Only at designated sites could we get out of vehicles ... and at these places animals like rock hyrax have quickly learnt to profit from visitor food. Nocturnal animals such as the mini-kangaroo shaped spring hare and the smallest antelope, the dik-dik, were caught in the headlights of the night safari vehicles. Families of baboons frequent roads and stopping points and will climb in to vehicles to steal food and items such as cameras left lying around. There are many varieties of antelope - Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, impala, hartebeest and topi. This single hyena was trying, unsuccessfully, to catch a young zebra - frequently they hunt in packs. Warthogs like nothing more than a lazy day in a mud pool watched by the vast migrating mixed herds of zebra and wildebeest. The large herds of buffalo are accompanied by oxpecker birds - lone males can be very dangerous. Giraffes were our favourite animals, very graceful and perfectly adapted for grazing the acacias. At one hippo pool there were at least 100 animals wallowing in the stinking water ( video). At night these animals will travel long distances as they graze. Elephants can cause devastation to trees, pushing them over with their trunks. Again lone males can be dangerous and could easily push over a safari vehicle! Lions will kill every 5 or 6 days. There is a strict hierarchy for eating the carcass ... and much leisurely resting and play once appetites are sated. 2 sightings of a leopard were particularly exciting - no point in climbing a tree to escape them!! To see the photos click here.

Photos Main Page - Introduction - Safari Background - Non-mammals - Kili Days 1-4 - Kili Days 5-8