Four in three 4/8/2011

Sometimes this place still surprises me, we picked up guests from the airstrip at 4.00 p.m. and before reaching camp at 7.00 p.m. we spotted 4 different pride of lions. Khumi pride with also a mating pair at the beginning of the first forest, three young male in the middle of the first forest, the old airstrip pride eating a giraffe and eventually cubs playing in mdonya juu. Pretty awesome.

Mauser, modelo argentino 3/8/2011

Today no drives, just walking with Mboma, a Tanapa ranger to check the trails we will walk soon.Woke up early morning as usual, checked the rifle, put it back in the bag, took Mboma and the car and drove little bit from camp towards Mbagi. After one km we stopped and after loading the rifle and making it safe we started walking. We walked up on the ridge all the way to the end of sokwe forest where we previously arranged the meeting point with Saidi. It was a nice walk we got ellies twice. Then we crossed the river and we went on the northern side, we walked up towards the escarpment and then west trying to avoid the thickest stuff. We walked some really dodgy area, with visibility closer then three meters and eventually we reached some big boulders form where we started descendìing towards the end of the second mbagi forest. We got ellies twice again and also two enormous black mambas probably mating.After this we drove towards Mwayembe stopped a couple of km and walked back to the source of the Mwagusi river.Back to camp we had a rest and in the afternoon we walked from camp down towards east of Lulenga juu, we wento all the way to the river and then cut west towards that area. The bush was again to thick but nontheless we tried our best. We stick to the more open area close to the river because inside it was not passable, but even so it was difficult and after few hundreds meters a breeding herd scattered in front of us blocked our way. we had to go back and get to Lulenga juu walking basically on the road. Also here we got elephants, 4 times for a change. The good thing was that out of 8 elephants sightings not even once the ellies saw us.I really liked the ranger's rifle, a proper old thing, a mauser, the writings said, modelo argentino 1909.

The pots, the buffs and the lions 2/8/2011

I went out with Steven today, I do not have guests so I am helping him
out. I drove that wreck of Owen's green cruiser all day It is like
going around with a set of pots in the back of the car... the rattling
noise is unbelievable....but it was worth, definitely worth.
We could not find much in the morning other that 3 male lions,
bushbuck ones, walking the other side of the ruaha river and a little
leopard in the shade of a big tree and it moved off soon.
The afternoon was much better, we got kipunji pride at w7. All of them
together with the 5 cubs. We committed to stay there all day because
they looked hungry and they were in a very good position.
The lions were sleeping but in a very open area and the cubs were
quite restless, walking from one group to the other. We were also
dozing when a young bull ellie climbed up the bank just behind the
cats... it was havoc in a second with the bull charging the lions
straight towards us. The lions scatered everywhere with the elephants
on hot pursuit of a female and her cubs. Eventually he went his own
way and the lions went back to were they were before. But some time
later it all happened again , this time with a small breeding herd.
Lions scattered again, the cubs visibly distress, crying out their
fear. Also these llies went so lions could start dozing again.
Later in the afternoon as the sun was getting lower the moved onto the
bank waiting fot something to come to drink, two females went in the
river bed.
We decided to move the other side and while we were crossing the river
we saw a big herd of buffs coming towards the water that lions were
guarding.
We moved in a position where we could see the lions and the buffs
approaching. It was so beautiful, th atmosphere so rich in expectations.
The buffaloes came closer and closer, the lions waiting. When they
where withing 20 mtrs one liones chased the buffs but she chased the
head of the herd so they reacted and chased her up the bank.
One of the lioness in the riverbed stood up and walke quite
nonchalantly in front of the approaching herd before retreating to the
safety of the bank.
The buffs were not happy and swarmed up after the cats. This time were
the lions to chase them back and one lioness even manged to grab a
buffalo from the back but she could not stop it and it went back in
the herd quite unarmed.
The same scene happened again few second later, buffs up the bank-
lions running-lions reacting-buffs running down the bank-lions
grabbing a buff-buff escaping in the herd again.
Eventually all the buffs went up and the lion gave up the fight.
Maaaaannnnn that is what we are here for... emotions.., it was just
insane, again pure awsomness... the battle went on and on and buffs
were obviously the winners.
Happyness!
Later we followed the lions and as it came dark, on the way back we
saw them crossing the open area and to our surprise we spotted a very
skinny male. He was withing 20 mtrs from the pride walking in the
open. He was hiding, motionless, crouching as low as possible not to
be seen, there was no bushes in between the hiding cat and the walking
one, no mound where to hide... nothing but short grass. . All the
lions passed in front of him, one by one and surprisingly nobody saw
him. Definitely relieved the young male moved off, we wished him good
luck, in that conditions he definitely needs that.