Day 16: A Lion Chase

We were out at 6 AM and immediately came across two jackals picking over the carcass of a Hartebeest. The silver-backed jackals are a common scavenger of the area, although 80% of their food is actually from predation. Prey includes insects, small birds, hares, and as we had seen on other days, they often successfully prey upon newborn gazelles. Jackals are about the size and shape of our gray fox, slender in form, agile in motion, and quick to dart into a kill and grab a few tidbits from right beneath the nose of a feeding lion or hyena. Today the pickings were easy. The jackals were the only ones feeding this morning, not even the raucous vultures had shown up there yet.

We turned southward toward Masai Mara National Park and entered through the main station gates. We spent several hours watching a lone cheetah. First she was just resting in the tall grass, but as we continued to watch, we saw a lone Thompson’s gazelle grazing hundreds of yards from the rest of the herd gradually moving toward her. Good news for a hungry cheetah - bad news for the Tommy. The cheetah, barely visible crouched down in the dense waist-high grass, began stalking the young gazelle. A cheetah is one of the fastest animals on land, reaching speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour while chasing down prey, but the cheetah has its limitations. It can only sprint that fast for 300 yards before depleting it’s body of oxygen and exhausting itself. We watched as the cheetah worked its way closer and closer to get within range. Suddenly she exploded in an all-out sprint. The gazelle responded in an erratic bounding race for survival and came careening toward our truck. The little gazelle was lucky today. The cheetah was not.

We later watched a large herd of Cape buffalos that were half hidden in the tall grass down near the lugga. The Cape buffalo, with its massive build, can weigh nearly 2,000 pounds and stand over 5 feet at the shoulder. It is one of the fiercest animals the savannah has to offer. Healthy adults are vulnerable only to lions and only if they are separated from the group and taken by surprise. Today part of the Marsh Pride was checking out the availability of calf meat and the young male lions approached the buffalos a little too close.

Amazingly, as we watched, the buffalos charged them and the lions began running at top speed to escape. In the herd, a healthy adult Cape buffalo is generally too dangerous for a lion to bring down, but the babies are a favorite prey. However, the lions risk a mobbing attack by the female buffalos if they threaten a baby. Buffalo attacks can result in not only insult, but injury, or even death of the lion. Even a lion must be careful. Nothing is a sure thing for a predator and the Mara is seldom forgiving. Today, the lions and the Cape buffalo soon went their separate ways but the conflict is sure to be resumed another day.