My work is focused on vultures and other avian scavengers, so naturally those are the animals I look for. But of course they are not the only animals that I see. Today was one of those carnivore
filled mornings. As we drove along Talek river, looking at vulture nests, we happened upon three cheetahs. They were all sitting right at the edge of the river bank (which consisted of a rather steep cliff) and glancing across the river at us. Their spots made them almost invisible in the tall, yellow grass, but the shape was unmistakable. Sleek, smooth, clean, cheetahs always look ready for action. Passing by this first carnivore, we stumbled upon another. A huge male lion, stood elevated by a termite mound. The lioness seemed dwarfed by her bulky mate. The mane wafted in the wind as we drove past and on to the day’s research.
We watched a small carcass and were amazed to see so many vultures using this tiny piece of meat even as wildebeest carcasses lay scattered across the Mara. Lappet-faced vultures and African White-backs duked it out for the best pieces and even a Bateleur was able to fly away with a bit of meat. After an hour of eating, most of the birds had flown away. Only one, slightly nervous, Lappet-face
remained. A troop of baboons had moved into the area and one started to B-line it for the carcass. The Lappet stood tall as the fuzzy female baboon approached. I waited, camera ready, for an epic and yet undiscovered battle to occur. But all was calm. There wasn’t enough meat to fight over, so the baboon sat nearby and even after the massive vulture had left, decided not to try its hands at the few scraps remaining.