Globus Kenya & Tanzania: The Safari Experience - Serengeti Safari Day
As I mentioned yesterday, we were not supposed to walk in the camp after dark without an escort due to the wild animals that are all over here in the Serengeti. We were due for breakfast at 6:00 this morning, well before sunrise. But...our phone didn't work. We had no choice but to be bold and go forth.
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| Some type of scarab beetle met us along the way |
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| This praying mantis was waiting for us right outside our tent |
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| Slug moth from the family Limacodidae |
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| A nice sunrise |
DISCLAIMER
OK, let's get this out there right now/ If you're squemish, today's post may not be for you. It was a true circle of life day. We revisited the lions we saw yesterday, who had taken down the zebra. What we saw was amazing. Later, we came upon a cape buffalo carcass that had been turned over to the scavengers. That was incredible too. There are hippos, birds, lizards, and more in the post, but if you can't stand seeing a dead animal, wait for tomorrow's post and see what we see tomorrow.
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| A couple of Topi |
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| Something startled them |
Our first stop today was back at the lions and the zebra carcass. We marveled last night at the almost surgical work done by the lions, eating the internals of the zebra. Today was just as amazing.
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| Nearly everything was gone from the zebra, other than the head, neck, and legs |
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| A cub, nibbling on the head |
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| It was just incredible how well they stripped the body |
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| Chewing on a leg |
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| It looks like a tumbleweed, but check the ear - it's Dad |
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| Vultures were starting to gather - this was a White-backed Vulture |
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| A Superb Starling flying over a Lappet-faced Vulture |
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| Vultures, lined up on the ground |
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| Big Daddy was watching |
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| A jackal showed up as well |
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| Hooded Vulture |
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| Vultures marching to the kill |
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| She started pawing the ground |
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| She got more deliberate, plus a cub started as well |
Someone said that this was what their house cat did before it peed. Sure enough, that's what they were doing.
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| It is amazing to see the big cats exhibit the same behavior as house cats |
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| The vultures needed a new plan |
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| Two relocated |
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| Two more moved closer |
 | | Mom didn't like the looks of things, and chased the vultures away |
She also dragged the carcass further under the tree
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| The cleanup crew was diligent |
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| The jackal was bold |
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| But Mom sent a message |
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| And the kill remained hers |
There wasn't much left on the carcass, and we expect that the lions will abandon it later today. At that point, the jackals, hyenas, and vultures will have a field day.
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| Three Mongooses |
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| African helmeted turtles (also known as marsh terrapins) |
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| Can you see the line that goes from the shadow of the Land Rover up to the right and down to the black blob? |
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| Ants - thousands of them |
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| Black-chested Snake-Eagle |
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| Eland |
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| Fork-tailed Drongo |
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| Maasai Giraffe |
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| Kirk's Dik-dik |
We stumbled upon a huge group of vultures. We eventually figured out that it was a cape buffalo carcass, and the clean-up crew was in full swing. They were joined by a hyena and a jackal, and it was fascinating to watch.
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| African White-backed Vultures |
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| The hyena kept chasing the vultures to no avail - it went and conferred with the jackal |
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| With them gone, the vultures went at it |
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| The hyena chased them again |
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| The vultures had a meeting to discuss strategy |
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| The hyena and jackal went at the carcass |
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| The hyena pulled the carcass, going for a rib |
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| Snap - and success |
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| The vultures jumped in again |
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| Additional vultures arrived |
Our guides said that in two to three hours, the skeleton would be picked clean. It was amazing. This is an important part of the process because without the scavengers, the meat would rot, diseases would spread, and there would be a lot more animal deaths from disease. The clean-up crew plays a vital role.
We headed for a much-needed comfort break near a local hippo pond.
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| Hippos were everywhere, or so we thought |
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| There were lots more under the water |
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| There was one lone crocodile |
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| Youngsters were playing |
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| This was a massive hippo |
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| Hippos can split a croc in half with a single bite |
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| Look at those teeth |
We started heading back to the camp.
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| Lilac-breasted Rollers |
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| Tawny Eagles |
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| Impala, nicknamed the McDonald's of Africa because of the "M" marking on their backside, and the fact that they are "fast" food |
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| Eland |
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| Warthog |
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| Speckle-fronted Weaver |
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| A family of elephants |
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| Another Lilac-breasted Roller |
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| Mwanza flat-headed rock agama |
We arrived back at camp and had lunch before a couple of rare hours of downtime before our afternoon game drive began.
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| Klipspringer |
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| Another Mwanza flat-headed rock agama |
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| We found another group of lions |
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| These two were staring down a gazelle |
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| Lions sleep a lot - up to 16 hours each day |
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| More elephants in the distance |
Tour Director, Elia, stopped the trucks and had us all get out for photos on the Serengeti to mark our final night.
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| Elia and the crew |
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| Serengeti and the sunset |
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| As we returned to camp, we could see a large fire on the Serengeti, burning in the distance |
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| Tour Director, Elia, said that it was a planned, controlled burn |
At 7:30, we made our way to the Globus bush dinner, complete with a two-drink happy hour. (Thanks, Joel, for some of the photos)
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| A nice bonfire kept us warm |
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| Grilling chicken, steak, and sausages |
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| Another local beer |
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| The service crew |
It was a nice end to the day. We returned to the tent to get packed up for tomorrow. We will start with an 8:00 game drive as part of our ride to the Serengeti Airstrip. We'll make the one-hour flight to Arusha, where we'll transfer to a hotel for a few hours. GLobus will then transfer us to Kilimanjaro Airport to begin our long three-flight trip home.
