Re: Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog

**Laikipia** Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:45 pm

I've just been sent this link by Jonathan so am posting it here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/collections/p00db3b8#p00f4gh1

lots of great clips from Big Cat week, Elephant Diaries, Dawn to Dusk and Africawatch. I am looking forward to playing one a day Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 853843

Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 853843

Lai

**Doogs** Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:14 pm

Excellent, thanks Lai Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 853843

Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 71418

**Doogs** Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:50 pm

Update from J&A dated 19 April 2011 :-

"Hi Everybody – had a wonderful time at Queen’s University and the Ulster Museum. Belfast was unrecognisable after 40 years – except for how friendly everyone was. Gerry Power had organised everything – loads of interesting people to chat to and a visit to the new Library at the University – ming blowing, especially the C S Lewis sanctum for serious reading! You cross the Nania threshold stepping onto a lion sized rug and through a beautiful carved door just like in the book/movie. The talk went well – full house and an enthusiastic audience – what more could one ask for. Next morning up at the crack of dawn and on to Portugal for a one day photoworkshop for Canon – the setting a safari park which was the perfect place for people to practice their photographic skills. Another fun day with lots of hard work – did some interviews for magazines and local TV station – all in all a great experience. Can’t wait to visit again!"

**Doogs** Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:52 pm

Update from J&A dated 24 April 2011 :-

"Hi Everyone – thanks for all the great messages for our Birthdays! We don’t often single people out as so many of you deliver so much to the Blog – but first up a big thank you to Pepe for his amazing volume of interesting work on the Blog these past few years. Just don’t know how he does it. Really enjoyed his historical reprise of Mara on the previous Post – a lot of names there from the past and some real pioneers.

And at last Disney Nature’s African Cats is up and running in the States. Great to know they are raising money in the first week for the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) who are a very solid NGO – well done Keith Scholey (Producer) and Disney for that. I feel sure that AWF will use the money to good effect.

Had an update on Olive the leopard (Bella’s daughter) the other day from a friend. Here is the nub of it: you are probably aware that since Angie and I were last in the Mara (13-20 Feb at Rekero – when Olive was seen with both cubs – though not by us) Olive has lost one of her two young cubs. This is not a surprise. It is tough for leopards in the Mara with so many lions – one of their biggest enemies when it comes to losing cubs – and hyenas too (spotted hyenas have a major impact on leopards, stealing kills and sometimes killing cubs). We were sad to hear in Feb that the beautiful mother leopard that is often seen along the Olkeju Ronkai lugga (intermittent watercourse) had also lost both of her cubs around that time – and someone mentioned hyenas might have had something to do with this – I think someone might even have witnessed the incident. Can you remind me of her name?

The good news is that Olive was seen with her surviving cub (must be 7 months old – we saw Olive with both cubs end Dec/early Jan when they were around 3 months old) plus one of her two older male cubs. Either he or Olive had killed a male impala and stashed it in a tree. This subadult has to be 1.5 to 2 years old and has been independent from Olive since she gave birth to her new litter – apart from meeting up once in a while and gaining some food from her. We saw and photographed this young male and his brother playing together in a croton thicket in Feb 2011. Anyway, Olive and the subadult male cub were resting in the same tree with the male feeding on the impala while Olive looked on. This is typical leopard behaviour – they do not like to feed from a kill at the same time – instead they take it in turns – one feeds, leaves the kill allowing the next leopard to take its turn. This prevents unnecessary fighting. Olive’s little cub (7 months) was lying up in a second tree – a sensible thing to do while the older leopards were eating their fill. You do occasionally see a mother with very young cubs feeding together on the same kill – or trying to – but usually if there is more than one cub they squabble fiercely over priority with the bigger, bolder or hungrier cub normally prevailing and forcing its sibling to wait its turn. It may have been that the subadult male cub made the kill – or that Olive made the kill and her older son found her and then took his chance to get some food (they can always find each other by reading scent messages or listening for calls if within earshot – a leopard’s call carries for up to 1 km).

In the past we have seen a mother leopard with two generations of cubs meeting up at times – particularly if the older generation of cubs were still semi-dependent on their mother for food when she gave birth again – and with the two generations of cubs playing about together. Mother leopards are very careful in these circumstances, wary of the possible danger to the younger cubs, hissing and snarling to warn her older offspring as she attempts to keep control of the situation and make sure the younger cubs don’t get hurt, particularly if the rough and tumble gets too serious. Sometimes the territorial male interacts with the family in a relatively friendly manner – but only if he is the father of the cubs. This sometimes happens when they meet up at a kill – or in instances where the male has followed a female to where she has killed to get some food. Mother’s with cubs sometimes try and prevent the male from finding her kill by resting up and refusing to budge until the male moves on".

**whitestarling** Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:26 pm

Thanks Doogs
That confirms what we know about Olives Cub, but there some really interesting insights to how they behave
WS

**littlewid** Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:22 pm

Thanks for all that Doogs, as WS say's a lovely insight into their behaviour and so good to know that Olives remaining cub is doing well.

littlewid-x-

**Laikipia** Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:43 am

Thanks Doogs, always great to read their blog, especially when it has news of Olive.

Lai

**whitestarling** Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:36 am

Leopard Family Tree: Request for information
Published by Jonathan and Angie under Uncategorized

Pepe has a fascinating record of Bella the leopard as a cub (see his comment on the Blog a couple of days ago). He first saw Bella during the Long Rains of 1995 (so end of March to June?).

I first saw Bella when we lost Zawadi/Shadow while filming Big Cat Diary in Sept 2000 – we found her in a Fig Tree on the Talek River with a cub who turned out to be Olive who at the time was only around 6 months old. So that makes Olive 11 years old! Not bad going! But we found Zawadi again so did not feature Bella on BCD until Big Cat Week 2003. By that time Zawadi was not being followed very much and was more difficult to find than in the past, and in the meantime Bella was accompanied by two 3 month old cubs – Chui and his sister – along the Talek River. The rest is history as they say!!

On a related matter. I want to put together a record of the number of litters that Zawadi/Shadow and Olive have had over their lifetime – so any information you might have on the sex of any cubs and how many survived to independence will be invaluable. If any of you want to help with this we would be very grateful for your input.

Dates of sightings of either Zawadi or Olive – along with details of any cubs, sex, approx age, would be brilliant.

I will recruit Paul Karui and Jackson Ole Looseyia to help us. Paul I know keeps careful records on the leopards he watches – so we are in good hands. Also lets make sure we dig out the same information for Bella too. I did the same for Half-Tail after she died in 1999.

Thanks everyone – in anticipation!!

http://www.jonathanangelascott.com/travel_club/wordpress/

WS

**Laikipia** Wed Apr 27, 2011 8:03 am

Brilliant - thanks WS

Lai

**Laikipia** Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:41 am

An article written about J & A's trip to Zambia last year from Travel Africa Magazine - not their blog I realise, but still interesting.

http://www.travelafricamag.com/content/view/2792/29/

Lai

**whitestarling** Mon May 09, 2011 11:08 pm

Ooooops

Sorry Lai missed this one will check it out.
Thanks
WS

**whitestarling** Mon May 09, 2011 11:11 pm

Latest news on the Leopard project

Leopard Breeding Success: Who Tops the Charts?
Published by Jonathan and Angie under Uncategorized

Hi Everyone – many thanks for this. Heard back from Paul and he is happy to help us:

Dear Jonathan,
Good to hear from you. I am very willing to work with you on the leopards records. I have records of the Talek leopards from Bella, and Olive’s lineage to date and i am sure this will be useful. I am coming to the Mara on 15th to prepare for Franz Lanting. I am hoping to cath up before they arrive.

Otherwise keep well.

Regards

Paul

So that is great news. It should be fascinating to collate all this information and identify the trends. There is no doubt that many leopards lose a fair number of cubs to lions and hyenas – and other causes such as infanticide. We witnessed a young male leopard killing Half-Tail’s litter of 2 cubs at Leopard Gorge in 1998.

With this information we should also be able to get a better idea of the breeding interval (the length of time between litters) which varies quite a bit. Some cubs stay with their mother for longer than others. Chui was still hanging-out with Bella into his third year, though this may have been due to Bella’s failure to produce a new litter within the normal time fram (or she did and lost them). Regardless of the breeding interval, the split between a mother leopard and her sub-adult cubs is somewhat gradual. Leopard cubs spend long periods of time on their own from an early age, but they still gain some food from kills made by their mother even when they are killing for themselves.

Olive has been one of the most successful breeding females we have followed. Her cubs Chui (male), Ayah and Binty (females) and Kali (male) are all independent – as are the 2 nearly two-year-old males from her 2009 litter. Can anyone remind me of their names??? – I seem to remember Paja (spelling??) was one. So she has raised 6 cubs to independence and still has a few more years to go as far is breeding is concerned. Olive is 11 years old now. Lets project/speculate into the future. If Olive survives and breeds for another 4 years (she will have done exceptionally well if she manages this!) – she has one dependent cub now (7 months old) who we hope survives to independence – and taking in to account a 1.5 year birth interval (it is sometimes longer) – Olive might just manage another 2 litters after her present cub is independent. One more litter after her current one would take her to around 14 years of age. So similar to Zawadi. So another litter when she was 14 is possible – and is what we are hoping for Zawadi!!

So it is possible that Olive could raise 8 cubs – possibly 10 cubs – in her lifetime!! That would be way better than Bella – who as far as I know only raised Olive and Chui (so 2 to independence – male and a female) and Half-Tail who raised 3 cubs to independence (2 females and a male). So in terms of breeding success based on what we know currently it would be Olive, Zawadi, Half-Tail and Bella in that order.

Congratulations to Olive!

http://www.jonathanangelascott.com/travel_club/wordpress/

WS

**Laikipia** Tue May 10, 2011 8:23 am

Great update and information, leopards being my favourite big cat.

Thanks WS

Lai

**littlewid** Tue May 10, 2011 8:18 pm

Lovely to catch up on those last couple of posts WS. I haven't really kept up with J&A, it's hard to keep up with it all but i'm glad I had a good read tonight. Wondeful that Paul is lending a hand with all his records.

littlewid-x-

**Doogs** Thu May 12, 2011 10:35 pm

Great info and really interesting reading, many thanks for posting this WS Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 71418

**Doogs** Wed May 18, 2011 11:43 pm

Update from J&A - May 18 2011 Mara Safari Report (6 to 14 May): Part 1

Back from the Mara! The rains had worked their magic and everywhere looked lush and green. This was not like the Long Rains of old – more sporadic and less heavy. The familiar stands of red oat grass were not chest high and up to the vehicle’s bonnet, and the tracks were still visible and mainly passable. Typically though, the heart of Musiara Marsh was waterlogged creating an island of marshy ground that only the elephants and buffalo dared to cross: a paradise for water birds. Egrets and open-billed storks gathered in large numbers to feed on the fish and frogs rippling around the pools of water. But where were all the birds of prey? The Mara used to be able to boast over 50 species of these spectacular raptors but now they are increasingly sparsely distributed. Where are all the long crested eagles – resplendent with their long black head plumes and bright yellow cere and feet. These elegant birds with white wing patches that sparkle in the sun as they soar against the blue sky migrate in to the Reserve to feast on the bloom of rodents that the rains bring – grass rats and mice. And where are the augur buzzards with their white chest and roufous tail? We did see the occasional fish eagle, bateleur eagle, tawny eagle, black-chested snake eagle and kestrel, but no sign of marsh harrier, Montague’s harrier or pallid harrier – and no martial eagles (until the final day of our week-long safari).

The reason for this sorry tale is clear enough – there has been a dramatic decline in birds of prey due to the impact of toxic chemicals. These are introduced into the ecosystem by farmers treating their crops with pesticides, or used by pastoralists to kill predators such as lions and hyenas that they view as a menace to their livestock – which they sometimes are. Carcasses of dead animals are used as bait laced with chemicals lethal to carnivores – and to birds of prey that scavenge from carrion and later die. I’m going to contact a friend Simon Thomsett who is a bird of prey expert who lives in Kenya and has been looking closely at this issue to make sure I have my facts right. Will update you on this story shortly.

The Marsh Pride: Despite the startling loss of our birds of prey, nothing though could take away from the sheer beauty of the Mara – it is a miracle of nature that leaves one speechless with wonder. As I flew in to Musiara airstrip on the schedule SafariLink morning service we passed the Marsh Pride lying relaxed in the sunshine at the edge of Bila Shaka, which means ‘always there’ or ‘without fail’ in Swahili. That is how confident the drivers and guides are from Governor’s Camp that they will find lions along this intermittent watercourse or lugga that is at the heart of the pride’s territory. That first afternoon we drove out to see the lions, fifteen of them in all including the pride males Romeo and his aging companion Clawed; the two oldest lionesses White Eye and Bibi – Lispy has gone (killed perhaps by pastoralists) – and the Three Graces (Sienna, Sophie and Joy). There were eight cubs ranging in age from one-and-a-half-years-old to a year old (I noted that the cubs of one of the Three Graces are 2 males and a female).

Clawed: Much to everyone’s surprise Clawed has survived the rainy season, traditionally a tough time for the lions. Without the migration to feast on the Marsh pride must rely on resident prey such as buffalos, topis, waterbucks and wart hogs. Normally it is the larger prides and nomadic males (or groups of pride males for that matter) that target buffalos, with the smaller prides subsisting on wart hogs a lot of the time. But at present the surrounding plains are covered with zebras – large herds numbering in there thousands, and it is these that the Marsh Pride have been feasting on in the past few weeks. But the effect of age is all too apparent when Clawed emerges from the shadows. He limps along with the effects of arthritis and old injuries hampering his movement – his back legs (the left on in particular) are where the problem seems to lie. But that fierce fire still burns in his vivid yellow eyes and this is the fourth year that Romeo and Clawed have reigned as pride males in the Marsh.

Cheetahs and Honey’s Boys: We had been told on arrival that it was tough times finding cheetahs and that Honey’s Boys (the three males cheetahs) had been spending time to the south of Rekero down towards Lookout Hill and beyond. These males roam very widely and travel quickly around their territory, moving widely in their search for females to breed with? They certainly cover 100s of square kilometers on their patrols rather than 10s of square kilometers. Two female cheetahs have been seen – one on Paradise Plains and the other on the plains to north and south of the Musiara Airstrip. One of these jumps on to the bonnets and roofs of vehicles giving the occupants’ an exciting close up view of these elegant spotted cats. We saw all five of these cheetahs during our visit – though we did not see any of them hunting.

Olive the leopard and her cubs: We had hoped that we might be able to spend time with Olive the leopard – Bella’s 11-year-old-daughter – and her 7.5-month-old-female-cub. They were sometimes seen in the company of one of Olive’s two-year-old sons (not Paja who we saw feeding on the remains of his own kill in a euphorbia tree on the top of Rhino Ridge). Visitors to Intrepids enjoyed a wonderful mornings game drive in the company of these three leopards at an impala kill. The young male played around like a young cub with his mother while the little female raced up and down the tree to feed on the remains of the kill. We saw the young male that same afternoon as he rested in an Olive tree – and later in the evening we met up with the little female who has the most beautiful blue eyes at this age (she seems small for her age). She had been playing around on her own at the edge of a croton thicket while Olive went off to explore and hunt. The following morning mother and cub were seen in the same area feeding on a dik dik that Olive had killed.

Mystery male leopard at Bila Shaka: But the biggest surprise and thrill for us was to hear about a male leopard that had killed a buffalo calf – no mean feat! – and had hung the carcass in an Olive tree along Bila Shaka lugga south of the Governor’s airstrip. The male was far from habituated by Zawadi’s or Olive’s standards but nonetheless allowed us to approach close enough to photograph him in the tree. But he did not like the pressure of more than a couple of vehicles at any one time and would quickly move down the tree and tuck himself away among the croton thickets until he felt comfortable enough – or hungry enough – to climb back up the tree. The setting was perfect for photography as the tree was very open – no dense crown to hide him. Which is probably why when we returned the following morning in the hope of photographing him silhouetted against the rising sun he had moved his kill – or perhaps it had fallen to the ground and he had lost it to hyenas or fed on it among the bushes. Over the next few days the same male was seen on a number of occasions – once hunting a reedbuck – and there was plenty of zebra foals in the area for him to target. Hopefully we will hear and see more of this male in the coming months.

Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 768480

Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 768480

**Laikipia** Thu May 19, 2011 8:39 am

Wow - what an update. Tragic news about the birds of prey but wonderful updates about all the big cats.

Thanks for posting Doogs - that has made my day, I love to read about life in the Mara.

Lai

**Doogs** Thu May 19, 2011 10:32 am

Isn't it just Lai Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 853843

and yes it is such a shame about the BOP Crying or Very sad

Another update dated 18 May 2011 - Amazing Leopard Photograph: Nilgiris Forest in India

When we were in Ranthambhore National Park in India in March this year I picked up a copy of Sanctuary Asia magazine (Vol XXX No 6, Dec 2010). I could hardly believe my eyes. On the cover was the most beautiful prize-winning photograph of two leopards – a large regular coloured male – a huge animal – and a black (melanistic) female leopard alongside him. The setting was picture perfect – the stuff of great wildlife art let alone wildlife photography (yes, wildlife photography can be great art too!). The leopards were perched on a large lichen-covered slab of rock in an opening in the forest. Both animals are looking alert and somewhat tense as one might expect on suddenly seeing humans.

I imagine that this was a ‘courting couple’. Cats are basically solitary (except of course for the social lion) and when you see a male and female together it is often because the female is in estrus and ready to mate. A male stays in close proximity to a female in these situations to prevent other males from associating with her. I imagine the male in the picture is the territory holder. He does not look an old male – his ears are in good condition and there are no signs of old or fresh wounds on his face as you might expect to see with a real old warrior; in fact he looks in perfect condition, as does the female who look similarly unmarked. The picture graphically illustrates how much larger male leopards are than their female counterparts – and forest leopards are some of the largest on record wherever they occur. There is a photograph in the book African Hunter by Jay Melon of an enormous male leopard shot on Mt Kenya weighing 204-pounds).

The beautiful image of the two Nilgiris leopards was taken by R Prakash and M Sivalingam on August 15th, 2010, at around 3.00pm. They knew the area well and were trekking on foot. According to Prakash they were only 50 to 60 feet away when they spotted the leopards. One would have imagined that this was far too close for comfort to be on foot in the company of wild leopards. But leopards are quite content to remain hidden and let people pass by if they do not feel threatened as happens with the Masai herdsmen walking among wildlife in areas such as the Mara. As long as the leopard has an escape route they can simply slip away – though pound for pound if cornered they are one of the most dangerous and explosive creatures on earth. These leopards obviously must have felt secure enough that they had somewhere to retreat to – apparently there were caves among the rocky outcrop. Prakash and Sivalingam had seen two black leopards at the same spot in 2006 and had hoped to photograph leopards there ever since. Thankfully for all of us leopard lovers their dream came true!

On the inside cover of Sanctuary Asia magazine it says: “One of the rarest images seen in recent years, the exact location of these two leopards, a ‘normal’ male and a melanistic black female in the Nilgiris is intentionally not being disclosed to protect the animals.”

Congratulations to Prakash and Sivlingam for their persistence, and for sharing such an inspiring image illustrating the beauty of wild creatures in the world’s fast-vanishing wild places. It is an image that will continue to bring me pleasure each time I think of it or look at it.

You can see the photograph and read more at:

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article1105497.ece

You are in for a treat. Enjoy!

The picture is very beautiful Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 71418

**Laikipia** Thu May 19, 2011 11:39 am

Another great update from J & A and a beautiful photo and great article in the Hindu.

Thanks Doogs.

Lai

**whitestarling** Thu May 19, 2011 12:59 pm

That was a really fabulous photo, to see them both together, and a great update Thanks Doogs
WS

**Doogs** Fri May 20, 2011 1:56 pm

Update from J&A - May 20 2011 - Mara Safari (May 6 to 14): Part Two:

Notch’s Boys! - We were also delighted to catch up with Notch’s Boys – three of them at least; the same three that we had watched on patrol one morning in February as they made their way from Rekero Camp up across the plains to the top of Rhino Ridge. On this occasion we came across Black Mane – the male with the blackest mane of the coalition that hangs low on his chest making him a suitable heir to Notch as the male with the finest mane in the northern Mara. He is easy to identify with a good pair of binoculars as he has a tell-tale black spot in the white band beneath his left eye –check you photographs and you will see what I mean. He was mating with a female just north of Rhino Ridge near Margie’s Tree and Gardenia Lugga. His two companions were lying with their heads down, suitably submissive while Black Mane guarded the lioness – this is typical mating behaviour with the male who is in attendance staying close to the female to prevent any other male from moving in – at least for the time being. The lioness repeatedly initiated mating, rubbing herself sinuously against around Black Mane and wafting her scent alluringly under his chin. They mated every 10 to 15 minutes and we left them resting in the shade of a Balanites tree out on the plain. Next morning we could find no sign of any of the lions until an hour or so later when we found Black Mane alone to the east of the Rhino Ridge on a rise overlooking the plain that slopes down to Double Crossing.

Marsh Pride – 4 Young Lionesses/Topi Plains Pride: Notch’s Boys were back again a couple of days later, resting up under a flowering Gardenia on the distinctive lugga that runs from the Ridge out onto the plains. Gardenia bushes are one of the lion’s favourite trees to rest up under wherever they occur. The three males seem to be stamping their presence in this area – an area that until now has been the preserve of the four young lionesses who split from the Marsh Pride around March 2010 – about a year ago – and have been roaming the area to the east of Bila Shaka – their natal range – with the Gardenia Lugga and Topi Plains as a focal point of their activity. These are now the Topi Plains Pride. When we first arrived we saw these young lionesses in the company of one of the two young blonde males that had moved into the area during the migration in 2010 and who were the first to mate with them though they have yet to produce any cubs. In fact they attempted to kill a buffalo from a large herd that was feeding close to Gardenia Lugga – but were driven off by the herd. In February we saw these young females beating up an older lioness – fiercely defending their new territory. At around three to four years of age we expect the four young lionesses to have their first litters of cubs sometime later in the year. The lone lioness we saw Black Mane mating with was not from this pride of four females. And apparently one of the two males who are normally with this group of females was beaten up and nearly killed by Notch’s Boys a while back – in fact we were told that he ran in to the water and was only saved by a hippo charging out of the water and routing the three males! I only saw one of these two males so perhaps the other has disappeared and Notch’s Boys will establish themselves here.

Notch and Companion: Though we didn’t catch up with Notch on this occasion we heard that he was seen with a male companion resting up along the Salanga Lugga a few weeks earlier. The Salanga is an easterly branch of the Bila Shaka Lugga. This is prime Marsh Pride territory so it was interesting to know that Notch had ventured this far north – back into his old territory. It seems that Notch and his Boys are so confident that they can pretty much go where they want. But it appears that this amazing coalition of six males has split – for the time being at least – and that the group of three males is often the same males travelling together – with Notch and another male often seen together too. Having said that, we saw Notch with three of his Boys resting together near the Serena Pump House in February – so it has always been a rather fluid arrangement but maybe less so now. It will be fascinating to see what happens further down the line. It is normal for large coalitions of males to eventually split up. Too many males all in one pride just doesn’t work for long – not enough females to mate with and not enough food causing potentially damaging conflict. Notch and his Boys cover the territory of a number of prides of females and share the spoils: at various times they have been with the Serena Pride, Olkeju Ronkai Pride, Rekero Pride, Paradise Pride and now the Topi Plains Pride. When their cubs are larger and relatively safe from infanticide the males seem to wander in search of new breeding opportunities.

Shengu the Cheetah: Shengu and her 6 cubs (10 months old) were last seen in March in the Olare Orok Conservancy. There was talk that someone had been filming a mother cheetah with 5 cubs – but we do not think that this was Shengu. Apparently she has spent a lot of her time to the east of the road running between the Talek Gate and Sekennani Gate in the eastern part of the Reserve before moving to the Conservancy for a while. There were certainly plenty of gazelles in this area earlier in the year – but recently there have been lots of cattle coming in to the Reserve in this area due to dry times.

Lioness with four young cubs at “Lake Nakuru”: Another great sighting was of a lioness with four three-month-old-cubs in the company of her two half-grown sons of a little under 2 years of age. She has been spending time in an area of Musiara Marsh called “Lake Nakuru” by the drivers. This is a beautiful area formed by an old ox-bow with two small lakes and patches of forest. To the east is Dave’s Tree (the remains of an ancient fig tree that Clawed loves to shelter under and lion cubs love to clamber all over). It is not uncommon for nomads and wanders among the lion community to try and take up residence in the Marsh during the rainy season – moonlighting in Marsh Pride territory for as long as their more powerful neighbours are resident at Bila Shaka. But as the dry season kicks in the Marsh Pride view the Marsh as the heart of their dry season territory and a valuable ambush site and place where they can find shade and water. It will be interesting to see what happens to this lioness and her young cubs in the coming months. It may be that the father of these cubs is Romeo. Interestingly, the drivers saw the Marsh Pride take a kill from this lioness – or rather she abandoned the zebra she had killed when she saw the pride – but apparently they did not chase her; she simply moved away. Maybe the pride were hungry and could not be bothered to chase her further away for fear of losing their chance to get a prime position at the kill??

Another fantastic update Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 71418

Great to hear that Shengu still has all her cubs Jonathan & Angela Scott's Blog - Page 5 853843

**Laikipia** Sat May 21, 2011 6:49 am

That was a great update - you could almost be there. Lovely to know about all the big cats, although trying to keep up with the lions is more than confusing!

Thanks Doogs.

Lai

**Doogs** Mon May 23, 2011 2:04 pm

Update from J&A - May 22 2011 - East African Wildlife Society: Swara Magazine

Thought for the Day

This may sound like an advertisment but it is a personal request from Angie and me for you to support our local Wildlife Society. We know how much many of you care about wildlife and the world’s wild places – and East Africa is the home to some of the most spectacular wildlife areas on earth. Think Serengeti, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria and Lake Natron – the Selous, Ruaha, Samburu, Mahali Mountains, Katavi, Gombe Stream, Lake Manyara – the resonance of these names says it all – and there are more!!

Many people ask us ‘how can we make a difference?’ Well, here is a very simple way of doing that. Treat yourself – or a friend – to a years subscription to SWARA magazine, the voice of conservation in East Africa? This is a great way for you to keep current on wildlife and conservation issues in our region. I used to be on the Editorial Board and know first hand that this is a great way to stay informed – and help conservation in EA. We have fund raised for the Society on a number of occasions to help with computers and generators and know that we have been able to make a difference. For more on the Society and its magazine:

Email: info@eawildlife.org for how to subscribe.

Benefits include: 4 copies of Swara a year and monthly newsletter. Cost for overseas subscribers including airmail postage: US$65; GBP40; Euro60. Locally it costs: Ksh 3,000.

The EA Wildlife Society is a collective and effective voice on Advocacy Issues. Please take a look and support us if you can. Thank you!

**Laikipia** Mon May 23, 2011 3:25 pm

Thanks for that Doogs. Here's the link to the East African Wild Life Society. Look interesting and definitely one to subscribe to.

http://eawildlife.org/

Lai

**littlewid** Mon May 23, 2011 5:32 pm

Must confess I need a HUGE catch up on here......I will get round to it as I love J&A's blog. Thanks Doogs and Lai for the posts Very Happy

littlewid-x-

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