“If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa.” –John Hemingway

Lion Prides

During my time in the Olare and Mara North conservancies, I was fortunate to spend time with the Enkoyanai and the Iseketa-Monika prides and also visited some old feline friends from the Cheli & Peacock pride. It has always been fascinating for me to return to the same conservancies over the past three years and follow the lives of some of the resident prides. It is certainly tough going for lions these days as their numbers continue to fall with a population now estimated at around 20,000 across Africa. It is a complex challenge and lions are losing the battle to loss of habitat, conflict with humans, pesticides and big game hunting (The Economics of Hunting Lions). I am ever-thankful for my incredible Masaai guides Mika and Patrick of Kicheche Camps for their deep knowledge of the lion families and their willingness to share. They are on the front lines witnessing the stress on the balance of nature and are exceptional in their leadership and stewardship of these important lands.

Highlights of my recent lion sightings included watching a couple of youngsters from the Enkoyanai pride in Olare Orak exploring their territory and having a tumble with each other. Another exciting lion encounter was following two big boys, Lolpapit and Barnoti, the dominant coalition in charge of the Iseketa-Monika pride in the Olare conservancy. Sure they could use a little hair product, but their strength is formidable and on this morning they were approaching the Enkoyanai pride with a mission to intimidate. (Ok, maybe not so intimidating when they took time out to wrestle with each other.)

Elephant Greetings

Another very special moment in Olare was watching two herds of elephants greet each other as daylight faded away. There was a great deal of trunk caressing and playful greetings between the adolescents and the little ones insisted on joining in where they could. The sky was overcast and there was a strange pinky-blue hue to the last light, which is so magical in the Masai Mara, making it extremely difficult to capture these living landscapes.  I worked at it until the bitter end, shooting with a 300 at f2.8 and pushing ISO’s as high as 10,000. While the images are technically flawed , they will serve me well as reminders of one of the most spectacular elephant sightings of my many trips.

The Masai Mara on my Mind

When I get home from my adventures, I spend long days editing photos and reliving my memories. Even years later, when I look at the images, vivid memories return. It gets under your skin. The longing to return soon follows.