BATELEUR 1998 SAFARI NEWSLETTER FROM MICHAEL

Dear Friends,

I hope this letter finds you all well and with some happy memories of Africa. As the end of the year approaches, I would like to take a moment or two from the usual rush of business to thank you for the safaris we have enjoyed this year and extend our best wishes for a happy holiday season and a good year ahead. Following are some memories of mine I would like to share with you.

In January I accompanied Mr. & Mrs. Claude Mossseri on a rewarding visit to northern Tanzania. After braving the rugged drive up into the Ngorongoro highlands it is always a thrill to see the stunning scenery of the great crater spread out at one's feet. Our trip down into and across the crater floor was also productive, with black rhino, elephant, hippo, buffalo and lion all being viewed at close quarters. The massed herds of zebra and wildebeest and gazelle were as spectacular as ever.

Leaving the highlands the following day we drove north into the wide plains of Serengeti, and soon encountered the main wildebeest migration swarming across the grasslands as far as the eye could see. While in Serengeti we stayed at Ndutu lodge, nestling among the acacia trees and overlooking the lake. Here at Ndutu, El Nino dealt us one rather cold, wet day but in the evening the sun came out so we decided on a leisurely drive around the lake shore to enjoy the concentration of flamingos. Soon a lioness appeared out of the woodland to lie out on the shore in the evening sunlight. A few minutes later eleven more joined her. Meanwhile the pink flamingos paraded through the shallows.

Departing from Ndutu the following morning we came across another pride of fifteen lions and parked right among them. They seemed as curious about us as we were about them! However, when it was time to move on, the land rover got badly stuck in a boggy patch and we had to wave windbreakers and hats from the roof hatch to shoo the adult lions away so that I could get out and operate the winch. Several lion cubs remained watching with interest but little concern while we winched from tree to tree until reaching firm ground.

In July while camping in the Mara with Col. Dennis Behrens and his companions we were very noisily serenaded by lions one night. In the faint glow of dawn, less than a mile from camp we found ten of them. We moved with the pride across the plain for almost an hour, then several of the lionesses climbed onto a large anthill and roared out their territorial challenge, a thrilling volume of sound -untamed Africa at its best.

Later, on that same safari we were camped near Amboseli and set off one morning to spend the day in the national park. In the morning sunshine we watched twelve giraffe crossing the dry Amboseli lake bed and a little further on came to a lovely alkaline pool covered by thousands of flamingos. Three large bull elephants moved through the trees nearby. By 11am we were cruising along the edge of fresh water swamps and streams. Family groups of elephant were everywhere, some arriving for water and some eating their fill on the swamp grass. One group had a playful mud bath 15ft from our vehicle. We continued along the edge to the marsh among hundreds of zebra and wildebeest, then stopped directly in front of a herd of 40 approaching elephant. The herd divided and came past both sides of the land cruiser, a fine bull with about 80lbs of ivory in each tusk bringing up the rear.

About a month later, in mid August I was camped in the Mara once more, this time with Sandy Dann and family. We enjoyed some rewarding expeditions to the lower Mara river and south bank of the Talek. Many hippo, crocs, elephant, buffalo and giraffe were seen. Plains game was as plentiful as ever, especially gazelle, topi and wildebeest. Hyena, jackal and lion were observed, also a magnificent female cheetah with two cubs. One morning about 5.30am, while still in bed and sipping that first delicious cup of hot tea, the sound of running hooves caught my attention. A moment later came the faint sound of an animal gasping for breath, then total silence. As soon as the cheerful songs of robin chats announced the first crack of dawn, Sandy and his family were eager to go. Still too dark to see without headlights we set off through the trees around camp. No more than 150 yards and exactly in the middle of our home drive way we came on six lions devouring a dead zebra. After watching them for sometime we had to go twice and ask our faithful camp crew to keep their voices down so as not to alarm the big cats from abandoning their kill.

The end of August found me in a camp with Jim Westra and his family. Elephant, impala Grevy zebra oryx and gerenuck were plentiful and one morning we kept pace with a fine leopard walking along the river bank. Later we were able to get in among some elephant- 35 or more. Two young bulls spend a good half hour in a sparring match. An adult female just ten feet from us was kicking up great clumps of grass, shaking dirt from the roots and chewing away. A baby was playing around underneath her and attempted to touch the car with its tiny trunk before going back for a quick suckle of mother’s milk.

Lew and Mary Jane Cutter came back for yet another safari in September. We got off to a great start at Satau camp in Tsavo East. A young buffalo died of natural causes near the camp so the staff hitched it behind a truck and towed it around to the waterhole. Next morning a lioness was having her breakfast while we had ours. As the day warmed up elephants started to arrive. Before noon there was a continuos stream of family elephant groups coming and going at the waterhole. By the evening we could safely say four hundred different elephant had been there. Lew and Mary Jane revisited many other favorite destinations whilst in Kenya. We hope they will come again.

That’s all for now and look forward to seeing you all over here again sooner rather than later. My very best wishes.