Serengeti - An Endless Plain

The name Serengeti comes from the Maasai word “Siringet” meaning “endless plain” and the experience of standing on the southern grass plains of the Serengeti National Park is one of vastness. The knowledge that the area contains one of the greatest, if not the greatest, concentration of plains animals left on earth is amazing.

The plains were formed 3–4 million years ago when ash blown from volcanoes in the Ngorongoro highlands covered the rolling landscape. A thick layer of ash preserved traces of early man and established the rich soil which supports the southern grass plains today.

We were in the midst of a week-long safari encompassing Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. This story recounts our experiences during one of those memorable days.

With no telephone in our room at the Lodge, the early morning wake-up call was someone banging on the door – but we were ready. We had been studying the sky from our balcony – it was clear and full of stars but in the distance lightning flashed. Walking up to the main lodge, morning tea had been set out in one of the sitting areas and everyone appeared for the morning game drive. It was cool.

The first signs of dawn appeared in the sky as we left the Lodge – Fiscal and Magpie Shrike darted in the thorn bushes. We were amazed by the variety of birds active at this time of the day – the White Bellied “go away” Bird (because of its cry), Ring Necked Doves, Long Tailed Starling, Black Winged Stilt, Blacksmith and Ground Plovers, Lilac Breasted Roller (particularly beautiful bird), Yellow Necked Longclaw, Brown Snake and Bateleur Eagle.

Giraffe, Zebra, Buffalo, Thomson & Grant’s Gazelle, Impala, Guinea Fowl, Hartebeest, Hippo, Verdant Monkeys, Hyena, Rock Hyrex, Silver Backed Jackals, Topi, including Lion and Leopard footprints, were early sightings on the morning drive.

Thomson’s Gazelle, in particular, were a wonderful sight - they are colourful, graceful and in large numbers - running and leaping with ease through the grass. Their speed seems unmatched but we were reminded that the Cheetah is the fastest creature on earth.

A Cheetah can only sustain its speed for short periods of time and has to hunt its prey wisely. The Gazelle, while slower, is a distance runner. Even so, the poor Tommy appears to be the “weetabix” of the Serengeti.

A Hyena was sighted running with a recently killed Tommy clamped firmly between its jaws. Our guide explained that when a Cheetah kills a Gazelle, it devours as much of it as quickly as possible because Hyena, who are creatures of opportunity, will challenge the Cheetah and steal the kill. The cry of the Hyena is bloodcurdling.

We spotted a flock of vultures hovering ominously over something on the ground. Another Tommy was being consumed by a Jackal, but the lone Jackal was frightened away by the Vultures, about 12–15 of them, who pounced on the carcass, tearing it apart.
We were within feet of this spectacle and their devouring of the carcass was hard to describe - the Vultures kicked up the dust as they fought one another for a piece of the kill.

In the distance a lone Hyena recognized its opportunity and ran through the Vultures, snatching the carcass and taking off in a flash.

We returned to the Lodge for breakfast and a rest before the afternoon game drive.

Soon we were in the midst of Topi, Cape Buffalo, Impala, Zebra, Reedbuck, Egyptian Geese, Yellow Necked Spurfowl and Heron -- and then one of the most memorable sights of all – a female Cheetah and her two cubs feeding on a Tommy.

A flock of Vultures waited patiently on a nearby termite mound.

We were so close, observing every nuance – we just couldn’t take our eyes off mother and cubs.

When they had had their fill the family walked gracefully away, the mother’s belly protuding, her cubs stopping periodically to wash one another’s faces.

Today would be slim pickings for the Vultures.