WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA LAMAI, TANZANIA For the month of October, Two Thousand and Sixteen

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1 WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA LAMAI, TANZANIA For the month of October, Two Thousand and Sixteen With the bulk of the migration having moved south across the Mara River to begin their trek on to the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti, the Lamai Triangle is somewhat quieter. There were a few small crossings witnessed in the month, these consisted of small numbers of wildebeest. Their departure doesn t mean the end of game viewing in the area though. Not by a long shot! The resident game in Lamai is a phenomenon all by itself. The area is home to very good numbers of giraffe, eland, topi, zebra, elephant well just about all the regular wildlife that one would come to expect in an African wilderness area. The mania of the migration season in the north is the only thing not apparent between now and July next year. October is normally when the short rains are expected. For the first few weeks the expanse of the northern Serengeti remained dry and the clouds continued to build. True to form, the rains started to make a casual appearance towards the end of the month. With this onset, the area will now transform itself over the next few months into a lush Garden of Eden, to prepare for its migration visit next year. Here s an overview for the month: Lions If one spends time working the various watercourses that carve through the concession area you are bound to come across lions.

2 Watercourses have been proven to be integral to lion pride success. Lion prides that have territories which encompass large watercourses tend to be larger in number and more successful. This is due to the fact that herbivores are dependent on the water that flows through them. Lions will take advantage of the herds coming to them to drink in order to hunt. The longer there is water available in these streams, the longer animals will be attracted to them and therefore more availability of food for the predators. The trees and shrubs on the banks also provide good cover for camouflage. (Photos by Adas Anthony)

3 The guides at Singita Lamai managed 17 lion sightings during the month, the vast majority of which were found lying close to these drainage lines. One of the sightings was of four female lions with two very young four-week-old cubs seen not too far from the camp. This pride also has three more cubs of about three months in age, as well as one large male, bringing the pride size to 11 members. Leopards The majority of this month s 13 leopard sightings were mostly seen in pretty close proximity to the camp. There are two leopards, one male and one female that seem particularly fond of the area. The camp managers have reported a number of incidents where the shyest of the big cats are seen hanging out in trees in the immediate area of the camp, relaxing and taking in the sights and sounds just like we expect Singita guests should be doing when visiting us. (Photos by Adas Anthony)

4 Elephants Elephant sightings continue to be a daily occurrence at Mara River Tented Camp. In October we had a total of 27 sightings. Cheetahs The five sightings we had of cheetahs this month were all of the two dominant males in the area. These two are dual citizenship holders, spending their time meandering between Kenya and Tanzania with absolute disregard of customs and immigration regulations!

5 Rhinos On a special note, during the month the guides managed to find a crash of black rhinos, and over a few days they had three sightings of the bull, a female and her calf. There are only estimated to be about 700 individuals of the East African sub-specie - Diceros bicornis michaeli left in the region. This is predominantly due to the previous spate of poaching that occurred in the 1970 s and 1980 s. These animals are highly threatened with extinction because of the current poaching situation that has developed over the last seven or eight years. It is wonderful to see these amazing creatures wandering in the wild. It is a sight that needs to continue. By Ryan Schmitt Singita Lamai Serengeti Tanzania 31 October 2016