After months of waiting, the first rain finally fell in the middle of December. Four inches of rain fell in just over an hour. Creating a memorable flood. A fair sized river flowed through the bar area and into the verandah. Lakes Ndutu and Masek both have water and flamingos again and the frogs in the water hole went mad. Their croaks, clicks and chattering were almost deafening.
Things are a little quieter with the frogs these days. But the water hole has seen much excitement recently as hundreds of zebra and wildebeest arrived to drink daily. It was a wonderful scene that greeted visitors in front of the Lodge over the Christmas period, as there were always grazing zebra and giraffes passing by throughout the day. The peace and quiet was broken at regular intervals by the arrival of elephants. The elephant watching has been fantastic lately. Several family groups have visited the water hole on a daily basis along with 10 or so bulls. The females are very well behaved but the bulls revel in chasing the zebras in and out of the water hole and even the odd guest when one particularly truculent bull charged the bar one afternoon.
In the June newsletter I wrote about an elephant that had been caught in a wire snare. Vets from the Serengeti took over half an hour to cut through the thick wire, which had dug deep into her neck. We saw her once again the next morning and then she disappeared. I don’t think any of us thought she would survive such a terrible injury. So it was a wonderful surprise when last week she was spotted at Lake Masek. She looked great. She wasn’t exactly fat but in good condition and her calf, who was missing in June (presumed dead) was also with her, which was another excuse to have a beer.
Baby zebra are everywhere this month, which is delightful to see. Some guests were even lucky enough to witness an actual birth, waiting until the final moment when it was up on it’s feet and walking away with it’s mother. I’ve seen five tiny newborn December/January elephant calves pass through the Lodge grounds hugging close to their mother’s sides. Another special thing is the bat-eared foxes or flat-eared boxes, as they are affectionately known. These animals are great favourites with guests and they are particularly abundant this year.
The wildebeest sightings were fantastic over the Christmas holidays. They were quite spread out and there were even rumours that some of them were still in the Maasai Mara. Certainly there were reports of wildebeest all through the Serengeti but nevertheless on the day I went out last week there were wildebeest stretching to every horizon. The rain that’s now falling as I write these notes, can only make things even better, if that’s possible.
Ndutu,
January 2004.
