2011-10-13 – Masai Mara N.R.

As we hadn’t seen any Leopard in Lake Nakuru NP, our guests were really keen to see one here. And we were lucky because soon after sunrise we saw not one but two! Olive and Ngayoni walking and playing along the Talek River. They then separated and disappeared in the bush. We proceeded on to the Mara river crossing sites. A small herd of Wildebeests was grazing near the crossing point, while a couple of bull Hippos were facing each other in the river. We parked, waited and watched an extremely fierce battle explode between the two giants. It lasted for about half an hour, as two other bulls looked on. As we were enjoying the fight, the Wildebeests and Zebras decided to cross just next to us. In the afternoon, the four male Lions, Notch’s sons, were lying together but their activity was limited to breathing. Some dramatic news from the Mara, as the two males of the Marsh pride, Romeo and Clawed, have been chased away and apparently at least one of them severely wounded by a coalition of four younger males. These males had been seen along the Talek river during the months of July and August, but then clashed with Notch’s gang and got chased away, one with a terrible wound on his forehead. Now the Lionesses in the pride, Joy in particular, have to defend their cubs from these new entrants in their territory. I am yet to go there personally and see how the situation is. Another very bad news, it seems like one of the three male Cheetahs that have been dominating our area for the last three years, which we call Honey’s boys (from the name of their mother), has been killed, maybe by Lions.