Magic Of The Masai Mara Game Reserve. A Safari Into The Mara Is An Adventure To The Greatest Wildlife Sanctuary.
Evidently the Mara is the utmost savanna of Africa Safari. A bird's eye view of the action below stirs my anticipation.
Within several minutes of flying into the Mara, we spot an elephant and giraffes beneath, and on the banks of the Talek River, a pair of hippos partially visible from the water.
It's end of June, just following long rains and the time prior to great migration and the savanah is rich in tall golden green grass of different shades.
As we drive through, we run into many Thomson's gazelles grazing by the road.
Farther, a parenting cheetah with a round belly stares our way as it eats the remains of an antelope. Meanwhile the cub is still savoring the meal, its nose reddish with blood.
"Cheetahs are diurnal. They hunt during the day," explains the guide. "They are not as well-built as lions and leopards, so they eat fast else their meal will be taken. They can even be driven away by packs hyenas or vultures."
Minutes away, we encounter another cheetah and her two cubs on an anthill. They watch us warily but the mother's ears pick the sounds of the cowbells and she sits up cautious, studying the plains. The flock of Masai cows is way far away and not sensing any risk to her cubs, she slops down again, peaceful.
The big rains have gone and the plains are full of vegetation making it arduous for the smaller species to graze. Mostly it is the huge animals like giraffes and elephants and the bigger antelopes that can be easily seen around.
This makes hunting challenging for the cats and they end up with strange strategies. It is not uncommon to see lions and cheetahs trying to mount trees and anthills to get a high vantage place for searching for prey.
Cheetahs claws cannot foldup like those of the other cats and would not usually climb trees, but because they have to locate prey, they'll attempt anything.
Cheetahs, not like other predators, are weak so they hunt smaller-sized antelopes, by scurrying them to fatigue as they go for the jugular vein of the prey to make a swift kill.
moments after sighting the second cheetah, we stumble upon another cheetah Mother (Shakira).
"Shakira had five cubs however two were killed," the guide quips. "Cheetah mothers typically keep shifting when they have cubs to escape lions and leopards killing their cubs."
Ahead a pride of twelve lions appears comprising of a male, females and cubs. The male roars, the roar echoing over the plains, as it flips over on its rear. The females stand up ready to roam the plains.
"This is my favorite in the Masai Mara," says the guide, "because there is less traffic and makes it easy to see animals."
In another full week it will be July, and the plains will start filling with wildebeests as they come from the Serengeti.
There will be a million plus wildebeests passing the Sand River and moving to the far end of the Mara before whirling to make the cyclic journey. By the end of November, the grass will be consumed by the wildebeests and some 400000 zebras and other wildlife.
In one afternoon, on a radius of 10 km, we have discovered abundant wildlife. What a way to begin our Masai Mara safari.
The next day, as the sun ascends in the horizon, the plains seem calmer. This sunrise we set off looking for the big five.
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