Big Five in One day and witnessing a Lion hunt (Day 3)
Spoiler alert!!
This was the day when we not only got to experience lion coalition roar and fight but also thoroughly lived to see all three cats of Masai Mara as well as the sought after Big Five - Lion, Leopard, African elephant, Cape buffalo, and Rhinoceros. The Big Five are the most iconic and sought-after animals on an African safari, a term originally coined by hunters to describe the most difficult and dangerous species to track on foot. We woke up to the sound of bush babies or galagos jumping from tree to tent roof and back to the trees. On repeat. And Josh knocked at our door at 5am with the goodies. We quickly got ready and met with Dennis at 5.45 am to get out and get going. We had also decided to carry packed breakfast with us so we could eat whenever we got hungry without having to get to a picnic spot. That morning our safari mates did not join us since they were on their balloon ride getting a mesmerizing bird’s eye view of the Mara plains speckled with long shadows of the zebras. We left the balloon ride for another trip but were treated to an amazing sunrise view of them flying over us.
Soon after we crossed Oloololo gate we had already started the first light of the day, suddenly we got greeted by a juvenile martial eagle perched on an acacia tree. Of course our jeep had to come to a full stop as we were very excited to see it (it was a big Wishlist bird).Dennis heard that the pride we saw yesterday had moved to another spot close by so we drove to that spot after thoroughly enjoying the company of the eagle. On our way we saw the hot air balloons rising in the crimson blue sky, which created a marvelous scene. Both of us felt extremely fulfilled just to be there at that time.
When we got to the lion hangout area, we found that most of the lions were in food - coma, sleeping and snoring after a big meal of buffalo. It did not seem like they would wake up anytime soon. As we went about being in such drowsy company and the photographer among us still took some pictures, Dennis and the birdwatcher started scouting the area with their binoculars trying to see if there were any happenings going on in the area. There were not too many cars in the area either, just us and another AndBeyond jeep.
Suddenly far far away on a hilly area, we saw two male lions and it seemed like they were chasing something. The two jeeps decided that we should go there. It was a long uphill climb and thankfully it was a 4 by 4 land cruiser that we were able to go over rocks easily. We still got our fair share of rolling in the jeep - lovingly and famously known as the African Massage. Only two jeeps decided to make the journey. As we got to the top, we found one male lion chilling in the shade and on the other side not too far from it were two subadults. The two jeeps took turns to get close to the male to compose the perfect photograph when abruptly the lion decided to start walking to the other side of the clearing. Within two minutes the subadults started following him, so obviously our jeeps took the same path as well.
Just as we went past the top clearing, we came to a landing to see one lion hiding under a bush and another just outside. Both of them had a bloody mouth from feeding on something recent. Looking the other way, we saw the first male lion walk up to a very recent buffalo kill and start eating. Here is what happened in the next 7 mins. The 2 subadults walk up to kill. Out of the blue, the other two lions literally run to that kill and growl and roar trying to chase the subadults away. One of them even bit the male subadult! At one point there were 5 lions fighting - with all that roar it got a little scary for a moment. Especially because all this was happening 50 meters away from us. Dennis told us that male lions are very protective of their kill and this was a coalition of 4 brothers who ruled that area along with their pride. The two subadults were from the same pride but were kicked out as they were young males, which is why the males were forcing them away and not letting them eat from the same buffalo kill unless they were done. Its hard for young male lions as they are not good enough to hunt and have to rely on these kind of sneaking risky moves. Pff! This was some event that unfolded before our eyes and will be forever remembered in our stories. And the story keeps getting more eventful! We have been watching the three males take turns to feed from the buffalo while hyenas, jackals and various vultures started gathering, each hoping for a chance to get a stab at the kill. But the 3 big boys would not abandon the buffalo without at least one eating or protecting it in between.
All of a sudden, we heard a faint cry of a buffalo calf. The guide from the other jeep had spotted it. It was a newborn - it had no idea where to go, it was just searching for its mother and reached where the lions were. Seemed like there was no one to protect him because the buffalo herd had moved away as the mother was giving birth and then the lions had killed her. The hyena pack saw the naïve calf and was lining up to kill it. As soon as the cry grew louder, one of the subadult lions ran towards it. One of the male lions, seeing the subadult chase something wanted to show who the king is and just dashed towards the calf and snatched it from the female sub adult which attacked the calf.We saw the big guy bite the neck of the buffalo calf and carry it to where it's mom’s body was. As it was carrying the little body, we could hear its last cries for a very long time. Don't know if any of us were sad to watch this whole scene in front of us ; the baby would have died of starvation anyway. There was no way for a newborn to survive a single day without mother’s milk or any kind of protection. Such is nature enfolding, playing out a normal day. Such is the circle of life however dumb founding it might be to us human beings.
Once downhill, we chose to try our luck with finding the same cheetahs from our previous day’s sighting. They were in the same area so it did not take us much time to find them. All of a sudden, Dennis heard on the radio channel that a leopard on a tree had been spotted. Getting a little spoilt for choice, we let the mom and cubs cheetah family continue hanging out in the shade and set off in trying to find the mighty big cat, the leopard!As we drove to where the leopard was sighted by people, we suddenly noticed a small congregation of about 3 or 4 cars and there were people from the cars pointing in a particular direction. We knew there must be something and as we pulled towards them we saw that a leopard was crossing from one side of the road to the other. It crossed into the tall grass and took a throne on a termite hill! Oh what a beauty he was. One of us thought about the differences between an african leopard and Indian leopard was that the african one had a whiter underbelly. Also the African one was slightly bigger in size to its Indian counterpart. Nevertheless, both are majestic creations and an absolute sight for the eyes.So, mister leopard continued going from one termite hill to the other for a long while and so Dennis and us kept following him, observing him and photographing him. At one time he went farther away so we took an L road in order to follow him. It was funny to watch him climb and rest of every termite hill, pose in various ways and then walk in the tall grass to get to the next termite hill and repeat. As he strolled in the grass, his tail would be sticking up like a “follow me” signal.iWe were given the pleasure of his majesty’s company for about 20 mins when he decided to cross the road in front of our jeep and vanish into the bushes.Every time something like this happens, we feel so enchanted and even more truly blessed.
We decided to go back to our tent, when all of a sudden our jeep started making noises. Dennis realized that the suspender had broken from all the hill climbing earlier that day. So instead of taking the inner roads, we took the main road and got back to Kichwa Tembo for lunch with a hope and prayer that the jeep got fixed by the time we went out for our evening safari. We had a fabulous lunch in the main yard with the a view of the Savanah and few cold tuskers to give us company.
That day we started about 4.30 pm with R & D, which was their last safari. Thankfully the jeep was fixed, and being the very superstitious animal watcher / photographer couple that we are, we were relieved.
We got to enjoy the company of another male lion near Little Governors camp area and also spotted enumerable antelopes and birds. Then we saw two black rhinos. The black rhinoceros is a critically endangered giant of Africa, known for its hooked upper lip, which is perfectly adapted for grasping shrubs and browsing on woody plants. Despite its name, its skin color ranges from gray to brown, and it is smaller and more solitary than the white rhino. Black rhinos are powerful yet elusive, often preferring thick bush for cover, making sightings a rare privilege on safari. Once widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, their numbers have plummeted due to relentless poaching for their horns, driven by illegal markets. Conservation efforts, including intensive anti-poaching patrols, habitat protection, and relocation programs, have helped stabilize some populations in protected areas Spotting a black rhino in the wild is not just an unforgettable safari moment—it’s a glimpse into one of Africa’s most hard-fought conservation successes. It was our BIG FIVE day!!!
It was about 6.15pm and Dennis took us for a special sundowner at a designated spot where we had crisp glasses of chardonnay and G&Ts, all the while watching a breathtaking sunset. On the way back to our camp we tried searching for an owl which we did not eventually see, but what we saw was absolutely special. A newborn hyena came out from its den for a few seconds but the protective parents carried it off right away and took it inside. Whoa, what a remarkably outstanding day, said the 5 of us. Dinner and drinks as everyday was exceptional as Zippy and the chef prepared a delicious Kenyan meal for the two of us. We went to bed completely gratified and a tight prayer of thanks to the god of Porini (“nature” in Swahili)
