Interesting lives of cats: Cheetahs, Masai Mara

As you'll see in our previous post, Mara Big Cats in April, the long grass affects how cheetahs hunt. As one of the most vulnerable cat (facing extinction due to dwindling habitats, competition for prey from other bigger cats/predators, lack of a big gene pool, climate, etc), cheetahs are fighting a battle for survival.

Cheetah Facts:

✓ The word "cheetah" is derived from the Sanskrit word citrakāyaḥ, meaning "variegated body".

✓ The cheetah is the fastest land mammal, reaching up to speeds of 120kph (75 mph).

✓ A cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 110 km/h in 3 seconds, but cannot sustain that speed for very long, otherwise it's brain would heat up excessively and cause permanent brain damage!

✓ Adults weight between 40 - 65 kgs.

✓ They have distinct 'tear marks' running from the corner of the eyes down the sides of the nose to the mouth to ward-off bright sunlight from the eyes and to aid in hunting and seeing long distances.

✓ Their total body length is from 115 to 135 cm (45 to 53 in), while the tail can measure up to 84 cm (33 in) in length. They use their tails for 'steering' - changing course in full flight while hunting.

✓ Like most cats, cheetahs can purr as they inhale, but cannot roar like lions or tigers.

✓ Cheetahs are not adaptive to new habitats, and are an endangered species. They once roamed Africa and Asia, but are now found in small pockets in Africa, and souther western Asia.

✓ The gestation period is 90 - 98 days, and they give bath to a litter of up to nine cabs. Cubs leave their mother between thirteen and twenty months after birth.

✓ The life span is up to twelve years in the wild, and about twenty if in captivity.

✓ They are carnivores, eating small prey like Thomson's gazelles, impala, hares and young wildebeest. They are fussy eaters, and will not eat sickly animals or animals they have not killed themselves (as seen in this footage)!

This famous band is fondly referred to as "the three brothers", and are stars in BBC's Big Cat Diary Series, which is short in the locality of Mara Intrepids. They have caught a young wildebeest, which seems to be injured.

He seems to have picked up an injury, possibly due the hazardous crossing. The three brothers are unsure – they only eat prime!

Finally they leave him alone, and in fact choose to hang out. They discuss his travels from distant lands and the family that has left him at their mercy..

✓ Last but not least, cheetahs are not known to climb trees - but trust us to get rare footage! This happens when grass in the savannah is tall, and they want to watch out for their enemies, who are the other big cats, hyenas, buffalos or elephants.

On a regular game drive, our Assitant Chief Guide at Mara Intrepids, DC (Dixon Chelule) came across this collector's item.

Mother cheetah hiding her cubs in the long grass..

But she is not comfortable. She is wary of attacks from hyenas, lions, leopards or buffalo.

So she opts to go up a tree to scan the horizons

She looks this way

and that..

Mommy, I want to see too..Sonny scampers up the tree

I've seen enough, coast is clear..

And here's a video of the whole fam up the tree.

Book and pay for two nights at Mara Intrepids (online) and get the third free! This offer is valid till June on a first-come-first-serve basis, and subject to availability. http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/specials/3-for-2-safari-special/

Admin, Lo'mon LeHeritage; Pictures DC (Dixon Chelule) Assitant Chief Guide at Mara Intrepids, 

(Lo'mon is Samburu for news; Le Heritage means from Heritage) 

Masai Mara, Big Cats in April

Lions

It’s been a little quiet during the first half of April and this has to do with the rains. The grass has grown tall and as is the case always at this time of the year, most animals have moved to areas where the grass is shorter.

There are two main reasons for this. One is that it’s easier for the herbivores to spot the predators where the grass is short. The second reason is that the shorter grass offers more nutritious shoots.

We are lucky at Mara Intrepids and Mara Explorer for the Olkiombo Pride has not moved away despite having a difficult time hunting as most grazers are in the short grass plains. The Olkiombo Pride has 30 lions, which consists of three males, small cubs, sub adults and females. They are still prowling the area east of Mara Intrepids and Mara Explorer while the other prides have extended their territories to cover large hunting grounds.

It’s interesting to note that the young males are trying to inch their way into other males’ territories to establish themselves as the new dominant male of the pride - but they have no chance as the dominant males’ stand their ground and see the intruders off.

The Sekenani Pride is still seen west of Sekenani gate giving the Heritage guests at Siana Springs superb sightings of these lions.

Leopards

Leopard sightings have never been better. We have seven leopards in our game viewing areas, which have been seen several times over the past two weeks.

Olive is still around her territory with her two cubs that we have named Nkaiyoni and Paja.

Meanwhile guests at Siana Springs continue to enjoy leopards around the Kissinger area. They are often seen up in the trees scanning the plains for prey. It’s easier to scan the plains from the trees instead of being at ground level because the long grass makes it difficult to see anything.

Cheetahs

The long grass has not made it easy for the cheetahs to hunt and so we have not been very lucky spotting them. Most of the cheetahs have followed the herds outside the park. However we still get to see two females with their cubs around Rhino Ridge because of the small herds of gazelles, impala and topi present. The female to the east of Rhino Ridge and the female near Mara Explorer each have a cub. 

Honey’s three young sons are also around Rhino Ridge and our guests have had great sightings of them showing off their hunting skills.

Paul Kirui, Chief Safari Guide, Heritage Hotels

You can read more on Mara Intrepids at http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/tented-camps/mara-intrepids/

Book and pay for two nights at this property and get the third free! http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/specials/3-for-2-safari-special/

Giraffe giving birth!

Don't some people just have the best jobs in the world? On a game drive in the Masai Mara, Dixon Chelule (or DC as he's popularly known), the Assistant Chief Safari Guide at Mara Intrepids came across this mother giraffe giving birth and shared these pictures.

The calf's hind legs come out first.

As you notice, the giraffe gives birth while standing.

Ain't nature a marvel? No midwives, gloves or theatre needed here!

The calf is born, and mommy giraffe is kissing her and welcoming her to this shocking world!

This is when the calf is most vulnerable from predators, and mommy is all too aware.

Within a few minutes of birth, he can stand and will be trying out his first wobbly steps.

Easy does it..

Another marvel, and beauty of nature – he already knows where food comes from! Mommy giraffe is beside herself with joy! "My son, I shall name you Mrefu. That is Swahili for tall, as you shall be one day!" she seems to be saying.

Fun facts: Giraffe

✓ The  giraffe is the tallest of all land mammals, and can be as high as  5m tall. It uses the long neck to browse the succulent leaves high in the trees.
✓ They inhabit the African  savannas, open grasslands or woodlands,, especially where there are acacia trees.
✓ The gestation period lasts  between 400 and 460 days.
✓ The young of a giraffe is called a calf, and is born almost 1.8m (6ft tall)!!
✓ It can run around within a few hours of being born to get away from potential prey like lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs, but normally send s the first two to three weeks hiding in the tall savannah grass.
✓ The giraffe's heart weighs 24 pounds (10.9 kg).
✓ The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between ten minutes and two hours in a 24-hour period, averaging 1.9 hours per day.

You can read more on Mara Intrepids at http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/tented-camps/mara-intrepids/

Book and pay for two nights at this property and get the third free! http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/specials/3-for-2-safari-special/

Admin, Lo'mon LeHeritage 

(Lo'mon is Samburu for news; Le Heritage means from Heritage) 

Wildlife sightings - March

Maasai Mara

The weather has changed again making for excellent game viewing. The skies are clear from morning to evening. The red-oat grass is a meter and half tall, only suitable for elephants and buffaloes because they can see the predators from afar.

A good number of streams, luggas and rivers can be crossed to other parts of the reserve except for the Talek River. There is only one main bridge, which is passable. The other weathered crossings are still impassable as there is a lot of sand deposition in them. To access down south from Mara Intrepid, one has to go through Talek Gate.

PLAIN GAME CONCENTRATION

Due to the heavy rains, there’s food for all the herbivores, which has triggered the rutting season for elephants and topis. It’s because of this phenomenal that we are seeing many herds of elephants around Olkiombo. The topis are also forming groups in their localized breeding grounds in Topi Plains and Paradise Plains. There’s good game viewing to the east of Mara Intrepids towards the Masai villages where the grass is short due to over grazing by the Masai cattle.

PREDATORS SIGHTING

LIONS

The lion sightings are good but the prides are starting to split into small groups because of the prey availability. The Olkiombo Pride has separated in to four groups: The lionesses with cubs are avoiding the males because they might steal the prey leaving the cubs and females hungry. The four sub adult-males are starting to leave the pride, but there is not much to hunt. The young cubs might suffer and be abandoned by their mothers if there is not enough food to provide. The three adult males are alone and avoided by the females.

The Paradise Pride is coming up strongly with six adult males, which have been killing hippos. This is enough source of food to sustain the whole pride.

LEOPARDS

Leopards’ sightings have been around Olkiombo and along Talek Olare-Orok Rivers.

Olive, one of the BBC Big Cat Diary film stars, has been roaming between Mara Explorer and Mara Intrepid camps, with her two eight-month-old male cubs. She has been hunting warthog piglets, impalas and Bohor reedbucks. The Ridge male who is the father of Olive’s cubs is between Olare Orok and Rhino Ridge.

Big Boy who is the father of Olive’s other three sub adult cubs - Aya, Binti and Kali - is seen between Talek and Mara River. He was seen with an adult warthog kill up on the tree. He has is sharing the territory with his son Kali. Whenever Big Boy crosses Mara River in to the Mara Triangle, Kali takes over that section of the territory. When Big Boy returns to the Narok side, Kali moves towards Rekero Camp.

CHEETAHS

We have eight cheetahs around Rhino Ridge. There are the three male brothers from Honey, a solitary female. There is also a female with a cub of 11 months and a female with a cub of five months. They are found in one area because of the availability of prey.

John Parmasau, Safari Guide, Mara Intrepids

Wildlife sightings - February

Following the heavy rains in the Mara, it’s been quite a challenge to drive to some parts of the reserve because of the black cotton soil which becomes a sticky mess.

Fortunately, the mornings are superb - clear skies with the sun shining but changing to clouds and rain in the afternoons and night. The rivers, like the Talek, have filled up making it difficult to reach some areas. The grass is about a meter high and therefore the herbivores are avoiding these areas because they prefer short grass which makes it easier for them to spot the predators. Most of the animals are found on the short grassed Topi Plains between the Mara Intrepids and Musiara, Paradise Plains, Talek River and Lookout Hill. These are the topis, gazelles and the impalas. And where the prey goes the predators must follow. The big game like the elephants and buffalos are found on the long grass plains because they can easily spot the predators. Towards the east of the reserve the plains are over grazed by the Maasai cattle

Predator Sightings

Lions

Lion sightings have been very good, with all the four big prides seen between Mara Intrepids and Musiara.

The Olkiombo Pride now numbers 31 individuals consisting of 15 cubs, nine females, four sub-adult males and three mature males. They have been hunting solitary buffalo bulls.

The Olkeju Ronkai Pride has 14 members and has been roaming around the Olkiombo Plains, between Talek and Olare-Orok Rivers south of Mara Intrepids camp. This pride has also been hunting solitary buffalo bulls.

The Paradise Pride, which is the strongest with six mature males, nine females and 14 cubs of different ages, has been sighted most of the times feeding on hippos. The hippo victims are those that are easy to hunt such as the males that have been injured in fights with other male hippos over territories.

The Musiara also called the Bila Shaka or the Marsh Pride has been following prey to the Mara Conservancy adjoining the reserve. The pride now numbers 25 individuals.

Leopards
Leopards have been sighted around Olkiombo, along the Talek – Olare Orok Rivers.
Olive, the BBC Big Cat Diary film star, has been seen roaming between Mara Explorer and Mara Intrepid camps, with her two 8-month-old male cubs. She has been hunting warthog piglets, impalas and Bohor reedbucks. The Ridge male who is the father of Olive’s cubs is between Olare-Orok and Rhino Ridge.

Big Boy who is the father of Olive’s three older cubs who are now sub adults - Aya, Binti and Kali is found between Talek and Mara River. A recent sighting of him was with an adult warthog kill up on the tree. He’s sharing territory with his son Kali. Whenever Big Boy crosses the Mara River and in to Mara Triangle, Kali takes over that section of the territory. When daddy returns, Kali moves towards Rekero Camp.

Cheetahs

We have eight cheetahs around Rhino Ridge because of the abundance of prey. There are three male brothers whose mother is Honey; a solitary female; a female with a cub of 11 months and a female with a five-month-old cub. Due to the big number of newly born Thomason’s gazelles, the five-month-old cheetah is under intensive training from his mother.

John Parmasau, Safari Guide, Mara Intrepids

Wildlife Sightings

Masai Mara

After the heavy rains, there is now plenty of food on the plains for the animals especially the herbivores. By the end of last year, the migrating herds of wildebeests and zebras had left for the Serengeti. The remaining animals, mainly herbivores, are concentrated in areas where the grass is short.

Unlike the time of the drought last year when the grass had dried up, it is now growing fast. This makes it difficult for the prey to see the predators until it’s too late. Unfortunately for the mammals, tall grass also harbors tsetse flies and ticks, forcing them to move to the plains where the grass is shorter.

The weather is great. The mornings are cool with temperatures as low as 13ºC rising to around 35 ºC by midday. There’s not too much dust unlike the time of the drought.

Big Cats

Lions

The two lion prides, the Ridge Pride and the Olkiombo Pride in our game viewing areas have been quite active this week. The Ridge Pride, including Notch and three other males killed an ostrich about five days ago and yesterday (30 January) killed an adult hippo on Paradise Plains.

The two males from Olkiombo Pride killed a hippo near the Double Crossing area on the Mara River. They were later joined by the females.

Leopards

Olive was seen two days ago at Olare-Orok River hunting some impala. Her two cubs were seen earlier with her on the Talek River. Kali has moved towards the Mara River north of the Talek-Mara junction.


Cheetahs

Since last week, the three cheetah brothers have been roaming the plains between the Talek and Musiara, hunting the young ones of the Topi and other herbivores.
There is a female cheetah with a cub around the Bila Shaka area. This is a very risky area because of the Marsh Pride and a pack of hyenas. Besides making it difficult for her to hunt, the lions and the hyenas are a danger to the safety of the cheetah and her cub. We will keep you posted on them.

Samburu National Reserve

With a reputation as as a dry semi-arid and unforgiving land, Samburu is in fact one of Kenya's most unknown gems. A pristine wilderness in the Northern Frontier district, the land is just as beautiful as the people, who's culture and way of life is uninterrupted as their Masai cousins found to the south of Kenya.

Our guests at Samburu Intrepids found these animals on a game drive just a couple of days ago. The ostrich and Grevy's zebra were spotted on the Buffalo Springs side while the rest were on a the Samburu National reserve side.






As skilled Samburu guides will tell you, in Samburu game is 'spotted', not viewed! They say it calls for greater skill to see animals which are fewer than in the Mara, as this picture of a leopard on the tree attests.



He obliges a photo op!



A reticulated giraffe reaches for the tastiest snacks on the highest branch.





Female members of an impala harem.


An elephant reaching for fresh shoots.


And now the latest buzz in Samburu - this pack of Cape Hunting dogs, also known as African Wild dogs (scientific Lycaon pictus) has been seen severally while on game drive.


Surely they didn't for a moment think they could bring down a giraffe!


The leopard and elephants below were seen just yesterday. The life giving Uaso (Ewaso) Nyiro is flowing and animals are easy to spot.





The elephant matriarch leads the herd across the river. They are encouraging the calf along.


Tsavo West National Park

Our resident naturalist in Voyager Ziwani Camp, Stephen Lekatoo, has sent an interesting look at things from Tsavo. This is the breeding season for crocs, and the resident crocs are laying eggs. Unfortunately they have come under attack from monitor lizards. One of the female crocs, aptly named Kasheshe, was pictured fending off an attack by the giant lizards. They also have to portend with hippos which trample on their eggs or even kill the hatchlings.



A visit to Tsavo West National Park would not be complete without a visit to Baobab tree; Lake Challa on Kenya's border with Tanzania which lies in a crater, with some of the clearest waters you'll ever see; Mzima Springs with it's pure waters from the Mt Kilimanjaro, filtered and purified through volcanic rocks; and a hike up Salaita Hills scene of the battle trenches built by the German Army during the first world war.


Lake Challa.

Salaita Hills, battle fields of German army during First World War.

Baobab tree. Legend has it that a German sniper lady used to hide in this tree and even killed 30 British troops.



Paul Kirui, Chief Safari Guide, Heritage Hotels, Francis Lenyakopiro, Resident Naturalist, Samburu Intrepids and Stephen Lekatoo, Resident Naturalist, Voyager Ziwani Tsavo