LEMALA GAME REPORT - 1 JULY 2011

2 Kills in 2 days within 100 meters of Lemala Tarangire:
It has been two spectacular nights for the guests of Lemala Tarangire. Last Saturday a leopard took down a zebra foal in front of the camp and tried to take the kill up the tree but failed, leaving only the claw marks to show for its effort. A gang of hyenas eventually took over the foal and devoured it completely during the night.

On the following night, around midnight, lions attacked and killed a buffalo near the staff tents. The commotion lasted over 2 hours and one of our water drums was damaged during the fight. By morning, the lions had disappeared from the kill, however, guests on a game walk with Lemala walking guide and an armed ranger spotted a male lion with his entourage as they walked towards the Tarangire River about 0.5km away. They spent nearly an hour watching the well fed lions.

On Monday night around 8.00pm, 16 lions returned to feed on the buffalo and guests were able to witness the feeding from an open 4x4 vehicle during their night game drive.

Tuesday morning was a little quieter as we had only a few dozen elephants wander past the camp.

Meanwhile, Grumeti Expeditions guides witnessed another buffalo hunt and kill near the Tarangire River in another section of the park.

Report by Michael Massonda - Lemala camp manager and guide

Lemala Ewanjan and Lemala Mara - migration
The migration is currently split 3 ways. The lead herd is in the Bologonja and Kleins area, heading rapidly towards Wogakuria and Kogatende. Another herd is between Grumeti and Iloma areas slowly starting to move up north. The trailing herd is still between Makoma Hills near Lemala Ewanjan and Seronera area.

There is excellent plains game around Lemala Ewanjan and as a result there is lots of predator activity. Lions and leopards can be heard almost daily near the camp. On Monday, a cheetah in a hunting mode was spotted about 0.5km from the camp and suddenly exploded into a full sprint, bringing down a wildebeest foal right in front of the Lemala vehicle. The next day a male lion was spotted by guests around the dining tent having a good whiff of the delicious Lemala food, eventually trotting off towards Ewanjan's seasonal waterhole. A leopard with 2 cubs are now a common sight near the staff tents at night when the guests are asleep. The cubs are still very shy but the mother feels very comfortable around the camp.

Meanwhile, Lemala Mara guests who have had game drives in the Lamai Wedge and around Wogakuria kopjes have had excellent sightings of resident wildbeest, several large prides of lions, a group of cheetahs, hippos and crocs. Guests have enjoyed watching ellies while having outdoor lunches. Groups of zebras have started arriving and within a few days we are expecting the wildebeest to thunder past the camp and across the river a few hundred meters away. One can literally feel the tension in the air as we wait for the drama to unfold.

Report by Ishmail Awad and Kenny Maroro
 

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