A zoologist paradise,
the Masai Mara National Reserve is exceptionally rich
in African wildlife, both for quantity and variety. The
320 square kilometers of open plain savanna, woodlands
and riverine forests are home to a wide array of life,
in particular mammals: from big cats to antelopes, from
elephants to hippopotami. Furthermore, some endangered
species -such as the black rhino, the African hunting
dog, and the cheetah- inhabit the reserve, and although
they're found in modest numbers, a close encounter is
certainly possible.
The exceptional richness of the Masai
Mara turns almost unbelievable from July to September
each year, when the Great Migration takes place. Indeed,
more than 2 million herbivores -most notably wildebeest-
march from the southern Serengeti
plains to the Mara in search for fresh new grasslands.
And with them, a cluster of hungry predators and scavengers:
lions, hyenas, jackals, vultures.
The Masai Mara National Reserve, with
its collection of grass-eaters and predators, is one
of the few places on earth where the "Big Five"
can be found. The phrase "Big Five" was originally
-and most sadly- coined by game hunters to refer to
the most sought and dangerous animals to kill -the members
chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and not their
size. Thank goodness hunting is forbidden in the reserve,
and even if the term still applies to the same five
animals -lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros-,
it now has more of a photographic connotation rather
than a killing one.
Animal Photo Ranks
Many African animals -like the ubiquitous gnu-
are easily photographed in the Masai Mara, while others will give you
a harder time, both because they are rarely spotted (such as the elusive
leopard) or because their environment and/or habits makes it difficult
to shoot a nice picture (hippos, for example, which are only seen out
of the water during the night).
The following table ranks the animals of the Masai
Mara National Reserve according to the easiness of being nicely photographed.
