'When the migration is over, and the wildebeest and zebras have gone back to the Serengeti in Tanzania, the whole of the Mara Triangle in Kenya can seem rather empty. Not only have the animals gone, but the noise they make is absent from the plains as well. Wildebeest and zebras by the million make an amazing amount of noise, which can be heard at some distance. During the migration it forms a subliminal backdrop of white noise that one only really misses when it’s no longer there! Suddenly, where there was once upwards of a million animals milling over the plains as far as the eye can see, there is hardly an animal to be seen, and the only sound heard is that of wind rustling the grass. Of course the resident herds of elephant, buffalo and plains game are still there, as are most of the predators as well. But it takes a while to get used to the return to normality. The resident lions must also find this a bit of a jolt, as suddenly they have to walk more than 10 yards to make a kill. They start to wander a bit and are more active, as they have to work harder for their living. It was two such lions - the very same depicted in the painting below - that I saw one afternoon in the vicinity of a silent Kiboko crossing-point. They were wandering about at the focal point of a myriad of game paths carved out by the long gone wildebeest. What made the moment special was the magnificence of the lions, which were in prime condition and beautifully maned. Also, the backdrop of a typical approaching afternoon storm added to the drama of the scene, with a brisk breeze blowing grass and mane hither and thither. Ten minutes later the rain was pelting down, the scene grey, the lions gone, and we were slipping and sliding along a mud-slicked road bound for our camp.'
For more about camping in the Mara and to watch my Camped in the Mara video go HERE.

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