The Circle of Life Illustrated

The flight from Wilson Airport to the Okiombo (O-key-ohm-bow) airstrip is only 35 minutes yet the change in settings can be extraordinary. Wilson is the smaller of Nairobi's two airports and sits quite close to the city center. One fights the morning traffic and congestion to make it to the plane. Okiombo airstrip, on the other hand, sits within the the Masai Mara National Reserve. It's just a small maram, a clay and pebble mixture, strip in the open savanna.

I was met at that airport by Dee, a Maasai moran, who is one of the drivers and guides for my Tipilikwana Mara Camp where I am staying. The camp actually sits just across the Talek River which is one of the reserves official boundaries. However, animals don't respect boundaries, so sighting are possible from the camp. The drive is only about 10-12 miles, but can take 30-40 minutes.

Nature made itself known within minutes of pulling away from the airstrip. We encountered a small herd of Thomson Gazelle. A large warthog rans across the road not more than 50 yards ahead of the Range Rover. However, not too far in the distance we saw a small group of vehicles stopped. This was the tell tale sign that something good was up ahead.

As we drew near, I saw that it was a mother cheetah with her three cubs trailing her. The mother had a baby Thomson gazelle dangling from her mouth much like a mother cat would be carrying a kitten. I assumed that the gazelle had met already its end. She laid down in the grass and the cubs came up rumbling and tumbling around her.

Dee said that they had watched the gazelle be born the day before I arrived. He knew this was the same one as it was in the same spot and the mother could not have moved far with such a young baby. The cheetah cubs were still covered with a downy coat across their backs. They are about two months old and won't lose that fur for another month or two.

As we were about to pull away, the gazelle started running away, if you can actually call it running. The cheetah cubs then chased after it and one of them caught it and brought it back to the mother. Dee explained that the mother had only injured the gazelle and released it on purpose. It's one of the ways that the youngsters are taught to hunt.

We moved on to the camp but not before seeing animals such as topi, wildebeest, and elands. These are all within the antelope like family. We also saw an ostrich, numerous zebras, and hundreds of Thomson gazelles.

The camp proved to be beautiful and welcoming. Certainly a wonderful way to spend a few days. It's actually the next morning after my arrival and I've been out on two game rides. I've got great stories to tell once I find the time to get them typed up. Bear with me as I do this.