MAN EATERS LODGE AND SECOND SAFARI AT KILAGUNI 14th of 27 Emails

Hi again from Africa!

We were able to take a weekend off from our measles work and had a fantastic time on safari in Tsavo West. We first visited the Maneaters Lodge, site of the killing of around 140 railroad workers by man-eating black-maned lions in the late 1800's when the British were building the first single gauge railroad across Kenya to Uganda. The book, “The Lions of Tsavo” chronicled the terrible happenings and it was then made into a movie called, “The Ghost & the Darkness” several years ago, starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer. It was a bit spooky walking around the beautiful lodge, safari tents, and beautiful grounds along the Tsavo River, which is fed by Mzima Springs, also a major water source for Mombasa. If you saw this at times terrifying movie and true story, you may feel a little how we felt as we saw the water tower, tracks, and terrain surrounding the area where the lions hid before killing their helpless victims. Although I wanted to stay there in it's safari tents along the river, I really wondered how safe it would be even today!

On we went to again stay in the beautiful lodge in the heart of Tsavo West, Kilaguni Lodge. Kilaguni means 'small rhino.” Since beginning our “vacation mission,” this was only our second safari and game drives and they could have not been better!!! Kilaguni is world famous for it's gorgeous, 5 star lodge overlooking a great
waterhole...and, on our two days there and on the drives we again saw many herds and small groups of elephants, cape buffalo, zebras, all kinds of gazelles, antelopes, onyx, water bucks, etc etc.


We saw around 100 giraffes, many ostrich, hippos, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, vultures feeding on kills, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, impalas, white -tailed mongoose, and too many other birds and animals to list or that we didn't know the names of. But, still no rhinos, pink flamingos, or cheetahs yet! So, we have seen all the Big 5, except for the rhino so far, plus practically all the other animals there are to see.



Some highlights included:
• A pair of ostrich with 8 babies the size of small chickens. The black and cream colored Alpha male was strutting his stuff while his mate, who nests all the eggs that he has sired from different females, stirred around keeping the young ones from straying too far.

• A night game drive, which most people seldom are fortunate to do, hunting for big cats and other animals by night by spotlight.



During that sometimes scary, but thrilling time, we were very blessed to see a baby elephant with it's umbilical cord still attached, so it was only a few days old. Remarkably, and very different from the daytime, the mother seemed quite unafraid, perhaps because the birth was such a short time earlier. The little guy could hardly walk as he tried to stay underneath her and as we were only about 2 truck lengths away!

Cevit cats, hyenas, jackals, were skulking as we drove through the bush and we flashed on many, many eyes glowing in our light. It was really erie and made us appreciate even more how terrifying it must be for other animals during the nighttime when the big cats are hunting... especially the mothers trying to protect their precious little babies.

We are seeing little babies everywhere, because it is springtime here in Africa, a glorious time to be here among the babies being born. It's especially fun to see the babies of the big animals, like the elephants, cape buffaloes, zebras, hippos, lions, etc before they get so huge. And, the baby baboons and monkeys riding along underneath or on top of their mothers are so very comical!





Herds of elephants rolling in the mud in the waterhole. And, scratching themselves on the rocks. Then, walking away and sucking up red dust and swooshing it back up over their huge bodies. The matriarchs are very protective of their little herds, driving away both big and little bulls. There's no question who is boss. It was sad to see a very young adolescent bull come in all by himself and get pushed around by the herd. He followed the herd on the fringe, obviously wanting to be included in, but they would not let him.

We wondered how long he would survive, because it's the young, the old, and the sick who become kills for the big cats of the night. Pretty sad...the “law of the jungle.” And, as we do the game drives and just drive the bush ourselves, even outside the national parks and reserves, we see the evidence of kills everywhere...carcasses, bones, etc. Sleeping at night with our own veranda balcony open to the sounds of the night and the cool African breeze. It's rather unnerving, knowing what's out there. But, I also have to admit within a desire to walk the bush (with a very big gun, just in case). But, not at night, of course!

We'd better close for now and get to bed for tomorrow's 6 AM game drive. We love it here and it's been nice to spend a few days seeing this unique, exciting part of this great place in the world. We send our love and best wishes to you all.

Dick and Lawana


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