Leopards: Near the Koyiaki-Kichwa migration crossing point we continue to have periodic sightings of Zawadi ("Shadow") made famous by the BBC's Big Cat Diary television program. She has sought refuge in a rocky ridge area, however, which makes access to her on game drives somewhat difficult. On the 26th of March she was seen feeding with her fourteen month old cub off a Grant's Gazelle. We also continue to have sightings of the other BBC star Bella. Because of the tall grasses in the National Reserve area, however, she has moved north up the Talek River into the Koyiaki section of the river where the wildlife have migrated. We also continue to have sightings of the "Aitong Leopard Basin" leopard with her cub. Most of our game drives to the north near the area of the "Five Kilometer" junction usually come across the two of them. On the Paradise Plain of the Reserve we also sighted on March 26 a female leopard with her two cubs that appeared to be five to six months old. The three of them were feeding on a warthog.

Cheetahs: Cheetah sightings in the Koyiaki area have been bountiful during the last two months. The female cheetah with her very young two cubs that usually hunts in the Koyiaki plains territory between Koyiaki's Fig Tree Ridge and the "Acacia Woodlands" across from Koyiaki's Leopard Gorge is constantly visible. Kike the BBC Big Cat Diary favorite has also established her territory in the Koyiaki area. She is seen periodically on game drives on Koyiaki plains near the Talek River area. On game drives to the north near Aitong we also constantly run into the female "Aitong" cheetah that hunts with her three offspring. It is truly a marvelous spectacle to watch her train her young ones how to hunt. Further north near the "Aitong Junction" we periodically see the two cheetah brothers who hunt the Aitong plains and seek refuge in the Aitong Escarpment in the evenings. On game drives across the Mara River on the plains below the Mara Rienta bridge we have also sighted the three twelve month old male cubs of the BBC favorite Honey. On the 10th of April they were sighted feeding off a Thomson's Gazelle. Apparently they are doing fine by themselves. Much to our sadness and to her many fans around the world, Honey passed away on the 17th of February.

Hyenas: The hyena family that has established itself outside our camp constantly make their presence known in the evenings. They roam the area around us at night and periodically create a lot of nocturnal excitement. On the 6th of April they were sighted on a night game drive harassing three adolescent males of the "Maternity" pride prodding them to make a kill so that the hyenas could thereafter steal it from them.

Lions: The tall grasses of the National Reserve that hamper mobility of the lions coupled with the absence of herbivores in the Reserve area has caused most of the Reserve lions to migrate into the Koyiaki area and join the Koyiaki prides. Koyiaki and the area around us is, therefore, teeming with lion activity making night drives exciting this time of the year. The increased lion presence has, however, also led to increased turf wars. The “Maternity” pride whose territory traditionally covers the area from our camp down the river to Leopard Gorge and the Reserve/Koyiaki boundary has not been pleased with the encroachment of the Musiara Marsh pride on their turf. On March 26 a skirmish between the males of the two prides was observed that resulted with the single Marsh pride male having to run away for cover from the two "Maternity" pride males. Apparently, no serious injuries were inflicted because the Marsh pride male was again observed unharmed on a few occasions in early April. To our north the "Aitong" pride is also doing well. This time of the year with decreased herbivore populations and inability to catch prey in taller grass the lions usually suffer and try to survive till the Serengeti migration begins. This year, however, because most of the zebra, gazelle, wildebeest etc. of the Reserve have moved north to seek shorter grass, the territory of the "Aitong" pride has plentiful prey for the "Aitong" pride to thrive. On the 30th of March we took a drive south to the Mara Serena crossing area and ran across the "Paradise" pride. It now consists of three males, five breeding females, nine adolescents and seven younger cubs of which two are new additions not in excess of five or six months old.

Elephants and Giraffes: A herd of elephants with two very young calves constantly graze in the gorges outside our camp. They are attracted to the Warburgia Ugandensis fruit trees. On the 6th of March we observed a large bull in must attracted to a female elephant member of the group in season. A large herd of giraffes have also been hanging out near our waterhole area. Apparently they are very fond of the salt lick that we periodically put out for them which attracts them to stay close to us.

Wild Dogs, Bat-Eared Foxes and Jackals: The wild dogs seen earlier this year have not been sighted recently. Hopefully they have not migrated to the Serengeti and we hope to get more sightings of them in the future. With the increased number of herbivores migrating to the Koyiaki plains from the adjoining National Reserve many pairs of Black Back Jackals and Bat-Eared Foxes have followed them in search of a meal. We constantly see pairs of Jackals roaming the plains near us. We have also seen several Bat-Eared Foxes in the evenings visiting our waterhole.

Caracals and Servals: During the last two months we have had quite a few sightings of caracals and serval cats in the evenings on night drives. With the high grasses they prefer to move around on the game drive paths so we periodically spot them directly in front of us. On the 6th of April we even had the pleasant surprise of sighting a caracal with her three cubs.

Rhinoceros: The white rhinos of Koyiaki's "Rainbow Hill " continue to thrive. During April we have seen them on several occasions grazing among the Aitong escarpment brush totally oblivious to the guests trying to get photos of them. Unlike the black rhinos of Rhino Ridge to our south, these white rhinos are extremely docile.

Birding: Extensive birding activity has been spotted within the camp area. A flock of Guinea Fowl are residents of the camp area and they can be seen scavenging around the guest suites periodically. Red-necked Francolin, Black-Bellied Bustards, Weavers, Purple Grenadiers, Grey Flycatchers and Bulbuls are just a few of the birds that pass through the camp. Starlings and Lilac-Breasted Rollers have also been spotted. At our wide promontory area we have also sighted on several occasions not only Brown Snake Eagles and Tawny Eagles but also Martial Eagles and Long Crested Eagles watering themselves. On the plains at killing sites of lions we always find White-headed Vultures, Lappet-faced Vultures and Hooded Vultures hanging around for a chance at the scraps. On the 10th of April near our airstrip we were fortunate to also spot the rarely seen Egyptian Vulture.

Herbivores: The lush green plains of Koyiaki are a herbivores paradise for the topi, zebra, wildebeest, impala, gazelles, eland, waterbuck and the other herbivores that graze near our camp. Prevalent in the Koyiaki plains are topi with many four to six month old calves. Also significant numbers of Thomson's gazelles that prefer the shorter grasses of the Koyiaki plains and have migrated from the Reserve area. A significant number of eland can also be found daily near our airstrip area. Quite a few of them have also given birth recently to a series of calves making game drives in that area a pleasant sight. Several herds of Cokes hartebeest have also been constantly sighted to our north near the "Five Kilometer Junction" and near the "Acacia Woodland" to or south. Wildebeest and zebra numbers are reduced this time of the year but we are looking forward to June/July when their numbers will swell dramatically as the migration will start again in the next two months.