The Great Wildebeest Migration Has Begun!

It's official - the annual migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya started six days ago. The comical animals nicknamed "the clown of the plains" and said to be put together by a committee, have moved across the south Mara plains. The herds split before entering the Central Plains with one herd heading west and the other to the north.

It’s a welcome surprise to see the migration start earlier than expected. Also this time, the main migration for the south arrived before the Loita herds as has been the tradition.

GREAT MIGRATION OF WILDEBEEST AND ZEBRAS

Having crossed the Sand River, the wildebeest with the zebras mowed their way from Keekorok to the Mara Bridge covering a distance of about 25 to 30 kilometers in a few days. Marching north towards Lookout Hill, they are busy and noisy as this is their rutting season. The males are calling, running up and down and fighting any competition to win over the females. It is indeed an interesting time to be in the Mara.

The females with their five-month-old calves are relishing the fresh red oat grass. However many natural water holes in the Mara are dry which will hasten the wildebeest to move further in search of waterholes with water in them. The first destination will be Ol-keju- Ronkai River and the Mara River near the Mara Intrepids Camp. This might mean that the Mara River crossing may happen sooner than expected.

Due to the recent heavy rains, there’s a lot of grass for the herbivores. The effect? It’s triggered the mating season for elephants and topis. We are seeing many herds of elephants around Olkiombo.

The topis are in their local breeding grounds on Topi Plains and Paradise Plains. There’s good game viewing east of Mara Intrepids towards the Masai villages where the grass is short due to over grazing by the Masai cattle.

Down south towards Lookout Hill, there are a lot of zebras and topis.

  

Predator Sightings

Lions    

Lion sightings are still good but the prides are beginning to split into small group. This is primarily due to the availability of prey because the grass-eating prey or the herbivores are moving to the short grass plains.

The Olkiombo Pride has split into four groups – there’s a lioness with her cubs who is avoiding all male lions because the males may take the food for the family.

Since April, the four sub adult males are down to three. This is because one of the males has left the pride after attacking a herd of Masai cattle. This male is still within its home range.

The three adult males are moving towards Maji-ya-Fisi pride (Hyena Dam) hoping to take over that pride if they do not encounter any resistance from the males.

The Paradise Pride is strong; it has six adult males who hunt hippos. This provides the pride with enough food.

The Ol-Kejuronkai Pride still has two males. Altogether, it has thirteen members in the family pride. They are well fed and looking healthy. This is one area that the herbivores avoid because the grass is one and half meter high making it difficult for them to see the predator approaching. This pride preys on the old, solitary buffaloes.      

Leopards

Leopards have been seen around Olkiombo, along the Talek and Olare-Orok Rivers.

Olive, one of the BBC Big Cat Diary film stars, has been prowling between Mara Explorer and Mara Intrepids. She is with her two twelve-month old male cubs who are left alone most the time for one or two weeks during which time they try to hunt hares and Kirk’s dik-dik. Olive has been hunting warthog piglets, impalas and Bohor reedbucks. The Ridge male who is the father of Olive’s male cubs is between Olare Orok and Rhino Ridge.

Big Boy who is the father of Olive’s three sub adult cubs - Aya, Binti and Kali - is between Talek and Mara River. He has been sharing territory with his son, Kali.

North of Mara Intrepids along Intiakitiak River, a female that has been there for some time has finally brought her two cubs out of the hidden lair. They are five months old and we are yet to name them.

Cheetahs

For the last seven months a female cheetah with a cub named Saba has been seen at Topi Plains where there is a lot of plains game. The cub is eight months old and is being trained by her mother to hunt young Tommies.

The three cheetah brothers are residing on top of Rhino Ridge hunting warthogs. However the topis are proving too hard for them.

A young female cheetah who is new to this part of the Mara is seen between the Topi Plains and Mara Intrepids camp. She loves climbing vehicles – one reason could be that it’s easier for her to spot her prey. 

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/

John Parmasau, Safari Guide, Mara Intrepids    
(Lo'mon is Samburu for news; Le Heritage means from Heritage) 

Rutting time for plains game in the Mara - April

Weather and land


It’s great with clear mornings and cloudy afternoons followed by rain. The grass plains are turning golden, like the colour of red-oat grass and tall, reaching a height of one-and-a-half meters, which makes it suitable for elephants and buffaloes - big game that cannot be easily attacked by predators. The streams and rivers are in full spate.

Plain Game Concentration

Due to the heavy rains, there’s plenty of fodder for the herbivores, which has triggered the rutting season for elephants and the topis. There’s plenty of this going on around Olkiombo. The topis are also gathering on their breeding grounds around the Topi Plain and the Paradise Plains. There’s good game viewing east of Mara Intrepid’s towards the Masai villages where the grass is short due to over grazing by the cattle herds belonging to the Masai.  Unfortunately, the predators and the Maasai are not good associates and so the big cats avoid this area. Down south towards the Lookout Hill there are still a lot of zebras and topis.

Predators Sighting
                
LIONS
Lion sightings are still good but the prides are starting to split into small groups. This is because of the food availability. At the moment, the herbivores are migrating to the plains with shorter grass and therefore there is scarcity of prey to pounce on.


The Olkiombo Pride has fragmented into four groups. There is one lioness with cubs on her own and she is avoiding the males who might take the little prey she hunts for her cubs, leaving her and the cubs hungry.

The four sub-adult males are starting to leave the pride to be independent, but there is nothing much to hunt.


The three adult males are strolling alone and being avoided by the females. Soon they might seek other prides to join if they have not been taken up by other males. Young cubs might also suffer and be abandoned by their mothers if the prey situation does not improve.


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


The Ol-Kejuronkai Pride is still intact with its two males. The pride is made of thirteen lions, lioness and cubs - all well fed and looking healthy. This is one of the places that the browsers and the grazers avoid because the grass is so tall that they cannot see the predators. However there are still a few solitary buffaloes, which make for good hunting.


LEOPARDS
Leopards’ sightings have been around Olkiombo, along Talek and the Olare-Orok Rivers.
Olive, who is one of the BBC Big Cat Diary film stars, has been seen most of the time between the Mara Explorer and the Mara Intrepid camps, with her two cubs, which are now eleven months old. She has been hunting warthog piglets, impalas and Bohor reedbucks. The Ridge male who is the father of Olive’s male cubs is prowling around 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 around the Talek and Mara River. Big Boy is sharing the territory with his son, Kali. North of Intrepids along Intiakitiak River, there is a female with two cubs who are three months old. We’re looking for names for them. Any suggestions?


CHEETAHS
For the last four months a female cheetah with a cub of six months is at the Topi Plains. There is a lot of game here and she has been seen teaching her cub to hunt young tummies.


The three brother cheetahs are residing on top of Rhino Ridge hunting warthogs.
      

Paul Kirui, Chief Safari Guide, Heritage Hotels

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

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/

Masai Mara

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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