The first thing we saw was a herd of sable antelope, all females with one male. They were grazing on the new grass that was growing up from a field that had been burned back two weeks earlier. The fog was still clinging to the ground, hiding their hooves so they almost looked suspended in air. There were several pregnant females. When they get close to calving, they turn the same dark brownish-black color as the males. Further down the road, there was a group of cape buffalo:
Somehow, they don’t look as mean as their counterparts further south. Maybe because they were black and glossy instead of caked with mud and dust. Both the calves and the adults seemed very curious about us. As we drove along, we saw lots of evidence that elephants had recently passed by, but we couldn’t find them. We did see a very large male warthog. After much patience, driving in circles, and more gawking at the sable and the buffalo, we finally saw two forest elephants in the bush just at the edge of the road. They were munching away, mostly ignoring us. These forest elephants are smaller than the savannah elephants. They were dusted with the same red earth that was exposed by the road. Even though there are more than 400 elephants in just over 320 sq km, they stay surprisingly undercover.In the afternoon, we drove to Diani beach to get some fuel. We didn’t know how many more 2-hour game drives in second gear we could do and still make it to a filling station. Diani beach was tacky, touristy, and tasteless. We had lunch at a highly recommended “local joint” called Ali Barbour and the Forty Thieves. The only local activity I saw were some “professional women” trying to pick up a tourist. I guess the camels on the beach were probably local as well (they were also trying to pick up some business…).
When we got back to the bandas, we jumped in the car with Ali again and raced off to see the sunset. On our way to the lookout point, we saw a family of warthogs including two little babies. We also saw the herd of sable antelope again, this time with one impala mingling with them. Several years ago, they introduced 21 impala into the park to “see how they would do.” All but one fell victim to the parks 30 leopards. She has been able to survive on her own for years, probably by sticking close to the sable. Leopards don’t bother the sable antelope because they are too big for them to kill and the sable will charge the leopards. So this one clever little impala escaped the leopards and possibly suffers from acute identity crisis. Ali also took us to see another Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) experiment—two Masaii giraffes. About five years ago, they were introduced into Shimba. They hadn’t died, so KWS is planning to bring in a few more later this year. Besides impala and giraffe, they also introduced zebra (failure—all dead), removed lions, relocated elephants, and planted pine and eucalyptus trees. It is incredible to me the impunity with which they introduce non-native species into these delicate ecosystems. I can’t imagine what they are thinking. Even after the eucalyptus completely took over the coastal redwood forests of California, European rabbits have become a scourge in the Australian bush, and countless other examples of invasive species destroying whole ecosystems, they press forward with relocation projects. They feel very free to plop non-native species down into their parks, the Biosphere reserve status not withstanding. Around the last tract of coastal forest left in Africa, they are growing various types of bamboo and eucalyptus (BAMBOO!!) just to see if they will grow, according to our guide. It’s a bit of a metaphor for how so many problems are tackled here in Africa—oh, lets try this, if it doesn’t work, we’ll try this other thing… both NGOs and the government are guilty of the same tactics. I feel very sorry for the one lonely impala… normally a herd animal, but never mind…
Some low clouds obscured the sunset, but the vista from the highest point in the park was not disappointing. On the way back to the camp, we were lucky enough to spot another leopard on the road. We got a better look this time, but we weren’t fast enough with the camera. Ali couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky we were to have spotted the leopard twice in one weekend. He always thanked the animals that we visited and even wished them goodnight on our evening drives (lama salama!). Before we got back to camp, we also spotted a pair of dik-dik, a small round antelope that looks like a guinea pig on stilts, and a couple of bush buck. Ali was kind enough to warn them about the leopard nearby.
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