The Serengeti Day Two

We awoke early and ate breakfast while watching an amazing sunrise and set off just after dawn. We started the morning by watching some lions and then moved on when it appeared that they had settled in for a long nap. We saw two kinds of jackals, two napping cheetahs, and then drove south in search of wildebeest.

This is the time for the wildebeest migration as they follow the water. There are hundreds of thousands of animals moving in large herds. This is also the time that the baby wildebeest are born and within minutes of birth are able to stand and follow the herd. Several of the babies we saw were so young that they still had the remnants of the umbilical cord remaining.

Unfortunately, they do not imprint fully on their mothers until about 20 days of age and in the confusion of the herd, many get separated from the mothers. Sometimes, the wildebeest run because they are scared and get separated from the babies; sometimes there is just such a huge number that the babies get confused and become separated; and sometimes the babies lay down to rest and the grazing mother seems to just wander off. Unfortunately, these babies will not be claimed by another mother, and if they are lost, wander pitifully looking for their mother until they die of dehydration or at the hands of a predator. As many as half of the babies will die at this very young age after being separated from their mothers. It is so sad to see these little lost babies wandering around far from the rest of the herd.

On the plains, we also saw zebra and a large herd of eland. We spotted a reedbuck and a very small antelope called a dikdik, which is a small antelope about the size of our beagles but with slightly longer legs. On the way back to the camp for lunch, we spotted several hyenas lounging and cooling off in shallow mud puddles.

After lunch and a brief siesta, we saw a few giraffe wander very close to the camp. Then, we were out for another game drive. We saw zebra, many wildebeest, giraffe, the four lions from this morning still napping, and the mother cheetah and her three cubs that we spotted yesterday walking and they lying in the grass. We saw a large male giraffe drink from a water hole, which is incredible awkward for these usually graceful animals and when they are most vulnerable. We stopped by a lake where there are flamingoes and then found a leopard eating a baby wildebeest at the base of a tree. She had already dragged a second wildebeest into the tree, where it was suspended high above the ground. After watching her eating for a while, we were able to witness her dragging the remaining wildebeest into the tree and then bound onto another branch for a rest. Unfortunately, it was getting late and the sun was setting, so we headed back to camp. The dinner tonight was served outside near a bonfire under the millions of stars. It is amazing how clear the sky is and how many more stars you can see here as compared to at home. The night sky is absolutely glittering. We, however, are tired and are headed to bed. Tomorrow, we will have a morning game drive and then start the long journey home.
-Karen