Serengeti National Park

Banagi, which is about 18 kms north of Seronera, is on the road to Lobo and the northern part of the Park. Under the shadow of Banagi hill, herds of buffaloes and impala are usually to be found, as well as groups of giraffes.

Buffaloes can be seen in mixed breeding herds or in small all-male groups of old bulls or sometimes alone. They weigh up to 775 kgs, measure about one and half meters at the shoulder and carry massive, heavily bossed horns. Buffaloes are entirely grazers, but generally avoid the open grass plains, preferring the bush country where shade is available to them during the heat of the day. They need to drink regularly and are especially fond of wallowing, so are rarely found far from water.

If lions are bold enough to approach a herd, the bulls form a ring with the cows and calves in the center and usually drive the lions away. Cows and calves are sometimes taken, but the easiest buffaloes for lions to take are, paradoxically, the huge but lethargic old bulls in the bachelor herds.

You should be able to distinguish between the sexes and ages from horn shape and size, and might see evidence of the dominance hierarchy supposedly found in males, by watching to see if animals displace others from food.

One of the most graceful of East Africa's antelopes is the Impala. The impala has a rufous coat, dark above and blending into fawn below, with a black stripe bordering the white rump patches. The horns of the Serengeti impala, found on males only, are unsurpassed in size. Both sexes have scent glands concealed in tufts of black wiry hair just above the heels. There are also sebaceous glands in the forehead with which adult males scent-mark bushes and trees by rubbing their heads against them. Impala stand about one meter at the shoulder. Males weigh about 70 kgs, females about 50 kgs.

Being browsers as well as grazers, impala are seldom far from cover. They are constantly on the alert as they form a favorite food for many of the large predators, particularly leopards. Alarmed impala seem to explode in all directions, in great soaring bounds, making it hard for a cat to single out a victim.

Impala are seen either in breeding herds of females and young, each shepherded by a territorial male, or in all-male groups of from 10-50 animals. The male groups are not composed of senile old males as in the case of buffaloes, but of immature and prime males that have yet to gain or lose a territory. Bachelor herds are typically found close to the breeding herds and may even be allowed to mingle with the females. The territorial male can be identified by his herding of females and frequent vigorous chasing of bachelors away from the females. Featuring a spectacular puffing and roaring display, he dashes about with horns forward and tail spread and raised to reveal the "white flag." Each male must possess a territory in order to gain the opportunity to breed, and the competition is so intense for the chance to monopolize herds of up to 100 females that few impala manage to hold a territory for more than three months at a time.

Because Giraffes feed almost exclusively on the tender leaves of acacia trees, they are rarely seen anywhere but in areas where these trees grow. The species occurring in the Serengeti is the Maasai giraffe, which has irregular roseate or star-shaped markings that cover almost the entire body. Giraffes have individually distinct patterns—the neck is a good place to look at the markings and recognize individuals. Giraffes do not compete for food with grazing animals, and barely overlap with other browsers because of the height at which they feed. They are therefore able to share their habitat with a wide range of creatures.

For all its great length, the giraffe's neck has only seven vertebrae—the same as humans. A male giraffe weighs about 500-800 kgs and stands three and a half meters at the shoulders; the female is about one meter shorter and correspondingly lighter. Males can be distinguished from females by their sturdier horns, which are not true horns but thickened bone. In the female the horns are more slender and often topped with a tuft of hair.

If you watch giraffes walk you will notice that they have a characteristic gait that brings both limbs on the same side forward together.

Amongst males there is a strong dominance hierarchy and it is fairly easy to observe the displacement of one male by another. Males frequently spar in a particular manner called "necking." They stand shoulder to shoulder and swing their heads at the opponent. The impact can sometimes be very hard and heard as a thud.

At the hippo pool at Retima, 6 kms from Banagi, you will be able to watch a party of Hippos passing the daylight hours submerged in the Orangi River. Hippos are large animals (on average 2-3,000 kgs) and their bodies overheat easily and need to be cooled in water. They swim very well and dive for periods of about three minutes before coming up to breathe noisily.

At night and occasionally on wet, overcast days, hippos leave the water to crop the vegetation a considerable distance from the pool. They can eat up to 60 kgs in a night.

Females give birth to a single calf on land or in water. The calf is suckled at first on land and then in the water. Mothers are very protective and teach their young to swim and wallow.

As you watch hippos you will most likely hear them grunting and might see them spreading their dung with vigorous wagging movements of their short, strong tails. It is safe to watch the hippos from the bank as they bask in the water, but they should be avoided if found on land. Hippos are usually placid creatures but can become very aggressive if an intruder gets between them and their pool.

Banagi Northwards
The country northward from Banagi on the road to Lobo Wildlife Lodge and Bologonja gate is characterized by rolling upland. The area is covered in bush and sparse woodland, interspersed with open plains and ranges of hills, some like Lobo, studded with spectacular kopjes. The area from Banagi to Kilimafedha is composed of some of the world's most ancient rock, containing gold-bearing quartz veins. The name Kilimafedha means "hill of wealth" and it is here that gold was being extracted from mines up until 1966.

It is in this part of the park that African elephants are most likely to be seen, as well as their effect on the woodlands. In the past the Serengeti was not considered elephant country, but recently more and more have been recorded here, probably due to pressure put on them by the demands of agriculture and hunting in non-reserved areas. The elephants' impact on the trees is mainly noticeable during the height of the dry season. During the wet months of the year, when the vegetation is lush, the elephants do not feed on the trees, but during the dry season when grasses are short and unpalatable, the elephants turn to trees to supplement their diet.

The African elephant is larger than its Asiatic cousin and has a more sloping back and much larger ears. If you see a herd of elephants it is most likely to be either an all male group or a family unit. Like the baboon and the lion, the social system of the elephant is based on close family kin. Daughters remain in the same herd as their mothers and grandmothers whilst males leave once they reach adolescence. The young males then frequent bachelor groups, which are not permanent and often change composition.

If you watch a female herd you may be able to spot the matriarch. This is usually the oldest and largest animal who acts as the leader, particularly during defense when she will govern the course of action. A female may give birth by the time she is 12 years old, after a gestation period of 22 months. When a baby elephant (just about 80 cms high) is born, the whole herd is attentive to it and will be very protective, especially against lions.

Males within a population have a dominance hierarchy. At certain times of the year a dominant male exhibits a phenomenon known as "musth" (pronounced must), which is apparently a highly sexual state. This can be recognized by a profuse secretion from the temporal gland at the side of the head and the continuous dribbling of urine. Such males usually associate with herds when a female is in season.

Elephants can be recognized individually by looking at the shape of their tusks and nicks in the outline of their ears. Tusk circumference and length can also be used to age an animal. Do not approach elephants too closely, especially if they show signs of aggression such as head shaking or spreading of the ears.

Gallery forest, including huge fig and mahogany trees, line the watercourses. In the forest live brightly colored birds of the turaco family, especially Hartlaub's and Ross's, which are green or blue with crimson wings. This family is noted for their harsh call and habit of running and hopping along the branches of trees. Beside the river banks several species of kingfisher are to be seen as well as the brown and white Fish Eagle, whose lonely cry will often be heard echoing above the riverine forest.

A rare animal you might see is the Patas Monkey, a large rangy animal with a ginger-red and white coat. The pates is more at home on the ground than, as with most monkeys, in the trees. It is diurnal and moves about in small troops, each led by an adult male, who is nearly twice as big as the females.

Sixteen kms downstream from Bologonja spring, which provides water for Seronera 80 kms away, near the southern tip of the Naimalumbua hills, is Olemangi salt lick. It consists of about half a hectare of bare, wet earth in a seepage area near the river valley and is much used by animals.

Mountain (Chanler's) reedbuck are to be found on Lobo Hill, as well as on most of the higher ridges throughout the Park. They are very similar to the Bohor reedbuck, but greyer in body color, and more sociable, living in groups of up to ten. They are shy, alert animals and when alarmed will whistle and take refuge.

Other antelopes found in this area are Cotton's Oribi and the Grey Bush Duiker. The oribi looks like a small gazelle and is a distinctive reddish-fawn color, standing about 60 cms at the shoulder, and can be recognized at close quarters by the dark, circular, glandular patch below the ears.

Grey bush duikers are about the same size as oribi, and are grey-buff in color. Like the oribi, the horns are normally only present in the male.

The great herds of wildebeest make use of this part of the Park from August until the start of the short rains in November, before they move down into the short-grass plains for the duration of the wet months. While in the area, they cross and recross the Mara River in search of palatable grazing, and it not uncommon for as many as 50 animals to be drowned as the herds surge across the river, which is 90 meters wide in places.

Two acacias typical of this area are Acacia gerrardii with its high, rounded crown, and a small tree, Acacia hockii, which rarely grows taller than 7 m, seen in profusion in the Togoro plains.

Anyone who has heard the wind blowing through Whistling Thorn will appreciate its name. The whistling sound is caused by vibration of the spiky thorns as well as by the wind passing over the holes in the round galls. The galls are inhabited by ants, which raise their young in the safety of the thorn-protected galls.