We set off as usual at 6:30, perfectly timed to catch the sunrise as we arrived at the high point nearest to our camp.
We wandered around a little with a picture or two. We then received a call on the radio and off we shot. We found a couple of other trucks already watching two hyenas dismantling a zebra with a couple of jackals trying to get in on the act.
They tore the carcass apart with their powerful jaws and the jackals poked their noses into the body. Off these smaller scavengers ran with bits of intestines and other internal parts. A few minutes later the jackal would be back to grab something else. All the time the hyenas would be ravishing themselves in the heart of the dead zebra.
After awhile we moved on in response to another call. When we arrived at the destination we found a group of trucks watching a cheetah. The animal rested in the long grass and I managed to get a few shots as it stood up and wandered off. Simon our driver drove to where he thought the cheetah would be hunting.
The truck stood in this spot for ages. We watched from a distance the cheetah lie down, sit up and not make any other move. We thought she was observing one group of gazelle. After about 1 hour Simon moved the truck to another position. From this new spot we could see that the attacker was always targeting a different group of gazelles.
She pounced and the herd of gazelles panicked, ran and spread out, but one didn’t make it. We arrived within a few seconds of the strike. The gazelle still not dead but held in a vice like grip in the cheetahs teeth with its life being squeezed out.
We stayed for awhile to see the final death. After this we wandered across the conservatory to have our outdoor breakfast.
Apart from some interesting shots of giraffes that was it for the morning.
After our late morning, early afternoon relaxation and snooze we returned to the field. The highlight for this session surrounded a family of hyenas. We came across their burrow with two females and two youngsters. As time progressed three further females appeared and four more kids. Some of the children came to investigate the van and see how the tyre tasted. We must have spent at least 1 hour in their company.
We travelled to our next site where we discovered two male lions. One of the men lay in the grass. You could only tell he was alive because his tail moved every now and then. His companion, probably his brother appeared more restless and started moving around. When lion no.2 suddenly lay down like his friend we gave up and headed back.
On each of these trips and on our meals we have been accompanied by Mary and Roy, an American couple from Chicago. They were good company and made our time in Maasai Mara more interesting.