We visited Nairobi National Park in mid-March, towards the end of the dry season and during a prolonged drought. Over the previous three months, the unforgiving sun had wrung the last drops of moisture out of the vegetation. The grass, where it remained at all, had turned into dry yellow straw. This was clearly affecting the herbivores, which were weak from lack of food and easy prey for predators. Like in Amboseli, we saw lots of dead animals lying by the roadside – some eaten, others left almost untouched. The lions, however, looked well-fed and the vultures were numerous.
My brother Stuart was visiting us in Nairobi, so we went for an early morning drive, meeting Joyce and the kids later. Whether it was due to the early start or the impact of the drought, we saw a large number of lions. They were also more active than on previous visits. In the past, if we saw lions at all, they would be sleeping in the shade of a bush or tree and the most activity we would get was a leg stretch or a yawn.
This time, however, the very first thing we saw was a lion hunt. We stopped at a small lake near the park entrance, where a herd of wildebeest were drinking. Due to the drought, all the remaining water sources were busy with animals throughout the day, creating opportunities for predators. As we were watching the wildebeest, they suddenly started running and jumping out of the water. A lioness sprinted in from the right, trying to catch one before they all scattered.
And lastly, here are some photos taken by my son Zefi. He was mainly interested in the lions, but he also took some giraffes photos for his sister Ayla.
A few days later, the rainy season began, and by the following weekend our garden – and likely the National Park – was sprouting patches of green grass once again, hopefully providing some respite to the animals we saw.
Beneath the Baobab 