ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Wildebeest Migration
Update! July was quite cold in Tanzania with foggy and often rainy mornings in Arusha. The night time temperature on the crater rim has been down to 4° Celsius and recent rains have produced a carpet of fresh new grass on the crater floor. The Serengeti has also experienced rains, some quite heavy in the Western Corridor. Arusha has been enjoying slightly warmer temperatures and sun earlier in the day as of late. Most recent safaris have recorded well over 120 bird species and one guide complained of 180 not being enough! It's up to the clients as to how much time a guide will spend birding. Oftentimes, clients who never had an interest in birds before and are now quite keen - thanks to the enthusiasm of their guide. The Seronera area has provided excellent cat sightings. One group of clients saw a pride of 19 lions while another sighted 15 cubs with three adult lions. One client reported spotting 2 cheetah, 1 leopard and a male lion all in the space of an hour! On a recent safari in the western corridor a pair of mating lions were in camp. The roars were so loud and close that the tents vibrated and shook. The female was in full season and mating took place at 15-30 minute intervals with the corresponding roars. No sleep that night! In the morning the vehicle had to be placed between the lions and the tent in order to get the client's to the dinning tent. There are large herds of zebra in the Western Corridor as well as a good amount of wildebeest, although fewer than in previous years. A recent highlight was a wildebeest in the Grumeti River being held by a crocodile with only it's head remaining out of the water. The guide and clients waited to see if the crocodile would let it go but it didn't. In the background a dead wildebeest floated in the water. Sadly, the guides are coming across quite a few poacher's snares in the western corridor. Although they have removed several empty ones, they have also seen snares with wildlife caught in them. The fine for poaching is not enough and the risk/reward ratio seems to be worth a try. Putting a snare around the poachers neck or leg has been suggested by more than one client. Back to The Wildebeest Migration Made Simple Links to other pages: ULTIMATE AFRICA
SAFARIS Send mail to info@ultimateafrica.com |
