Female lions are the pride's primary hunters and leaders. They often work together to prey upon antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, and other large animals of the open grasslands. Many of these animals are faster than lions, so teamwork pays off.
The magnificent Fontcouverte cascade on La Clarée river, near Névache, is a protected site. The cascade takes its name from a miraculous spring that was partly hidden and covered by a bush: “the covered fountain”.
The magnificent Fontcouverte cascade on La Clarée river, near Névache, is a protected site. The cascade takes its name from a miraculous spring that was partly hidden and covered by a bush: “the covered fountain”.
The Masai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii), also spelled Maasai giraffe, also called Kilimanjaro giraffe, is the largest subspecies of giraffe. It is native to East Africa. The Masai giraffe can be found in central and southern Kenya and in Tanzania. It has distinctive, irregular, jagged, star-like blotches that extend to the hooves. A median forehead lump is usually present in bulls.
Newborn calves remain hidden in vegetation for the first few weeks while being nursed occasionally by the mother before joining the main herd. Older calves are held in the centre of the herd for safety.
The maternal bond between mother and calf lasts longer than in most bovines. However, when a new calf is born, the bonding ends and the mother keeps her previous offspring at bay with horn jabs. Nevertheless, the yearling follows its mother for another year or so. Males leave their mothers when they are two years old and join the bachelor groups.
“Lappet-faced vulture on a tree in Maasai Mara National Reserve”
This vulture prefers to live in dry savannah, thornbush, arid plains, deserts with scattered trees in wadis, open mountain slopes. They are usually found in undisturbed open country with a scattering of trees and apparently prefer areas with minimal grass cover.
“Lappet-faced vulture in Maasai Mara National Reserve”
This vulture prefers to live in dry savannah, thornbush, arid plains, deserts with scattered trees in wadis, open mountain slopes. They are usually found in undisturbed open country with a scattering of trees and apparently prefer areas with minimal grass cover.
This high and mid-mountain species, which descends at its lowest around 800 meters in Uganda and Kenya, is well adapted to degraded, agricultural and even urban environments. At the base, it lives in the edges and clearings of the mountain forest.
It is a solitary nester, which can however organize a collaboration between two couples on the same territory. The nest is discreet, unlike colonial weavers, and can go unnoticed in the foliage. The male builds alone, but can aggressively steal a nest from another weaver species. The female incubates alone, a dozen days, only a few eggs (maximum three).
This weaver is mainly insectivorous, and eats fruits, berries and seeds only in small quantities.
“Variable sunbird in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya”
The variable sunbird (or yellow-bellied sunbird) is a passerine bird which feed largely on nectar, although it will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.
The variable sunbird is a fairly common resident breeder in equatorial Africa.
Standing proud in the savannah with their red blankets and painted shields, the Maasai people have become one of the more widely known symbols of East Africa; the Maasai shield is even featured on Kenya’s national flag. It’s not uncommon in Kenya and Tanzania to see the Maasai in their traditional dress, not only in their villages but also in the streets of the cities.
Maasai are pastoralist and have resisted the urging of the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. They have demanded grazing rights to many of the national parks in both countries.
Visits to Maasai villages are a popular activity during trips to Kenya and Tanzania. Meeting the local people and getting to know more about their life in the savannah is an integral part of the East African travel experience. It’s just as unforgettable as gazing into the eyes of a lion, or watching the sunset over the Serengeti Plains.
Possibly Africa’s most famous ethnic group, the Maasai people are semi-nomadic people located primarily in Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
According to their own oral history the Masai people originated in the Nile Valley in Northern Africa and migrated south around the 15th century with their cattle.
Once considered fierce warriors and feared by all tribes in the area, the Maasai lost much of their power in the 19th century.
The Maasai have now adopted a more sedentary lifestyle that includes growing and buying cultivated food.
Real practice or only folkloric demonstration for the easily impressed tourists, the realization of a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood is mastered by the Massaï.
The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. Although at one time red deer were rare in parts of Europe, they were never close to extinction. Reintroduction and conservation efforts have resulted in an increase of red deer populations, while other areas, such as North Africa, have continued to show a population decline.
Amboseli National Park is a national park in Kenya that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It has great views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Almost 85 percent of the ice cover on Kilimanjaro disappeared between October 1912 and June 2011. At the current rate, most of the ice on Kilimanjaro will disappear by 2040. 😢
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is a short story by Ernest Hemingway.