Ruaha National Park: Fresh carcass

Sunrise over the floating dead hippo

This weekend we were fortunate to experience one of my favorite wildlife events: a fresh carcass. It's rare to stumble on a fresh carcass as it either requires you to be present at the time of a kill or stumble on an animal that died of natural causes. Of course a carcass is welcome viewing at any time but seeing a fresh one allows you to experience the full context and timeline of a dead animal.

It all started in the evening when we passed the Great Ruaha River and saw a hippo belly up floating just offshore. It was around 5pm and the hippo had some lacerations which possibly meant it was killed by another hippo. We are deep in the dry season and competition for space is fierce but it is also possible that it was natural causes and the lacerations were caused by a crocodile or other predator trying to break the tough skin. Either way we were hoping that carnivores would find the carcass in the night and if we were early enough we could catch them feasting.

We decided to camp nearby and woke up early the next morning. We reached the location at 5:45am, just as daylight was breaking. We saw a group of seven hyenas struggling to access the carcass. Due to the death in the water and subsequent bloating, the hippo was floating in a small pool. The hyenas were extremely cautious, perhaps afraid of crocodiles. We noticed that a small patch on the upper shoulder had been torn open, presumably by lions. It was strange that the lions didn't seem to be nearby as it's unusual they would leave a kill. It could have been some lone males outside of their territory trying to get a quick meal before more attention was drawn to the carcass? We weren't sure but we sure were enjoying watching the hyenas attempt to mount the hippo. They spent an hour slowly entering the water, approaching, then turning back. At times they came so close to the carcass but none made the plunge. They were literally salivating and we could feel their frustration.

Around 7:00 it looked like the hyenas were giving up and they passed right by our car to return to the bush. However, three hyenas turned back and headed for the carcass again. One immediately went for the carcass and successfully mounted it. The other two tried to latch on but the first hyenas was causing the carcass to float around haphazardly into the deeper section of the pool. Finally they managed to pull it close to the shore and at the same time opened the stomach. A rather unpleasant sound of deflation signaled a free for all and the hyenas rapidly attacked the guts. They pulled out some intestines on the shore and squabbled loudly. I was excited as hyenas squabbling is a sure signal to other predators that a carcass is nearby.

Spotted hyena

Just as it looked like the hyenas were breaking through a crocodile appeared in the pool. The hyenas were disturbed and tried to harass the crocodile but as it came close to the carcass they had to defer. They were making all kinds of sounds that clearly indicated their discontent. The crocodile sized up the scene and began to latch onto the carcass, spinning wildly to break off large pieces.

The hyenas were now completely frustrated and periodically growled at the crocodile. At this point vultures began to land. It started with a few and over the next hour just short of a hundred landed nearby. Five different species were represented, each with it's specialty with their beaks and necks are designed differently. Some are good at tearing apart the open flesh while others can pick around the bones. The hyenas were now having to shift their focus to defending the pile of intestines from the vultures, though they were previously content on letting them sit on the shore.

After some time the hyenas heads perked up and they all looked across the river. They immediately scampered away. We scanned the river bed and saw two lionesses walking slowly across the riverbed. Their gait and confidence was unnerving and impressive. After watching all the previous wildlife slowly approach the carcass and make calculated and cautious moves, the lions just walked right up to the carcass and started going at it. They didn't even take a second glance at the crocodile even though the carcass was clearly in the crocs home turf. All the other predators backed off knowing it was time for the queens to feast.

We finally left the carcass around 11:00am as several safari cars began to arrive. We had the scene to ourselves for the majority of the time with only one other car present on the opposite side of a clearing as the lions came. It was an extremely intimate experience and watching it all unfold was a special experience I won't soon forget.

Four days later, after eight days it was completely gone. 

Ruaha National Park: Dry Season

Lions resting. 

As the first rains have begun to fall, I thought it would be good to review the dry season and share a few pictures from the park during this time. The dry season is typically thought of from June to October though rain stops falling around May. In the dry season there are fewer water holes and less vegetation which means two things. First, the wildlife (both predator and prey) clamp down on their territories which usually center around a water source. This makes them easier to find and view. Second, the vegetation also decreases meaning one can view much more of the landscape when game viewing. During the rains you basically need an animal to cross the road in front of you or else it disappears into the bushes. In the dry season you can look out for many kilometers.

I enjoy the ease of game viewing in the dry season though it's tough to be in the car any time past 10am. We love to come into the park around 4pm, go for a short game drive, camp, and then have a quick game drive in the early morning before returning home. It's one of my favorite things about living so close to the park and I feel incredibly lucky to have such prolific wildlife in my backyard (literally).

Ana checking out the river. 

Searching for something to eat

Dry Ruaha River.

Ruaha National Park: Mpululu and NE boundary road

On the way to Mpululu

This past weekend we decided to take a big trip to check out some very distant and less visited parts of Ruaha National Park. We planned on climbing the escarpment and driving to the north end of the park to the ranger post in Mpululu. We planned on camping and then heading down the NE boundary road before driving through Lunda area and then back home. We didn't know anyone that had done the drive this year and only knew the road to Mpululu was passable but as usual, we were ready for anything.

The drive to Mpululu was uneventful though it was nice to drive through the Ikuku Flats. The Ikuka Flats is probably a remnant of an ancient lake as the name implies it's a huge open area with low vegetation. As we got closer to Mpululu we passed through some nice Miombo woodland with tress that had recently put out their leaves. The landscape then becomes rocky with some nice lookout points and undulating hills before arriving at the Mzombe river that marks the northern boundary of Ruaha National Park. 

We stopped briefly at the ranger post and then headed east. This area was the most visually stunning part of the drive with huge rocky hills, some with impressive exposed rock faces and others dotted with vegetation. 

After Mpululu

The next morning we set off early and began the long drive down the boundary road. There wasn't much to see outside of an impressive hill somewhere in the middle. It looks very cool as you approach it straight on and initially catch sight of it very far away. There are also two huge areas of presumably ephemeral wetlands with dried black cotton soil and dried grass. After that the road gradually drops towards the river, far more of a gentle slope than on the way up. 

Very bumpy dried black cotton soil. 

On the way down overlooking Lunda

The road then drops into Lunda which provides a welcome change of vegetation. In this literal far corner of the park the area is famous for poaching and we even saw a young man in the riverbed with 20 dead guinea fowl that he had likely snared. Wildlife becomes more numerous the closer you get to Lunda ranger post before finally passing through the familiar areas of the park. 

Overall we were pleased with the trip as it allowed us to see some of the different landscapes of the park. Sadly, the borders of the park are under heavy pressure from both legal hunting and poaching so the wildlife is extremely skittish. In the 300 or so kilometers driven around the escarpment we saw only three warthogs, a dikdik, and impala. However, we knew it was part of the trip and we are spoiled rotten with wildlife viewing so we could appreciate an exploratory trip. There is something exciting about being in the middle of nowhere and Ruaha National Park can certainly offer that!