Tuesday 28 October 2008

Habari yanu.....

Hey everyone I’ve been out on a game drive and have a bit of an update for you all!!

The mara is doing well and with the rains starting to come early there is a mood of change in the air!!! The wildebeest have almost all gone with stragglers still north of sand river but most having crossed to Tanzania by now…..

Yesterday I went out with the BBC to do a bit of a look see and find out what all our Big Cat Live characters are up too!!! First I headed to the North to find the Marsh pride, we found Red and White eye, with lots of cubs the pride has split into two as food is low on the ground again but red looked good and healthy and so did her cubs!! The 5 males with their Father, Notch, have headed west across the Mara River and are doing well with reports of them killing a Hippo last week!! A very difficult and dangerous prey for Lions!! I didn’t see the other half of the Marsh pride but I will keep my eyes out for them and I will tell you all as soon as I see them.........

Shakirah sits out some of the seasonal rains with her little ones


Shakirah is still living wither cubs in dangerous zones!!! She still has three little ones but she has to watch he back non stop!!! Recently she was chased by 20 hyenas she managed to draw them away from her little ones who ran for cover in long grass and after pulling the hyenas away she climbed a tree and had to wait it out!!! She also encountered another female cheetah and chased her off as there is strong competition between cheetahs of the same sex!!! But Shakirah’s girls are going well!! And we will keep watching them and have any news of her to you as soon as we can….. She is however heading further and further east and may soon leave the park where new troubles may await!!!

Olive

My 5 beautiful leopards!!! I found 3 of the 5, Olive, Ayah and Kali, who were all relaxing in a small grove of trees, when suddenly “Big Boy” father to Ayah and Kali came out the trees and stared to roar!! Young kali lived up his name and got into a spot of trouble with Big boy, who chased him through a small grove of orange leaved croton before Kali could out manoeuvre him with the help of Olive cutting his path, and Kali rushed off into thicker cover on the steep banks of the Talek………..

Lorian rest on a tree in the early evening sun


I also found one of our other leopards called Lorian, she is a young female who lives on a small river called Rongai about 20 minutes south of the Talek river!!! She is a beautiful Leopard with a great golden coat!!! She is very relaxed with us when we spend time with her and although not part of BCL Jackson 5 she is one of my favourite and you will be hearing more about her over the coming months!!!

As for our Hyenas and Jackals o haven’t seen the ones we filmed but there are great numbers of jackal pups coming to the surface from their dens and playing on the open plains!! And we’ll get you an up date on them soon too!! Hyenas are ever prevalent and a few personal experiences of them stilling a pair of boots from one of our staff in camp so they are just as naughty as usual!!!


Last but by no means least are Honeys boys who are doing well and when we say them yesterday they had just successfully brought down a wildebeest !!! But as always they are roaming the Mara and making a lot of trouble!!! For now all the best and thank you for your support and I look forward to hearing from you all.........

Jackson Looseyia

23 comments:

Simon (Admin) said...
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Alikat said...

Jambo Jackson
Brilliant news, glad to hear all our favorites are doing well. Shakira and her daughters are very close to my heart. Hope you have some news of the blonde girls soon. Thanks once again Jackson for giving us a glimpse of your truly lovely office. Ah I feel so much better now.
Alikat

CatsEye said...

Thank you very much Jackson; it was fantastic to read your update and to hear they are all doing well!!

Especially Shakira and her cubs - but also all the others - great news that the pride got a hippo - and Lorian is just lovely.

So, thank you so much again, all the best to you all and I hope everyone doesn't get too drenched in those rains! ;)

Joy said...

Great news all 'round, Jackson, thanks! Love the snippets of info like the cheetahs stealing the shoes. And the photos are breath-taking. You've made my birthday even more special - THANKS!!!
Take care. x

Unknown said...

Thank you jackson for the update that has cheer me up a lot. I wondering how big are the cheetah cubs.

suzie2 said...

Hi Jackson
Thank you for your very comprehensive up date. Great to hear that Shakira is still hanging on in there with her 3 cubs. love the photos.

Mama Duma said...

Jambo Jackson
Thank you so much for the updates and also for the extra videos you did for BCL after filming ended, especially the impala and elephants. I'm a bit concerned now though about Shakira heading east out of the park...I do hope she decides to stay in the (relative?!) safety of the Mara afterall!
What about you Jackson, when you close the camp? What will you be doing?
Wish I could be with you!
Mama Duma

Mirza93 said...

Jambo Jackson
Thanks for the updates. Great to hear all the cats are doing well!

ilovecheetahs said...

Jambo Jacksn
Oh, this is so lovely-hearing about all our favourite animals! Great to hear Notch is still doing so well, he is a BCL legend!
Lovely story about the Hyenas too. I had never really cared for them until seeing the family in the Mara and how caring and loving they are as a family group.
So glad Honeys boys are still thriving-they hold a very special place in my heart. Thank you so much Jackson, your blog brings a warm glow here in freezing cold England!

rmnnie said...

Wow Jackson,

That is all great news!!! Thanks for the info.

Hope to hear more about the Jackson 5. I couldn't get enough of them on BIG Cat live!!!

dianelionlover said...

great to hear the news about Notch and the boys, wouldn't it be something if they took over the Marsh pride..........any signs of Tamu?

BigKateLive said...

Hi Jackson

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us how all our favourite animals are doing in the Mara. I hope everything goes well with you as well. The photos are fantastic. It's great to hear that Shakira still has her three girls.

Hope to be able to visit your camp one day.

Kate
x

Xavier Van der Veken said...

Salama Jackson,
Thank you for the update about all my favourite cats.
It's good to hear the news about Notch. I had heard from Jonathan that he and his boys had crossed the river and were in the Mara Triangle. With 5 of his sons as a backup I guess he's doing rather well for himself.
Having said that, the mere thought of them catching hippo's...very tricky and dangerous. I remember a sequence from the third Big Cat Diary series with the Marsh lions having a go at a hippo...
Kwaheri.

Tony said...

Thanks for the updates Jackson and the team. It is great to hear what is happening on the ground.

With the lions taking a hippo, was it opportunist or does it mean there is a lack of prey in the area for them to hunt?

It is interesting that the rains have come early, do keep us up to date with the weather and how it is affecting the animals.

reds said...

hi jackson.
that is fantastic news to hear that all the cats are doing well.
hope that you are well too.
i can stop worrying now that i know they are doing okay.
many thanks for the update jackson, you are a superstar.
looking forward to the next update.
you are my number 1 man.

Mags said...

Wonderful to hear all your news Jackson and I look forward to reading lots more. Best wishes to all your family and it would be nice to hear a little about village life as well. Look after our animals - gosh how I miss the Mara
Kwaheri

samburumags

http://mags-cestlavie.blogspot.com/

CatsEye said...

Hi Jackson,

I've just had an idea; don't know if it's any good because you know what's best for the Mara, and I don't - but just in case it's any use:

Everyone following your blog loved your broadcasts, and the beautiful animals you showed us.

Christmas is coming up, and I'm sure a lot of people here in the UK are looking for ethical gifts for their friends and families.

I think a lot of us would love to do something to help the Mara to carry on being the way it is! It means a lot to us to know there's a place where your beautiful Jackson Five, and Shakira, and all the rest of them continue to be respected and revered.

So, what if "Friends of the Mara" or someone were to issue ethical gift certificates, the way some charities (e.g. Oxfam) do? The way it usually works is, they print cards, and instead of buying a gift for a friend, people make a donation, and receive one of the cards to give to their friend instead.

I'd buy a couple, and tell everyone they are helping to give Shakira and the cubs a lovely life!

Craig said...

Jackson your a top man! Great to hear Shakira and the cubs are holding their own, but i'm a bit confused by the marsh pride splitting into 2 factions, if you could elaborate that would be sweet!

carriagehorse1 said...

Wow!! Thanks for that update Jackson. Its really great to hear your adventures, and get the news of all our favourite animals. Sounds as if Shakira could be heading off into trouble if she leaves the park(surely she will not be so silly) Im sure she must know you, and us, are all routing for her.What a brave girl she is seeing off the hyena like that. Take care of yourself, and hope your own familly are all well. Love you xxxxxx

chui said...

Wipi Jackson,

Asante sana for the updates on the cats and other wildlife you are doing a great job and we all really appreciate you doing this for us...

Once again a very BIG ASANTE SANA on behalf of all members of this blog...

Anonymous said...

Hi Jackson
Thanks for the very full report of your friends the big cats.... I hope the BBC presence is to collect more footage for us back in the cold, dark UK? Can I ask if there are temporary camps you use overnight when you are out and about visiting the various areas you describe?
Also you speak of Lorian being 'very relaxed' when you are nearby. Is there a reason for this? I am looking forward to hearing more of her too! Keep going, Jackson! You are keepinbg us going. NNGM

Anonymous said...

Hi Jackson
Great to hear all are doing well, it is truly amazing to be able to find out how our favourite cats are without having to wait a whole year. Look forward to your next update.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jackson.
Great to hear news that all the cats are doing well.
Can't wait for the BCL update show at Christmas, hope you'll be on it