The 2022 Africa Journals, Chapter 31: Zoom ! Zoom! Zoom!, Part One

 Chapter 31:

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

Part One

If you're in Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, if you're in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, you don't get out of your vehicle and go walking around amid the lions and the leopards. You stay in your Land Rover. You stay in your safari van, and you look out the windows or you look out the pop top at these animals. I know by experience how badly that can work out if you violate those guidelines.

-David Quammen

 

Our Ferrari Safari is turbo-charged this morning as we head to the Mara North Conservancy.   I don't know yet why we are in such a rush, but Virginia and I hang on as Francis transports us through the murk before dawn.

I understand immediately when we arrive!   On the ground next to a large tree, partially surrounded by a crescent of safari vehicles with big camera lens poking out their sides, are the leopard Nalang'u and her son.    Not only on the ground in plain sight, but playing with each other!

We are in the perfect place at the perfect time.   Other vehicles are in front of us in a semi-circle and I think their view isn't as great as ours.   Last evening we saw a little of the two leopards with a gazelle she had caught.

Slowly the sun casts a warmer light on the duo and as we watch.

A short break to check out the newcomers.

Back in the shade again.

And then, up the tree they go for naps.

More vehicles arrive and we have to leave the area for a while as there are regulations regarding how many vehicles can be at a sighting.

We park in a place where we can see the tree where the leopards nap.   Suddenly Nalang'u climbs down and heads our way.   She is heading uphill where she spotted a warthog family.    

Francis hurries us uphill from her and parks so we can see the possible hunt.

Nalang'u is almost hidden by the tall grass but the warthogs spot her and run.

Suddenly, she changes direction and speeds our way.   One of the piglets was separated from the others and is beside us the grass.

She's too fast for me!

I see signs of a tussle and the leopard zoom soon emerges with the piglet.

She hides in the brush to consume it.

Meanwhile, Francis sees that there are fewer vehicles at the tree where the young leopard is and he takes us there.   Shortly, Junior starts down the tree with what's left of the gazelle carcass.

Leopards, with their strong jaws and forequarters, can climb a tree with a killed prey three times their weight.   Though the smallest of Africa's big cats, they are the strongest.

"I wonder why there aren't any vultures around, " I say.

"No way, " says Francis.  "The leopard would have them for dessert."

Oh.

Taking a breather.

There isn't much left, but he isn't  going anywhere without it.

After all, a gazelle in the jaws is worth two in the savannah.

***

Is. that enough excitement for one post?

Just wait.   It's only 7:30 in the morning and the safari day has just begun.

Fawn-colored lark.

Yellow-throated longclaw

Gray-headed kingfisher

Silver bird

The 2022 Africa Journals, Chapter 29: The Day of the Big Cats, PT. 2 of A Great Day

 (Note:  To see photos in a larger format, click on one.  That opens a film strip at the bottom of the screen and you can scroll through them there.)

Chapter 29:  

 The Day of the Big Cats

Part 2 of a Great Day for Everything

If you kick a lion when it is down, God help you when it gets up.

--Matshona Dhilwayo

Despite the hundreds of wild lions I've seen, I have never been able to wrap my mind around just how huge they are.   Looking at them in the distance and guessing their size, say 50 to 100 feet, doesn't do them justice.

Looking at them when they walk right past your vehicle, almost close enough to touch,  then you realize the immensity of their bulk.

Imagine a 4'X8' sheet of plywood.   Now, put a male lion in front of the plywood.    He would cover it and his  tail would extend. beyond the edge of the plywood.   Males stand 3.5 to 4 ft. at the shoulder and ten feet long.    They weigh up to 600 lbs.   Females are a bit shorter and weigh less.

I'll start today with a lion in love.   

He moves closer to us.

And finds a spot to lie down close to his lady love.

We wait.   They could begin mating at any moment.   A lioness usually mates with a lion of her own pride.   At first, they can mate every few minutes, as much as 50 times in 24 hours.   This frequency will slowly diminish over the  days.

You can see signs of "affection" by the male.   He will lick the female's shoulder and lick her neck and then appear to bite her neck during the act.   As for the female, she doesn't seem to enjoy it much, often snarling at the male.   The male's penis has spines and they are thought to cause small injuries to the female during copulation that might make fertilization of eggs and their adherence more probable.

During the days of this mating ritual, neither of them will hunt or eat.

 

"I need a nap."

"Oh, she's moving!   Can this be the moment?"

"Not according to her snarl."

"I better keep my distance."

"But WOW does she smell good!"

This showing of the teeth and curling of the lips and nose is called the Flehman response.   It is characteristic of male of many species in reaction to the smell of sex hormones in the urine of females.

While lover boy is enjoying his Flehman response, the lioness moves away and finds some peace.

And then, the two of them wander off downhill and we go in search of more cats and their activities.

We come upon a pride of sleepy lions and stop to watch them for a while.   Other than rolling over, or a cub sitting up to look at the visitors, nothing much seems to be happening.

But what's this?   The young male seems to be on hunt alert.

A warthog sow chose an unlucky time to lead her piglets across the savannah near the lions.

It is over in the blink of an eye.

The warthog looks back at her piglet in the jaws of a lioness.

And the other lions  decide they want to share in the prize.

Finally she escapes with her catch.

Next up, my favorite cat--the beautiful, streamline, and oh-so-endangered cheetah.   We find this Mum and her three cubs having a peaceful nap.

The third cub is out of the frame.

Hmmm...    Something caught their attention.

AH, there are some Thompson's gazelle on the other side of our vehicles.

One cub goes to investigate.

And uses one of the vehicles to shield himself from the gazelle.    This is a perfect example of how the animals have become not only habituated to the vehicles, but have learned how to use them for their own benefit.

This cub has moved up also and is peering under the vehicles to watch the gazelles.

 

From here we move on as the cats go back to sleep.

It's time to be heading back to camp.    For one last treat on this amazing morning, the guides find a leopard and her son.   She had brought down a Thompson's gazelle.

Junior is playing with his food now that his belly is full.    Most of his "play" actions simulate hunting.

This leopard is named Nalang'u.   We will be seeing much more of these two.

***

Egrets

Stopping to chat with the rangers

Gray crowned crane:

Dark blue pansy butterfly.