During the 3 decades that I have been visiting Kenya, this
is the first time that I was asked for proof of a Yellow Fever
vaccination. This is as a result of the
Ebola scare for which the health authorities at the Nairobi airport have
established and interesting screening scheme.
First one has to fill a questionnaire and as the official revised it, you see yourself in an overhead LCD screen with a couple of yellow dots
moving that follow your head movements and target your forehead/temple. And then ouch, your body temperature appears
on the screen; if it is normal, you are OK to proceed.
The safari started in Samburu where I first set foot back in
1993. Back then, the road was basically non-existent, just a dirt surface paved
with potholes. Never seen it so dry, the
Samburu River was just meandering sand, I got to watch the elephants digging
wells to drink. Due the drought, the
Samburu people are bringing their cattle herds for grazing and watering using
the elephant’s dug wells for drinking. As one travels across Africa, the color of the elephants
changes due that of the soil in their environment, they dust themselves and
take mud baths for protection against insects and the sun; you may call it
their insect repellent and sun screen.
The main reason for revisiting was to see species of mammals
not seen or not abundant in other areas such as the gerenuks. These are the most attractive antelopes in my
opinion, with the graceful necks and standing in two legs to reach the acacia
leaves in which they feed. Below is one
with its young one feeding. There was a
great waterhole in the Isolio River where water was readily available and frequently
visited. I spent some time there
observing the Grant’s gazelles, giraffes, baboons and many others drinking…it
is a stressful endeavor and any noise caused the animals to stampede in fear of
a predator. The Superb Starlings were
busy at the time of the visit collecting material for their nest, and I caught
this one in the act.
Sweetwaters is a conservation site whose main attraction is
the waterhole around which a tented camp is set allowing for the viewing of the
activities of the various animals and birds come to drink. It is most interesting at night…just seat at
the tent, watch the action and drink the wine.
It is also a refuge of injured rhinos as well as a site for chimpanzee research. Two years ago I got my best image of a
cheetah here and this time, one of the most majestic lion. It was at sunset and he was just sitting in a
hill admiring the sunset. I was lucky to
find a hyenas’ den where I spent sometimes watching the kids playing. And most unusual for me, photographed a flowering
cactus as a well as a nearby Anama lizard.
Arrived at Lake Nakuru after traveling both tarmac and dust
roads, here there is a drought too but the lake is at the highest levels I had
ever seen. The water inundating Lake
Nakuru are coming from underground sources and not from the rains; lots of
acacias that circle the lake have died…not a pretty sight. Also the huge flocks of flamingos are not
there due to changes in the alkalinity of the water, so their food source does not grow. Black and white rhinos can
be seen here as well as the regular retinue of mammals. I was able to get an image of a lilac breasted
roller, among one of the most colorful birds in Africa, a
snake eating hawk and the always present velvet monkey.
Finally, reached the Masai Mara, the ultimate destination in
Kenya. It was dry here too and the Mara
River reduced to a trickle in places; the result of the drought, deforestation
and the pumping of water for irrigating the farmlands that has emerged in the vicinity
of the park during the last 10 years.
When I first visited, here approximately 30 years, the land around the
park was basically untouched, with all kind of wild animals and covered with
acacias and few humans. The animals have
been poached, the acacias cut down for charcoal, and the land fenced fields
with multitude sheds from where people try to scratch a living. But the dusty
and pot-holed road to the park remains the same as it was back in the early
1990’s. I got the 3 big
cats; the cheetah in its customary place
on top of a mound searching the horizon for a meal, the young lion deciding
whether to climb a tree, and the leopard taking a break from eating its prey
hanging from the nearby tree.
The birds are abundant and I got to see again my favorite
owl with the pink eye lids…the Verreaux Eagle- Owl. The saddle-billed storks were busy doing
their courtship dances and the yellow-billed storks’ busy gathering energy for their
migration back to Europe. Large flock were flying overhead in circles just
ready to go…but I did not see any with draped babies hanging from their bills
ready for delivery in France, Italy or Spain…maybe they contracted this duty to
UPS. One of the advantages of
going to Africa during the winter in the northern hemisphere is that one gets
to see European and Asian birds here.
I always said when there it is my last trip but Kenyan
friends just do not believe me anymore...is that right Moses? How many sleeping lions are there left to
photograph? Not as many as they used to
be.
So go soon.
