NGORONGORO CRATER NATIONAL PARK, TANZANIA, Guest Post by Karen Minkowski

Young male lions, Ngorongoro Crater National Park, Tanzania.

My friend Karen Minkowski has visited Africa many times and has contributed often to The Intrepid Tourist, sharing her beautiful photographs and insights about animals. She recently went to northern Tanzania, visiting four national parks: Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire. This is the third of her four reports of that trip. 

As we descended into Ngorongoro Crater, four or five young muddy male lions were emerging from a cloud of dust whipped up by Land Cruisers on the Crater floor below us. We assumed they were part of a “coalition”, a group of related and sometimes unrelated males who have been forced out of their natal pride(s) or have chosen to leave. They will probably form their own prides, giving them a greater chance at reproductive success.

They chased each other and tussled, full of energy in the cool morning. I love how their tails are flying.

Some of the males had short manes, others had not yet begun to grow them.

After the lions moved on, we spotted two Serval cats, well-camouflaged in the tall, dry grass. Here’s one of the pair. Among the wild cats, Servals have the highest rate of hunting success, feeding on rodents and other small mammals.

Serval.

This Golden Jackal, now called the Golden Wolf, first got our attention with its high-pitched howl.

Golden wolf (golden jackal).

Very recent DNA studies show a closer relationship to grey wolves and coyotes than to the Golden Jackal of Europe and Asia.

Golden wolf (golden jackal).

The Secretary Bird, a relative of eagles, hawks and other raptors, eats just about anything on the ground it can catch but prefers snakes, including venomous ones. The bird stomps its prey to death with its strong legs and feet.

Secretary bird.

On a relatively cool morning, it’s not rare to see hippos grazing until the sun sends them back to the safety of the water.

Hippos.

 Grant’s Gazelle lowering itself to a sitting posture.

Grant's gazelle.

A herd of buffalo at rest. These are females; the males were off to one side. You can see the difference in horn structure between females and males (below). The males have a thick, boney base on top of their head where the horns have fused. This “boss” protects the head when they fight other males for dominance.

Female buffalo.

These old male buffalos may be a threesome or a part of a larger bachelor group. They’ve separated from the mixed herd of adult females, their young, and the stronger, dominant males, who may have kicked them out. Though these three are well past their prime, I saw, years ago, a small group of these old guys fend off a lioness. Their massive horns are intimidating and can inflict serious injury or death.

Male buffalo.

The Northern Anteater Chat. 

Rosy-throated Longclaw, probably a female, well-camouflaged in the dry grasses.

Hippo aggression? In the first photo below, a wet (dark) hippo walks toward the resting hippo on the left. In the next picture the hippo has stood up and looks threateningly at the one on the right. About fifteen seconds later (third photo), the aggressor moves closer to the wet hippo, its face thrust out; the wet one seems to be cowering a bit, but a fight did not ensue.

I may be interpreting this hippo interaction completely incorrectly!

Lesser flamingos in Lake Magadi, on the Crater floor.

African Wild Cat on the outer slopes of the Crater.

Note: Karen's final post about her Africa trip--Tarangiri National Park--will appear next week.

 

TANZANIA, African Wildlife Up Close, Guest Post by Owen Floody

Playful lion cubs, Lobo area of Serengeti National Park

In December 2012, our friend Owen Floody went to northern Tanzania, traveling with his wife, several friends, and a guide.  They stayed in tent camps and lodges and visited Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Seronera and Lobo regions of Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and the Ndutu region of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, going out each day to view the scenery and wildlife.  Owen’s photographs of the trip are superb—he is more than lucky—he is a talented photographer.  In 1971, when Owen and my husband Art were graduate students studying animal behavior, they were partners in a field research project studying Uganda kob (a kind of antelope) in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. (See my post for May 16, 2011.)  Owen has been back to Africa several times since then. Here is a short reflection on his most recent trip and a few of his amazing photographs. 

Elephant calves playing in the mud, Tarangire National Park

Owen's post:  In my opinion, a worthy goal on wildlife-oriented trips is to be grateful for what you're given, the latter being something that will never be completely under your control.  But it is nice to have the luck required to eliminate any suspense regarding your success.  On our most recent trip to northern Tanzania, in East Africa, we were so lucky that even our bad luck turned good.  

Stormy skies over the African savannah, Lobo area of Serengeti NP

I had timed this trip to avoid the rains, but this was not to be: We had some rain on most days, sometimes turning park tracks into what looked more like canals.  Fortunately, this did not faze our vehicle or guide, who somehow managed to keep us moving through everything but the aardvark burrow.  And in return for those rains we got two unexpected benefits.  One was the wonderful stormy skies that help to set off some of my favorite landscape photos. The other was the absence of potentially choking dust.  Initially, we greeted a short stretch of dry days with pleasure.  Quickly, however, we noticed the tracks becoming dustier and dustier, and found ourselves wishing for a return of the rains.  In moderation, of course.

Yawning hippo, Ndutu area of Serengeti National Park

Our luck also was good in all of the more obvious ways.  We saw great sights, including leopards lounging in trees, elephant calves and lion cubs at play (not with each other, unfortunately), lions and vultures cleaning up a kill, and hippos defending their spaces.  In some cases, we even were the first to come upon these sights, and so had them completely to ourselves for part or all of the time.

Cantankerous vultures, Ndutu area of Serengeti National Park

Though I speak of luck, I know that part of this is skill--mainly on the part of our guide--and another part attitude.  The broader your interests, the "luckier" you will be.  We were happy to see members of the "big five" (lions, leopards, elephant, buffalo and rhino--deemed to the top of the list for most tourists) but were as delighted to see attractive birds and vegetation. 

Lounging leopard, Seronera area of Serengeti National Park

Fortunately for us and others like us, there are lots of great birds out there, and you're likely to see many of them if you make the effort.  And the vegetation is least likely of all to get away from you (and surest to benefit from any rain).  Sometimes you'll even find small creatures hiding in or near it. 

I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities and plan your own safari.  Be sure to make at least some of your own luck. 

Baobab tree with giraffe in distance, Tarangire National Park

Owen's trip began and ended in the town of Arusha, in northern Tanzania.  The group stayed in three places during the two week trip:  Lobo Wildlife Lodge in Serengeti National Park; Ndutu Safari Lodge in the southwestern Serengeti area near Olduvai Gorge; and Ngorongoro Farm House in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.