Of the big cats of the Masai mara the Cheetah is the at the smaller end and hard to find
And we were lucky to find this one resting under a tree.
In contrast the lions, the Kings of the Jungle were out in the open and unafraid
Such photogenic beasts and totally unafraid in their domain
Even when courting
And mating
The Leopard is more illusive and its young are vulnerable
So the they are kept safely up a tree
But like all young, juvenile leopards don’t always stay put when told to
and decided to climb down our of the tree and take a walk
All of a sudden out of the bushes dashed the mother too fast for me and my camera.
She grabbed up the escaping cub and was gone back into the scrub
But all the action revealed
A second cub hiding in the tree.
On leaving the area we came upon a hyena clan out hunting
Hyena are major predators for leopard cubs and will camp out under a tree waiting for an opportunity to get a cub if the find a tree.
These hyena have tracing collars attached as part of a research project that is being undertaken into the social structures of these amazing animals.
In Ethiopia, in the city of Harrar, I learnt a new respect for the hyena.
This city has a special relationship with hyena that goes back centuries.
Which in more recent times has led to the hand feeding of the hyena and many many mill around
And if you are game
You may feed them yourself
I guess you are wondering if the hyena found the leopard cubs?
When we went back the next day – Both cubs were in the tree!
This brings to an end my reflections on journeys to Ethiopia and Kenya.
I has planned to travel to Morocco this year but Covid 19 put an end to that, but I look forward to visiting some more the diverse countries of the amazing African continent.
