Jambo and warm greetings from Arusha, Tanzania. This is my guide report for February 2014 along with a few snapshots I managed to take while guiding this past safari.

I just returned from guiding a safari from February 7th, 2014 to February 15th, 2014. I was with a family of four from Ohio named Stephanie, Laima, Chris, and Don. This was Don and Laima’s 4th safari to Tanzania. We enjoyed 2 nights at Sametu Camp in the Central Serengeti, 3 nights at Lake Masek Tented Lodge in the South Serengeti, 1 night at Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp, 1 night at Bougainvillea Lodge near Lake Manyara and a final night at Tree Tops Lodge in Tarangire National Park.

We have had good rains this year in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro ecosystems and the resulting green grass has attracted much of the migration to the open plains of the Southern and Eastern Serengeti. The migration herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle were abundant in the Ndutu area, Gol Kopjes, Kusini plains and hidden valley. The following are some of the highlights/sightings we encountered during the course of our safari:

– Unusual sighting when a cheetah climbed on our vehicle bonnet perhaps for a good vantage point in between Ndutu and hidden valley in the South Serengeti.

This was near Barafu Kojes in the Eastern Serengeti when these lions decided to climb an acacia tree.

The ideal conditions (good grazing and standing water) and weather have caused the wildebeest calving to start right on time this February. We watched a live birth for 10 minutes. It took only 4 minutes for this infant to stand up and another 5 minutes to walk after consuming colostrum from the mother.

A coalition of two male cheetahs struggling to pull down a 1 year old wildebeest calf after stalking for about 1-hour. This was in the Gol Kopjes, East Serengeti.

A mother cheetah with 2 playful cubs less than 1.5 month old between Ndutu plains and Kusini in the Southwestern Serengeti.

Another live kill we witnessed is shown here. It was sad to watch when two brother cheetahs caught a few days old wildebeest calf. While one brother was strangulating the calf, the second cheetah already began to eat.

It was a little far however a caracal is a rare sighting in the bush. This was around Gol Kopjes in the East Serengeti.

It was not only one lioness which did this, it was a pride of 12 lions including their cubs that killed an average sized giraffe at the big marsh in Ndutu, South Serengeti.

Hello…My name is Wilfred Fue, a senior guide with ADS. This time I had a family of seven join me for a safari with the last name of LaRose from Minnesota.  This was their second safari to Tanzania.

Our Safari was great as we started to explore the Northern Serengeti, then Central Serengeti, and there afterwards we went to the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, and finished up with Tarangire. In all those places we saw an amazing variety of animals, birds and habitats. It was a very comprehensive itinerary.

(a) There were around 14 lions including full grown cubs, waiting near the water hole, perhaps they may get the advantage of thirsty prey around Nyamalumbwa.

(b) After completing their little meal, these cheetahs decided to sleep and relax right in the middle of the road on the way to Moru Kopjes.

(c) A rare hunt as giraffe are very tall for the lion to kill. But in absence of average size prey, formidable lions will do it.

(d) A live hunt, this lioness is strangulating a wildebeest at Mara River.

Regards,

Wilfred Fue
ADS Guide.

My name is Wilfred Fue with ADS.  The following are a few pictures I took during my last safari. Some of the highlights of my safari were as follows:

– Spotting the rare Caracal, a mysterious cat that is rarely seen in the Serengeti. It can be easily identified by its long ear tufts and is one of the most sought after animals by many guides (including myself) because of its rarity.

– Tree climbing lions in Serengeti near Lake Magadi.

– A Grant’s gazelle giving birth at Angata Kiti in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

– Watching a flap necked chameleon. This is an amazing reptile with a sticky tongue, almost the length of its body. It has the ability to catch and hold 30% of its own body weight.

Thank You,

Wilfred Fue / ADS Driver-Guide

The rare Caracal cat! We spotted this on the eastern edge of Central Serengeti between Ngarenanyuki and Sametu Kopjes.

This cheetah successfully chased down a Thomson’s gazelle in the Gol Kopjes area of the East Serengeti.

Grant’s gazelle giving birth.

She is now cleaning the newborn fawn.

A flap-necked chameleon.

The male lion is not happy!

Tree climbing lions near Lake Magai is the South Serengeti

Hello! My name is Wilfred Fue and I am a driver guide with Africa Dream Safaris. I would like to share with you an interesting wildlife sighting that occurred on my most recent safari this January between a family of cheetahs and a spotted hyena. This amazing event happened in the East Serengeti in an area between Sametu Kopjes and Gol Kopjes.

Leopards and lions are usually the only big cats known to climb trees due to their retractable claws, but here we spotted 3 young cheetah cubs who looked like expert climbers. This later proved to be advantageous when they spotted a gazelle in the distance. Their mother was able to stalk and chase down the gazelle enabling a successful hunt. The cheetah family succeeded to consume about 60% of the gazelle before a more powerful spotted hyena picked up the scent and quickly scavenged the kill from the cheetahs.

As my friend Ellison also said in his posting, some of the guides for ADS including myself were given small size cameras that fit in our shirt pockets. We plan on using them to take a couple pictures while on safari of some of the more interesting animals we encounter or some unusual animal behavior. We received computer training and we can post the pictures to this blog immediately after we finish our safaris. It’s very exciting as we are the first company in Tanzania doing this! You can post comments below too and I will try to respond when not in the bush.

Here the cheetahs are climbing the tree.

Lunchtime for the cheetah family after a successful hunt.

The spotted hyena scavenges the partially eaten gazelle from the cheetah family.

My guests and I enjoying lunch!