Saturday 18 February 2012

Masai Mara 2012, Safari 3

We continued our safari after finishing our breakfast. We took the same trail as Safari 1 going east on the south side of the airstrip, and after passing the end of the airstrip, we made a U-turn and traveled westward along the north side of the airstrip. We crossed the tributary of Talek River, and followed the same trail as in Safari 2 early this morning. 



After travelling westward for less than 1 km, we turned south and saw a group of 4 giraffe in a bushes of low shrubs. They were nibbling on the leaves on top of the shrub which was not higher than its shoulder. We continued on the same trail and passed the location where we saw a dik-dik early this morning. Immediately after we passed a bend of the tributary, Rafael saw a car stopping near a shrub not far from the trail. We turned toward the car and stopped behind it. Rafael whispered that there was a leopard under the shrub. First we saw only the bloody remains of the upper abdomen of its prey, then gradually, we saw the whole of the animal. It continued eating its meal and ignored us. More cars were coming, and it felt not comfortable to have too many spectators. It open its mouth widely and clenched its teeth on the throat of the carcass of an antelope. It stood up and dragged the carcass still held to the skin rather clumsily deeper into the bushes. A more detail description and photos had been given in a separate blog and album.


We then saw a hippo walking on the grass. As it was only 200 m from the hippo pole that we had seen this morning, it must belong to the same group.


We turned back on the same trail, and saw a pair of giraffes at the location where we saw a dik-dik this morning. There were a few taller trees in the area. I didn't know if they were the same giraffe that we had seen previously on this trail. The female giraffe was only about 2/3 of the size of the male, and its fur was lighter in colour.


Half a kilo metre before we crossed the tributary, we saw two hartebeests at a distance.


More photos can be seen by searching "lku99999, photo" in Google.

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