April Mara Game Report - part 1

From our partners at Governor's Camp in the Masai Mara comes this review of game activity during April.

Once again we experienced dry weather during the first week or so of the month - it just didn't seem to want to rain! There would very often be a big build-up of clouds all along the western and north-western horizon which would raise our hopes, but the first decent, soaking rains only came fairly late in the month.

Last month's spate of rain (where it rained heavily for about four days) meant there was (and still is) lots of water in the marshes and luggas, which attracted a big collection of herbivores, especially zebra, wildebeest and elephant, in these areas.

The Marsh Pride has been seen regularly around Bila Shaka and has fed there almost every night. It is amazing to see fifteen lions all together around a kill! The lioness with her four three month old cubs was seen a number of times around Musiara Swamp. They are still fit and healthy and seem to be making progress in, to them, what must seem like a harsh world. These poor little fellows were really thirsty one day and had the unfortunate experience of all falling into the murky water! One cub was covered in mud and mewled incessantly like a distressed child!

The Paradise Pride has been seen mostly around the crossing below Serena Lodge, but on some days as far a-field as Chemorita. Notch and one male seem to have the urge to patrol more than the other males and these two have been seen between Rhino Ridge and Salinga on a number of occasions. One particular game drive vehicle was treated to the spectacle of about 16 hyenas trying to chase 6 lions off a warthog kill on the far southern reaches of Rhino Ridge. The lions were having none of it, but the noise and interaction was quite fantastic to experience!

Leopards were seen fairly regularly last month, in fact as often as three times a week. A mother with two cubs was seen around Paradise quite often and on one day five leopards were seen together. These were the same three as mentioned above with two males. Watch this space in just over three month's time. The existing cubs are close to the age where they would leave their mother, so perhaps more youngsters are on their way! Of further interest was another female leopard with a cub of three months old in the "Base" area.



Photos courtesy Katie McLellan and Samwel Kiplangat