Mdonya Old River, Ruaha One day in September our driver Ayoubu and guide Maulidi, along with their guests, saw amongst many other species, a staggering 80 lions in 6 different groups and areas, 3 leopards, 1 cheetah, plus 2 honey badgers, 1 oribi, 4 bat eared foxes, 20 bush pigs, over 1,000 elephants, 600 buffalo and a vast array of other animals, in one single day’s game drive, leaving at 6.30am and returning to camp at 6.30pm.
This will be difficult to beat ! but new records are set to be broken, and one never knows at Mdonya.
Introducing “Fundi”.:
Our newest arrival around the Mdonya area, and what an amazing one he is. A most beautiful young leopard, estimated at around 8 – 12 months old, with an undying curiosity about everything from tsetse flags to our staff quarters to Mdonya vehicles, and its occupants. He shows an amazing curiosity and teenager-like playfulness, and often comes in very close to eyeball our guest – one said that he had always wanted to see a leopard, assuming, if he was lucky enough to see one at all, it would be at a great distance, and never ever expected to have the experience of looking straight into the eyes of one.
He is regularly to be seen around the Mdonya River bed area, some 10 minutes from camp, sometimes at the outskirts of the camp, and on one fine occasion, up on the bonnet of one of our vehicles .
Both driver/guide and guests were surprised and amazed as he wandered up alongside our vehicle, climbed up onto the bumper bar, gave it a lick (and a few scratches our driver is now very proud of) and then settled himself upon the bonnet to peruse the inhabitants of the car through the windscreen – leaving only when he happened to put his weight on a part of the bonnet that popped under it and startled him just enough to descend again. An event never recorded before at Mdonya, and who knows whenever again?
In October, a quiet close-up viewing of a large male leopard stretched out lazily in a tree turned to incredible excitement, as it suddenly sprung into action, came down the tree, and pounced upon a quite unawares lesser kudu standing nearby with another. The kill was amazingly quick and efficient, showing the extraordinary prowess and power of this beautiful animal, which we have been so fortunate to see so many of again this month.
And to top it off, a gentle meander only 15 minutes from camp for a sunset drive turned into unexpected delight as our guide Emmanuel almost impossibly spotted a pair of twitching ears, which turned out to be a cheetah, which then turned out to be a Fabulous Five cheetahs together.
See more newsletters from Mdonya at: Mdonya Old River camp in Ruaha – latest newsletters
Sightings at lake Manze continue to amaze.
Hippo’s fighting, hippos mating, elephants coming daily down to the lakes and channels, crocodiles galore, one even grabbing one unlucky fisherman’s catfish before he could land his catch.
The lions have been very active in the general area around camp.
Many hunts have been viewed by our guests this month, lots unsuccessful, but a few times kills were made in front of our astonished visitors.
Some lucky guests watched a lioness catch an Impala and then other members of the pride attacking a Porcupine. Porcupines are much prized meat for a predator such as a lion, however can be tricky to kill. This time the lions gave up on the prospect of this tasty morsel in the face of the sheer determination of the rodent and its many sharp quills.
Other sightings this month include multiple sightings of buffalo, huge herds of Eland, the endangered African Wild Dog, leopard, black and white Colobus monkey and much, much more.
See more newsletters from Lake Manze at: Lake Manze Camp in Selous – latest newsletters
Kwihala Camp, Ruaha
Woooooaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!
As per usual we get going really early morning. It’s the most beautiful time of day with pastel colours in different shades every dawn. It is like opening a lucky-packet, not knowing what is inside until it graces the skies.
This time we found an ele cow and 2 of her offspring, but the youngest laying with collapsed front legs! Gauging by the position the calf was laying in, we could surmise that it was terminal although it was still breathing. The whites of the eyes were clearly visible…panic flowing from them…a devastating experience!
Mom and elder brother were helpless and despite prods, prompts and even an attempt at raising it up…they could do nothing but stand and await the inevitable. We departed in order to allow for privacy during these times and when we returned a few hours later, the calf was dead. We do not know what the cause of the death is but assume it to be very fast acting as the calf was in good shape not showing any signs of emaciation or injury.
Now in my younger years I would have been emotionally impervious to this event as there is always a clinical and cold scientific explanation for most things and anthropomorphism (ascribing human emotion to animals) is not allowed. All I can say is that age has “softened” me and I challenge anyone to witness such an event and the concomitant behaviour displayed by the other members of the family and NOT recognise similarities with our own.
By the afternoon we found the mom and brother still in close proximity to the dead calf. They were periodically approaching the carcass and sniffing and prodding it only after not getting any reaction, returning to feeding on a nearby bush. They were joined just before sunset by 3 teenage bulls who also did their level best at rousing the calf, using their trunks to sniff, prod, fiddle with the ears, use their feet very gently nudging it and even gingerly placing it on top of the tusk to roll the head. We wondered how long it would take for the lions and or hyaena to discover the carcass and during the night could hear the lions roaring from there, just below camp.
Early the next morning there was still mourning. They had not left his side and the presence of the resident pride made for some very interesting moments indeed. The outraged cow and brother would race at the lions sneaking closer to utilise the bounty. They in turn would growl and disappointingly retreat as size clearly matters. The cubs had not eaten in a few days and they were visibly distressed by the impedance to their mealtime. Patience would pay off though…
For more than 24hrs the mom and her older son stayed with the carcass keeping the scavengers at bay! Only then did they seem to accept that it was over and moved away enough for the starving cubs to gain access to the much needed sustenance.
Once we accepted the departure of the ele calf (having gone through the whole process with mom), it was macabrely acceptable to see the lions tuck in and we witnessed the nutrient-cycle in action.
Interestingly 48hrs after the death of the calf, the same group of 3 males accompanied the mom and her last remaining offspring as they appeared over the ridge and made their way towards where the lions are now devouring the last scraps of the carcass. We sat in anticipation while they determinedly ambled straight to the exact spot where the calf died and paid no attention to the place where the male lion had dragged the remains… They milled around a bit and rumbled, went quiet and then turned as one, walking off fading into the shrub not to look back again…
Read the rest of this and see more newsletters from Kwihala at: Kwihala Camp in Ruaha – latest newsletters
Selous Impala camp
For those who love snakes as we do, here is a shot of an amazing sighting we had this month. One is of a juvenile Black Necked Spitting Cobra who caught a toad and the other is of an extraordinary African Python, about three meters long, who was seen in the middle of the day, rolled up on a fully grown female impala, suffocating it and then swallowing it. This was superb!
Pythons lie low along their victims’ trails, ambushing their prey. They kill the victim by asphyxia and, having split jaws, they can swallow large animals that take days to be digested.
The photo of the python is taken by Jenny and Jeremy Thompson, who also took a pic of two civet cats, while on a walking safari from Impala camp.
See more newsletters from Selous Impala at: Selous Impala Camp – latest newsletters
Mbweni Ruins Hotel, Zanzibar
Photo by Aitha Gothey at Mbweni last month
Take a look on our website in the Specials section - you can book a 6 to 9 night safari from Mbweni Ruins Hotel in Zanzibar, to Ruaha and Selous, beginning or ending in Arusha – for an unbeatable rate. Valid till the end of 2012: