I spy with my eye..

Jambo !!
wowow. I am so excited about this afternoon safari. I started the trip expecting NOT to see lions and NOT to see wild dogs. I DID get to see.. tell you later as it happened at the end. Sorry like to tease a bit
The trip started with a view of a group of baboons. I had hardly seen any baboons on this trip in comparisson with my previous Kenya trip in December. And the troop was booming for sure. Is a group of monkeys called a troop? I don’t really know but just guessing. Please let me know if I am mistaken. Anyway, the troop was booming as there were many little ones riding on mama’s back or sitting nearby. I think one must have only been a few weeks old, if that already.

We made a stop at a little sanctuary where they keep a blind black rhino called Baraka.

He was blinded about 4 years ago after loosing one eye in battle and losing sight out of his other due to cataract! How unlucky can you get!! So he’s not allowed to live wild as he would not survive. This is a tourist attraction so they let you feed him .. which is nice to do of course but still a bit exploitery. At least he’s well looked after.

We heared on the radio that some people had spotted something. Well Justus talked in Swahali so I couldn’t understand and all of a sudden he started speading up.. Lions?? Wild dogs??
No, none of the above but.. a cheetah mum and cub. Unfortunatly we only got to spot mum’s head..

The cub was probably resting or drinking as we stayed there for about 20 minutes and never saw either of them properly. A lot of cars came and went while we were waiting.

We left as well as I was supposed to go on a night drive at 7pm.
By this time I was getting freezing cold!! I was shivering as the wind was blowing very hard and temperatures were starting to drop. If I wasn’t so eager to spot things I could have just sat down but hey..I am on safari, I am not going to sit down and not see anything,right!!
So on we went making our way back to the tented camp. All of a sudden we spot a car by the side of the road and as we got closer I got more and more excited and with reason, let me tell you that!! Wild dogs? Lions?
Not one, not two but three young lion cubs!!!

I estimate they were about 7-8 months old as they reminded me in size of Meeka, Kali and Moyo from Antelope Park. They were very playfull but we were loosing light fast. So the pictures aren’t the best of qualities I must admit. Still, can’t complain and won’t for sure. Without thinking I stood up on my seat but was soon called back by Justus, NO standing on the seat. Bugger!! One of the little ones made its way towards us so I could sit down and open my window to get a clear shot of him or her. And it stayed for a few seconds which was great! All three of them moved on behind us and because 2 more cars had stopped I pretty much lost visual..

still could see one by the side of the road.
Now, this seems like a young age to be without mum or am I mistaken. Maybe they were waiting for mum to come back as they didn’t really wander of. Birds were making so much noice all over so maybe mum was coming back.
This was just THE most perfect ending of this long day. After having to wait for 3h to get things arranged for tomorrow’s lion spotting this just made me forget all about it.
Oh yes, of course I named the cubs.. Any idea my fellow lion friends?
Batian, Rafiki and Furaha 🙂

We got back to camp just before 7 pm and I was just too exhausted, too cold, too hungry to go on the night encounter. That and the fact that I have to be packed and ready to go by 6:30 am for the lion tracking, followed by a quick breakfast before heading back to Nairobi. So I decided to just stay here… I may regret this once I hear what they have spotted though? But then again.. I won’t ask.
HAPPY me!