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Tanzania 2014 Serengeti Mara Day 2B

Tanzania is in eastern Africa, just below Uganda and Kenya, and on the Indian Ocean. At the end of our eleven day/ten-night Zambia safari, we flew from Livingston to Johannesburg for an overnight stay. The next day we flew to Arusha, Tanzania via Nairobi. Arriving at Arusha Coffee Lodge at around 8 pm, we spent two nights (one full day) relaxing there before our next adventure. On the morning of 28 August 2014, our guide and driver, Nelson, picked us up at ACL in his 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser for the trip to Ngorongoro Crater. After three nights and two full days in the Crater while staying at Lemala Ngorongoro Camp, we flew by Coastal bush plane out of Manyara Airstrip to Kogatende Airstrip for four nights at Sayari Mara Camp in the remote NW corner of the Serengeti near the Mara River and the Kenyan border. Albert Alfred Lucas was our guide and driver. All arrangements for our requested Tanzanian safari from our arrival at ACL through our return to Arusha and departure from ACL on 5 September 2014 were made by Africa Travel Resource.

All photos are Copyright 2014 Larry Lenon All Rights Reserved and show a faint watermark. THE WATERMARK WILL NOT APPEAR ON PRINTS, MERCHANDISE OR DOWNLOADS ORDERED THRU SMUGMUG. Questions ? Critique ? Add a comment (lower left) or e-mail me!
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NOTICE : This album contains photos of crocodiles attacking and drowning wildebeest. A number of photos show the attempt of a wildebeest to escape predation, but failing to do so. Some in our group continued to watch with compassion for and an understanding of what was happening. Others, no doubt with equal compassion and understanding, turned away. If you would find yourself in this later group, please skip this album (Day 2B), and go on to the next album, Day 2C.<br /> <br /> A little over an hour and a half after the first crossing ended further upstream, the next one began, as shown above. We viewed this one from the other (north) side of the river. So the wildebeest were coming towards us this time instead of crossing away from us.
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NOTICE : This album contains photos of crocodiles attacking and drowning wildebeest. A number of photos show the attempt of a wildebeest to escape predation, but failing to do so. Some in our group continued to watch with compassion for and an understanding of what was happening. Others, no doubt with equal compassion and understanding, turned away. If you would find yourself in this later group, please skip this album (Day 2B), and go on to the next album, Day 2C.

A little over an hour and a half after the first crossing ended further upstream, the next one began, as shown above. We viewed this one from the other (north) side of the river. So the wildebeest were coming towards us this time instead of crossing away from us.

  • NOTICE : This album contains photos of crocodiles attacking and drowning wildebeest. A number of photos show the attempt of a wildebeest to escape predation, but failing to do so. Some in our group continued to watch with compassion for and an understanding of what was happening. Others, no doubt with equal compassion and understanding, turned away. If you would find yourself in this later group, please skip this album (Day 2B), and go on to the next album, Day 2C.<br /> <br /> A little over an hour and a half after the first crossing ended further upstream, the next one began, as shown above. We viewed this one from the other (north) side of the river. So the wildebeest were coming towards us this time instead of crossing away from us.
  • From the other (south) side of the Mara River, wildebeest leap and stumble into the water. They soon encounter large rocks and a swift current.
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  • The swift current and deeper water at this crossing site move the herd somewhat downstream of where they entered the river. There is more swimming and less walking on the bottom than further upstream where the earlier crossing occurred. It is taking more effort to cross.
  • A new element appears - a crocodile that is between 10 and 20 feet in length and up to one ton in weight. While this is a normal occurrence in wildebeest river crossings, it does not happen every time. It is one way that crocodiles survive.
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  • The croc missed the young wildebeest.
  • 12 seconds later but nothing to show for it, the croc edges closer.
  • 3 seconds elapse and the croc grabs a young wildebeest by its torso.
  • Croc and wildebeest disappear underwater. Almost a minute has gone by and there is no sign of them. The gray object in the center foreground is a rock.
  • A second crocodile surfaces, targeting the nearest wildebeest.
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  • Crocodiles kill their prey by drowning or by suffocating them by clamping on to the nose or throat.
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  • The croc with the wildebeest in its grasp, bumps up against an earlier adult kill. About 45 seconds have elapsed since the wildebeest was attacked, and it appears to be dead.
  • Further downstream, another dead adult wildebeest hangs up on a rock and the vultures go to work.
  • The stampede into the river continues.
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