tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5240523467237763352024-03-14T07:16:46.700+03:00On Safari with The Map's EdgeDream - Escape - ExploreThe Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-3120017391046479852015-01-22T15:38:00.002+03:002015-01-22T15:38:55.859+03:00Cyber safari news By Jules Knocker and Ali Kea<br />
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Smart phones have changed the way we view safaris. Some changes are good and some changes are not so welcome.<br />
- Many people use the phone as their camera (by the way, not recommended - while phone cameras are good quality, they cannot replicate the majesty and the size of animals. Most end up looking small and a bit dull and not your best safari momento)<br />
- you can share your day with friends and family back home, when you are at a lodge with Internet<br />
- and we can hear about your safari from the guide as you go along and see the pictures, which we love<br />
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But it can become addictive, so much so that people forget to appreciate what they see first hand and concentrate on enjoying it second hand, via their phone - missing out on the full experience. So we really recommend that people 'switch off' during their game drives and at the lodge round the fire place, relax and enjoy!<br />
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19 Jan 06:12 - Alikea: Hi Sara !! Was good start yesterday, pick them up from Manyara we went in Manyara park and first thing was baboon, elephant very close to the road, giraffe , hippos , warthog and many water bird...<br />
19 Jan 06:12 - Alikea: IMG-20150119-WA0004.jpg (file attached)<br />
19 Jan 06:14 - Alikea: I mean very close to the road<br />
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19 Jan 17:30 - Alikea: Hi Sara! We had a nice morning, we left Sopa lodge at around 6:30 am with picnic b/fast and we went down in crater. We saw a pride of lions at Munge river. Was six of them next to a big group of Buffalo all looking to each other, big bull elephant, lots of nyumbu and zebra, gazelles, one rhino from distance. Then we had b/ fast at table mountain after that we found a pair of meting lion very close to road. A few meters away was another big male with a black main, close to them, around 2:30 client ask to come back to lodge for late lunch and rest..that is all about today...<br />
19 Jan 17:31 - Alikea: IMG-20150119-WA0006.jpg (file attached)<br />
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19 Jan 19:48 - Sara May Ashby: Great stuff keep them coming<br />
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The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-63777141344232466382015-01-22T15:12:00.003+03:002015-01-22T15:12:57.510+03:00Safari myths and tall stories<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3UqHnRl7WevcuozSrXVSlfos42_gEgrk7G0qCsh46QifqGHKZ77iGMUq6Q3mIo0lsg3fmQ8cb2kR9UHKuZ3aONXik-Gc7VQqHBJzjluQ9CvQ5KAz99uLbDq4ZSsvVfNkYY2Qh2NYI9E/s1600/Ken+John.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3UqHnRl7WevcuozSrXVSlfos42_gEgrk7G0qCsh46QifqGHKZ77iGMUq6Q3mIo0lsg3fmQ8cb2kR9UHKuZ3aONXik-Gc7VQqHBJzjluQ9CvQ5KAz99uLbDq4ZSsvVfNkYY2Qh2NYI9E/s1600/Ken+John.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
By Kennedy John <br />
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It is 1400 and too hot, so we decide to drive to our Lodge. We are staying at Lake Manyara Tree Lodge. On the way, we make jokes about the famous tree-climbing lions of Lake Manyara National Park, which, in my experience, you rarely see, despite the fact I have visited the park many, many times.<br />
Some guides and guide books claim you can only see lions up trees in Lake Manyara and nowhere else. Of course, this is not true. Lions, like all cats, can climb trees and the younger ones often do.<br />
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Imagine my surprise when we round a corner and about a kilometer before the lodges, we saw five of them: 3 females and 2 young males, sitting in the branches of a <i>kigelia</i> (sausage) treeThe Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-26488948863588331262015-01-22T14:38:00.000+03:002015-01-22T14:38:04.893+03:00Big is beautifulTrips with a big group can be daunting - and not just from the organisation point of view and the logistics of moving so many people around but also making sure everyone gets the best possible experience and no-one is left out. <div>
We recently ran a trip for 42 people in the Serengeti and Zanzibar. The trip was a great success for all - not just the safari visitors but for our guides as well. It is not often that they get to do trips together and have fun, relaxing with their friends. As well as the jokes, there was plenty of time to learn from others, to help each other out. Here goes with a few comments from our guides.....</div>
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And if you think the thrill of having a fully grown lion near you dims with repetition - it does not. Look at Rem's face!</div>
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- our mission was hippopotamus today, at Retima. It was fabulous, crocodiles as usual and hippos piled up. Don't forget soooooo many different types of birds. and the evening was something unique. Mating lions before sundowners and accompanied by traditional maasai dancing. To be honest, from my side, the safari was excellent. (Rem)</div>
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- the first late afternoon drive was adrenalin laced, when we spotted a lone cheetah stalking some gazelles. The deed was done in the thickets! And an imposing memory of the African elephant sauntering across the plains in the midst of the wildebeest and zebra migration was a highlight of my safari. (Masaa)</div>
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- it was a great safari with knowledgeable guides. Full of a variety of animals, birds and trees. It was terrific (Ali Kea)</div>
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First impressions are always important. Here goes with an impressive fan of our vehicles, all spic and span, ready for anything.</div>
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Safari duties are not always about spotting game and driving across the bush. Here, our intrepid guide team rigged up some parafin lights to help the celebrations along</div>
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The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-40616706948826131282015-01-22T13:12:00.004+03:002015-01-22T13:12:49.106+03:00Is a safari ever long enough?<br />
By Chediel Mnzava <br />
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Our safari started at the Namanga, the border post between Tanzania and Kenya and we drove all the way to the Ngorongoro Highlands via Arusha, Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is the largest free standing mountain in the world. and before it erupted many centuries ago, Mt Meru was even higher. The mountains were in our view but not for long, as they soon got covered in cloud. Best viewing times for the mountains are early morning and late afternoon.<br />
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Our first game drive was in Ngorongoro Crater and we had a very early morning start. It was worth waking up early today, as we saw a lot in the Crater, without most of the crowds. Ngorongoro has become very popular over the last decade. We saw wildebeest and zebras, elephants, lots of gazelles then we met up with some some lions and one lioness had three cubs. Cheetah and of flamingos on the lake. You could not beat that as a first day to introduce people to the joys of the wild. It was a good day.<br />
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Our next destination was Moru in the Serengeti National Park as that is where our mobile camp was. The great thing about transfer days is they often are glorified game drives and you see plenty along the way.<br />
As we went across to Naabi hill, we started seeing some small herds of wildebeest. As we were got close to Moru, we noticed the Migration was getting thicker and thicker. By the time we got to Moru it was full of wildebeests and zebra. The sheer number of animals was astounding. <br />
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Yet along with the wildebeest, we saw plenty of other game from big cats down to small beetles; from colourful birds to colourful flowers. Each day brought something new or a different way of looking at animals. Eight days just was not enoughThe Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-86202389226145327592015-01-22T12:54:00.004+03:002015-01-22T12:54:32.221+03:00Predators and Prey in the Serengeti - March April<br />
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Predators and Prey in Serengeti by Halifa Suleiman</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Good news......... in the Southern Serengeti, the hunting dogs are around ! An early morning start will give you a good chance of enjoy the dogs hunting. The cheetah cubs plays under the shade of the acacia tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The wildebeest are lactating, while the hyena rests in their den. At the same time, some warthog wanted to get down the same den ( burrow) and the hyena were pushed out ! An elephant family walks towards a water hole. It's hot for calf but they have to keep walking.</span>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-22144344918077960992015-01-22T12:49:00.000+03:002015-01-22T15:50:22.847+03:00The Highlights of the Green<br />
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The Highlights of the Green - by Kennedy John<br />
March 2013<br />
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Sexual shenanigans in Mahale! The present Alpha male chimp (Primus) behaves very badly by trying to rape his sister! This same behaviour led to Pimu, the previous Alpha, getting deposed and killed just last year. He needs to watch out as the Chimp group will not put up with that kind of bullying.<br />
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Ndutu southern short grass plains. Day 1 was shocking - no wildebeest. Then it rained and the masses started pouring into the area we were in and hence, the fun started. The climax? A mother cheetah with her 4 cubs killing a tommy and then the beests started dropping calves left right and centre (that's Ndutu at its best!).<br />
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Ngorongoro Crater,being there at first light was rewarding. The sight of a huge black-maned lion surrounded by a pack of hyenas enjoying his breakfast of the wildebeest he had just caught, with the most fantastic sunrise over the crater highlands..<br />
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<br />The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-62447530003495226192014-09-26T13:33:00.000+03:002014-09-26T13:33:21.565+03:00Bikes, bush and beauty - a safari with a differenceBy Richard Knocker
I'm half way up the 2nd hill - we've only just started, and it's clear that I just can't do it. This is ridiculous!
Somehow I puff and pant my way to the top, and a lovely view opens up below: in the distance, the steep escarpment of the western wall of the Great Rift Valley; ahead the track swoops down to a broad plain, a patchwork quilt of maize and sugar cane fields; to the right glints Lake Babati, our destination for today, some 50 kms (30 miles) away.
This is Part 2 of the Vijana Challenge (vijana = boys in kiSwahili) , a 3-week voyage of learning and adventure for my 4 young charges from Switzerland and Canada. We have already completed a short bush mechanics course and an introduction to wilderness 1st Aid; yesterday evening, we hiked up to view the ancient rock art of Kolo in the caves and rocky overhangs that dot that part of the Rift. We are just starting a 120-kms bike ride and the we are getting into our stride. Our guide for this section is Julius, a lean young man with dreads and a great sense of fun. For back up, we have Juma, a biking legend: he can fix anything on 2 wheels, under any circumstances.
Free wheeling downhill with the wind in my face, my early sense of despondency quickly wears off and I soon start to enjoy the ride. This is easy!
From now one. it's all fun: we pass through rural villages, where people smile and wave at the wazungu (white folk) on their bikes; through patches of airy forest, and through acres and acres of sugar cane. At the end of the day, I spot my chance: on the slope leading up to camp, I stand up on the pedals and push hard, blasting past Julius and the 4 teenagers, who, not suspecting that the old fuddy duddy bringing up the rear has it in him, are completely taken by surprise.
Camp is a lovely spot in a grove of tall fever trees right on the lakeshore; fishermen come and go and some cows graze peacefully nearby, We go on a short bird walk, which yields fruit galore: highlights were a Purple Swamp-hen, a couple of hippo, a dik-dik and a Scarlet-chested Sunbird feeding above us. And lots of waterbirds...
Next day we are, unsurprisingly, saddle-sore as we mount our trusty steeds once more. We have a little over 60 kms ahead of us, but I have no doubt that I can manage. Sure enough, we arrive in time for a late lunch at Magara Campsite, a pretty location on the edge of a sand river set about with big sycamore figs. A short distance away are the Magara Falls, where we go for a wallow in the chilly water and to be pummelled by the full force of the main waterfall. Hugely reinvigorating!
Afterwards, a young local boy, Musa, demonstrates his gymnastic abilities, with a series of somersaults and back flips in the sand.
Next morning, it's an early start: we're off to nearby Lake Manyara National Park. We have the option of a full day in the park, or a half day followed by another bike ride. The lads are unanimous: time for some seeeeeerious game viewing!
Almost immediately we are in the middle of a group of elephant, feeding peacefully in the forest in the new southern extension to the park. Soon after, we emerge onto the lakeshore, where herds of wildebeest and zebra wander, with warthog and impala dotted around. As we approach the Maji Moto hippo pool, we come across throngs of water birds: storks, herons, ibis - and thousands upon thousands of pelicans. They are everywhere, swimming in vast flotillas, sailing majestically overhead, squabbling in the trees. Can there really be enough fish in the rapidly dwindling lake to support this many birds? The answer is clearly yes, but surely not for long?
Next morning, it's time to move on. We say goodbye to Julius and the crew and head off with our new best friend & guide, Kilerai; we will spend the next few days with the Hadzabe, some of Tanzania's last hunter-gatherers, who somehow make a living from the harsh, jutting landscape of rock and thornbush around Mongo wa Mono and Yaeda Chini. It's an austere place, especially in the dry season, as now: the colour seems to have bled out of the world, leaving a palette of ochre, olive and grey. It is strangely beautiful.
The next couple of days pass in a blur of wonderful times spent with the Hadza; a morning spent with the women as they dug up edible yam-like tubers; finding honey in a beehive high in a baobab tree; making arrows, Hadza-style; hiking across the Yaeda Valley; and heading out at dawn each morning on hunting expeditions, each boy accompanying a Hadza hunter. Each day is packed with fascinating incidents on their treks through the bush, covering many miles on each outing. One day, Jenerali notices that a nearby marula tree is fruiting and that many animals - kudu, bushpig, duiker - are visiting each night to hoover up the fallen fruit. After a brief discussion, we all set out to build a blind 20m from the tree and the boys wait up to try their luck. It is a beautiful full moon night. Towards morning, the clatter of a displaced pebble alerts them - there in the silvery light stands a herd of Greater Kudu; they are wary, their delicate ears twitching back and forth, searching for threats. They sense that something is wrong and they melt into the night once more.
All too soon, this part of the adventure draws to a close, and we have to say goodbye to our Hadza friends.
The final leg takes us to Tarangire for more big game; this park is excellent in the dry season, with large numbers of game dependent on the permanent water sources - the Tarangire River, Silale Swamp - now that the rest of the ecosystem has dried up. Elephant and large buffalo herds are everywhere and each night we are treated to a lion chorus as the different groups roar to each other. Damien is on a wild dog mission - there have been some reports of late, so we check out all the best places, but no joy. No luck either with oryx, but we score with lesser kudu, terrific cheetah and leopard sightings as well as some memorable views of lion.
The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-19524620770344959762013-10-14T16:28:00.002+03:002013-10-14T16:28:44.248+03:00Snippets of safari memoriesBy Halifa Suleiman<br />
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Northern Serengeti at the right time and in the right place.<br />
The Mara River offers up what many hope to see: the crossing of the wildebeest and the monster crocodiles that wait from season to season to feed well. The croc was not so lucky this time - the wildebeest got away<br />
The woodland hiding many creatures and a rhino......just chilling.<br />
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The kopjes all seem to glisten with cats this time, the trees hung with vultures and eagles waiting for their turn at the trough.. A Martial Eagle plucking an Egyptian Goose.<br />
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And the view, shaped by passing herds of elephant. A tree down here, a bush pulled up there.<br />
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The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-78573578294904866482013-10-14T15:20:00.002+03:002013-10-14T15:20:57.829+03:00The end of the dry - November in Serengeti<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By Chediel Mnzava<br />
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The end of the dry season - it does not happen on a particular date or day or week. Each year is different and we usually chose two locations with flexibility or two different locations to give oursleves the best chance at meeting up with the herds.<br />
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The safari starts with a change of camp. The change in the weather means that the migrating animals are not where we had anticipated them to be at this time. So the first conversation I had with the clients was all about why we were going somewhere different.<br />
On the vast short grass plains, as far as your eyes can see. Kopjes in the distance, big sky. That is how our safari started.<br />
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We were interested in everything: animals, birds, plants but our first big cat sighting was a leopard with a kill on top of a kopje. For me, it was particularly special as we were the only people there.<br />
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Ewanjan Camp in central Serengeti was our starting off point and we saw all the big cats, small to big antelopes, elephant and zebra.....and it rained while we were there so we saw a lot of wildebeest flowing into the area. Our three nights at the Makoma Hills were excellent.<br />
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The drive from Makoma hills to Lamai Camp was interesting, through the moving herds of gnu. Half an hour after we left camp, we spotted a Giant Eagle Owl then from nowhere, a leopard showed up and walked very closeto our vehicle. She came to drink water from one of the puddles just in front of us and then disappeared into thick vegetation. We all congratulated ourselves on our luck not knowing that she had not gone far. I heard a funny sounds from the kopjes and when I looked, I saw her two cubs.<br />
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The nice part of this safari was seeing the Serengeti landscape change from one area to another. The park is not huge in terms of kilometers but the variety of habitat is impressive.The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-68941362957203816592013-09-19T15:15:00.000+03:002013-09-19T15:25:36.987+03:00August - Ngorongoro and the Migration in Serengeti<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsDPxhus8_EaoLFlOiNBVuMkzejV-mSHzNZOLZxBDLx95IpJFTrv2_6iGP9Gn-KRZLInTc0WsTm5P98Sr3SSpU333e6BjFIiabAnE0ojVEOmkFdIPy-Ngv4xTg5mBsJn39RvMyXFmjbw/s1600/Bordier1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsDPxhus8_EaoLFlOiNBVuMkzejV-mSHzNZOLZxBDLx95IpJFTrv2_6iGP9Gn-KRZLInTc0WsTm5P98Sr3SSpU333e6BjFIiabAnE0ojVEOmkFdIPy-Ngv4xTg5mBsJn39RvMyXFmjbw/s320/Bordier1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Magadi, Ngorongoro</td></tr>
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Ngorongoro Crater, a cold, cloudy morning. A lioness lies by the road, hidden from a nearby wildebeest herd by the slope of a drainage ditch. She focuses on 3 animals that are drifting closer to her as they feed.
Their path changes subtly; decision time. If she waits, they may walk out of range, but if she charges, she risks missing them as they are still a good distance away. In the end, hunger drives her to make the attempt, and the startled gnus run panic-stricken from her.
Her presence is now known to all, so she decides to move on, try pastures new. She walks surprisingly fast. It is warm, approaching mid-day, an indication of how hungry she is. She spots a lone zebra out in the plain. Lone animals are easier to approach than herds, which have the benefit of lots of eyes all looking out for threats; alone, the zebra must rely on its own senses to survive.
She starts her stalk along a small gulley. The zebra, unaware of the danger, moves onto more open ground. Suddenly he spots her approach and stares at her, snorting. She realises the game is up and moves off once more.
From a small rise, she spots a line of wildebeest on the move. She moves fast to intercept them, getting into position in a grassy thicket close to their line of march. The herd keeps coming – it seems that they must tread on her. Suddenly, a tawny blur, wildebeest scattering in all directions. When the dust settles, she is left standing there. She has missed again. Frustrated, she lies down in the grass and begins to groom. It’s not as easy as it looks being King (Queen?) of the Jungle.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunting lioness</td></tr>
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Kogakuria Kopje, north Serengeti. A dead spider lying on the path. Suddenly a shiny blue-black wasp emerges from a small hole, looks at the spider then continues excavating once more, showering earth particles backwards like a dog digging. After a few minutes, the wasp returns and drags the spider into the hole, which looks far too small. Somehow the wasp manages.
The spider isn’t dead at all: the wasp has paralysed it’s prey with a careful sting; it will now lay a single egg on the spider – and the grub will be provisioned with plenty of fresh food when it hatches, a neat solution to the problem of food storage. Not a great outcome for the spider though…<br />
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Midday, north Serengeti. It’s hot. In a thick tangle of branches atop a nearby rock, we can just make out a patch of patterned fur. A resting leopard. We wait. There is a rustle in the bush and a lithe shape emerges onto the rock nearby, followed by second animal. With a mix of flirtatiousness and much snarling and apparent ill will, they mate in the typically perfunctory manner of large cats.
Within minutes, they mate again – and then again. But the level of hostility doesn’t abate one jot. <br />
(Watch the video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9Kk2nZmeo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9Kk2nZmeo</a>)<br />
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Crossing season is in full swing, with herds lining up on the river bank, jostling and shoving, pouring down the bank and into the water. A chaotic scene of dust and pounding hooves, the animals hurling themselves into the river, eyes wide with fear during the swim, then emerging dripping at the far side before running off once more over the plain. Some youngsters decide to cross back again - a croc slides into the water, easily overtakes a straggler... there is a lunge, a brief swirl, and the brown water closes over the swimmer's head.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiTXAJ7qqk01MyrCq4j_YehTMu4pIMmzVZS9lqgrguqfdUJ-iFaJoqi1H1hzZ4LWbr-RDOf7tPhh8uMw_d-f7sM4NdDX026f0dafXCuMWM1d7wjFx4iqJzvwwJCCMFMzMsoWgQ1Mz_ws/s1600/Bordier17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiTXAJ7qqk01MyrCq4j_YehTMu4pIMmzVZS9lqgrguqfdUJ-iFaJoqi1H1hzZ4LWbr-RDOf7tPhh8uMw_d-f7sM4NdDX026f0dafXCuMWM1d7wjFx4iqJzvwwJCCMFMzMsoWgQ1Mz_ws/s320/Bordier17.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mara River - crossing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIjw0zpFWPO3enbgmfKZagAIjIXMqMuAtY9hF8WUgyVQ1CXmvrG4V6qE3aZLbp_0RNVMvxws7VpkLkgwQ2YDBl2h5h_lbHC_ugGcjRqyI8YWFhH8pLwwWc-AIvAJrBHTZ7biWlx03CIk/s1600/Bordier33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIjw0zpFWPO3enbgmfKZagAIjIXMqMuAtY9hF8WUgyVQ1CXmvrG4V6qE3aZLbp_0RNVMvxws7VpkLkgwQ2YDBl2h5h_lbHC_ugGcjRqyI8YWFhH8pLwwWc-AIvAJrBHTZ7biWlx03CIk/s320/Bordier33.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the river</td></tr>
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(Crossing video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p12X9nmdBI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p12X9nmdBI</a>)<br />
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Kogakuria, early morning. We heard lions roaring as we set off, so we are trying to track them down. We try one set of rocks, where we estimate the sound came from but no joy. Then Jairo spots them, distant specks in the huge Serengeti landscape. They appear to be on the move - hunting? But all have full bellies. There is a fresh kill nearby and one small lioness has blood on her neck.
One by one, the ladies move off, until we are left with two adult males and the small lioness. Suddenly, mayhem – the males attack the female, who defends herself ferociously, lashing out at them. They circle her, looking for an opening, as she crouches, ears laid back against her skull, snarling and spitting. They move in again and she launches herself at them, a blur of whirling claws and teeth.
The males roar at the morning sky, then move off, leaving her to lick her wounds.
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(Lion fight video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ4dak3Qoxw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ4dak3Qoxw</a>)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martial Eagle on Egyptian Goose kill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVbHxndIAcFIwVducqCoUqo_ae3-Xorzq1p1jNnC1Y8oW3bmw8kdtnKs5ilqLTSQLEIgZUPk1Qe_dDqqU4-iAUJPhjbyO4_vWm8XoSPYBGikD49U7guwUwbPYz5CI4BqT3PRGAcPMnsE/s1600/Bordier164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVbHxndIAcFIwVducqCoUqo_ae3-Xorzq1p1jNnC1Y8oW3bmw8kdtnKs5ilqLTSQLEIgZUPk1Qe_dDqqU4-iAUJPhjbyO4_vWm8XoSPYBGikD49U7guwUwbPYz5CI4BqT3PRGAcPMnsE/s320/Bordier164.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamai Wedge, North Serengeti</td></tr>
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The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-86863613760114664302012-06-27T17:42:00.000+03:002012-08-01T17:25:12.863+03:00Rewarding June<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">By Richard Knocker</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">My season kicked off the other day with a 4-day trip to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">Lake Manyara is looking great this early in the season, with plenty of water still, and lots of Lesser Flamingos too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of the lake is fringed with pink and flocks can be seen flying from point to point a lot of the time.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">A herd of 19 giraffe comes thundering out onto the lakeshore, then turns to stare back into the woodland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We scan and scan for lion, but the bush is just too dense.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">As we enter camp, we are surrounded by a herd of peacefully munching elephant, shattered trees lying all around.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">During the night, the peace is broken by a troop of baboon, barking out in alarm as a leopard does the rounds.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">We leave at first light for a leisurely morning in the southern part of the park. Breakfast is on the lakeshore with a dense wodge of flamingos barely 30m away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More keep flying in and, as we eat, there is a constant babble of goose-like honking.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Probably the highlight of our Manyara stay is a large tom leopard strolling along the road ahead of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He disappears into the trees as we approach and we catch a glimpse of spotted coat in the bushes, before he melts into a thicket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sit quietly for 20 minutes or so, hoping he will re-emerge or climb a tree, but no joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another group saw him later, and a female crossed the road nearby – most likely a mating pair.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A wonderful sight on the descent into the crater: a caracal, the most beautiful of all the African cats. She is carrying a mouse, and as we watch, a well-grown kitten comes out of hiding and proceeds to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They aren’t at all shy and we have a wonderful few minutes with them.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Up before 1<sup>st</sup> light so as to make the most of the early morning in the Crater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a thick fog and as we make our way around the rim, we almost run into a buffalo on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the weird light, its dark body is almost invisible and we all but nudge its bottom before stopping.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">On the descent, there is the caracal pair again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kitten is once more feeding on a mouse, presumably caught by the mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The light is very uncertain, but we get close-up views of the wonderful facial markings and long tufted ears that give this cat such an exotic look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gorgeous…</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">On the Crater floor, a large bull elephant comes walking along the road towards us; we pull up and wait for him – he walks right by, pausing to glare and flare his ears at us, just in case we haven’t grasped quite how massive he is.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Not long after, a pair of hunting lions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are in a good position, with plenty of game nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A wildebeest walks right towards them, oblivious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A short rush… and the lion stops dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that he is a youngster, still short of his 2<sup>nd</sup> birthday, and probably lacks the confidence to take on a fully-grown bull wildebeest like that, with scary looking horns!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">And to round it off – a magnificent Martial Eagle atop an acacia, plucking and eating what looks like an Egyptian Goose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a fabulous bird….</span></div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-48237199004194067602012-06-10T12:00:00.000+03:002012-08-03T15:53:33.028+03:00Leopard, and more leopard, December 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By Squack Evans<br />
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During the course of 12 days or so, we travelled through Manyara having some phenomenal elephant viewing at close quarters..... some of the best I have had in Manyara for some time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-oRvFfMBxj4BQvELl9auN04njch-0AoKveSsQI14qJLP5jfohkj16Mukc5VOGC0mttjQHCQPt7e1N7pJtx5pJN8CPphbDu-SKw3dxrJjotwA7JQg-eTFtO47Xu7TvnJv3IwiRnjLf6Y/s1600/IMG_7440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-oRvFfMBxj4BQvELl9auN04njch-0AoKveSsQI14qJLP5jfohkj16Mukc5VOGC0mttjQHCQPt7e1N7pJtx5pJN8CPphbDu-SKw3dxrJjotwA7JQg-eTFtO47Xu7TvnJv3IwiRnjLf6Y/s320/IMG_7440.jpg" title="Elephant cow and palm fronds" width="320" /></a></div>
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Following on from there, we went to Ngorongoro and on to Moru kopjies.<br />
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We had a lot of rain so were a little bit constrained due to mud, in some areas. However, we had phenomenal sightings. The leopard viewing started here and we saw, in one morning, 3 leopards. One at a distance had just killed and climbed a tree with a dikdik. We managed to find one of the resident lion prides as well as a Black Rhino.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08m1klHSaeGK9QNovl1hU7wfrl9oEZV4oUBhKixq_bo6TJiCMgQJuAm5eUg135tRpugewsKpXKWvnlHnYhtoKtL4Qr3k_lMwtg7GEnY7ffRoBNMmmRSeDENMPsKHfgFO6HR643XSARx8/s1600/IMG_7911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08m1klHSaeGK9QNovl1hU7wfrl9oEZV4oUBhKixq_bo6TJiCMgQJuAm5eUg135tRpugewsKpXKWvnlHnYhtoKtL4Qr3k_lMwtg7GEnY7ffRoBNMmmRSeDENMPsKHfgFO6HR643XSARx8/s320/IMG_7911.jpg" title="Hiss and a snarl from madam" width="320" /></a></div>
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We moved on to the northern Serengeti and the leopard sightings continued in earnest! A mother and adolescent cub with an oribi kill giving us some amazing shows. The cub had attitude; with a snarl and a hiss almost on the end of my camera lens and then it hopped up on to the bull bar of the car.<br />
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The next day we found the mother again hunting and climbing trees in the heat of the afternoon. In the evening, she had moved some distance again and gave a phenomenal modelling shoot!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ycBvFz7xXELE3om4_6qTTwEQ6tvYZ6Xw8uEhnDlZZ6Oc6RG22E4lkefGLr1djAU-4cGVYphBXFF8wCF9NkQ492KY5SqKgq4saRBsPVwg6FgXWwhyphenhyphenrPl4ZzZmCQoMAZYZ3tXDcG5tNY0/s1600/IMG_8143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ycBvFz7xXELE3om4_6qTTwEQ6tvYZ6Xw8uEhnDlZZ6Oc6RG22E4lkefGLr1djAU-4cGVYphBXFF8wCF9NkQ492KY5SqKgq4saRBsPVwg6FgXWwhyphenhyphenrPl4ZzZmCQoMAZYZ3tXDcG5tNY0/s320/IMG_8143.jpg" title="On the catwalk" width="213" /></a></div>
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Lions were plentiful as was other game and, being slightly out of season, there were very few other cars out and about.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZq3hMlX_ZwAkxawhcIu6fG6Y4LKJAhgimOBgwa2a-QUjf4l3cz75yDBKb3NIjfmVhPQ4unONdtC0s-u1ClyDf9XlDoOsgGasv0Zmn6rsAUlpR_rYvLk8qY1bTfBCtCmM4Laqi85n4-0/s1600/IMG_8252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZq3hMlX_ZwAkxawhcIu6fG6Y4LKJAhgimOBgwa2a-QUjf4l3cz75yDBKb3NIjfmVhPQ4unONdtC0s-u1ClyDf9XlDoOsgGasv0Zmn6rsAUlpR_rYvLk8qY1bTfBCtCmM4Laqi85n4-0/s320/IMG_8252.jpg" title="Black Rhino double treat" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our send off at the end was 4 Black Rhino and some interesting interaction as it appeared that a female in the group was in season. Great trip..... and the leopard stole the show.The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-61471400813253400802012-06-04T15:17:00.003+03:002012-08-03T15:54:48.408+03:00Misty mornings, Ndutu, November 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK7_efP4Ac9LcGZ2iQOEF-FKfZQJ_3IEqHOipyToXYd0VzVTb_n74iV4k1xTSt85veoU7ng7HXyUi4XN1qJM9WYuPi9r-BC_Pf8M-5rRWpjOwvQemqDZ7D3xPlAVcN1oq86hGjPBlf04/s1600/Squack+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK7_efP4Ac9LcGZ2iQOEF-FKfZQJ_3IEqHOipyToXYd0VzVTb_n74iV4k1xTSt85veoU7ng7HXyUi4XN1qJM9WYuPi9r-BC_Pf8M-5rRWpjOwvQemqDZ7D3xPlAVcN1oq86hGjPBlf04/s200/Squack+Evans.jpg" width="152" /></a>By Squack Evans</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphYZ0W-pZgYXHE7rJU4N1fhzvFfD5g7tN-8TEdByvKFAi6wD9chC-kPTHTZnlNukSsgc8djJYmpZOPyrzUXDLyOXP-GoX_U7zZOUh5OwOOUW5vxccym69FuQXJhPUsb7FnVSAuAmJW00/s1600/IMG_6572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphYZ0W-pZgYXHE7rJU4N1fhzvFfD5g7tN-8TEdByvKFAi6wD9chC-kPTHTZnlNukSsgc8djJYmpZOPyrzUXDLyOXP-GoX_U7zZOUh5OwOOUW5vxccym69FuQXJhPUsb7FnVSAuAmJW00/s320/IMG_6572.JPG" title="Ngorongoro crater and flamingoes" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A wonderful week-long safari with the Wilderness Mobile Camp in Ngorongoro and the southern Serengeti with guests who have become firm friends over the years.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmK2o7-qpEzDrE-kp6QIov8fowHjWbbPg5qyUrTn718V_hn6LxaTgGAH77toJxqg1cxIspzX5JoNv86ErGzOQupXnRdMpGyKUXJj_x-H1gXYxf-xABdCppSuZaJYMTX_IAlh7KFA1y4o/s1600/IMG_6606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmK2o7-qpEzDrE-kp6QIov8fowHjWbbPg5qyUrTn718V_hn6LxaTgGAH77toJxqg1cxIspzX5JoNv86ErGzOQupXnRdMpGyKUXJj_x-H1gXYxf-xABdCppSuZaJYMTX_IAlh7KFA1y4o/s320/IMG_6606.JPG" title="Ostrich close up" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first few nights we spent on the Crater rim, the campsite is already some way down the descent road so you are set to be first in to the Crater, with a good head start. We had some quality game viewing in the golden morning hours, while the late afternoon on the Crater floor is equally magic; everyone had headed home and we enjoyed the last light in glorious isolation. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AigY1Z73ygwrYkWaCDERkTsyPY5rwcU_6ao7d1pgl2n8Hk_y50AKVx_jyOWwJht4ahjE0Vxh1E5BbW0ofpRuPHNLVQoEYTg84O1M_nUtfAJbh4v2JQ7JvC6QYp34JuD42vNQEzQ2yv4/s1600/IMG_6972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AigY1Z73ygwrYkWaCDERkTsyPY5rwcU_6ao7d1pgl2n8Hk_y50AKVx_jyOWwJht4ahjE0Vxh1E5BbW0ofpRuPHNLVQoEYTg84O1M_nUtfAJbh4v2JQ7JvC6QYp34JuD42vNQEzQ2yv4/s320/IMG_6972.JPG" title="Jackal and vultures" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> As we arrived in Ndutu so too did the wildebeest, a few weeks earlier than we expected! The beauty of having a lighter-weight mobile camp and travelling out of season means you can change plans on the move. As the wildebeest had arrived so early, we decided to stay put for the rest of the week. What a great time! The morning mist was so thick we couldn't see further than 40 yards ahead and what a rare treat to be drifting slowly through the mist and watching shapes slowly appear and begin to take form as you approach, and then drift back into nothingness as you pass. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzayubx-1E5ZqkOouabjj8GCvKXz-Y0SduEm-3qmqN9gqd59UO_GuVSQGtK48MJwb-HuxIREPFJTPFQ5R_-im2r30MUOzLEIoS6ICZbgNMftaDOyyuRHTEIxZ_mnfPQ9jIbsDDinuzHgw/s1600/IMG_6807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzayubx-1E5ZqkOouabjj8GCvKXz-Y0SduEm-3qmqN9gqd59UO_GuVSQGtK48MJwb-HuxIREPFJTPFQ5R_-im2r30MUOzLEIoS6ICZbgNMftaDOyyuRHTEIxZ_mnfPQ9jIbsDDinuzHgw/s320/IMG_6807.JPG" title="Who says only gorillas are in the mist?" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Being on the plains as the mist finally burnt off was great. Suddenly, huge vistas of grassland and wildebeest opened up to accompany our picnic breakfast and tea.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVVNlLB6EPZZjGOwv4SXNjZm8OshHf8Z5jnk5tM38ajb5MdXW2OYMHNOdgYIyoP6DK1Airztgnvjk16NL8TLOwoQSavBGr3Nx2CpzNkgXAFiqZYKosA07fk8TLsC26M4rrYIDgUiAndo/s1600/IMG_6718.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVVNlLB6EPZZjGOwv4SXNjZm8OshHf8Z5jnk5tM38ajb5MdXW2OYMHNOdgYIyoP6DK1Airztgnvjk16NL8TLOwoQSavBGr3Nx2CpzNkgXAFiqZYKosA07fk8TLsC26M4rrYIDgUiAndo/s320/IMG_6718.JPG" title="Early morning on the plains" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also spent a lot of evening time with a Striped Hyena and her pup. So rare to get good views of them and even more rare to watch behaviour between mother and pup. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyxD3ODuqftNJV08IxWOakAq6k6LDRUoR3inZ68yzCmJKfL4aGjYGWj-PeGPDhZWOadrZGXVCxs0vMk4Ltx1HB0Dw07q1m_xc_mc-YgYB4zrPKq6qKXHzKk6mH8-IlJU2iMxnbbCqiVs/s1600/IMG_6941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyxD3ODuqftNJV08IxWOakAq6k6LDRUoR3inZ68yzCmJKfL4aGjYGWj-PeGPDhZWOadrZGXVCxs0vMk4Ltx1HB0Dw07q1m_xc_mc-YgYB4zrPKq6qKXHzKk6mH8-IlJU2iMxnbbCqiVs/s320/IMG_6941.JPG" title="Stripy and pup" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had a cheetah mother and her cubs having a standoff with a few opportunistic Spotted Hyena, a lioness taking advantage of the sudden abundance of food among many other fantastic memories. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The short grass plains in southern Serengeti in early season were both tranquil and beautiful! Next November anyone?</span>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-5336555999259512362012-04-26T18:47:00.000+03:002012-08-03T15:56:48.456+03:00Drama in the African Bush<br />
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By Halifa Suleiman</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Clouds ! Mist ! Fog ! </span></div>
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Halifa ! ARE WE GOING TO SEE ANY ANIMALS TODAY? this is the question from my guests. The Ngorongoro half day trip was the start of our safari and the fog was heavy. But down on the Crater floor it cleared up. At the first sighting, we saw four lioness hunting a buffalo. These girls took about 45min to bring down the buffalo bull, after breaking its front left leg, but it was not easy.<br />
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A good morning hunting with the Hadze at Lake Eyasi. Breakfast is a male vervet monkey before they set off again hunting. The luck of the day was on their side. After a long walk, stopping to pick some cordia fruit and catch some mouse bird, they shot the egyptian goose with their bow and arrows .<br />
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It is hot and dusty in Tarangire but another wonderful day with elephant heading towards the river, zebra under the tree and wildebeest near the river bank. On the other side, a lion hiding in wait. In the three days of our stay, we saw orxy, kudu, eland, python, leopard , lion and many more. A martial eagle caught a dwarf mangoose and took it up to a tree branch, what a meal ! <br />
<br />The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-76897670441186377292012-04-26T18:13:00.000+03:002015-01-22T15:50:41.170+03:00Three Safaris <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three Safaris and photographs by Kennedy John</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lamai, Northern Serengeti, August 2011 - an extraordinary weather pattern of rains. Luckily, the burning on the Tanzanian side of the Mara/Serengeti boundary facilitated the return of lush green fields. Hence, the swing of the migratory herds to and fro was a key characteristic of the safari. We saw lots of the concentrations of wildebeest </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">..........and general game: a coalition of 3 brother cheetahs around Nyamalumbwa, killing yearlings and calves born in last March; rhinos along the Sandriver and the 2 main lions prides the Nyamalumbwa Pride and the Kopjes Pride. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because the grass was short on the plains around the Mara River, we witnessed some good crossings though, as is more usual nowadays in peak season, a large number of other vehicles around these areas. It is something to worry about, as the park regulations seem to be pushing more towards crowding rather than spreading the tourist load and, as the a result, the exclusive experience is becoming more compromised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">September in Serengeti. A brand new lodge, still settling in to its place, but we were there at best time for the area. Fantastic sightings of lion,cheetah and leopard not to forget crocs and hippos.The grande finale of the safari - hours and hours of the great Mara River crossings, to and fro, within a span of just a few hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, into the wilderness of Western Tanzania: Chada Katavi. Thousands of hippos crowded together in small, muddy pools in the drying river beds. Hundreds of crocs piled together in the caves on the banks of the Katuma River, probably having slowed down their body metabolism to survive through the hard times with minimum energy required. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mahale Mountains: beautiful lake, the spectacular Nkungwe Mountain ranges, were it is said the savannah and the tropical rain forests meet and hence, it is a haven for primates....But the most unusual thing was a coup d'etat when the then Alpha chimp male was deposed and brutally killed by the other chimps - a thing which has never been observed even by the Japanese researchers in their 40 plus years of research. For more than 3 days after the saga, it was like a curfew had been declared and it was difficult to spot a chimp anywhere. But, as usual, sanity came back and the Great Apes were around the camp on our last day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A safari through the Serengeti in March 2012. Memorable sightings:the rocks between Sayari Camp near the Mara River and Lamai Serengeti camp are probably one of the best cat habitats in the area. This time, we had the resident lion pride with their 8 cubs so close to a leopard with its cub to such an extent that we enjoyed a drama of the large pantherines chasing around their smaller spotted cousins around the rocks. It is worth noting that this area is now rich in rhinos and we were lucky to see 5 very close around the Sandriver. Southern Serengeti was dry, despite it being March and the migratory herds had moved out to around Simba Kopjes and Seronera, but, as usual, there were some nice suprises for us. A shy striped hyena and its cub and the usual large number of cheetahs made the day there very enjoyable..</span><br />
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The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-9396895543244728632012-04-24T17:43:00.000+03:002012-04-24T17:43:20.487+03:00The.Maps.Edge Facebook Page is alive and kickingWe have just launched our facebook page amidst delighted giggles and excitement. It has taken us some time to get there but we are finally 'launched'<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/The.Maps.Edge" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/The.Maps.Edge</a>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-54710958277944268092012-02-03T17:05:00.000+03:002012-02-03T17:05:06.254+03:00The emerald bush - Katavi and Mahale in the Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwrPlrQMUc_ee62ygaHWUh7F9_Q53muWwwZdBC-6D4EhsXt_yKpck0ZkMJ2xo6hyphenhyphen7xLL8cvPqOi92_65vL1lzQoEUBPq_SklJB3LvdsX7WAGZUmHZEHp1mMAlH4QpTshfN2lO6qegqIU/s1600/Richard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwrPlrQMUc_ee62ygaHWUh7F9_Q53muWwwZdBC-6D4EhsXt_yKpck0ZkMJ2xo6hyphenhyphen7xLL8cvPqOi92_65vL1lzQoEUBPq_SklJB3LvdsX7WAGZUmHZEHp1mMAlH4QpTshfN2lO6qegqIU/s200/Richard.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
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By Richard Knocker<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">We had a very weird spell of weather in October and early November – tremendous rains, unusually early and heavy. It was very patchy, so while everything at home was green and flourishing, and there was heavy flooding in parts of Serengeti, large swathes of Maasailand remained brown and parched.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">So, November came around and with it a group of old friends from our days in Turkey. We were headed out west, for a week in Katavi and Mahale. Katavi will be at it’s best at this time, won’t it? The long months of hot and dry mean that large numbers of game will be congregated near the few springs, so game viewing will be a cinch. Except for that early rain (see above). The whole park was freshly painted in luxuriant greens, the Katuma River was flowing and the air felt vibrant with life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Many of the hippos had moved out of the springs at Ikuu, their dry season refuge, and back into the newly formed pools on the Katuma. The crocs were slowly coming back to life, although many were still more or less somnolent in their riverbank holes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The downside to all this, of course, was that much of the game, released from the tyranny of the dry season, had scattered to the four winds </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">It was gorgeous and we did find just about everything we wanted to see, so we had to earn out sightings with patience and good tracking!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We found a lovely pride of lion with cubs (the Chada Pride), and followed them for a couple of hours through the bush as they made their way to the river, presumably changing hunting grounds. They were lean and hungry looking, but with a healthy glow. We stayed with them for some time, hoping for a hunt (they were clearly ready for action), but nothing came of it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">It was the same story with elephant – when we finally caught up with a herd, we had a long visit with them, following slowly as they fed through the bush. There was a tiny calf with them, but we only got brief glimpses as Mama kept her close by her side.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">It was strange to see so few elephant, but the mystery was solved when some of our group spotted a large herd, several hundred they reckoned, waaaay out on Katisunga Plain. Too far to go and see them, sadly, but nice to know they’re there. And always nice to solve the puzzle!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">This happens frequently: elephant clans are forced to break up into small family groups during the dry season, because of the lack of resources, but when the rains start and food and water are plentiful, they gather once more into large groups.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Not long after we left, a herd of several hundred was seen just in front of Chada Camp – very likely the same clan.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">One of our Chada highlights was a large scorpion, found by one of the camp waiters. Scorpions have this weird undead glow under ultraviolet light – perfect material for nightmares!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">All too soon, our time was up and we upped sticks and moved on to Mahale Mountains. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Again, the recent rain meant that the forest was bursting with new life. Gorgeous butterflies flitting through the clearings and fresh new leaf everywhere. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">miombo </i>woodland on the mountain slopes was resplendent in shades of copper, crimson and brilliant fresh greens.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We had high expectations of our time with the chimps: as you probably know, the Alpha male of Mahale’s ‘M’ community was killed by his own kind back in July (??). Pimu was a thug who ruled by brute force and terror, and in the end his subjects rose up against him. If only Gaddafi had taken heed of this sorry tale…</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Anyway, we were intrigued to find out how the succession struggle was working out. There are 2 contenders: Alofu, the former alpha, deposed by Pimu; and Primus, a young buck with his eye on the top spot. In the event, we had unexpectedly mellow viewing, consisting of peaceable group grooming sessions and youngsters endlessly at play. Endlessly watchable.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We are still waiting to hear who will take on Pimu’s mantle, but we can expect a great deal of manoeuvring and wheeling & dealing before the dust finally settles on this saga.</span><br />
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</span></div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-50331633455621000292012-01-31T19:05:00.000+03:002012-01-31T19:05:21.666+03:00Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK7_efP4Ac9LcGZ2iQOEF-FKfZQJ_3IEqHOipyToXYd0VzVTb_n74iV4k1xTSt85veoU7ng7HXyUi4XN1qJM9WYuPi9r-BC_Pf8M-5rRWpjOwvQemqDZ7D3xPlAVcN1oq86hGjPBlf04/s1600/Squack+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK7_efP4Ac9LcGZ2iQOEF-FKfZQJ_3IEqHOipyToXYd0VzVTb_n74iV4k1xTSt85veoU7ng7HXyUi4XN1qJM9WYuPi9r-BC_Pf8M-5rRWpjOwvQemqDZ7D3xPlAVcN1oq86hGjPBlf04/s200/Squack+Evans.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By Squack Evans</span><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This was a short safari in June, but we had an amazing experience: three days in Rwanda, trekking the Mountain Gorillas, a total of two treks, one with the Agashya group and the other with the Kwitonda group. There are very few Mountain Gorillas left in the world, experts tell us somewhere just over 800, so this is a very special safari.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjzvpPOX5ZtOjI4OPUMBl2lc6QdHsm5Fa50lhHj3X_jsHmxxFTA-M8LJQxzcLVDNsc2jKuv6Th7e-khdZDmpLiPEGVw7Io-dOfmPOVujaU0qPTgQKHkFPe90eSHnblXOG6SKmaFhVN6I/s1600/IMG_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjzvpPOX5ZtOjI4OPUMBl2lc6QdHsm5Fa50lhHj3X_jsHmxxFTA-M8LJQxzcLVDNsc2jKuv6Th7e-khdZDmpLiPEGVw7Io-dOfmPOVujaU0qPTgQKHkFPe90eSHnblXOG6SKmaFhVN6I/s400/IMG_0037.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our first day out we bumped into a herd of buffalo on the way. This happens from time to time but you very rarely get a chance to actually see them. The normal state of affairs is the thundering of hooves, usually in the opposite direction. This time we had a good look at them; probably about 15 animals in total. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Do these qualify as true Forest Buffalo, </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Syncerus caffer nanus</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">?? Would love to hear the comments of an expert!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfW_hFkc1qSn8zwxdkYRgQPTQ0PZv2kTEID1f3JTAGTGwnQXPGVn2fF9rMb9G5Enp9SJDG2gwsj5ATO8MrWU_uq_qj80yzqKarKIsO5EX0V2dDfDkEHwA9oVW8-rEBi49gDY5mlNuqYE/s1600/IMG_1589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfW_hFkc1qSn8zwxdkYRgQPTQ0PZv2kTEID1f3JTAGTGwnQXPGVn2fF9rMb9G5Enp9SJDG2gwsj5ATO8MrWU_uq_qj80yzqKarKIsO5EX0V2dDfDkEHwA9oVW8-rEBi49gDY5mlNuqYE/s400/IMG_1589.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Both gorilla groups we visited have large numbers of individuals and both also have good number of babies which provides interesting interactions and play all the time. This youngster decided it was time to take a siesta on the Silverback, Agashya, he was very tolerant all told!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIysytlIffaW18FPhHydr6vp-FCIJh_eVgaHc5UXS1PnmH2NJBAgAQXIs1pDGztmLbHAKcd7q47vzgfZrVLj8dB-s-toQV6g_IAhU9UoDgOwow39FMn16SfXCikJ1UYkoNzUKtJl7kZVs/s1600/IMG_1666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIysytlIffaW18FPhHydr6vp-FCIJh_eVgaHc5UXS1PnmH2NJBAgAQXIs1pDGztmLbHAKcd7q47vzgfZrVLj8dB-s-toQV6g_IAhU9UoDgOwow39FMn16SfXCikJ1UYkoNzUKtJl7kZVs/s400/IMG_1666.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Kwitonda group also has some very interesting dynamics with 3 silverbacks at the moment, which provides for some exciting viewing.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuUlkh3MfmICFf3Bg5Gzv9auZk2CiwOc9FRDMTVCOJWfhsIEfYYb9tNowcRoHm5VRXZbyPM0pSpukxMt0hqrrYXcsbp9x_HABnxAYtw6quSgDD8c1IwkvQAvNCz1bXF1i3megsT3G_l8/s1600/IMG_0038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuUlkh3MfmICFf3Bg5Gzv9auZk2CiwOc9FRDMTVCOJWfhsIEfYYb9tNowcRoHm5VRXZbyPM0pSpukxMt0hqrrYXcsbp9x_HABnxAYtw6quSgDD8c1IwkvQAvNCz1bXF1i3megsT3G_l8/s400/IMG_0038.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We managed on both days to get very close to the gorillas, on one occasion we were boxed in to the thick vegetation with a youngster sitting very close by watching with interest, and sometimes amusement, our attempts to maintain the required 7 metre distance. What a great trip, something every Africa-phile should do at least once!</span></div></div></div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0Volcans National Park, Rwanda-1.4932564 29.464359000000059-1.6111214 29.280521500000059 -1.3753913999999998 29.648196500000058tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-62326359029704148762012-01-27T15:07:00.002+03:002012-01-27T17:47:46.234+03:00June in Northern Tanzania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeBARiFmXDfPs07uFnqi0Ey5500KOSEEkeddNhuTWa2uQQvXUpWwMmJoec1xXCT5RF6cKGLGdKtvcIzmQKFE4KKuflOUt-gs1WwVlFvKzhK6FJUAJWE371EwAWLIqLdcRcHjRifdQsHU/s1600/Squack+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeBARiFmXDfPs07uFnqi0Ey5500KOSEEkeddNhuTWa2uQQvXUpWwMmJoec1xXCT5RF6cKGLGdKtvcIzmQKFE4KKuflOUt-gs1WwVlFvKzhK6FJUAJWE371EwAWLIqLdcRcHjRifdQsHU/s200/Squack+Evans.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>by Squack Evans<br />
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Having had a busy season this year, there has not been much time to post about our adventures (although I confess to a certain amount of procrastination too!). A subject of a delicate nature with those who have kept up with their posts!<br />
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<div class="p1">Starting our safari on the night of a full lunar eclipse, we made our way from Arusha leisurely north. Starting with an afternoon in Manyara National park with some amazing close up views of elephant. </div><div class="p1"><br />
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</div><div class="p1">Overnighting in the wonderful Plantation lodge and taking in the Ngorongoro Crater the following day. Onward to the Serengeti, we found some amazing 'rock star' lions perched on the kopjies in central Serengeti on the way to our mobile camp, set up in the Western Corridor, specially to catch up with the migration. </div><div class="p1">Scores of wildebeest and zebra with the cacophony of noise that goes with the wildebeest at this time of year; rutting season. </div><div class="p1">A balloon flight, bush breakfasts and on to the northern Serengeti for the last few days of our safari.</div><div class="p1"><br />
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</div><div class="p1">What a pleasure to arrive there and experience untrammeled Africa without the crowds! Out of season is definitely the way to travel these days. </div><div class="p1"><br />
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</div><div class="p1">Leopard, lion and cheetah in our time here not to mention wonderful vistas of seas of grass with zebra and topi navigating their way across the plains.</div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-8971720369522204532011-09-27T16:22:00.000+03:002011-09-27T16:22:11.822+03:00As if butter wouldn't melt in their mouths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF4iRmWaZ4L7nplGRk3aoawm846LqomHu9uxGTIrLwAgl2o0NBxMWdBT2RefMdgaTBii_KxihRMkkML-zv_ZXix2_ipYlBO90zQn3_EwGf80qKCDrhdch7IfZknYtwREurgauUj4MhfM/s1600/Kennedy-photo+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF4iRmWaZ4L7nplGRk3aoawm846LqomHu9uxGTIrLwAgl2o0NBxMWdBT2RefMdgaTBii_KxihRMkkML-zv_ZXix2_ipYlBO90zQn3_EwGf80qKCDrhdch7IfZknYtwREurgauUj4MhfM/s200/Kennedy-photo+.jpg" width="147" /></a>Photographs by Kennedy John </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pictures to melt even the most hardened of hearts. All taken on safari this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-42569912307183082612011-09-27T15:22:00.006+03:002011-09-28T14:30:51.019+03:00Tales of the Unexpected.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q6h1DfBMTt5dmh_uym79DPXAg3D0Xd3fUFUkCEYyFqvkduAO2t55xI-lE9CIKH7CvzGKWXCVtRIKFXYJwL44pscWNTtPcrX5_dKD9cisnNx5-vB_S9CUFfi9uQankYN8sBx-76ujJrw/s1600/Kennedy-photo+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q6h1DfBMTt5dmh_uym79DPXAg3D0Xd3fUFUkCEYyFqvkduAO2t55xI-lE9CIKH7CvzGKWXCVtRIKFXYJwL44pscWNTtPcrX5_dKD9cisnNx5-vB_S9CUFfi9uQankYN8sBx-76ujJrw/s200/Kennedy-photo+.jpg" width="147" /></a></div><br />
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By Kennedy John <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometimes, things happen in the bush which are not explained by the usual 'blah blah' of animal behaviour guide books. It shows how much we still really do not know of these matters. I observed a group of three cheetah brothers and close by, three nearly adult cubs and their mother. The posture of the three brothers was head low, stiff legged walking which usually signifies agression. I assumed that mother and the cubs would flee but they turned and attacked the coalition of males in unison until they reached a stalemate, whereby all seven settled down in close proximity to each other, looking puzzled, like me I suppose, by the behaviour of the young cheetah cubs and their mother. They never expected that challenge either.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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A story of unusual cooperation near Tarangire Silale Swamp. It is a normal thing to see feathered creatures such as oxpeckers clean buffalo by taking off the ticks and other insect life from their hides. But it is not at all normal to see a bird cleaning another bird. I observer this fork-tailed drongo, perched on the bulbous head of a Black-chested Snake Eagle. Thinking that this small bird was about to attack and maybe kill a large eagle though the eagle was doing nothing to get away, I picked up my binos and to see exactly what was happening. The insect collecter was actually picking parasites off the head of the eagle. I do not know if it was a common occurence in some places but to me, it was a new thing: to observe brids cleaning each other. Was it mutual benefit? Yes definitely. Drongo gets food and eagle gets cleaned, isn’t nature wonderful!The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-59876531474847555302011-09-27T15:01:00.002+03:002011-09-27T15:07:10.757+03:00You never know what is just around the corner.......By Chediel Mnzava<br />
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On safari with a lovely family in July this year. <br />
Location: Katavi National Park. <br />
And this is why I like game drives. You just do not know <br />
what is round the corner.<br />
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Late in the evening, making our way back to Chada camp, we stopped to take pictures of a beautiful sunset. Then, from nowhere, a leopard came running fast towards our vehicle. About 10 meters from the car, there was a small acacia tree. The leopard took a giant leap and grabbed a vervet monkey from the tree, just in front of us. We were all left with our mouths open. This all happened within a few seconds. It was so fast our great photographer, Andrew, only managed to snap one quick shot as the leopard was running away with the monkey hanging from his mouth. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This is another leopard spotted soon after, the result of careful reconstruction at the scene of the crime. We spotted the impala in the tree first and then searched around until we found the perpetrator.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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The safari had many high points. On one of our game drives, we were watching an elephant picking up seed pods from under an acacia tree. We stayed with him for more than 10 minutes, not moving, just watching what he did with his trunk and admiring his ability to pick up such small things with his big trunk. He pushed the pod up with his foot, then picked it up in his trunk. Just before he moved off, he gave us a bit of a show, making a small, quick rush towards our landrover. He stopped a few meters from the car and shook his ears and kicked up some dust before turning around and calmly walking away and disappeared into the bush. As a guide, I knew it was all OK, the elephant was just showing off, but my clients were a bit uncomfortable until they saw that I was not worried. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the safari and gave them a completely different experience of elephants from all the elephants that we had seen before. They thought they knew alot about elephants but now they know even more.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The elephant having a good look in the car, before calmly walking off.</div><br />
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Mahale was next. On the way, we spotted a boat taxi just leaving with its passengers - the best way to get around on the deepest lake in Africa.<br />
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We had a good time there, we saw the chimps twice and both times, we did not have to walk far to find them.<br />
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We had a nice walk to the waterfall with a beautiful scenery on the way. It was so relaxing swimming on Lake Tanganyika and watching the sunset of the lake from the boat, talking about all the exciting experiences we had in the past 10 days.Mahale came at the right place on our itinerary to bring us to the end of this wonderful expereince.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa_QY1SOgK1AvkV6WqDw2xcPn4yvJz5Bnb5_ppybRjZMo5EFlJdtHDVeVNwb-JVnSsGyGtOgLo-sdqLE5PqP1GvUK3aRh6EZD4nx-kRVOJ2gxjztpCxZnsZsUz4OirH_tpwMVD-uBKsA/s1600/sunset+with+attrib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa_QY1SOgK1AvkV6WqDw2xcPn4yvJz5Bnb5_ppybRjZMo5EFlJdtHDVeVNwb-JVnSsGyGtOgLo-sdqLE5PqP1GvUK3aRh6EZD4nx-kRVOJ2gxjztpCxZnsZsUz4OirH_tpwMVD-uBKsA/s400/sunset+with+attrib.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-66670291707956048652011-07-27T14:30:00.002+03:002011-09-27T16:28:18.377+03:00Moru Magic<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL-XNrpWid0bQ3s6Mm0QVqGYYx4d7bn2a4GHvIf3A2PqbiQr0vxxwI2SAK2ILfI5IZ3SD70viyGtSDwb0PRvKz1vmR_uC99qxbeJ3MzVbi-zVUxlLctib-1Yiwl51vY8xRWcx9fXquoY/s1600/Richard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL-XNrpWid0bQ3s6Mm0QVqGYYx4d7bn2a4GHvIf3A2PqbiQr0vxxwI2SAK2ILfI5IZ3SD70viyGtSDwb0PRvKz1vmR_uC99qxbeJ3MzVbi-zVUxlLctib-1Yiwl51vY8xRWcx9fXquoY/s200/Richard.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">By Richard Knocker<br />
Photos by Mike Carr Hartley</div><br />
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What a pleasure to spend a few days in Moru once again. <br />
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Moru Kopjes, in central Serengeti, is one of the park’s iconic landscapes – great looming outcrops of granite, like so many whale backs, rolling through a grassy ocean. The up-thrust rocks give all kinds of trees a toehold, somewhere where they can flourish in the otherwise undifferentiated grassland. Each kopje is a botanical wonderland, with a crazy profusion of growth – and this, in turn, makes rich habitat for all kinds of birds, reptiles and mammals.<br />
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We are camped up by Ol Donyo Olobaaye (‘the last hill’), with long views over the plains, dotted at this time with zebra and gazelle. On the way to camp, we are blessed with 3 leopard sightings. One even climbs a tree for us, just to impress with his power and agility.<br />
Late that afternoon, we are rewarded with sightings of spotted hyena and then a caracal, the elegant lynx of Africa.<br />
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Next day, we aim to take in the whole Moru area, but it is not to be – we come across a hunting cheetah, not far from camp. She spots a young gazelle and, after a short stalk, accelerates to full speed. At first, it looks as though the gazelle must get away but the cheetah quickly closes the gap and takes it down in a flurry of dust. She drags her prey into the shade of a bush and sinks down, suddenly invisible.<br />
There is a pride of lion a little further on, with 3 young males right by the road, and the light is fabulous. We enjoy the sight, before tearing ourselves away to follow the river downstream with elephant, buffalo and giraffe along the way – then another pride of lion, whiling away the hours in the shade of a desert date. There are 5 tiny cubs; they can’t be more than a couple of months old. We spend a good long time here and as we are about to move away, 3 of the females spot a herd of zebra in the thick bush down by the river. They move purposefully into position. This is beginning to look like a 2-kill morning!<br />
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Meanwhile, a large herd of elephant is drifting our way. This could get interesting, as elephant don’t get on well with lion. Sure enough, they pick up the smell of large cat and several adults come over, ears out and looking like they want to show everyone exactly who’s boss around here. The male lions very quickly decide that discretion is the better part of valour and head for the rocks, quickly followed by the remaining adults. The cubs stare in consternation at the huge grey legs towering over them, then turn tail… another safari vehicle chooses this moment to move into a better position, which spooks the already nervous cubs, and they shoot off in the wrong direction.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The cats have all disappeared and there’s nothing to show for this little drama, except a herd of elephant, snoozing in the shade. We are concerned for the cubs – their mother is away hunting and they are on their own. She will find them easily enough later, but in the meantime they are at risk from a whole suite of predators – leopard, hyena, python or even a large eagle. Eventually, we turn and head for home.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The next morning, en route to our next camp, we swing by the pride again. Most of the adults are perched decoratively on a nearby kopje, every inch the kings and queens of the jungle. No sign of the cubs or their mother though; this could just be because she has them hidden away in a safe nook somewhere but we aren’t totally reassured.<br />
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Later, on a little used track, a herd of kongoni run from the car; why are they so wary of humans? The herd splits and we watch one group, as they bounce away with their distinctive gait. Mikey spots a lion – ‘Where did she comes from?’ There are 2 of them and they are feeding. The fleeing kongoni must have run straight past them and they made an opportunistic kill. Feeling a tad guilty, we continue on our way.<br />
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In the meantime, our home has been moved – the camp is now in the heart of the Western Corridor. We are here hoping for the migration. Once the southern plains dry up and the grazing around central Serengeti has been depleted, this is where the great herds come. In theory, at any rate – the whole migrations story seems so cut-and-dried, it scarcely seems possible to miss out. After all, there are over a million of these animals! The reality, however, isn’t so simple. Some of the cues (weather, grazing etc) that drive the migration are too subtle for mere humans to grasp.<br />
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We are in luck though. Next morning, we come over a rise into a great throng of wildebeest, all honking and mooing, a great wall of sound. For the rest of the morning, we are surrounded wherever we go. A terrific sight.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-54592202943514941032011-07-11T18:21:00.000+03:002011-07-11T18:21:58.550+03:00The Midas Touch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27MerGim6dxqcylnZGgesrBdV0wOZIunAIFKoIzujz-eI0TEjp92wRZAl3Thk3qtfufEMtVV4Gf7itrZegRX_bz5G8zEWtfSYMILSQo4Z3l9gO4AcIuYuU71eCKb57yBhtsIFzomXlQc/s1600/Sara%2527s+blog+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27MerGim6dxqcylnZGgesrBdV0wOZIunAIFKoIzujz-eI0TEjp92wRZAl3Thk3qtfufEMtVV4Gf7itrZegRX_bz5G8zEWtfSYMILSQo4Z3l9gO4AcIuYuU71eCKb57yBhtsIFzomXlQc/s200/Sara%2527s+blog+photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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By Sara Ashby<br />
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We had been watching the weather charts for days. It wasn’t looking good. Should we cancel the weekend or go somewhere else, somewhere with sunny skies and no black cotton soil? Nah… it would be fine.<br />
So, the six of us set off to Mkomazi National Park, in a highly modified Land Rover and a ‘well loved’ Land Cruiser aka the “Anti-Christ” with its '666' number plate. As you can imagine from the very start, the Land Cruiser vrs Land Rover snipes were being texted between the two vehicles. Which was the real safari car? <br />
We were only going for two nights and yet the cars were stuffed to the gunnels. I think it was the odd case of Pinot Grigio and slabs of cold beer that took up the majority of space. I, on the other hand, had packed my Ribena juice and granola bars.<br />
It was time to get out of the office, back into the bush and what better way to do it than with a bunch of good mates? Just because we all work in the safari industry sadly, it doesn’t mean we spend our whole time in the bush.<br />
Passing through the Park entrance gate, to our delight, we saw that we were the only people in the park. How brilliant is that? An entire Park to ourselves! <br />
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Squeaking into the campsite just before dark, we were half way through putting up tents when the heavens opened. It rained for a solid 4 hours. We got absolutely soaked to the bone. A makeshift tarpaulin and a dead acacia became our mess tent. Hey, we are safaris gurus - we improvised! The tarp leaked, the wind and horizontal rain put out our gas stove and our strip light was buggered. Gurus? … but at least the beers & wine were cold. <br />
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After a hearty breakfast, we set out to explore. Mkomazi is not known for her spectacular wildlife and rarely features on the normal milk run of the northern Tanzanian safari circuit. The game drive lasted 7 hours and, in that time, we saw a total of four different mammals and usually only the southern end of a north-going mammal. Thank God, we didn’t have paying clients along.<br />
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When the going gets this tough, it is a challenge to be kept entertained and this daunting duty lay solely at the feet of Richard Knocker. He thought he had the weekend off from his guiding duties… nope, sorry mate.<br />
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The passengers on board were probably worse than having paying clients. We all know our stuff, having been pro-guides ourselves. We have an intimate knowledge of the bush and there is little we don’t know. Well, that’s what we thought…..<br />
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No cats, no kills were seen that day. Man, that sounds boring, you might think. However…. it takes 7 hours of seeing absolutely ‘nothing’ to release just what it takes to be a real pro-guide. I have never had such an entertaining, interesting nor educational day. When the big five didn’t materialize, Richard kept us mesmerized with all the ‘small’ stuff. We learnt about robber flies, butterflies, trees, flowers. We read tracks & spoor down the road, learnt what leaves to eat if you have worms and what not to do when you hear ox pecker birds exploding out of thick bush whilst on foot - an indication that buffalo are present really close by. We chewed on things, smelt things, walked up kopjes, held poo and dissected owl pellets to find the jaw bones of different rodent species. Seven hours went by in a flash and still not a cat in sight. One of the best game drives we’d all had ever, except for the teeny weenie fact that the cooler box of beer & wine had been left behind in camp. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cPB135mNsHhsbU8popkrGN8D5Wo3ylflKffrJZoFqhMgA6J-SjgYGquYocrUCQPrjbY_pvqSbcvHSve5Xl1qOx1ssGjjFZ2NoRcJy9IKBDlrlhGwooCWtcwDVqW5_pH1B2ITimPZSyE/s1600/Golden+Pipit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cPB135mNsHhsbU8popkrGN8D5Wo3ylflKffrJZoFqhMgA6J-SjgYGquYocrUCQPrjbY_pvqSbcvHSve5Xl1qOx1ssGjjFZ2NoRcJy9IKBDlrlhGwooCWtcwDVqW5_pH1B2ITimPZSyE/s400/Golden+Pipit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Golden Pipit</div><br />
The birdlife of Mkomazi is absolutely amazing and I find it fitting that our favorite bird of the weekend was the Golden Pipit. <br />
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Oh, did I mention that Richard has just passed his Gold level exam with the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association (KPSGA), one of only 10 in East Africa, and the only Gold level Guide in Tanzania? A Golden bird spotted by a Golden Guide, aka “Gigi”. Would I have paid good money to have been in Mkomazi with him? Dead right, I would have!The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524052346723776335.post-4842297280514001552011-02-10T11:10:00.002+03:002011-09-27T16:34:40.162+03:00Threatened migrating herds need Wildlife Corridors more than ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GCqYezW_vOTJUFQMXSVbBMXP56tE7vk8zswTCqNbMULLY9C7FzhessJKiUC_Nu4u_G50j-4j21tdFDXfsRAaeStnEBwuMI2ynsMinZ82802Y4bX7XlZ1NDfDQmDkouKamjoDgjx8FY8/s1600/Richard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GCqYezW_vOTJUFQMXSVbBMXP56tE7vk8zswTCqNbMULLY9C7FzhessJKiUC_Nu4u_G50j-4j21tdFDXfsRAaeStnEBwuMI2ynsMinZ82802Y4bX7XlZ1NDfDQmDkouKamjoDgjx8FY8/s200/Richard.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
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By Richard Knocker<br />
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When Tarangire National Park was gazetted, back in 1970, few foresaw the looming population explosion, or the farms that would spring up in what were then, important wet-season dispersal areas for migrating herbivores.<br />
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That has now come to pass. Populations of migrants such as wildebeest and zebra have crashed, largely cut off from their ancestral calving grounds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2Qpi-0Ej_KkfU5b8vqz_f9roDUOETb5IFtnmXrHDRu-kpB3-74uHG_LkWCHaCV7HScJIDwsZkvVUX0jxLwQeONUzVRwHJNuuY_1fryC32jkUc_5EYyGcTsSBGrFEDCMksmSIFxIjLU0/s1600/zebra+face+with+attrib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2Qpi-0Ej_KkfU5b8vqz_f9roDUOETb5IFtnmXrHDRu-kpB3-74uHG_LkWCHaCV7HScJIDwsZkvVUX0jxLwQeONUzVRwHJNuuY_1fryC32jkUc_5EYyGcTsSBGrFEDCMksmSIFxIjLU0/s400/zebra+face+with+attrib.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
AWF (African Wildlife Foundation) recognised the need to protect important game corridors outside National Parks, in order to keep the old migration routes open. An important (if controversial) move was the purchase of Manyara Ranch, a 44,000-acre chunk of land occupying a central position in the vital Kwakuchinja Corridor, connecting Tarangire to the nearby Lake Manyara National Park.<br />
<a href="http://www.awf.org/content/solution/detail/3505/">http://www.awf.org/content/solution/detail/3505/</a><br />
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This is an attempt to achieve that holy grail of wildlife management – involving the local community in a sustainable conservation model, to the benefit of both people and wildlife. I wish them well. National Parks in Tanzania are, on the whole, in pretty good shape. Sure, there are inevitable issues, such as poaching. But I think most people are reasonably confident that, in 50 years or so, the parks will still be wildlife havens, providing enormous enjoyment to many visitors – and vital dollars to the national coffers. The future for wildlife outside the protected areas is much less certain.<br />
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There are similar projects afoot elsewhere in the region: north of the border, in Kenya, the Northern Rangelands Trust works closely with local communities, helping them to set up conservancies with fancy lodges so they can benefit from their wildlife resources. So far, NRT is involved in projects involving 15 communities, thereby helping to conserve hundreds of thousands of hectares of land in northern Kenya. <br />
<a href="http://nrt-kenya.org/home.html">http://nrt-kenya.org/home.html</a><br />
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Here in Tanzania, high flying hedge fund manager and hunter / conservationist Paul Tudor Jones has been investing heavily in the Grumeti Game Reserve and Ikorongo Game Control Area, two degraded hunting blocks, lying just outside the western boundary of Serengeti National Park. The project has had its ups and downs but the proof of the pudding is in the eating: a few years ago, you would have been hard pushed to find much game in this area, so bad was the poaching. Now, it offers first-class viewing, with plenty of important species such as cats and elephant as well as hordes of plains game. Importantly, it now serves as an excellent buffer for the western Serengeti, which has historically suffered from massive poaching and wood cutting. And their conservation arm is leading the charge in the planned re-introduction of black rhino into the Serengeti ecosystem, to bolster the existing population.<br />
<a href="http://www.lexdon.com/article/Grumeti_Reserves_and_Paul_Tudor/49004.html">http://www.lexdon.com/article/Grumeti_Reserves_and_Paul_Tudor/49004.html</a><br />
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What these projects have in common is the recognition that, outside the parks, successful conservation requires involving local communities and relies on the profit motive: I will protect that which benefits me. In other words, enlightened self-interest.<br />
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Contrast this with the situation elsewhere, in areas beyond park boundaries and lacking free spending conservation-minded billionaires: wildlife numbers are plummeting; the mechanisms and methods employed by wildlife authorities are, on the whole, outdated and simply not up to the task of conservation in the modern era. A lot of stick and not much carrot. And did I mention leaden bureaucracy?<br />
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Official policy has it that wildlife is a tremendous resource, a precious source of revenue, something to be cherished and nurtured – a blessing. The reality on the ground is somewhat messier: wild animals eat your crops and livestock; they are a threat to kids on their way to school, or women collecting firewood; and it is virtually impossible to make money from this ‘resource’, thanks to the convoluted and expensive bureaucratic procedures mentioned above. A neat example: a friend running a local NGO recently told me that the cost of creating a WMA (Wildlife Management Area) which is the legal process for Villages to regain control over their natural resources and develop commercial community toursim projects, could run up to a quarter of a million US dollars. Villages in rural Tanzania don’t HAVE that kind of money, which means that conservation can only happen in conjunction with large NGO’s with deep pockets. <br />
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Which means, once again, dependence on foreign aid…<br />
What it really means is that wild animals are only really of any value dead, cut up into pieces and sold off to townies as bush meat.<br />
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So bring on the new private initiatives: if the game is to survive outside the parks, we will need this kind of approach.The Map's Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07756781348796991895noreply@blogger.com2