In a bygone age a safari into deepest, darkest Africa the Big Five were the most sought after animals to hunt. They were the fiercest, the most dangerous of animals that were able to hunt the hunter. So what are the big five?
They are the lion, the leopard, the rhinoceros, the buffalo and the elephant. Today, of course, the hunting is done with cameras but that does not take away from the thrill of seeing your first lion or hearing a leopard walk past your camp at night. These big mammals are each far more interesting than the early explorers appreciated.
The male lion is much larger than the lioness and will fight to control his pride. When a new male lion takes over a pride, he will kill all the young cubs so that the females will rapidly become fertile and be able to breed with him. A male lion may control a pride and live off of its hunting successes, but the male works hard to defend the pride from other lions that might try to establish themselves as the dominant male and kill the cubs. The Lions in east Africa have the darker mains than lions found in Southern Africa.
The best places to see leopards in Serengeti are along the riverine game-viewing tracks. The leopard camouflage makes them extremely difficult to see on the ground, so looking into tall trees with inclined trunks is the best bet for finding a resting leopard. Leopards are solitary, big cats that live all over Africa and as far as South-East Asia, wherever there is sufficient tree cover for them to hide in. They are stealthy hunters, preferring to pounce rather than chase their prey. Whilst they are not generally a threat to humans, they will eat just about everything else, from bugs to gazelles, from baboons to dogs.
The first time many people see a leopard, there is a moment of confusion as they wonder, is this a leopard or a cheetah?”. This is a common for even the Maasai call leopards and cheetahs by the same name. Leopards hunt at night, generally in dense vegetation; they stalk slowly through grass or bushes, and attack when only a few meters away.
The leopards of Serengeti can be seen along rivers and in the denser parts of the woodlands. After making a kill, they will drag it back and up into a convenient tree for protection, presumably from lions or hyenas who might steal their catch. A leopard will then return to the tree for several days to feed and rest. They establish and defend territories, meeting only to mate.
There are five species of rhinoceros in the world of which two species are found in Africa – the White or Square-lip Rhino and the Black or Hook-lip Rhino. Black rhino were once numerous on the Serengeti plains. Their horns are still in demand. In the Far East they are used as local drugs and in the Arab world as the handle for daggers, thus resulting in heavy poaching. Consequently, the number of rhino in the Serengeti has been reduced to a handful and these are under heavy protection by the park’s armed, anti-poaching rangers trying to ensure their survival. White rhino are not found in the Serengeti.
The Cape Buffalo with its huge curved horns held high with more than half a ton of body weight behind them makes for a very intimidating animal. The buffalo and elephants have the widest range of any large African mammals. They live better in grassy woodland with good available water sources. Buffalo are herding animals and can be found in groups of 1,000 or more in certain areas. Each herd is made up of several sub-herds, which range from 30-60 females with both their older members and newborn young. The Cape Buffalo’s only predators are lions and humans. Currently, concentrations of buffalo can be seen in the western corridor of Serengeti along the Grumeti River and in the woodland around Seronera.
Imagine cresting a hill in the Serengeti Woodlands and seeing before you an entire valley filled with elephants. The African Elephant is the largest land animal and at 3000-5000 kilograms they weigh as much as four cars. Both males and female elephants can push down full-grown trees in the search for food. They can also pick up the smallest seeds or nuts with their digit-like trunk. Most elephants live in herds of 2 to 24, which are led by the oldest female or “matriarch”, who can be up to 60 years old. Males live with the herds until they reach puberty and then leave to join bachelor herds, or to roam on their own. The matriarch lives far beyond her breeding age and it is thought that this added life span is important for teaching the younger generations.