Lions, May 15th

I’ve been here for two weeks! Saw six lions this morning, all young males still getting their manes in. Though I suppose three had slightly darker bigger manes, almost there. The one was wandering down by the mara river in South territory, absolutely beautiful area which I just got to see for the first time a few days ago. The mvua mingi (the long rains) are officially over and it has been warm and sunny (though without the clouds the nights are a bit cooler and I’ve been sleeping under three blankets). South territory is very wet and boggy and we’ve only just started trying out some of the tracks (offfical off-raod car trails) down there. The other five lions were all wandering at the north end of south territory. Wes thinks they are the group he’s been calling the Baratheon brothers (though they really should have been the Lannister brothers right?).

Fisi camp is quiet with Kay (Dr. Holekamp, head of the hyena research) and Dave (grad student) are gone. Just five of us now, me, Wes, Julia, and Filiman and Moses (the two local camp assistants). I have now been in all three hyena territories though I’ve only seen one south hyena. The south hyena clan has only one cub left that is too young to have graduated from the den. Last Wes knew this cub was at Lighthouse Den but we’ve driven by a few times and seen nothing. Hyenas will give birth to their cubs alone at a natal den and then, when the cubs are old enough to start poking their heads outside the den they are moved to a communal den where all the clan’s cubs grow up. A cub typically graduates from the communal den between 8 to 14 months. Uzi is still at the north communal den (currently located at Schiphol Den conveniently placed right on the road) but we’ve seen him making a long excursion to a kill maybe a kilometer away early one morning.

Usually when its dark out we’ll sit at a den using the car headlights to watch record which cubs are still there and CIs (critical incidents including specific social interactions). This morning however it was already pretty light by the time we got to a silent Lighthouse Den so we used the time to do three prey transects. Usually these will not be done on the same day but the rains have turned so many tracks into mush that today is the last day in the first half of the month that we could do them. There are five prey transects that must be done twice a month. Wes took us for a wild ride through barely driveable boggy grassland to squeeze all three in this morning before 9:00! Luckily we were in the light little Maruti rather than they clunky land cruiser or we certainly would not have made it through some of those puddles.

Also saw a black rhino, looked like a male to me, all big and buff and muddy. My third black rhino ever, saw two (likely a mother almost adult calf pair) last week during a prey transect in north territory that uses a road rather than a track. There are no white rhinos in the Mara, likely because they were all wiped out and have never really been reintroduced. Also so my first Oribi last night, looks much more deer like to me than an antelope and has a distinctive scent gland right behind its eye.

I’ve set up my hammock which I am enjoying currently. It’s wonderful to be outdoors all the time, even inside a tent isn’t quite the same as being shut up in a building. Fresh air, a breeze, and a stunning view peeking through the trees is my companion 24/7. Getting up at 5:20 every day and usually not in bed before 9:20 so I’m adjusting to only 8 hours of sleep a night. I may have to learn how to nap, but my hammock should make that fairly easy. Got a little dozing in yesterday.

I know all of the north cubs but can’t ID them as fast as Julia and Wes yet but enough that they are having me transcribe quite a bit. All behavior we speak into audio recorders and then type up later.

Also exciting, I saw my first ever serval yesterday! It was walking down the road when Digs (a hyena) comes loping up. The serval arched its back in a very domestic cat-like manner before sprinting into the grass with some flying leaps above it (this is three ft. high grass btw). What a beautiful animal. Still waiting to see a cheetah and a leopard. I’m hoping to get to see some rare animals too while I’m here like a honey badger and a pangolin. Koala has been very bold and whooping loudly around camp every evening, Filiman and Moses say he came within 5 meters of the kitchen tent. Reminds one that this is not a fenced camp! These lions and elephants can walk through anytime they want. Exciting to be out here in the middle of the mara like this with nothing separating me from the wilderness.

Some other incidents: elephant charges us at the border to happy zebra territory. Drove through a herd of buffalo none of whom charged us. Saw 15 elephants by the trees. Julia did a boldness trial and we watched the cubs investigate a metal bucket. Saw two hyena kill/scavenges with only topi heads left. LogC has a torn phallus and maybe has cubs at a natal den?! There is a male hyena named Jean Luc Picard. Clay is the youngest daughter cub of the happy zebra matriarch Pike, and is my favorite cub.

Immigrant and unknown hyenas are given names rather arbitrarily but all the cubs they have in a lifetime are called a lineage and are given a theme with which to name them. Pike’s mother was Koi (the former matriarch of happy zebra) and all of Koi’s cubs are in the fish lineage. Waffles was given her name randomly as far as I know but was a very low ranking female so she didn’t need a lineage that would provide MANY names as a low ranking female does not have as many cubs as a high ranking one. However there was a coup and the old matriarch was overthrown and somehow Waffles was thrust to the top. Her cubs lineage is syrups, not very fitting for the alpha female of north clan! So far we have Torani (a british syrup apparently) and LogC (Log Cabin). They are waiting for her to have two surviving cubs together so they can name them Mrs.Butterworth and erg what is that other syrup? I think if she has a singleton it should be Grenadine. Very fun coming up with lineages and names and the RAs that first see the cub get to name it.

Filiman and Moses are wonderful cooks and I’ve been spoiled with all the excellent food, we usually have some version of eggs and toast for breakfast every morning and dinner consists of something cooked from rice/bread/lentils/vegetables/meat/salad. Lunch is leftovers or Filiman also usually cooks some stuff like braai pap and a delicious leafy green called sukuma which is chopped up finely and cooked in a pan with some vegetables and seasonings. Extremely delicious. No deserts and I haven’t had any sugar craving!

The only downside is it’s not exactly safe to just go wandering around in the savannah and therefore hard to get exercise. Serena camp is very open with little underbrush except for the brush surrounding it but I still feel a little closed in. I can’t wait to get out and drive around twice a day. I’ve started doing push-ups, curl-ups, and chin-ups/pull-ups to stay in shape and I may start using Julia’s exercise bike.

Birds- Papa would love it here! So many different species of birds. Sitting on the choo (pronounced cho) is a great bird watching opportunity. The little fly-catchers (black heads and brown bodies) especially enjoy watching you take a shit. Superb sparrows, lilac-breasted rollers, hammercops, egrets, storks, franklins, guinea fowl, eagles, vultures, doves I’m still learning them all.