Friday May 18, 2012

Lioness snarling Photo: Chris Frost

Lion with mane blowing in the wind Photo: Chris Frost

Lion cub Photo: Chris Frost

Cheetah, Masai Mare Photo: Chris Frost

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Published: October 11, 2011Updated: 12:19 November 11, 2011

Masai Mara big cats

If you want to see lions in the wild, there is no better place than the Masai Mara

The family were back in the Masai Mara and very happy to be there.

On our first full day, we saw a cerval cat, four cheetahs, three leopards, lions, and a crossing of the Mare river. During the crossing, we watched as two wildebeest were taken by crocodiles. And there were elephants, a Masai Giraffe, and hippo. Two days later, and we witnessed over 100,000 wildebeest and zebra crossing the Mara river. Over two thousand animals were killed in the crossing - one by a crocodile and the others smothered or drowned in the frantic rush to cross the river. This was an awesome experience.

By: Chris Frost

schweboo@yahoo.com

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Masai Mara

The Maasai Mara National Reserve (also spelled Masai Mara; known by the locals as The Mara) is a large game reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named after the Maasai people (the traditional inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara", which is Maa (Maasai language) for "spotted," an apt description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna, and cloud shadows that mark the area.
It is famous for its exceptional population of Big Cats, game, and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and wildebeest from the Serengeti every year from July to October, a migration so immense that it is called the Great Migration.