Tag: Kenya

Cheetah

Cheetah Cub, Kenya

This is a photo of a cheetah cub standing on a tree's limbs.

I photographed this cheetah cub in Kenya’s Olare Motorogi Conservancy just north of the Maasai Mara Reserve.

I’ve become a big fan of these Kenyan conservancies which I knew nothing about until last spring.  The conservancies are lands owned by Masai, which were used exclusively for ranching/farming and are now being allowed to revert back to natural conditions.  Safari companies lease these lands from the Masai people at rents equal to or more than what the Masai would make ranching and farming them.  Plus, the Masai people are hired to staff virtually 100% of the safari camps and the safari companies provide other benefits, such as assistance in education and health care.  The whole objective is to slow the increasing conversion of Africa’s wild lands to agriculture due to expanding populations.

To a wildlife photographer like me, the conservancies offer some important advantages compared to places like the Maasai Mara Reserve and Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania.  First, there are strict limits on how many visitors can be in each conservancy at any time.  Second, there is no rule against driving off-road to photograph like there is in the Reserve and in Serengeti.  Third, I came to photograph the big cats and I saw and photographed many, many more big cats in the Ol Kinyei and Olare Motorogi Conservancies in 2022 than I did in the Serengeti in 2018.

The conservancies are the only bright spot in the relentless push to ranch/farm more wild lands.  If you are thinking of going on a safari in Kenya, please use a safari company that is involved in the movement to create more conservancies.  Wild lands are being lost every day.  There is a lot of information on the internet about the conservancies, including who the safari companies are that operate camps in them.  I used Gamewatchers Safaris.

Leopard

Leopard on Fallen Tree, Kenya

This is a photo of a leopard in the Ol Kinyea Conservancy area of Kenya.

I posted a photo of this leopard last June with its head pointed in the direction of the camera.  I tend to prefer portraits of animals showing both eyes, but I like this profile pose, so here it is.  It was taken as the sun was setting.

African Lion

Male Lion, Porini Lion Camp, Kenya

This is a portrait photo of a male lion in Kenya.

This is one of two male lions that were the leaders of a pride that I saw every one of the four days I was at Porini Lion Camp.  They were easy to find, at least when you have Nelson Keiwua and John Tompoi as your guide and spotter.  Canon R5 and EF-17-40L lens.  Just kidding.  RF-100-500L lens at 500mm.

African Lion

Male Lion, Kenya

This is a photo of an African lion walking into the rising sun.

I photographed this male lion at sunrise in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy.  I just read that they weigh up to about 570 pounds.  Wow.  This guy just exudes power.  I’m glad they never jump into safari vehicles that stop for photos just 20 yards away.  They never do, right?

Serval

Serval, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya

This is a photo of a serval.

When I arrived at Gamewatchers Safaris’ Porini Lion Camp, the first cat I expected to see was, well, a lion, and hopefully a whole pride of lions.  As it turned out, the first cat or cats I saw were three cheetah brothers and, a few minutes later, this serval cat who was walking around near us and the cheetahs.  The serval is a  beautiful little cat about the size of our bobcats here in North America.   I don’t know how it survives with all the bigger predators, but it does.  Maybe the big cats understand that it mainly feeds on rodents and insects and thus isn’t competing with them for food.

Leopard

Leopard, Ol Kinyei, Kenya

This is a photo of a leopard that stops in a flowery open area as the sun sets.

Like most nature photographers, my favorite times to photograph nature are those two hours or so centered on sunrise and sunset.  If there are flowers to add color to the scene, so much the better.  So, I was happy when this female leopard stopped in this setting for a moment.

It was 6:33pm, one minute after sunset, when I took this photo.