Travelogue Tanzania 2009
Programme Day 7 – Serengeti
The next morning we start before sun set. It is the only time during this trip that we see a hippo outside the water.
Samuel shows us rock paintings. They’re from the Masai and quite recent, not stone age. Gabi wanted to leave the car, climb up and have a closer look but Samuel blocks that, it is forbidden to leave the car.
Only a few minutes later we get a clear demonstration why we should not leave the car: Samuel spots the remains of a baby gnu up in a tree, a leopard has lifted it up in the trees as it is not keen on sharing with lions and hyenas.
It doesn’t take long till two other jeeps stop to have a look but only Samuel spots the leopard hidden behind bushes. That completes the Big Five: We have seen elephants, rhinos, buffalo, lion and leopard. As we can’t see the leopard well, even with the binoculars we see only a bit of fur, we decide to drive on and come back a little later.
We meet giant herds of gnus and zebras who follow the rain. In documentaries you always see animals dying of thirst and hunger, lions and other hunters threatening them constantly. But this is not what we see. There are just incredibly many animals, eating peacefully and moving on.
Gnus have the largest population of all mammals in the Serengeti. They also seem to be the main prey of lions but that does not seem to make a difference if you look at the giant herds.
Zebras have to be more careful as they aren’t so many. Even when they cuddle they constantly pay attention and keep an eye in every direction.
On our way back to the hotel we pass the leopard tree again. And we are lucky: the lepard is on the tree now. A bit far away but nice to watch through our binoculars and the long lense of our camera.
