Leopards: The “Aitong Gorge” leopard has gotten used to game drives and no longer conceals herself. Unfortunately she had one of her two cubs recently killed by a male leopard. Zawadi ("Shadow") made famous by the BBC's Big Cat Diary television program at nearby Leopard Gorge is seen periodically roaming near the Koyiaki-Kichwa migration crossing point. Apparently she has found hunting gazelles near the river preferable to the gorge. The other BBC star Bella is also periodically sighted on game drives to the south. A male leopard is periodically seen near our waterhole area. Perhaps he is establishing the area as his new territory so we hope to see him often.

Cheetahs: Recently we have had good cheetah sightings. To the north a cheetah female is often seen hunting near the "Five Kilometer Junction". In the beginning of this year she lost her two cubs; one was killed by buffalo and the other taken by hyena. She now has three cubs again and hopefully she will be able to successfully raise them this time around. On game drives to the south cheetah can be seen at Musiara Marsh or Rhino Ridge where we periodically run into Kike the BBC Big Cat Diary star. Another female cheetah has established her territory between Fig Tree Ridge and Leopard Gorge on Koyiaki. Across the river to the south we periodically spot the BBC star Honey with her three male cubs about eight months old. It is very exciting to watch her raise another family. What a great mom!

Hyenas: A new pack of hyenas have established their den near our waterhole. The clan includes six puppies aged two to four months old. At night they can be heard roaming the camp grounds with their distinct howls and yelps.

Lions: The “Maternity” pride is constantly seen in the gorge near our waterhole. During the October migration peak the pride feasted with as many as five or six wildebeest or zebra taken down every night. With the passage of the migration, however, the lions have to work harder. Recently two new cub additions were noticed with the pride which now consists of 25 lions.The “Aitong” pride to the north with its 27 lions has been seen on night game drives hunting en masse. The evening of November 23 the pride, after having brought down a wildebeest, was observed chased away from its kill by a pack of buffalo. When they finally regrouped and returned to their kill they were again repelled away by the many hyenas that had descended on the area due to all of the excitement. Game drives to the south have found that the Musiara Marsh pride shown on the BBC Big Cat Diary program has crossed over into Koyiaki because of the heavy rains. The pride now consists of approximately one male, four females, four adolescents about twenty months old, and five younger cubs. The Ridge pride has not been seen recently due to the excessive rainfall. Last seen in October they consisted of two breeding females, two males and three cubs about fourteen months old. In the "Acacia Woodlands" near Leopard Gorge we have, however, had some sightings of the "Gorge" pride. They are led by one male with five breeding females and three six month old cubs.

Elephants: During October the drought forced elephants to congregate near the Mara River and inevitably to graze between our guest suites on a constant basis. That was exciting for our guests but unfortunately at a price since they took down several of our trees. The increased rainfall after mid-November turned the landscape green to the pleasure of the elephants that have been grazing in the gorges outside the Royal Mara.

Wild Dogs: In the early 1990’s the wild dogs of the Masai Mara were wiped out by disease and have not been seen in the Masai Mara since. Apparently some wild dogs recently migrated from the Serengeti. A pack of three wild dogs have been sighted on several occasions in the "Aitong Escarpment" area. Hopefully they will establish this area as their territory and breed freely and we will be able to view them on a constant basis.

Rhinoceros: The family of three white rhinoceros with full time ranger protection in the "Rainbow Hill" area near "Aitong" are doing fine and thriving. A few months back, however, their calf was unfortunately lost to disease. Two black rhinos that migrated from the Serengeti earlier in the year have been grazing on Rhino Ridge near the Talek river, unable to return to the Serengeti due to the increased river flows. Guests on longer game drives have, therefore, been delighted to view this remarkable animal.

Bird Watching: The increased rainfall has significantly increased bird activity. In December a large group of over 60 Maribou storks massed in the area of the flooded “Aitong Gorge” area and spent most of the holiday period scavenging for food as an impressive group. Fish eagles, storks, weavers, Bateleurs, flycatchers, rollers, bustards, hornbills and many other species of bird can be seen in increased numbers throughout the area thriving on the wet environment and establishing a bird watchers paradise.

Herbivores: The massive rains of November-December rejuvenated the grass of the open plains for the year round resident herbivores. After the massive migration ate up all the grass around the plains of the Royal Mara it is a welcome sight to observe new green shoots everywhere. Topi, zebra, wildebeest, impala, gazelles, eland, elephant, waterbuck and the other herbivores are thriving on the sprouting lush green plains.