We had only one rain shower in December. But 42mm of rain in an hour was quite some rain and caused a flood. We got soaked as we tried to sweep the rain out of the bar entrance but we didn’t mind. It was the first big rain of the season and we were desperate for it. 
The Lodge water hole filled up for the first time in months. The grass started to turn green almost immediately and the elephants arrived to drink and bathe in the water hole. We were treated to 50 elephants a day for two weeks before the water dried up. It was amazing and I have to confess there wasn’t much work done in the office because we constantly disappeared outside to watch elephants.
Sadly no more rain fell until the middle of January. Each day we hoped for rain and the arrival of the wildebeest but neither came and Christmas at Ndutu was the driest anyone could remember. Although dry and dusty, the game viewing was phenomenal. Cheetah sightings were amazing. Some lucky guests saw 14 in one day.
The 3 big territorial male cheetahs from the Marsh area, called Mr. P, Owen and Colin by the Serengeti cheetah project, were for several years, a regular sight in and around the Big Marsh. They have now disappeared and two new males have taken over their territory. Owen and Colin went missing first, while Mr P was seen on his own for a while. He was last seen in November on the Causeway looking very thin and he had a nasty wound on his side. Sadly, I doubt whether we will see him again.
The two new males are called Oberon and Puck (not my names) and they come from the Seronera area of the Serengeti. They are not brothers but have joined up to form a coalition. This is their only hope of holding and defending a territory from other male cheetahs. Life for the males is generally short and very violent. It was almost certain that Oberon and Puck drove the other males out and maybe, even killed them. They certainly killed another male called Mick.
Mick and Jagger (definitely not my names) were the territorial males from the Twin Hills area of Ndutu. Mick was found dead at the Big Marsh last week and the Cheetah researchers said it had all the marks of having been killed by another cheetah, which is different from the wounds lions inflict. Oberon or Puck must have killed him. Mick was over 8 years old, a grand old age for a male cheetah. They too, must have been ousted from their territory. It seems to be the end of an era!
It was not only cheetahs that were easy to see in the dry conditions. The grass has been so short that both leopard and lion sightings were up. The Masek pride was easily found around the Christmas period, feeding on a dead elephant. It looks like the 10 cubs born around November are now down to 8. When the whole pride are together, it’s a very impressive sight. They recently killed a buffalo at the Big Marsh, which should keep them going for a while.
For me, the most special thing happened on Christmas night while everyone was enjoying Christmas dinner. Lions walked by in front of the lodge. We could see them clearly in our torch light from the dining room. It was a special Christmas treat and made completely perfect, when they started to roar. Guests sometimes confuse elephant rumbles and growls for lions. They often need a lot of convincing that what they hear is indeed an elephant. When lions do actually roar close by it’s deafening and no one is left in any doubt what it is.
Friends from the Tanzania Carnivore project visited over Christmas, and for fun they set up a camera trap outside our house one night. We tried this experiment last year and managed to photograph the night watchmen peering down the lens. This year we remembered to tell them. The cameras are digital and use infra red light. We got pictures of honey badgers, black backed jackal, genet cat, porcupine, both spotted and striped hyenas, white tailed mongoose and a hare, a busy night.
Luckily, we have received just over 70mm of rain this week. It’s dampened the dust down and turned the whole area green. The wildebeest started to arrive at once and there are now large numbers on the Southern plains. The rain was also a lifeline for the Maasai and their cattle. Life must have been very tough for them recently because of the dry weather. There have been many Maasai in and around Ndutu this season because it has the only permanent water. We have to hope that the rains continue for their sake as well as the wild animals. The first wildebeest calf has already been seen but the main calving hasn’t yet started and I wonder if the dry conditions might delay them?
After so much grumbling about the dust, we now grumble about the mud. A bit like farmers, never happy with the weather. There’s either too little rain or too much. Myself, well, I don’t want to offend the rain gods and I hope it rains all the way until May, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.
Paul,
Ndutu Safari Lodge.
20 Jan 2006
