Sunday 29^th Jan 2017

 

Today we’re heading home, but before we do that we have time for a final morning game drive. We headed out hoping to find the elusive Leopard cubs. Around the rocks where they were known to be we spotted some Hyraxs and Clip Springers, but no cubs. We moved to where the mother is known to hang out and could see her in the bushes. David then drove us around spotting birds and stopping to let Tamsin take photos of the smaller antelopes as she felt she didn’t have any good ones.

 As we were doing this Kapen pointed out that there was some Lion action going on as he had seen Zebra and Wildebeest running away from a drinking area. After looking through his binoculars he concluded that that was all it was.  Tamsin continued to take photos of birds when suddenly we saw two Lionesses spring from the bushes and take down a Wildebeest about 500 metres away in the same area Kapen had been looking. David threw the truck in gear and we frantically held on as he raced over the rough ground to get close. As we drew up close to the Lions one of them had her mouth clamped around the windpipe of the Wildebeest. I’ll not describe all
that happened as it was rather harrowing as it was not a pleasant death for the Wildebeest. All we can hope is that adrenalin had kicked in and it felt nothing. Very soon after we turned up the older cubs appeared and the Lionesses started to bite into the stomach and some of the cubs, including Lucky who literally dived in, started to feed. A few of the older cubs practiced strangling the Wildebeest, which is good practice, as they at some point will have to fend for themselves. The Lionesses and the cub have to eat quickly as the two males will push them away, if they turn up, and they will only be left with scraps.

We passed Mike and Sue who were on the way to the airport. We had hoped to have had breakfast with them, but the Lion kill had delayed us.

After breakfast and a shower it was now our turn to head towards the airport. Jesse and Chania had arranged for us to have lunch in the bush by the hippo pool before Kapen and David delivered us to the airport.  We saw lots of super wildlife on route to the airport including a well fed hyena, a male giraffe hot in pursuit of a female on heat and a cheetah resting in the shade of a bush.

Just time for some selfies too....!!!

The flight home was with KLM via Amsterdam and what a contrast with Kenyan Air.  I can highly recommend them as they’re very professional and have tonic water on board!!

Sad Addendum to the holiday

About a  month after we got back, we heard the horrific news that Tristan Voorspuy, who was the founder of Offbeat safaris where we stayed in the Mara, was killed by herders whilst inspecting some property in the Laikipia area which is where our 2^nd stay had been.  There is a lot of unrest in this area due to the drought and several lodges have been torched this year.  I’m just very glad we went when we did as would not return to Kenya whilst it is so unsettled.