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Atravelynn

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I´m very sorry for this delay but for a variety of reasons I just could not find the time to properly end this report. But here I am, ending it - and as usual I´ll cap this off with a list of all the mammals we´ve seen:

 

1.) Guereza Colobus (Colobus guereza)

 

Very common at Langano and Bale. Never have seen this beautiful monkey in such numbers.

 

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2.) Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas)

 

Some troops seen on the road between Awash and Ali Deghe

 

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3.) Olive Baboon (Papio anubis)

 

Common in the Awash area, Lake Langano and Bale (Dinsho and Harenna Forest)

 

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4.) Gelada (Theropithecus gelada)

 

One of our two main targets for this trip, and Guassa was a fantastic - and private - place to see this stunning animal.

 

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5.) Grivet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)

 

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One in Awash, three more at Lake Awasa.

 

6.) Bale Monkey (Cercopithecus djamdjamensis)

 

Only occurring in Bale. Saw a good troop of maybe 30 after a few scattered sightings and searching long and hard for them.

 

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7.) Abyssinian Hare (Lepus habessinicus)

 

Common in the drier lowlands.

 

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8.) Starck´s Hare (Lepus starcki)

 

Common (but very shy) in Bale.

 

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9.) Unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus)

 

Only one sighting in Ali Deghe.

 

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10.) Gambian Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus)

 

A few sightings at Langano.

 

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11.) Giant Mole Rat (Spalax giganteus)

 

A Bale specialty. Surprisingly hard to find, only when specifically searching for them did we see them.

 

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12.) A bunch of other mice stuff - sorry, I gave up trying to ID them. Probably some Blick´s Grass Rats, maybe some Grey-Tailed Narrow Head Rats but really not sure.

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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12.) Golden Wolf (Canis anthus)

 

A few sightings in Ali Deghe and Langano.

 

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13.) Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)

 

The major reason for doing this trip, and fortunately we were rewarded with splendid sightings.

 

Subspecies simensis (Guassa)

 

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Subspecies citernii (Bale)

 

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14.) Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis)

 

Only one sighting in Awash.

 

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15.) White-Tailed Mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda)

 

One sighting at Langano.

 

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16.) Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crucuta)

 

One big clan at a den close to Awash, one single animal close to Bale Mountain Lodge

 

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17.) Serval Cat (Felis serval)

 

One surprise sighting at Guassa, thank to our dedicated guide Abiy.

 

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Also seen: A Civet on a nightwalk in Langano. And I´m still pretty sure I heard a lion in Bale.

 

18.) (Abyssinian) Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis habessinica)

 

Seen at Guassa, and heard some in Bale.

 

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19.) Yellow-Spotted Bush Hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei)

 

Seen at Lake Ziway.

 

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20.) Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)

 

Seen at Lake Langano.

 

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21.) Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)

 

Common to abundant in places like Dinsho.

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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22.) Menelik´s Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)

 

Numerous in Bale but quite shy.

 

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23.) Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis)

 

Few sightings in Awash.

 

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24.) Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni)

 

A stunning antelope which was surprisingly approachable in Dinsho, even on foot.

 

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25.) Common Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)

 

Four animals in Guassa, one in Dinsho.

 

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26.) Oribi (Ourebia ourebi)

 

Common in Senkelle.

 

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27.) Abyssinian Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus saltatrixoides)

 

Two sightings (two and four animals) in Guassa, none in Bale where they also occur.

 

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28.) Salt´s Dikdik (Madoqua saltiana)

 

Reasonably common in Awash.

 

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29.) Bohor Reedbuck (Redunca redunca)

 

Common at Abiata Shalla and Dinsho.

 

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30.) Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa)

 

A rare animal in Ethiopia. One sighting near Doho Lodge.

 

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31.) Grant´s Gazelle (Gazella granti)

 

Common (but seen nowhere else) in Abiata Shalla.

 

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32.) Soemmering´s Gazelle (Gazella soemmerringi)

 

One animal in Awash, a few small herds in Ali Deghe.

 

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33.) Northern Gerenuk (Litocranis walleri sclateri)

 

A few animals seen from afar in Ali Deghe.

 

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34.) Swayne´s Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei)

 

Senkelle is their remaining sanctuary, and luckily they seem to be doing quite well there again.

 

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35.) Beisa Oryx (Oryx beisa)

 

Seen in Awash and Ali Deghe, not as numerous as in other places where they occur.

 

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Not too many cold-blooded critters this time:

 

Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

 

Some big ones at Awash Falls.

 

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And this Jackson´s (?) Chameleon from Bale Mountain Lodge

 

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I photographed 254 different bird species in Ethiopia, all of them can be found here:

 

Edited by michael-ibk
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Ethiopia was a "different" trip. Somehow it did not feel like safari but more like an exploration endeavour. No open game drive vehicles, some very shy animals in certain areas, a bit rustic accomodation here and there, few to none other tourists. But if, like me, one loves seeing new animals Ethiopia is heaven. Yes, no elephants, giraffes, zebras or lions this time, many of the classic safari animals are not there. But it was unbelievably cool to see so much new stuff.

 

Sitting (or in Lynn´s case grazing) with the Geladas was one of the most perfect, most peaceful wildlife experiences I´ve ever had. I almost got a heart attack of excitement when we found or first Ethiopian Wolves in Guassa, on our very first day, in a place where we had not expected them. Could not stop thinking "This is so cool" when I "hunted" my Serval. And just wow to the birding paradise that is Langano, where you cannot walk five steps without discovering a new species. Loved Bale, especially the plateau, with its harsh, otherworldly beauty.

 

And so I could not stop running, running around, looking for something new, and always did find new things. I loved that you can do pretty much anything you want in the parks - see something interesting, get out of the car, try to approach it - fantastic! I was so happy when the Oryx mother nursing her calf did not run. Or when we found out how amazingly trusting the Mountain Nyala are. Some animals - like the Bale Monkeys - really played hard to get, but in the end, when we did succeed with them (and others), it felt so much more satisfying, like we had really earned it. And yes, it was such a privilege to see the Wolves, Africa´s rarest carnivores. I so hope that they will survive their battle against extinction, it would be so sad to lose them. From what we saw much more could - and should - be done for the wildlife areas, it´s clear the government is not really aware of the potential of their natural heritage and its focus is totally on other things, so there´s not too much space for optimism, for things getting better. But I´m an eternal optimist.

 

I was more than glad that we had Abiy -  a top guide who knows all the parks inside out, and was just fun to be with. Really highly recommended, and I do hope that people thinking about Ethiopia consider him, just like I did after reading Coke Smith´s report.

 

So thank you Abiy! (And Bege of course, who was a fantastic driver.)

 

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And thank you Lynn, again you´ve been a splendid travel companion, and I look forward to our next joint adventure - which, fortunately, is imminent. :)

 

And that´s it from me, Cheers Ethiopia, hope to see you again. (Without Injera though. :P)

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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Excellent closing credits and photos.  That photographer who took our pics at the Roadrunner deserves credit to for really capturing the moment as well!  It was not only that moment, but the vibe of the trip.  Great friends, great guiding, great driving!  What a winning combo.

 

"And so I could not stop running, running around, looking for something new"  Not just a figure of speech.  He actually was running around.

 

We are off again! 

 

"And that´s it from me, Cheers Ethiopia, hope to see you again. (Without Injera though. :P)"

 

Oh dear, I made a special dietary request with Doug Macdonald for lots of injera!  :P:P

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Botswanadreams

Thanks @Atravelynn and @michael-ibk for your fantastic trip report. Ok, I'm sorry that I got stark in the middle of it. No time to continue jet. It will continue reading later. I had to make my one experience with Ethiopia in general but mostly in the other direction of the country and with Injera in our special way. Time is running and after 32 days in Ethiopia we are just back at home.  

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Welcome home, @Botswanadreams , I´m looking forward to hearing all about your Ethiopia experience.

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Thank you @michael-ibk and @Atravelynn for an excellent report - and a wonderful round up at the end. That last photo certainly shows a good spirit. I amsure you will enjoy your next trip together!

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Peter Connan

Thanks for a great report!

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  • 5 months later...
On 20 de julio de 2017 at 11:36 PM, jeremie said:

Some authors still consider that Ethiopia is home to more than 1000 lions. I think this is an overestimate. Considering that Awash-Ali Deghe is the third lion stronghold of the country after Omo and Gambela regions, it seems clear that the real population is largely lower than this poor guess estimate. The Abyssinian country lacks of wildlife systematic surveys and its protected areas are very poorly management, thus this situation should get worse in the following decade. The fact that APN was expulsed out of the Gambela project after investing so much energy and money on it clearly shows the lack of interest Ethiopia has for its network of protected areas. 

 

There is a 2014 mammal watching report stating some lion indirect evidences from Awash and Ali Deghe here:

http://www.mammalwatching.com/Afrotropical/other reports/MDB Ethiopia 2014.pdf

 

I feel extremely worried to see that the last lions sightings on Mammalwatching for Ethiopia were in the Gera forest and in the Harenna forest South to Bale Mountain National Park...

http://mammalwatching.com/Afrotropical/other reports/JvG Ethiopia 2015 full.pdf

 

 

 

 

More information of the "jungle lions" of the Harenna forest in Bale National Park:

 

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@jeremie  thanks for posting that video. After my own recent trip to some of these places, I doubt very much that Omo & Ali Deghe/Awash constitute any significant lion population in ET anymore. If there are populations left, they are indeed in the Harenna forest, Gambella and perhaps up in Alatish NP.

 

In Alideghe & Awash, the prey base has been markedly reduced even since STers visited there in the very recent past. Awash is basically wiped out & Ali Deghe antelopes have no access to water in the dry season once the ephemeral rivers dry up, forcing them to cross the Djibouti highway & face the gauntlet of thousands of trucks as they try to get to water in Bilen. We heard about major oryx and gazelle road kills.

 

In lower western Omo, the NP has been separated from the river by huge sugar plantations, cutting off access to water for the park animals and we heard many stories of bewildered zebra and other antelopes looking dazed and confused & no idea where to go. 

 

I think Harenna probably represents the best last hope for ET lions, simply because humans and wildlife, including the lions, have been co-existing there for a long time. Humans need the forest for the coffee & honey, and perhaps the forest will be allowed to remain because it is in their best interests. Same thing in Gera.

 

 

 

 

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Hi there @Sangeeta.  Thanks for chiming in, but wish your news were better.  Looking forward to your adventures that missed mine by just a day this past Feb. 

 

@jeremie  Thanks for your comments and video. I heard them at Bale this Feb, but did not see any.

 

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And I am looking forward to your report too, Lynn! Our guide in Ali Deghe joined us right after a trip to Bale, and he recognized you from our description of you & told us we had much to look forward to reading :) 

 

we’ll get ours started soon!

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/26/2018 at 9:26 PM, Sangeeta said:

And I am looking forward to your report too, Lynn! Our guide in Ali Deghe joined us right after a trip to Bale, and he recognized you from our description of you & told us we had much to look forward to reading :)   Oh dear, spare me that description!

 

we’ll get ours started soon!

 

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