lion kill Archives - Five Zero Safaris

An amazing day on safari – this is why I love the Great Migration Safari! We started with a new hyena den close to the camp, quickly followed by a female leopard crossing the road in front of us. The hyenas kept appearing throughout the day, as did the elephants and buffalo, but there were 4 hyenas in particular that put on an amazing show for us. They spent the better part of an hour playing in a small stream, running in and out of the water, jumping on each other, and even playing with each other underwater! The resolve of the cameras was put to the test on that one, and came out winning. Immediately after the hyena fun, we found a lioness lying on her own, with 3 large buffalos nearby, but she took the safe option, and slipped away past them unnoticed. This was followed by a seriously large and impressive male lion dragging his wildebeest kill through the clearing to the relative shade of a small tree. It was photographically wonderful! As if we had not yet seen enough or photographed enough, 2 more lions appeared, eating another unlucky wildebeest.

All this turned out only to set the tone for the rest of the day! When you join the Great Migration safari, you hope to see and photograph the famous river crossings. We were lucky enough to be at 3 different crossings with a front row seat to all the action. On one of the crossings, a crocodile made an appearance, and caught one of the younger wildebeest. It is always sad to see the little ones get taken, but equally amazing to see those massive crocs in action. On the way back from the crossings, we lucked out even further by spotting a lioness in a tree, and 4 cheetah resting on a termite mound. I have to say it again, what an amazing day on safari!

Major sightings of the day:

Spotted hyena den site with 5 hyenas

Female leopard

Many herds of elephants

Many buffalo

4 hyenas playing in the water

Lioness

Male lion dragging a wildebeest kill

2 female lions eating a wildebeest

3 different river crossings

Crocodile kill

Lioness in a tree

4 cheetah

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Our final morning in the Masai Mara delivered photographic magic just as the rest of the safari had. We started off with 7 lions playing with each other in the most beautiful morning light – a truly great hour. When the lions had settled down, a hyaena was spotted in the distance carrying the remains of a thomson’s gazelle, so we followed for the better part of 30 minutes, which led us to 4 lionesses that were hunting wildebeest. They had got themselves into a good position, but a warthog came running straight through the middle of the carefully planned hunt, causing the lions to give chase. The warthog got away and the wildebeest moved off.

Transferring into Amboseli, we got started with our elephant viewing immediately, with a couple of herds swimming and feeding in the swamps. Our first incredible view of the great Mount Kilimanjaro did not disappoint, and with both sightings of giraffes and elephants in front of Africa’s highest mountain, it was a photographer’s dream. Some amazing bird life was also photographed today, including the rare lesser flamingo, and the grey crowned crane.

Major sightings of the day: