1. The Big Cats
of East Africa- Unrivalled Charisma in the Wild
The most charismatic of all the animals that
roam the savannas of East Africa are the big cats. Safari
enthusiasts exercise great patience and go to great lengths
to ensure a sighting. To behold the beauty and splendour of
the big cats in the wild is a prospect that warms the heart
of every nature lover. Among a number of the ancient civilizations
- the Romans, Sumerians, and Egyptians- the big cats were
held in fascination and in higher esteem than any other wild
animals. Some were indeed taken as gods, and many are the
kings who have set images of the big cats on their royal emblems.
The big cats have in the past been more widely
dispersed in the world than they are today. In our time, the
redoubts of the big cats are in Africa and small pockets of
Asia. The cat family is known by scientists as felidae and
refers to an assortment of animals grouped as small and big
cats. The small cats are less well known and appreciated.
In East Africa small cats include wild cats, sand and serval
cats. The small cats are very widespread in almost all habitats
in East Africa. But they keep their heads down and elicit
little conflict with man- the ultimate enemy of all wild animals.
The big cats you find outside Africa include
tiger, jaguar, leopard, cougar and Iberian lynx. The big cats
are the most committed carnivores in the entire animal kingdom.
They are mostly nocturnal and rather secretive in nature.
In common with primates, they read a lot from facial expression
and love to play. The big cats capture and kill their prey.
To witness a lion on a hunt is truly fascinating- if for a
moment you take your mind from the fate of the prey. For all
the fame of the big cats of East Africa, there are just three
of them: lion, leopard and cheetah.
The lion, so called the king of the jungle,
is the largest carnivore in East Africa. The adult lion stretches
between 1.4m to 2.2 m - excluding the tail. The male can attain
a weight of up to 225kg, while the hefty female reaches 168kg.
The lion is noted for its exceptional strength and has been
known to bring down the much larger buffalo, which has about
4 times its weight. For this reason, kings have understandably
sought to be associated lions. But they hesitate to be associated
with its reputation for sloth- for the lion shamelessly spends
up to 20 hours daily resting.
Lions are social animals and of the big cats,
they are the only ones to live and hunt in family groups.
The group or pride usually consists of a number of related
females and few unrelated males. Young females usually join
their mother pride, but young males venture into the outside
world to seek female company. Females in a pride practice
communal cub rearing and hunting.
Lions are highly territorial. Males enforce territorial integrity,
by means of their characteristic fierce roars, scent marking
and periodic border patrols.
Lions of the same pride develop strong social
bonds and practice head rubbing and social grooming. Females
give birth after a gestation period of 3.5 months. After only
6 weeks, the cubs are induced into a lifelong habit of meat
eating. Cubs play in imitation of adults and this helps in
the development of such useful skills as stalking prey. Though
born to kings, cubs need protection from hyenas and leopard.
And also from non-pride male lions- for the reason that females
will not mate until cubs are about 18 months old. The cubs
therefore stand in the way of a mating encounter.
Fighting off males bent on infanticide appears
to be one of the reasons why females live in prides. The moniker
"king of the jungle" is misleading, for buffalo
and hyenas sometimes kill lions. Elephants too have no fear
of the king - they will charge at lions to encourage them
to move on. But man remains the biggest threat to lions and
he has hunted the lion to extinction in most of the world.
The lion population in Africa is today estimated at only 23,000
and the survival status is listed as vulnerable in international
conventions.
In most parks and game reserves of East Africa,
however, the lion is impressively visible. Particularly in
the grassy plains and dry forests where the large plains herbivores
they prey on thrive. You will easily see the king in Ngorongoro
and Serengeti in Tanzania and Amboseli, Nairobi, Lake Nakuru,
and Maasai Mara in Kenya. In some other locations- such as
Lake Manyara in Tanzania, Tsavo, in Kenya and Queen Elizabeth
in Uganda, patience and skill is called for.
Early the last century, lions received extremely
bad press when they disrupted the building of the East African
railway in the Tsavo area of Kenya by feeding on the workforce.
The movie "The Man-eaters of Tsavo" has captured
this macabre drama. It is in this atmosphere that Theodore
Roosevelt, the American president who was a pioneer safari
enthusiasts said of lions: "except when resting and in
the breeding season, the whole career of a lion may be best
summed up in the single word: rapine".
Lions when deprived of their usual prey occasionally
attack domestic animals and even human beings. Lions that
are infirm- such as the old and the sick can easily attack
humans and you are advised to exercise caution and take your
photos from the safety of a car. So if you are out camping,
watch out! All said incidences of lions attacking humans are
extremely rare. The image of the lion has recently been rehabilitated
in the minds of many by the popular children cartoon drama
"Lion King", whose hero is Simba- Swahili for lion.
The future of the lion in the savannas of
East Africa is not assured. The main challenge is conflict
with man, his ancient enemy. People living in areas bordering
parks, sometimes inflict the ultimate punishment to lions
when they are caught preying on livestock. In the Serengeti
plains of Tanzania, the king has recently experienced attacks
by a viral disease know as FIV -Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.
FIV, just like HIV in humans, results in lowered immunity
making the animals vulnerable to other diseases. Unlike HIV,
however, the primary means of transmission of FIV is bite
wounds and not sexual intimacy.
Of the big cats of East Africa, the most elegant
is the leopard. The leopard is the most naturally adapted
of the cats. It can survive in almost in any habitat offering
sufficient food and cover. That is why, of the big cats, leopards
thrive in the most diverse range of habitats; and of land
mammals they enjoy the widest distribution in the tropics.
In East Africa, they have been found in the most unlikely
of places- from deserts, to mountaintops and even in cities.
That not withstanding, scientists were surprised, when in
1990 three leopards were found living in a Kampala city train
station.
The full grown adult stretches between 1 to
1.5 m and can reach a weight of 60 kg. Man (and especially
woman) has always been jealous of the leopards beautiful coat.
Those of East Africa have round spots unlike the square spots
of the southern African species. Leopards are solitary animals
and you hardly ever find them in groups. The sexes associate
only long enough to mate! Females are ready to breed at about
2 years of age, when they produce up to 3 cubs after a gestation
period of about 90 days.
The leopard therefore faces less danger than
either the lion or the cheetah. Notwithstanding that they
are very widely distributed in East Africa, you are unlikely
to see them in large numbers. In addition, this most secretive
of cats is nocturnal. The traveler who is determined to see
them must be very calm and patient, for only the most persevering
are rewarded. Even scientists have such trouble spotting them,
with the consequence that they are not as well studied as
the other cats.
The leopard is the strongest climber among
the carnivores. And they spend mostly their days inactive,
draped over tree branches. So, to see them, set your sights
to the treetops. You are further advised to take your game
drives very silently and watch out at rivers and water holes.
The leopard is a stalking predator and lies ready to pounce
at such places where prey would seek food and water. Some
lucky people also come across leopards basking on the rocks
early in the mornings.
The cheetah is the smallest of the big cats
of East Africa. It can reach up to 1.4 m in length; males
can weigh up to 55 kg and females 40kg. For the inexperienced,
it is difficult to tell apart from a leopard. But you can
distinguish it by the long teardrop-shaped lines on each side
of the nose, from the corner of the eyes to the mouth. It
also has protruding and streamlined neck and thin legs. This
animal is specially adapted for speed and it is indeed the
world's fastest mammal.
From a resting position, the cheetah can reach
a speed of 80 km/h in less than 3 seconds. It can run a stable
speed of 105km/h, compared to a man's 37km/h. But take heart,
it is not a man-eater. The cheetah lacks the stamina to be
more than a short distance runner. It is not a very social
species and lives either singly or in small groups. Females
are ready to procreate from about the age of 2 years and after
a gestation period of about 90 days give birth to up to 6
cubs. Hunting by day only, this solitary hunter relies on
its famed speed and keen eyesight. It technique is to stalk
stealthily and then take a short killer dash when prey is
within 30 m.
The cheetah is mainly found in grasslands, woodland savannas
and semi deserts. It survives best in vast ranges where prey
is plenty. This cat has never enjoyed wide geographical distribution
or high densities. And numbers have drastically fallen over
the last few decades. Today not more than 12,000 remain worldwide,
mostly in eastern and southern Africa. In East Africa, the
only areas where you can easily spot cheetahs are Maasai Mara
in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania. But the cat is also present,
though in fewer numbers, in Tsavo in Kenya, Mkomazi in Tanzania
and Queen Elizabeth in Uganda.
Scientists have classified the cheetah as
an endangered species and think that it faces possible extinction.
Only one species -jubatus remains today. The lack of genetic
diversity, possibly caused by inbreeding, is yet another handicap
in ensuring the long-term survival of this cat. In its daily
life, the cheetah faces competition from other carnivores
such as lions and hyenas. In some areas, Maasai Mara of Kenya
for example, instances of lions killing cheetah cubs are very
common; hyenas too eat them. The lion kills the cubs only
to destroy and never eats them -an extremely disgraceful show
for an animal that would be regarded as king.
Cheetahs are active only by day. In East Africa's
game sanctuaries, tourists interrupt critical activities like
feeding and suckling of the young. There are incidences of
mothers abandoning their cubs under the pressure of human
curiosity. Considering the challenges facing the species,
conservation options are yet limited by the fact that cheetahs
do so poorly in captivity and almost never breed unless free.
Spare a thought today for the cheetah, whose future is so
uncertain. If you want to do more, talk to the Cheetah Conservation
Fund (www.cheetah.org). And hope that such glorious days as
when it was honored as a cat-goddess in ancient Egypt will
yet come again.
East Africa is a year round safari destination.
The rains come around April- May and November-December. This
does not however, much affect the travelers' ability to get
around. In general the best time to go on safari to see the
big cats is over the drier months when the grass is short
and sighting animals is so much easier. But in areas such
as the Maasai Mara, the animals are so plentiful that you
are going to see lots of them regardless of the season. The
peak tourist season falls around January to February and July
to August. April to June is the low season and prices for
accommodation in the lodges can be as much as 40% lower than
in the high season.
Accommodation on safari varies from basic
camping to luxury lodges and tented camps. Out there in the
bush, you will be pleasantly surprised that there is a variety
of East African safari lodges:-
Kenya:-http://www.africapoint.com/hotels/kenya.htm
Tanzania:- http://www.africapoint.com/hotels/tanzania.htm
having all the trimmings of 5 star luxury.
But if you want to rough it out, you will find campsites in
almost all the game reserves and national parks. It is generally
recommended to take an escorted safari package:-
Kenya:-http://www.africapoint.com/tours1/kentour.htm
Tanzania:- http://www.africapoint.com/tours1/tanztour.htm
that includes transport, park fees and accommodation.
The reason for this is that the tour guides are usually well
versed about the animals, where to find them and how to get
there and have other such useful local knowledge. But if you
have a lot of time and need more freedom as you get around,
then taking a rental
car is an option.
On safari, wear light cottons and linen. Warmer
clothing is needed for the evenings and for your early morning
game drive. Some rainwear is advisable between March and June
and October and December. You should bring along a decent
pair of sunglasses. The glare you experience in bright tropical
light is a new and uncomfortable experience for most. It is
also a good idea to carry a pair of binoculars. They are very
useful for spotting animals and will earn you the envy of
your less knowledgeable traveling companions.
NOTE:
If you have a friend who is going on vacation to Africa and
would find the above information useful then you can email
this page to the person by clicking
here
Subscribe to our
Free Newsletter
Our FREE bi-monthly e-mail newsletter is the best way
to keep you informed about your favourite travel destinations
in Africa.
Subscribe and recieve tons of tips relating to African travel,
exclusive up to the minute offers on exciting tours, safaris,
hotels, car hire, general travel news and other travelers
experiences.
Do you know that some of our best offers are only available
to subscribers of the newsletter?
Just fill out the form below and be a subscriber
today!
Note: We do not disclose any personal
infomation of yours to anyone and also do not condone spam
or junk email.
|
