| DAVID HERNDON REFLECTS ON THE WILDEBEEST MIGRATION DURING HIS SEPTEMBER STAY IN THE MASAI MARA, KENYA
David Herndon writes for numerous tourism publications on Africa and Australia including a number of recent articles in "Travel and Leisure" magazine.
 For the last month, Rekero Tented Camp has been in the thick of the annual wildebeest migration, and the action has been non-stop: from the comfortable vantage of the camp lawn we have witnessed numerous river- crossings and a half-dozen lion kills, and guides and trackers who have lived around the Mara all their lives have been consistently amazed by strange sightings they've been able to show their guests on game drives.
The most unusual event was witnessed by guides John Kaelo and Fred Ronko, on separate occasions - a hippo eating Thomson gazelles. The Tommies were trying to cross the Mara River when they tiny bodies got swept up in the strong currents, and the hippo simply caught them as floaters. The first time, he played with the cute little guy, tossing it around in his mouth like a housecat with a toy mouse. The next time, a few days later, he took it over to the riverbank and ate it, but not without some difficulty, as hippos are herbivores.
"Little pieces got stuck on his teeth and he kept tossing his head like a topi, trying to swallow", reports guide John Kaelo. "An omniverous hippo - I've never heard of anything like that before. May be saw the cros feeding and decided to try it". The Rekero guides tell me that the hippo was extracting salt and minerals out of the carcass, which they need from time to time.
Spotter Jimmy Sengeny (half-brother to guide James) was in on both of those sightings, and both times saw two male leopard ("Jimmy's Leopards"). They were feeding on dead wildebeest at the riverside, and playing together, another unusual activity, leopard being known as solitary creatures.
These sightings took place upriver from the Main Crossing, and lone Rekero vehicles were the only human witnesses (but we have the tape and film to prove it).
Senior guide James Sengeny saw another oddity: he came upon a male Tommie kneeling over a three or four day-old gazelle. When the adult stood up, the baby was lodged between its horns. It ran off, the baby cried, its mother called, the other Tommies wondered what the hell. James and his astonished guests followed the odd couple for 15 minutes, expecting that the vulnerable gazelles would fall victim to a predator. The baby was finally thrown off daddy's pointy little head.
No single day was more action-packed than September 5, which had it all. Camp manage/host, Jackson Looseyia had been called into guide duty, and when he returned to the campfire that evening this is what he said, in the breathy voice over narrator mode that he switches into, to express the drama, beauty, and humour of a great day of high season spent revelling in the world's prime game-viewing venue:
"First, we had a spectacular morning of bird watching, followed by sighting a cheetah with five cubs - the most beautiful vision of the day. Then the mother hunted and killed a Thomson Gazelle, which was so great. How would those gorgeous cubs survive without that food? The mum wanted the babies to come over, but they were terrified of the kill.
"We waited at a crossing for a while, it was hot so we came back into camp for lunch. As usual, a lovely meal was distracted by the migration of the wildebeest - everyboby looking at the magnificence of the gnu, all asking each other, 'Can we go now?' 'Not yet'. 'Can we go now?' 'Not yet'. When they're going to cross, it builds up like the sound of engine noise in the city. My guests were getting bored waiting, and some of them decided to go take a siesta.
"Then the real action starts! The wildebeest and zebra start crossing, there's dust on this side and dust on that side of the river, then two lions are attacking and killing! Then there's the dust of the tourists grabbing their cameras and jumping onto vehicles to go see the kill, they're fighting over the hatches, the staff is excited and piling into another vehicle!
"I call that a day! We were drunk with action!"
Jackson has just completed a special safari that exemplifies the best Rekero has to offer. Stuart Wrigley and Jilly Harper, a pair of Glaswegian tatto artists who were embarking on a six-week tour of Kenya and Tanzania, stayed at the Cottages two nights, went walking and fly camping with Jackson and Rakita, the Ndorobo tracker, for two nights, and finished with three nights in the tented camp. Jackson expects to be available for more such specialty safaris involving walking and fly camping next year.
With two huge storms last week the wildebeest should be around for a while yet, so anyone who can should get out here a.s.a.p. as October looks promising and Rekero have some very attractive green season rates! Seven repeat groups have been through in the last ten days and none have left disappointed!
David Herndon. |
