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A former British colony, Kenya is dominated by
seven tribal groups. Its total population is about 30
million; non-Africans, who include longtime residents of British
ancestry and a strong Indian merchant class, comprise about one
percent of the population. English and Swahili are official
languages. About 40 percent of the
population is Protestant, 30 percent Catholic, and 20 percent
Moslem.
Kenya gained independence
in 1963, led by Jomo Kenyatta.
Nairobi
, the capital and largest city, has a
population of about 2.1 million people. It is
very crowded and is afflicted by a pervasive acrid odor of diesel
fuel that stings one’s eyes, nose, and throat.
Some compare the topography
of Kenya to that of Colorado.
Although I was close to both Mount Kilimanjaro (which is in
Tanzania ) and Mount Kenya , clouds  prevented good views of each. The
climate is moderate, reflecting
Kenya
’s position on the
equator.  In Kenya, as
elsewhere in Africa, sunsets are dramatic.
Elephants
Elephants travel in cohesive herds of
nine to twelve females, led by the oldest cow, and their juvenile
offspring.
Males leave the group at about age 12, alternatively
associating with other males or wandering alone. Large
bulls over the age of 35 dominate breeding. The
gestation period is 22 to 24 months; elephants are in their prime in
their 30’s and 40’s, and may live to be 70.
Elephants need space, a commodity that is
increasingly scarce as human populations expand. About
250,000 elephants live in Africa today, almost all in reserves to
protect them from poachers in search of ivory.
A typical herd is seen below. (Some
adults were grazing out of view of the camera.) Elephant
calves nurse until the age of five, when the next baby usually
arrives; mother’s milk is supplemented by vegetation.
Elephants begin to grow tusks at about age two. Young
males often spar with each other.
 
Rhinoceros
In common with elephants, rhinos are
herbivores. Solitary by nature, their eyesight
is poor, but their sense of scent is acute. Their
bodies are barrel-shaped, their legs are thick, and their feet have
three toes. They have two horns of keratin
(similar to a human fingernail), which are valued in the Far East
for medicinal and aphrodisiac purposes; in the Near East, the
phallic shape of a rhino horn supposedly makes a man in possession
of a dagger with a rhino horn handle invincible. Thus,
rhinos remain a hunted animal and are an endangered species
worldwide.
Two species remain in Africa. The
white rhino (pictured) is characterized by a wide, square mouth. The animal is not white in color;
“white” is a corruption of the Dutch word for “wide.” Black
rhinos, which also are grey in color, are smaller and less common;
black rhinos also are known as hook-lipped rhinos because their top
lip protrudes over the lower lip.
Hippopotamus
The Common Hippopotamus has a
barrel-shaped body and short legs. It spends much of its day lying
in water, sometimes submerged for as long as six minutes. When on
land during the day, hippos often lie on sand or mud banks. They
may move as much as six miles (10 km) inland at night in search of
grasslands. They usually live in herds of 10
to 15 animals, often in very close contact with each
other.
 
Giraffe
The tallest mammals in the world, male
giraffes may be as tall as 18’ (5.5m) at the top of their
horns.
They range widely, browsing
mainly on deciduous species.
  
The Reticulated giraffe (left), common in
Kenya and Ethiopia, is most
striking, with its rich chestnut patches well defined by white
lines.
The Masai giraffe (center), at home in Kenya and
Tanzania, has irregular
brown patches against a buff background. The Rothschild or Ugandan giraffe (right) has
blotchy patches uneven in coloration.
Females and young live in maternal
herds.
Males separate in their third year to form bachelor herds and
often “test” each other by swinging their necks against the torso or
neck of an opponent. Several
of the adolescent male Masai giraffes at right engaged in shoving
matches from time to time. Giraffes may live 20 to 25
years.
Zebras
The Plains
zebra is built like a solid, sturdy pony with bold black stripes
extending onto the belly. The Grevy’s zebra is modestly taller and less
brawny; its stripes are more numerous and narrower, and its belly is
white.
  Both species
live in stable harems, each shepherded by a mature stallion.
Adolescent and young adult males form their own herds.
Additional species and sub-species are found in southern
Africa.
Antelopes
Africa is home to 73 different species
of antelope, many of which are present in Kenya. Up to a
dozen different species may live in close proximity to each other on
the savannahs; most have strong limbs that facilitate leaping and
running to evade predators. The size and shape of their horns
are key features in identifying the different species.
 Among the smallest are dik-dik, barely two feet tall. Their
coloration blends in with local vegetation, but they rely mainly on
jumping and running to escape lions, cheetahs, or other
killers.
Thomson’s gazelles
are a bit larger, standing slightly over two feet in height. They are easily identified by
their bold black side stripes, facial and tail markings, and strong
horns.
Grant’s gazelles
are larger yet, standing 30 to 36 inches (75-90
cm) in height.
 They are sand or fawn colored with a flank
stripe that diminishes with age. Their underbellies are
white.
This Grant’s gazelle is shown with a warthog, which kneels while grazing.
The gerenuk is
peculiar to Kenya and the neighboring countries
of Ethiopia, Somalia, and
Uganda.  It is 32 to
42” (80-105 cm) in height when standing on four legs; when on its hind legs, it can reach
foliage more than 6’ (2 m) high. Its neck and legs are very
long.
No other antelopes are able to stand on two legs.
Waterbucks are large,
shaggy antelopes that are reddish brown to grey in color. White
markings include their eyebrows, insides of ears, muzzles,  throatbib, and buttocks. The
horns are long, curved, and heavily ridged. They
are over 4 feet (1.19m) in height.
The Oryx is
a large antelope with long straight or slightly curved horns. They
are powerfully built with compact bodies. Males
are about 4 feet (1.19m) in height. The oryx is noted for its
pronounced markings: a black flank stripe, black and white facial
pattern, and a black garter on its forelegs.
The Topi or Tsessebe also is about 4 feet tall. It is
tan to chestnut in color, with conspicuous  purple blotches on its face and upper
limbs.
The topi often stakes out an observation post on top of a
termite hill or other protuberance and stands there, gazing into the
distance, doubtless looking for predators. It has
great speed and endurance as a runner.
The Wildebeest or Gnu migrates twice annually, a topic that
is discussed in some detail later in this essay.
According to the National Audubon
Society Field Guide to African Wildlife, the wildebeest is
“unusual looking.”
It is 3’10” to 4’10” (1.15 to 1.45m) in height, blue-grey or
brown in color with cow-like horns, a short neck, and high
shoulders. Wildebeest have black vertical
stripes of hair, black manes, and white or black beards.
The African or Cape Buffalo is a massive animal with a short
neck, barrel shape, and short sturdy legs.  It
is 4’8” to 5’4” (1.4 to 1.6m) in height and can weigh up to 1,540
lbs (700 kg). They live about 20 years in the
wild.
Buffalo form
herds of up to several thousand ani-mals, although these usually are
aggregations of distinct female-led clans plus a few mature
bulls.
Bulls past their prime gather in bache-lor groups or become
solitary.
Cats
Ten species of the cat family inhabit
Africa, all of
which are well-designed as predators equipped to stalk, capture, and
kill prey of any size, including animals larger than
themselves. They have camouflage coloration,
muscular limbs with large padded feet, and large eyes. They
also are characterized by powerful jaws with sharp teeth, quick
reflexes, rapid acceleration, and great leaping ability.
However, they are short-winded and rely on concealing
themselves and then ambushing their quarry. Two lions below exhibit the art of blending
into their surroundings.
 
However, if sleeping off a recent meal
of zebra or just letting the world know who is king of the savannah,
lions may be more visible.
 
Leopards are large cats
with short powerful limbs, a heavy torso, and thick neck. Their
spots are grouped into rosettes on their torsos and upper
limbs.
They frequently drag prey up into trees to keep lions
and hyenas from stealing their food. The full belly of this leopard
suggests that a meal has been consumed recently.
The Cheetah
is longer and has longer legs and a thinner torso than the
leopard.
Its head is smaller and its facial marks include “tear
stains.” Its
spots are solid black round or oval dots.
Cheetahs are the fastest cats; they will chase down prey at
speeds up to 70 mph (112 kph), but they tire easily. These
cheetahs were cubs, waiting while their mother stalked a future
meal.
From time to time, they would rise and follow their mother,
then stop and wait for her to capture lunch or dinner.
Jackals
Jackals are scavengers, attempting to
seize the left-over prey of larger animals. In
addition to following the big cats, jackals hunt small animals (such
as small antelopes) on their own. Jackals also eat insects and
berries.
A
black-backed jackal is in the photo at
left; it resembles a small fox. A spotted
 jackal in the second
photo has the more characteristic jackal posture formed by hind legs
that are shorter than its forelegs; the spotted jackal is holding
carrion in its mouth.
Primates
Africa is host to 86
different species of primates, which include apes, chimpanzees,
baboons, and monkeys. Many species are very social,
often living in troops of up to 200 individuals. In
general, they forage on the
 ground during the day and roost in trees or on
cliffs at night. Monkeys may take up residence in
tourist camps, jumping from trees to tents to buildings; they will
snatch unattended food and other objects.
At left are a Savannah baboon and her baby. Infants
are carried in various positions by their mothers. Baboons
of all ages spend considerable time grooming each other.
Hyrax
Six species of hyraxes live in Africa. Most
are smaller than a common housecat, weighing 4 to 12 lbs (1.8 to 5.4
kg).
Notwithstanding the substantial difference in size, many
scientists believe that the hyrax is closely related to the
elephant, a theory that is supported by DNA evidence. The two
species share numerous  features, such as toenails, excellent hearing
and high brain function, good memory, and the shape of some
bones.
In general, hyraxes are very sociable, as are many
elephants. The Rock hyrax at left was a
frequent visitor to the outside deck of the writer’s tent in Kichwa
Tembo (Masai area of Kenya).
Birds
Some 2,000 of the 9,000 known bird species in
the world have been recorded in Africa. Many are colorful and
exotic.
The Ostrich is a well-known flightless bird with a very long
bare neck and long legs. The male, at left in the photo
below, is much more colorful; his neck and legs turn bright
orange-pink when breeding. In contrast to the black coat of
the male, the  coat of the female is light brown; her neck and
legs remain a non-descript grey-soft pink. Males
normally are 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m) in height, but may be as
tall as 9’ (2.75 m).
Some other commonly seen birds in
Kenya are the Marabou
stork and the Secretary bird. The Marabou stork is a large bird
with a long wingspread. It successfully challenges
vultures for carrion. The Secretary bird was named for
its long feathers in an era when secretaries used quill pens. This
bird is similar to a crane and stands out for its extremely long
tail feathers. Among its favorite foods are
snakes.
 
The Grey Crowned Crane conducts a
complex courtship dance, bowing and jumping and even tossing objects
into the air. It feeds on insects. The
bird on the left in the photo at right is a Vulturine Guineafowl; it
does not need to drink water, but obtains liquid from seeds, leaves,
berries, fruit, insects, and spiders. Its two smaller cousins are
Helmeted Guineafowl; they drink water and eat seeds and insects.
 
The Yellow-billed Hornbill is
omnivorous, feeding on insects, rodents, bird eggs, fruit, and
ants.
It uses its powerful bill as a lever to turn over rocks and
logs, searching for prey. The Ground Hornbill is a
turkey-like bird that is able to fly, but rarely does so; it walks
the savannah, usually with others, preying on small mammals, birds,
turtles, frogs, and insects.
 
The Wildebeest Migration
One of the great wildlife spectacles in the
world is the twice annual wildebeest migration in which more than
1.5 million wildebeest migrate from the Serengeti plains
 in Tanzania and Kenya to the
Masai Mara in Kenya in July and August
and then back to the Serengeti in October. In
search of rain-ripened grass, the more-or-less circular move covers
about 1,800 miles and occurs over a broad territory in crossings
over the Talek and Mara rivers. In the photo at left, wildebeest
mass before crossing the Mara River.
The wildebeest appeared to wander aimlessly for
several days, then made their way to the river bank where they again
seemed to move slowly and hesitantly. With great suddenness, a large
male charged down the bank and
 into the river, triggering a mass movement as
some wildebeest scrambled down well-worn paths and others, more
daring or desperate, jumped from one level to another en route to
the silt-laden Mara. Some animals fell and recovered;
others fell and were trampled. Nile crocodiles awaited those unable to
continue.
At times, the wildebeest appeared to be
swimming in a curve-like formation. However, the “formation” probably
was just a random phenomenon; the survival instinct generated a more
arbitrary mass movement across the river.
 
Upon reaching the other side, the
wildebeest scrambled up the river bank and sprinted inland. Several
hundred meters on to the plain, they stopped, seemingly breathless
and exhausted. Upon recovery, they resumed
grazing. They would repeat the migration, going in the other
direction (south) in October.
We observed the migration from a Land
Rover, as did other tourists in about 30 vehicles jockeying for
position along the river bank. At times, it was a bit chaotic as
drivers moved around, attempting to find the best position for their
particular clients.
Wardens from the Kenyan national park
system attempted to keep order, directing vehicles away from areas
where, they said, they were absolutely certain that wildebeest
would cross the river. In most instances, the wildebeest
crossed elsewhere, 20 to 50 meters away from the wardens’ predicted
path.
The noise of the migration is deafening, with
the sound of wildebeest hoofbeats accom-panied by cacophonous
grunting and snorting. Some observers refer to
wildebeest as “Harleys” because their distinctive vocalizing sounds
very similar to a revving motorcycle.
Although zebras often migrate with
wildebeest, we did not see any zebras or any other animals moving
with this group of wildebeest. However, we did see hundreds of
zebras in large herds near the river, just at the point of crossing
it.
Up, Up, and Away
Balloon rides are available over several
wildlife areas in Africa.
Typically, they begin in the pre-dawn hours, permitting
passengers to view a sunrise and early morning mists from a height
of 80 to 400 meters above the African plain. In my
experience, three nearly identical balloons flew at the same time,
each holding 12 to 16 passengers (3 to 4 people in each of four
compartments) in a wicker basket or gondola. In the
photo at left, ground crews forced hot hair into the balloon before
the pilot and passengers climbed into the basket.
The direction of the flight depends on
the wind, but the altitude of the balloon can be controlled by the
pilot who changes the temperature of the air that is blowing into
the balloon from burners mounted inside the gondola.
(It may be difficult to discern with
exactness, but the two black “blotches” at the tops of branches in
the photo at top right are vultures.)
 
 
Our flight lasted about 45 minutes, the
three launched balloons flying in close proximity to each
other.
We flew over magnificent savannah landscapes, moving higher
and then lower as the pilot glimpsed wildlife of interest.
Although balloons fly over the area almost every morning,
some of the animals seemed spooked as they looked up at us.
The balloon ride was spectacular. The
landing was less comfortable. We landed in an upright position,
but wind caught the collapsing balloon and pushed it along, dragging
the gondola behind. The gondola soon tipped over on
its side; we had been warned that this would happen and held on to
handgrips inside the basket as instructed until the balloon came to
a stop.
We then crawled out of the gondola, which remained on its
side as the balloon deflated on the ground.
 
Some photos from the balloon ride were
transferred from a CD provided by Governors’ Balloon Safaris, the
operators of the balloon rides. Information in the narrative is
from National Audubon Society Field Guide to African
Wildlife (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
1995), passim.
August 28, 2007
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