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Those Poor Animals – A Family Safari in Kenya


foggy27

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Day 7 Afternoon Game Drive (Continued)

This time it was a different family group of elephants, with a tiny baby.

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The baby elephant was not shy at all.  It came to our vehicle seeking attention.

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An adult came over to take it away from us, but the baby continued to entertain us behind the back of the adult.

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We spent the rest of afternoon with these amazing creatures, big and small.

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Elephants are extremely protective of their young.  Safe under the 24-hour protection, the youngsters could afford to be relaxed and playful.

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A great ending to our first day in the main reserve.

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Very much enjoying your report!  I’ve stayed at Encounter Mara and will be at Enaidura with Ping in November!  Your sightings have been excellent so far!  You seemed to realize that at the midpoint, but were lucky your good fortune continued!

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@amybatt Thanks.  Indeed we had great sightings by mid-point of the safari.  We shared the thought with Ping (hey we want to take pressure from him), he just commented that we were guaranteed to have great sightings in the second half.  He just could not predict what we would see.  Animals never follow the script.  Ping did not remember he ever failed to find elephants in Naibosho for guests with “reasonable amount of time”, i.e. 3 days or more.

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Day 8 Morning Game Drive

Our first morning in the main reserve started with a beautiful sunrise.

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Ping declared that he would dedicate today to spotted cats.  First, he took us to where we saw a shy cheetah in tall grass on previous day.  This time the young male cheetah was a little more relaxed.  We were lucky to have a better look before the cheetah disappeared into the thick vegetation.

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A diversion from the theme of spotted cats: an elephant and a hippo keeping company of each other.

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In the distance, we could see the celebrated Malaika with her two sons.  They were in the company of their admirers.

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While we watched from distance, the cheetahs got up and walked in our direction.  Was it just our luck, or great anticipation?

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Malaika, the queue of Mara.

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The two boys followed close behind, and walked past us right in front of us.

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Limited by available road network, we were unable to follow these cheetahs.

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Ah, you got to see Malaika before she disappeared!  Beautiful sunrise too.

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@amybatt Yes we were at Mara in early February, just a month before Malaika disappeared.  We were unable to follow her this time, but fear not.  It was not out last sighting of her...

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Day 8 Morning Game Drive (Continued)

Ping got the word that a leopard was spotted.  When we got there, we saw a warthog kill in a tree, but the leopard was hiding in the thicket.  Ping was confident that the leopard would show up soon or later to feed.  We waited, in the company of a large number of vehicles and like-minded tourists.

 

We did not wait for long when a female leopard came out of the bush.

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The leopard did not approach the tree to feed on the warthog as expected.  Instead she walked purposefully in the open.  Everyone was caught by surprise, and scrambled in pursuit.

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When the leopard reached the edge of a bush, she started calling.

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On cue, a cub emerged from the bush.  Please excuse the vehicle in the background.  It was a tight spot and everyone was jockeying for position.

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The mother and the cub were happy to be reunited.

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It has to be one of the most sought after sightings.

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The leopard was on the move again, this time taking the cub with her.

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Mom, can I take a rest?

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But the Mom was all business.

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Ok, I am coming.

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The pursuit was intense.  When the leopards went into a bush, we finally took a deep breath and looked around us.  Wow, it was crowded.

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@foggy27 - thanks for sharing. You have captured some lovely sequences but those photos with the Leopard mother and cub are special!

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Day 8 Morning Game Drive (Continued)

Ping last saw the female leopard with not one but two cubs.  It was a little unusual to separate the two cubs, but Ping was not too concerned.  We caught the female leopard in the act of moving her cub from one hiding place to another.  She might be more comfortable to take one cub at a time.

 

After a wait of about half an hour, the leopard came out of the bush again.  Was she going to have a drink?  The cub was not with her.

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No, the leopard ignored the water and kept walking.  Would she lead us to the second cub?

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Now she was calling again. 

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Her call was unanswered, and she seemed frustrated.  There were so many vehicles.  

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It was at that point Ping proposed us to move on.  We had excellent view of the leopards, but our continued presence could be detrimental to their well-being.  If the second cub was indeed in the nearby bush, it would be hard for it to hear her mother among the constant sound of engine starting.  We agreed, and our vehicle was among the first to leave.  We were pleased to notice that quite a few vehicles followed suit and left the sight.

 

Quote from my daughters: “Poor leopard, lost her baby”.  We learned later from another guide that he saw the two cubs together, live and well.

 

Ping was relieved that we finally had our first leopard sighting on this trip.  Although we tried not to put pressure on him, he was fully aware that my daughters had never seen a wild leopard.

 

We reached a scenic spot and found a familiar vehicle from Enaidura Camp.  Our bush breakfast was waiting for us.  Ping operates his camp to minimize mid-day downtime.  We were getting used to the routine.

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@foggy27 Thanks for bringing Africa into my living room on a Saturday evening.

 

Matt

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@foggy27 wow those leopard pics are special - you got some postcard shots there!!

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@Game Warden Thanks, this is a wonderful forum.  I leaned so much from members who generously shared their safari experiences.

 

@Hads Thanks for the kind words.

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Day 8 Morning Game Drive (Continued)

After the breakfast, Ping took us to check on Malaika family.  By now most tourists were back in camp for their mid-day break.  The cheetahs were left alone to rest in the shade, a distance away from the road.  Their only company was a filming crew vehicle with off-road permit.  Since cheetah qualifies as “major sighting”, Ping did a quick drive-by to give us a chance to snap some pictures.

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Back to the roadside, Ping discussed our options.  We could proceed to look for other animals, but we chose to stay with the Malaika family (at binocular distance).  These cats can get active anytime if opportunity presents itself.  After the intense chase after leopard earlier this morning, we were content to sit back and relax.  If some animal came along to stir up the cheetahs, it would be a bonus.

 

Two warthogs hurried off.

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An unlikely duo.

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A lone Thompson’s gazelle walked by.  Now that is a perfectly sized prey for cheetah, but it did not get close enough.

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After a self-imposed upper limit of an hour, we finally left Malaika and her two sons.  The cheetahs did not do much, but it could get interesting if the Thompson’s gazelle got just a little closer.   One needs both patience and luck.

 

On the way back to camp, we stopped to watch elephants drinking at roadside.  One of them came over to investigate our vehicle.

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We got to the camp at 2PM.  It was our longest game drive up to this point, although the record would be broken soon.

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I'll be going to Kenya in February so I have been reading your report with great interest. I love the contrast of the animals against the greenery. I have not seen this before so it has got me excited!!

And boy did you get lucky with the babies. I am highly jealous!! It looked like a fabulous trip overall. I also loved your sunset photos. Spectacular. 

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Day 8 Afternoon Game Drive

After a long morning drive, we had a nice rest and did not leave the camp till after 4.  Right out of the camp, we were greeted by a tower of giraffes under the big sky.

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As the day was dedicated to spotted cats, Ping took us to where we saw the leopard this morning.  The warthog kill was still in the tree but the leopard was nowhere in sight.  We decided to check on Malaika family.  On the way, we made a few stops.

 

Spotted thick-knee really can blend into the surrounding environment.  If Ping did not point out to us, we would not notice these well camouflaged birds.

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Ostriches are far more conspicuous.

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A striking saddle-billed stock.

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An unexpected sight: a secretary bird shadowing a warthog.  As the warthog trotted along, it kicked up dust and flushed out insects and lizards.  Following the footsteps of the warthog, the secretary bird made some easy catches.  We were amused by the hunting tactic.

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The warthog finally got tired and ran away from its shadow.

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Malaika and her sons were still there, at the same location where we left them earlier, and in the company of the same film crew vehicle.  It looked like not much had happened.  We were ready to move on when the rain started, the first time on this trip.  Visibility was low, and it would be difficult to find animals in the heavy rain.  We decided to stay put and wait out the rain.

 

The rain did not last long.  The cheetahs started to get active, and our patience was rewarded.  One of the boys was imitating leopard and trying to climb a tree.  The pictured are heavily cropped.  We had to stay on the road, a distance away from the cheetahs.

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The light was almost gone, and it was time to go back to the camp.  Night drive is not allowed in the reserve.

 

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@monalisa We also found the vast plain and green scenery attractive.  February seems a good time to visit, as you can see from several reports.

 

@ELIL Thanks, we were also blown away.

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Really enjoying your report @foggy27 looking forward to more.

 

Great day you had with the leopards and cheetah!

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Tremendously enjoying your report, thank you for sharing. You had great sightings, but the Leopard with cub tops everything. Really lovely to see such a green Mara. And bittersweet to "see" Malaika in your report, was lucky enough to spend time with her myself on two different trips. Great pictures throughout, apart from the fantastic cat stuff i really like the four Topis (adults and babies) and the Hyena frenzy. Looking forward to more!

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@mopsy Thanks.  Sorry for the delay in next installment.  I kept too many pictures for next day and need another round to trim it down.

 

@michael-ibk Thanks for encouragement.  It is very interesting that topi learns the signature erect posture from young age.  We enjoyed our topi sightings very much.  As a hint to what is to come, topi will feature prominently, along with more Malaika.

 

I'd better get to work...

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Day 9 Morning Game Drive

The game drive this morning was the longest on this trip.  Shortly after leaving the camp at the dawn, we (actually Ping) spotted a male lion on the move.

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I thought only cheetahs like to be on termite mound.  This lion was also a copycat.

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We heard the whooping sound of hyenas mixed with lion roars in the distance.  A war was broken out somewhere.  Instantly the lion jumped off the termite mound and ran in that direction.  He was a born warrior.  The wound on his hind leg would not keep him from joining the battle.

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Unable to follow the lion, we instead found a pair of much smaller predators in the tall grass.

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The plain was empty of zebra and wildebeest, but we could still count on ubiquitous impalas.

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A lone Thompson’s gazelle was among impalas.  It is a cute animal, and quickly replaced impala as my wife’s new favorite.

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At the bank of Mara River, Ping pointed out a male lion on the opposite side of the river.  It was Scarface, the reigning king of Mara.  Even from a distance, the majesty was unmistakable.  Regrettably, we were unable to cross the river to have a closer look.

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The bush breakfast was set up on the river bank today.  We lingered over our breakfast with the view of hippos.

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A large elephant bull walked towards us.  Noticing that the bull was in musth, Ping was very careful in positioning the vehicle at a respectable distance.

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I took this picture while Ping was lecturing us on the side preference of elephants.  I am afraid none of us can remember if the image serves as an illustration of a left-trunked elephant or a right-trunked elephant.  Sorry, Professor Ping.

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We seemed to be alternating between solitary animal and large herd this morning, from the male lion on termite mound to the impala herd, from Scarface across the river to the pod of hippos in the river.  Likewise, the lone elephant bull was followed by a pride of ostriches.  

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Ping counted a total of 42 ostriches, led by the dominant female.

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We were lucky to have a variety of impressive sightings as warm-up for the main event of the day...

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I think the "right-handed" or "left-handed" -ness is most easily gauged by the wear on the tusk - most wear on the dominant side.

 

But then again I might be imagining this "fact" and it doesn't help if it's an elephant with no or just 1 tusk, or if it's a youngster without discernible wear patterns

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