Photosafari Kenya (spotted hyenas)

Dear friends,

Among the predators on the African savannahs, spotted hyenas have a unique position. Their expression, appearance, and behaviour are certainly not friendly and to be honest, I don't like them at all. They are most active between dusk and dawn and their typical whooping and giggling calls are often heard at night. Hyenas have the reputation to be scavengers, but most often they hunt their prey by themselves in small packs. It was during a very heavy afternoon rainshower that James, our guide, saw a small pack of hyenas hunting for wildebeest. In a clever way they separated a calf from its group and chased it towards a small ditch of water. There the poor wildebeest stumbled and it was caught by the dominant hyena of the pack. During a short wrestle, the hyena tried to injure the back paw of the wildebeest in order to immobilize its prey.

During the next half hour we witnessed a horrible spectacle. Instead of killing their prey, hyenas start eating their prey alive. The calls of fear and pain of the poor wildebeest were almost unbearable. I had to remind myself constantly that such cruelty also belongs to an African wildlife experience. We hoped that the freightening sounds of the wildebeest would soon come to an end, indicating that the wildebeest had died. Instead, the unfortunate animal was still alive after the hyena had finished one of the back paws! How long would this torture continue?

After half an hour, two lionesses walked decisively to the site of horror. They had probably heard the calling wildebeest from a distance. After a short protest, the hyena slinked off, its head covered with blood. It knew it wouldn't make any chance.

The lionesses checked their capture and found the wildebeest calf still alive. Cats first kill their prey before eating. I felt delighted as the death-struggle would soon come to an end. A few minutes later we left the kill after the lionesses started their diner.

Hyenas have never been my favourite animals. This has certainly not changed after this unforgetable experience. Nevertheless, an African savannah and photosafari isn't complete without them.

Next post will be more friendly. Promised!

Dirk-Jan

Photosafari Kenya (cheetahs)

Dear all,

Today's post will be on one of my favourite photo motives, cheetahs. These beautiful animals are the athletes of the savannah and their hunts are spectacular as they are able to reach a top speed of over 100 kilometers per hour. In the Maasai Mara we were lucky enough to observe cheetahs almost every single day.

There was the so-called rooftop cheetah that frequently used the roofs of safari vehicles as its viewpoint. Even more spectacular was the female with her 6 young cubs! But most impressive were the hunting shows of the three brother cheetahs. They had been inseparable since their birth, a few years ago. They are working together like a perfect team and their hunts are so effective that the guides gave them their nickname 'the killing machine'.

We found them on a few occassions during our afternoon game drives. They were resting in the shade of an acacia tree, but it was a public secret that their shows usually started at around 4 o'clock. After they got awake, they started with grooming, some stretching exercises, and playing together. This ritual was followed by a short walk towards a nearby termite hill. From such a viewpoint, they spotted where the herds of wildebeest were. Once they selected a target they started their hunt by walking towards their potential prey in a parallel way, separated about 100 meters from each other. It was striking to see that they didn't bother too much about their camouflage. They completely relied on their speed as they probably knew how effective they were with the three of them.

The wildebeest usually didn't bother about the approaching brothers until they came within a few hundred meters. One of the brothers usually opened the chase resulting in an obvious panic within the herd. If they were able to separate a calf from its mother their diner was served.

It was spectacular to observe these hunting parties. Hope to meet the brothers again on a certain day! For the time being, the pictures are a precious memory.

Next post will be on hyenas.

Best regards,

Dirk-Jan

Photosafari Kenya (birds)

Hello to all of you,

Today no story, but just a collection of 7 bird pictures taken during the safari drives on the plains of Maasai Mara.

1) portrait of the Saddle-billed stork;

2) African fish eagle in flight;

3) Ostrich family with 4 chickens;

4) Lilac-breasted roller in flight;

5) male Kori bustard displaying;

6) Southern ground hornbill eating maggots on a carcass;

7) Rüppell's vulture on a zebra carcass.

Next topic will be about my favorite cheetahs. Keep in touch to see the three brothers hunting!

Dirk-Jan

Photosafari Kenya (wildebeest river crossing)

Dear all,

The previous post was on the wildebeest migration. On their way through the savannah they have to cross some rivers. Swimming in dangerous water is certainly not their favorite pursuit, but their instinct and constant search for water and food drives them to the river banks. I saw this nervous spectacle quite often on television but to observe it in real life is something special ..........

Thousands of them are waiting at the river bank, often accompanied by zebras .....

After hours of nervous waiting at the river bank, a brave one-year-old calf starts a massive crossing .....

With hundreds per minute, they plunge themselves in the water ..... uncertain whether they reach the other side safely ..... this crossing continued for more than an hour .....

Where the river banks are steep they jump like athletes .....

Trying to cross the Mara river as soon as possible ..... hungry crocodiles are waiting .....

The view after the crossing ..... the river bank is covered with exhausted wildebeest ..... some are in shock, others have broken their bones or spine ..... unable to continue their journey ..... a certain death is ahead .....

Some are 'lucky' and recover after their shock ..... but the danger is still around ..... after playing for half an hour like a cat with a mouse, this wildebeest calf was killed .....

After the wildebeest crossing, the Mara river is covered with hundreds of carcasses ..... leaving behind a penetrating stench of cadaverine .....

Next post will be on the birds of the Mara plains.

See you,

Dirk-Jan

Photosafari Kenya (wildebeest migration)

It's called one of the last large migrations on our planet. We are talking about the great wildebeest migration in Eastern Africa, the topic of today's post. Yearly, about 1,5 million wildebeest make their journey through the savannah plains of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara ecosystems. This unique pilgrimage already exists for God knows how long. Driven by their constant search for food and water, they follow a kind of oval route of about 3000 kilometers in a clockwise direction. They reach the plains of the Maasai Mara between August and October. Before my trip to Kenya, I had conceived how it would feel like to be in the middle of such a wildlife spectacle .... to be surrounded by such an enormous amount of animals. Well, it exceeded my wildest imaginations and triggered all my senses. It felt special to stop in the middle of a large herd at sunrise and just listen to their constant cow-like sound and the rustle of their grazing. It felt special to enjoy a healthy bush breakfast in the middle of an endless procession of walking wildebeest. An hour or so later, the view is still the same despite thousands of them have passed in the meantime. But it is not all that romantic. I've never experienced so closely the battle of animals between life and death and their struggle to survive. One of the most remarkable experiences of the whole trip were the massive river crossings with thousands of wildebeest. All of you will remember those images from the famous wildlife movies. In the next post I will post some of the crossing photos.

See you,

Dirk-Jan