Singita Grumeti Sasakwa & Faru Faru Lodges Serengeti House & Sabora Tented Camp Explore Mobile Tented Camp Tanzania

(Photo by Ryan Schmitt)

Wildlife Report

For the month of October, Two Thousand and Fourteen Temperature and Wind Rainfall Recorded Average maximum 32.9 °C Sasakwa 62.3 mm Average minimum 15.8 °C Sabora 94.5 mm Average wind speed 0.4 m/s Faru Faru 55 mm Samaki 121 mm Risiriba 128 mm Just like the three previous months, the first half of October was characterised by lots of game all over the concession. Large herds of migratory zebra continued to slowly move through the area, as well as pockets of a few thousand wildebeest. The migratory animals joined hundreds of topi on the Sabora Plains. The topi calving season that began in late September continued into October, and multitudes of tiny calves dotted the herds throughout the plains. In addition to all of the seasonal activity in October, a few guests were lucky enough to witness some really impressive sightings, many involving interspecies interactions, particularly among predators.

(Photos by Ryan Schmitt)

Eternal enemies (Photos by Ryan Schmitt) 'Eternal Enemies' is the descriptive title of a particularly well-known National Geographic documentary that details the relationship between lions and spotted hyenas, in the African bush. The two species’ eternal power struggle can be stressful, tragic, and sometimes deadly for both. Away from the silver screen and here at our Grumeti location it makes for some really exciting game drives. Clashes between lion and hyena have increased in the central-western areas of the concession. In our August Wildlife Journal we noted one such clash, when three male lions stole a wildebeest kill from some spotted hyenas, west of Sabora. More stand-offs took place around Sabora in October. Two separate confrontations were witnessed by guides and guests in a matter of just 12 hours! On a Thursday evening guide Mathew and his guests were finishing their game drive and heading back to Sabora when Mathew spotted lions in the distance, about 20 metres east of the camp. As they approached, they saw two lionesses from the Sabora West Pride with a female topi in a chokehold. The topi soon died. Meanwhile, five hyenas had viewed the whole thing and were biding their time a safe distance away, not confident that their present number was strong enough to overpower the two savannah queens. The hyenas instead began calling and very soon Mathew and his guests saw more hyenas arriving on the scene.

Eventually, about 15 - 20 hyenas had gathered. They chased the lionesses away and began to feed on the topi. The onlookers followed the lionesses, interested to see what their next move would be. The deposed queens had walked 30 metres away from the feasting hyenas, when they spotted a topi calf. They were quickly able to kill it and began feeding. The hyenas were far enough away and so engrossed with the adult topi they were eating that they did not notice the lionesses had a new kill. Luckily for the lionesses, at the end of the day they were not left hungry. They were able to dine, albeit on a smaller dish.

The following morning Mathew found another Sabora West Pride lioness and seven sub-adult cubs close to the camp and walking in a south-westerly direction. They followed the group and after about two kilometres the lions stopped for a moment, looking alert. They then began trotting purposefully toward the Raho drainage a few metres south. When they got to the bank of the drainage they bounded down into it and a few seconds later about seven hyenas leapt out at top speed, scattering in multiple directions. Mathew and guests drove toward the drainage to get a better look. As they pulled up to the edge of the bank, they found the lions feeding on a wildebeest carcass, which had already been partially eaten by the hyenas. Their fellow pride members may have gotten the short end of the stick the night before, but this group had won the day's battle.

Waiting game (Photos by Adas Anthony)

Guide Adas Anthony is quite the expert when it comes to 'spotting' leopards. As time has passed we have also noticed he has a knack for finding another rare predator, the African rock python. On average, at Singita Serengeti, we have between 20 and 30 leopard sightings per month. This year, we have had about five python sightings, and at least three of them have been found by Adas. When a sighting involving a leopard and a python was reported over the radio in October, we were not surprised to hear Adas’ voice on the transmitting end.

Adas and his guests were viewing a female leopard in a tree along the Grumeti River, downstream of Faru Faru Lodge. After a while she began focusing intently at something below her on the ground. Adas drove a little bit closer in an attempt to see what she was looking at. The repositioning of the Land Rover made all the difference. In the grass was a python consuming a whole impala ewe that it had recently strangled. The leopard jumped out of the tree and began walking toward the scene. Adas knew she was going to chase the python off and take the fresh, fully intact impala for herself. What no one expected was for a big male olive baboon to come screaming out of the bushes, chasing the leopard back up the tree. Luckily for the leopard, the baboon did not see the python and the tasty free meal lying in the grass, so she stayed in the tree, biding her time until she could steal her prize. If lion and hyena are eternal enemies, baboon and leopard are very much the same. A troop of baboons can kill or seriously injure a leopard, and during the daytime leopards are scared of baboons. Even if it is only one baboon, as in this particular case, a leopard will invariably run away, since it knows the rest of the troop will be nearby. At night the tables turn. Baboons are strictly diurnal, meaning they are only active during the day. When the sun sets baboon troops take to the trees to roost, sleeping the whole night through until the first morning light. Also, their eyesight is such that they have very little ability to see without a significant amount of light. All of this obviously makes baboons very vulnerable to nocturnal, tree-climbing predators like leopards, and if the opportunity presents itself a leopard will take full advantage.

Knowing all of this, Adas explained to his guests that this female leopard was not going to make any sort of move until the sun was going down and suggested that they continue with their game drive and return later that evening. When they came back they were lucky enough to watch the leopard finally reach and harass the engorged python. The python had swallowed the whole impala but, fortunately for the leopard, pythons will regurgitate their meals if they are threatened so that they can rid themselves of the heavy undigested meal and make a quick unburdened escape. The provoked python then regurgitated the impala and slithered away. The leopard dragged the regurgitated impala up into the tree, and feasted on her winnings.

Triple trouble (Photos by Adas Anthony) Around the same time the Sabora West Pride was scrapping with the hyena clan for their food, the Butamtam Pride had a particularly successful night, thanks to the herds of wildebeest moving through the property. Adas was again on the scene and witnessed all the action: Eleven members of the 21-strong Butamtam Pride, three lionesses and their eight sub-adult cubs, were on the plains east of Sasakwa Hill. Big herds of wildebeest were also in the surrounding area. Working on a hunch, Adas and his guests decided they would stay out on drive a little bit later than usual and go to view the pride after sundown, as this is typically the time that lions begin to actively hunt. Not long after last light the lions started moving and soon zeroed in on an unassuming herd of wildebeest. Not wanting to give the lions or the wildebeest any advantage, Adas turned off his spotlight and car headlights. He and his guests waited in the darkness, listening for any sound to indicate how the hunt was unfolding.

The sound of hundreds of running hooves was all the evidence they needed and Adas switched his lights back on. The lions were successful, but even more so than Adas could have ever imagined! Each of the three lionesses had taken down their own wildebeest, with their respective cubs helping them to finish the job. Guide and guests were stunned!

A less than happy ending One particular incident in October was extremely sad, when the sweet cheetah cub we had been seeing with its mother since July was found dead. It was clear another predator had killed the cub. The last time the cub had been seen was the evening before, feeding on a topi calf kill with its mother, so we are not sure exactly how it was killed. Hyenas are the most likely culprits, but some of the guides speculate that it could’ve been jackals, as they also roam the area where the cub was last seen.

(Photo by Ryan Schmitt)

(Photo by Alf Ngwarai)

The mother cheetah, interestingly, was actually feeding on her dead cub. This is not exactly normal, but it isn’t abnormal. African big cats have been known to sometimes feed on their dead cubs, but no one knows exactly why they do this. One common theory though is that it is similar to why they eat their own afterbirth.

(Photo by Adas Anthony) When a cub is born, the mother will eat the afterbirth partially for sustenance purposes. They also do so to clean up the evidence, so there will be less sign and scent to tip-off lurking predators, who would be a threat to a newborn cub’s safety. In the case of the mother and the dead cheetah cub, the sustenance theory makes sense, but the cleaning of the evidence does not as much. The mother had no need to protect her cub, as it was already dead. She also only fed on the cub a relatively small amount. There is also a theory that this is a sort of instinctive mourning ritual, consuming a part of the dead offspring before moving on. The next day the mother was seen again in the same area, still with her dead cub. She eventually left sometime that night. The time had come to move on and start a new chapter in her life.

Sightings report Lion: 78 Leopard: 21 Cheetah: 30 Elephant: 58 Black Rhino: 1 Buffalo: Multiple sightings daily

(Photo by Ryan Schmitt) Special sightings:

One aardwolf west of Explore Balanites Camp.

About 50 wildebeest crossing the Grumeti River near to Colobus Crossing.

One African rock python downstream from German Bridge.

Serval west of Explore Balanites Camp.

Serval on Fort Ikoma Road.

Female leopard with two young cubs on junction Fungo Road and Sabora Access.

A family of seven colobus monkeys on Grumeti River, near to Faru. (Photo by Ryan Schmitt)

By Lizzie Hamrick Singita Grumeti

Serengeti Tanzania

31 October 2014