Reporting Date: 5th February 2012
 

Hippos on the “beach” .

Hippos have an advantage over the other wild animals in that they do sometimes enjoy “beach” life. Their ''beaches'' are in the form of sandy banks or small islands in the middle of the rivers. On a morning game drive along the mara river, we  watched  a group of Hippos get out to sunbath on a sandy bank. One by one they followed each other out of the water slowly until the “beach” became too small for the nearly a hundred animals. As their skin is too sensitive to the sun, they cannot stay out in the ''beach'' for longer periods without heading back into the waters to cool down.

NB: * = Same animals seen by different rangers