Masai Mara

We've just finished a third wonderful day in Masai Mara, the beautiful Kenyan game reserve that borders Tanzania's huge Serengeti on the north.  I'll do a later blog about our time in Nairobi during the terrible mall attack and the Samburu conservancy in the north of Kenya.

The number of animals is staggering, as Kenya has had lots of rain, so the grass is quite lush and definitely feeding countless grazing animals and their large cat predators.  We have seen tens of thousands of wildebeest and many thousands of their symbiotic partners, zebra.  The wildebeest aren't terribly bright and are easy prey for lions.  The zebra seem to understand that and stay close to the wildebeest so that the lions will ignore the zebra in favor of the much more plentiful wildebeest.

Both species move back and forth, following the rains and grass, between Kenya and Tanzania.  They should be on their way back to Tanzania but have come back into Kenya because of the excellent grazing.  On the way, many cross the Mara and other rivers, with the zebra making it easily because they are good swimmers and the wildebeest drowning by the hundreds (see photo below) because they crash down cliffs to get to the river, sometimes breaking legs, and swim very poorly, if at all.

The lions in Masai Mara look plump and happy.  We have seen dozens of fat lions and their beautiful cubs, along with sleek cheetahs, but no cheetah cubs as yet.  One pair of lions was snoozing peacefully in a tree, which is quite rare (also below).  I'll write more about the habits of the animals in later blogs, but wanted to share a few photos of the magnificent wildlife that populates this park.