Predators of Masai Mara
We would have missed it but for the vultures. A large flock of them stood around at the far edge of the giant field that stretched to our right, catching our attention. The ground beyond the field was raised and covered with trees. Periodically a vulture flew over to the shade of the trees and lazily flapped its way back to the flock after a few seconds.
What attracted the vultures? Asking the driver to stop, I trained my binoculars on the shaded area. On the ground was a large patch of red - a half-eaten wildebeest. This was the vultures’ lure. I continued my scan and found the lioness about a hundred feet to the left, sitting like the Sphinx and watching the world go by. Sated, it did not care that the vultures were feasting on its kill.
The lioness was one of many predators I saw in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.
With millions of Wildebeests (a type of antelope) and countless other prey, the Reserve is a predators’ heaven. They come in all sizes here. Those at the apex, such as Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards, usually hunt in darkness and spend the days lazing and sleeping. Those below them, such as the smaller cats Caracals and Servals, Spotted Hyenas, Bat-eared Foxes and Wild Dogs often seek out carcasses discarded by the larger predators and feed on them.
The birds come next. By far, the most prolific is the vulture. There are six species of vultures in Masai Mara. We saw flocks of them several times, congregated around discarded carcass. They took turns feeding, often using their long necks to push their heads deep under the skin into skin, navigating through the bones to pull out long, stringy tissue with their large beaks.
Lions are a key attraction of the park. Like others, I went with preconceived ideas about what to expect from them. But instead of the ferocious beast snarling and attacking its prey, most of the dozen Lions I saw were busy in their principal occupation during the day: sleeping. Remarkably, one Lioness was asleep on a tree branch. Lionesses seemed more alert than Lions since they are the ones who do most of the hunting.
Cheetahs were also plentiful. Among the large cats, they are the least dangerous to humans. I saw several groups resting in the grass or near tree trunks. From their languid pose, it was hard to imagine that they are the fastest land animals on the planet, reaching speeds of 120 kilometres an hour.
The Leopard turned out to be the most elusive. The driver finally found one asleep in the foliage of a tree branch about twenty feet from the ground, next to a stream. It was camouflaged well. Even after we were alerted to its presence, it took us ten minutes of intense scrutiny before we spotted it.
I was lucky to see a Serval, one of the smaller cats, with a body disproportionately small compared to its long legs. It was completely fearless as it strode in front of our vehicle, sat a bit, then walked off into the distance. Earlier, I had seen a Spotted Hyena relaxing with her baby. I was surprised at the large size of the hyena which I learned can weigh up to 55 kilograms.
Watching the predators of Masai Mara was an experience I will treasure all my life.
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