her cub near Maji ya Fisi. She seems to be expanding her territory.

CHEETAHS

Malaika has said goodbye to her two cubs. We are expecting a new litter from her any time before the end of June.

The two cubs have been named Malkia (female) and Mfalme (male). They are still together and are seen around Kananga and Murram ya Fig Tree.

Nora on the other hand has been around Maji ya Fisi and crossed Talek River with her sub adult cub. They are doing well.

We have two new males in the area though not together who go by the names Leomom and Martin. They have crossed over from the Mara Triangle and have of late been hanging around Double Crossing.

Report and pictures by Joseph Kang'ethe, Driver Guide, Mara Intrepids & Raphael Ole Koikai – Head Driver Guide, Mara Intrepids and Mara Explorer Camps.