The life of famous cheetahs (Porini Mara and Porini Lion camps)

[snuglbear13]

@@bettel I just joined ST a few days ago so I'm a little late to your report. WOOOOOOOWWWW!!!!!! What an incredible trip! I love any and all cats so your trip report reads like my wildest dream. Lions mating, the cheetahs playing in the water, active leopard and cheetah kills. My favorite is all the adorable lion cub faces. All this trip reading is playing with my heart and head! I was originally planning Ndutu/Olare for Feb or March...now I'm wondering if I should just do Kenya where I'll still see some migration. Thank you for the amazing pictures!!! Did you really only use a 70-200 lens? You got so close! Will you be writing lodge reviews? Truly thank you, this was incredible!!

[bettel]

@@snuglbear13, thank you very much for your kind words . Yes, it was all done only using 70-200 but I must say that at times I did feel that I don't have enough reach.

I will try to write lodge reviews but I don't know when. I am little bit off the safari now as I have just bought my second horse. And horses and Africa compete a lot for the budget lol.

Edited July 5, 2016 by bettel

[janzin]

I'm just catching up with this full report in anticipation of my trip in September where we will have three days at Porini Lion. All I can say is WOW, what a great trip you had and now I'm wishing we had a longer stay at Porini Lion (although we will be in other camps as well). Anyway the photos are fantastic, what an amazing trip you had...the lion with the giraffe kill...so many cheetah kills...fabulous action sequences! I've only reached the halfway point but look forward to reading it to the end!

[janzin]

okay now I've finished the whole thing and I can only add..double WOW! The lion cubs and the hippo had me holding my breath! Mating lions are also on my top-wanted list! And the interactions with Fig...I sure hope we see Fig in September.

 

I'm also surprised you were able to get so many great shots with just the 70-200, that shows how close to the action you must have been for so many of them.

 

Anyway now I really am psyched to get to the Mara... (not that I wasn't before!)

Edited July 28, 2016 by janzin

[Geoff]

Outstanding safari & report. Very enjoyable reading and image viewing.

 

@@bettel What camera equipment were you using?

[loafer247]

Just on the Mara Cheetah topic - Malaika has just brought her cubs out. 3 of them about 6 weeks old. Another cheetah, possibly Miale, gave birth to 4 cubs who are not more than 7 days old near sand River. Three females have also been seen mating in the last 4 weeks (Rani, Kisiri, and one other) so good times on the way for Mara Cheetahs.

[hannahcat]

Thank you so much for this trip report! I have loved your excellent photos, and also your wonderful way of making a story out of them. Like @@Tom Khellie, I really enjoy learning about animal behavior, and you have a wonderful, and often very funny, way of conveying interesting behavior memorably.

 

Some of the things I'll particularly remember from this trip report is that young lion trying to figure out how in the world to get the carcass of a giraffe from point A to point B; the astounding sequence with Fig and her cub (I love when the cub tried the ear); the cheetah who ended up having to tire out her cubs before she could hunt; the descriptions of the different hunting strategies; and, last but not least, that most adorable lion cub playing with the tail.

 

Thanks so much for everything, and I can't wait to read about your return!