This Week at Angama #419

The morning began with the soft glow as the sky turned shades of orange and yellow. In that warm light, a giraffe stood perfectly silhouetted. As she turned her head toward us, she revealed one of her most remarkable details.

Giraffe's eyelashes are long, thick, and beautifully curved, but they are far more than decoration. They act as protection against dust and the sun's glare, and, most importantly, when browsing thorny acacia trees, their eyes are shielded from sharp branches while still allowing them to maintain exceptional vision.

Not long after, while scanning the ground beside the road, I noticed a dung beetle was rolling a ball across the earth. This behaviour is common during the rainy season when fresh dung is plentiful. Both the male and female work together to roll their hard work from the original pile, racing against rival beetles that often try to steal their prize.

Competition can be intense. What looks like a simple act of rolling is actually the beginning of an entire life cycle. Once the pair successfully secures their dung ball, the female lays a single egg inside a brood ball. When the larva hatches, it feeds on the dung within its protective chamber before pupating and eventually emerging as a fully grown beetle.

Perched on top of a termite mound, beside one of the openings, was a red-and-yellow barbet. Fresh mud around the mound confirmed the termite colony was still active. The barbet leaned forward and inserted its strong, chisel-like beak into one of the holes, digging carefully before plunging its head deep inside.

Rich in protein and easy to harvest when you know where to look, termites form an important part of the barbet’s diet. While this bird is considered a mixed feeder eating fruits, insects, and even small reptiles, termites are a favourite when available.

Observing details on safari often means paying attention to how animals move through the landscape. Take the giraffe. Unlike most animals, giraffes walk using a unique gait called an amble or pacing walk. They move their left front and left hind legs forward together, followed by the right front and right hind legs.

This unusual movement prevents the long hind legs from striking or interfering with the front legs as they move. When speed is required, the giraffe shifts into a gallop, in which the hind legs swing forward and land outside the front legs, allowing the animal to cover ground surprisingly quickly. It’s a detail that many people overlook, but once you notice it, you never watch a giraffe the same way again.

While driving, a tiny crowned lapwing chick caught my eye. It was almost perfectly camouflaged against the earth. If I had assumed it was simply another stone or shadow, we would have driven straight past it. Nearby, the parent stood alert, constantly scanning the sky for aerial predators. Camouflage is one of nature’s greatest survival tools, but it only works if you know how.

Perhaps no animal understands the importance of detail better than the vervet monkey. Vervets are remarkably observant creatures, relying heavily on their sharp eyesight to survive in an environment filled with predators and complex social dynamics. Their vision gives them greater peripheral awareness than humans and enables them to detect movement at incredible speed.

Positioned high in trees or on elevated ground, vervet scouts have been known to detect a stalking leopard from over 500 metres away. Their survival depends on noticing what others might miss.

The details are everywhere. You only have to look closely enough to see them.—Marvin Mwarangu

Unlike many species bound to strict breeding seasons, elephants follow opportunity rather than calendar. When conditions are right, and a female enters estrus, her subtle signals carry across the plains. Frequent urination releases powerful chemical cues that attract mature bulls, particularly those in musth.

A bull in musth may track a receptive female over great distances, guided by scent alone. Upon finding her, he stays close, gently testing her readiness while asserting his dominance over potential rivals. The courtship can stretch over days, mating several times briefly during her fertile window to ensure success. If conception occurs, a new calf will be born 22 months later, the longest gestation period of any land mammal. 

Making an appearance this week was the dominant leopard commanding the BBC area of the Mara Triangle. Osidai, as he is known, moved through his territory with quiet authority at every step.

With the recent rains leaving patches of wet ground and thick grass underfoot, Angama guest Michelle Chmielewski captured photos as he carefully navigated his surroundings, avoiding muddy areas with the precision characteristic of his kind. Osidai remains one of the most frequently sighted leopards in the Mara Triangle, and seeing him in such strong condition is always both reassuring and exciting. 

Twice in the same day, near the borders at Luga ya Nyoka, Angama guest Laura Whitehead also encountered this striking male leopard moving gracefully through the tall grass, carefully avoiding the waterlogged ground.

Leopards remain one of the most sought-after animals to see on safari, and encounters such as these are often right at the top of guests’ wish lists during a game drive. 

Southern ground hornbills are easily spotted in the Mara Triangle; however, seeing their chicks is quite rare. These impressive birds are among Africa’s most iconic ground-dwelling species, and their breeding process is both slow and remarkable.

These birds nest in large tree cavities, where the female seals herself inside using mud and debris, leaving only a narrow slit through which the male delivers food. Typically, two eggs are laid, but in most cases, only one chick survives, a natural strategy that ensures the strongest offspring receives sufficient nourishment.

The chick finally emerges months later, with its darker, duller plumage and without the vivid red facial skin that adults are known for. The chick remains dependent on its family group for an extended period, learning essential survival skills such as foraging and predator awareness. Because southern ground hornbills have a slow breeding cycle, raising only one chick every few years, each successful fledgling represents hope for a species that faces habitat loss and human pressures. 

In recent days, the downpours have mostly arrived in the late afternoons and carried on well into the night. By morning, however, the skies often clear, leaving behind cool, crisp air and fresh landscapes, perfect conditions for an early morning safari. 

One of the most noticeable changes is along the Mara River, which has been steadily swelling and now runs close to its banks. The powerful current and rising water levels have begun to reshape the behaviour of some of its most famous inhabitants. Large crocodiles and pods of hippos are moving out of the main river channel, moving into nearby ponds and quieter backwaters. These calmer pools offer refuge from the strong currents, reducing the risk of being swept downstream during peak flows. -Robert Sayialel