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Monday, May 01, 2000
Going Wild in Africa!
Field report from our safari guides in Tanzania
The first trimester of 2000 has been one of intense activity in Tanzania. Were now in the middle of the Masika, the long rains, and things are slowing down. The intermittent rains of January and February failed this year and kept the big herds of Serengeti in a state of perpetual pilgrimage in search of fresh pastures. Today to Maswa and tomorrow to the Hidden Valley, today to Moru Kopjes and the day after tomorrow to the Seronera Valley, reaching the promised land of the southern plains when the first rains appeared at the end of March. At the moment the migration is on the move again-toward the central plains.
At our Sinya camp on communal Maasai lands at the foot of Kilimanjaro, just across the border from Amboseli National Park, Kenya, the first rain showed up at the beginning of March. A powerful storm settled the dust and flooded the land enough to attract families of elephant mothers and calves who joined the huge and peaceful tuskers resident in the area. Our guests excitement grew at dawn the next day when terrific roars broke the calm of the first hours of the new day. Two young male lions fought for the favors of a female in heat just meters from the last tent in camp. Once the morning broke and our guide Dieter managed to locate them they were calmly resting, hardly opening an eye as if to tell us, Do not disturb, please.
In Tarangire we moved our camps back to our private area of Minjing, close to the old Baobab that dominates the dry riverbed. Our return was met with a pleasant surprise - just in the shadow of the mighty tree, not more than 70 metres from our camp, two wild dogs had settled and produced a litter of four puppies. The couple, likely seceded from another pack of twelve- well known in the area, allowed us to enjoy them and their puppies for almost two months. One day they suddenly disappeared in the same mysterious way in which they came. Their presence is a sign of hope to the species which is having a difficult time on the whole African continent.
In Ngorongoro an old male buffalo being attacked by six lions looked for shelter by the vehicle of Julius Laiser, one of our excellent guides. The car suffered under the tremendous impact of the buffalos immense horns. The attackers, with neither pity nor respect for the asylum petition, finalized him just a few meters away. All this in front of the astonished eyes of our guests, a couple with an eight year old girl, who as yet did not believe that these things can happen! One unforgettable morning in Serengeti, not far from our camp at Ol Doinyo Rongai, a female leopard marched on the plain at quick pace and uttered a short, deep growl. Right and left the response was quick and two grown up cubs the same size as their mother approached, rushing to their mothers call. The meeting produced moments of deep affection as the youngsters greeted their mother with swats of their paws while she licked them tenderly on the neck and nuzzles. Later they started playing, sharpened their claws on a dead trunk, jumped up and down the trees and exhibited all the grace and elegance that only cats are capable of. To finalize, they failed to catch a young wildebeest that in the meantime had inadvertently come too close.
Witness to all this action? Only the clients of three of our limo stretch land rovers.
Safaris! Its a privileged few who enjoy safari at its most awesome, where the action is. More and more, conventional tourists are spending longer times at their lodge or camp and less time in the field on safari. Meanwhile our Wildland Adventures passengers experienced the Wild difference.
Weve started the year with new circuits and new activities; open vehicles, nocturnal safaris and walking escorted by Maasai warriors in Sinya and Tarangire, safaris in search for the Hadzabe (bushmen) in Yaida and Chini at Kidero Ridge, but this will be the subject of our next update.
