A most unwelcome visitor outside our chalet whilst we stayed at Lake Nakuru. 4.30am in the morning one of their cubs had somehow managed to crawl under the security fencing surrounding the savannah from our chalet, its mother wasn't at all happy with its offspring and called in a wailing cry 'whooo-whooop' for several minutes until the rangers managed to capture it and release it back to its parent pacing along the edge of the fence outside our window!

They are Africa's second largest predator, standing around 3ft high at the shoulder and weighing around 154 lbs, the females slightly larger than the males. They are powerfully built with a characteristic sloping back, and a bone crunching strong jaw, they have a dog like face and a snout. It is often seen and portrayed as a  scavenger, stealing  food from the big cats but they are a very versatile hunter, quite capable of bringing down animals as large as a wilderbeest. We spotted them several times around the Masi Mara.