Overview

Kitibong is a beautiful region of the park that surrounds the Kitbong Hill. The landscape is varied, consisting primarily of acacia parkland in the eastern territory and Dalbergia woodland in the western area. Mamire swamps are located in the southern end of Kitibong, and the Gursi Swamp skirts along the southeastern side. Various pools of water created in natural depressions made by wallowing buffalo and elephant can be found here even in the dry season. A lovely view of the Sangaiwe Hills can be seen outside the park to the west.

Buffalo

Magnificent herds of thickly-set buffalo, tossing their heavily bossed horns, teem through the acacia parklands along the eastern side of this region. These herds may be mixed family herds or all male "bachelor" herds. Buffalo are night grazers, and eat the majority of their food after the sun has set. Since buffalo have a difficult time regulating body temperature, during the heat of the day they typically rest or wade in water and mud.

As they need to drink water regularly, and due to their habit of wallowing, buffalo like to stay close to a source of water. It is interesting to note that buffalo band together in unified herds with a well established social hierarchy, each animal knowing well its status in relationship to one another. Females form the base group of animals in the herd, while the bulls come and go. The green season tends to correlate with the buffalo breeding season. During the dry season when less breeding occurs, older bulls leave and establish all male bachelor herds.

Ground Hornbill

A turkey-like bird that saunters through the woodlands of Kitibong, as well as other areas of Tarangire, is the Ground Hornbill. These heavy birds spend most of their time on the ground, although occasionally they can be seen flying slowly to perch their weighty bodies in a tree, where their white primary feathers tend to give away their presence. Their diet consists mainly of insects and reptiles. At a distance the call of the Ground Hornbill sounds much like human voices in conversation. So if you think you hear voices in the middle of Tarangire, it might not be your imagination!

African Hunting dogs are sometimes seen in the park, although sightings are rare and special. These interesting looking dogs have a mottled arrangement of different colored fur that cover their bodies like a tie dye T-shirt. The color palette, arranged together in a calico pattern, includes mustard color and mud colored fur with black and white patches. These dogs run in packs of 6-20 animals; they are efficient, determined hunters but their kills can be quite gruesome to watch. Each pack has a dominant breeding pair that raise up to 16 puppies in one litter.

The pups are hidden in dens for almost 12 weeks until they are strong enough to keep up with the adults. In the meantime, the pups are supported by the rest of the adults who regularly bring them food. Sadly, the mortality rate of wild dogs is high as dens are often flooded during the rainy season.

Impala

One of the most elegant of all of East Africa's antelope is the Impala. The impala has a reddish tan coat that seems to shimmer in sunlight. A black stripe borders the white rump patches. Only males have horns, which are tall and svelte. Both males and females have little tufts of wiry black hair just above the heels that conceal scent glands. Both sexes have scent glands concealed in tufts of black wiry hair just above the heels.

Impala are browsers and are seldom found far from cover. They are typically seen in large herds of females and their young, guided from the rear by a territorial male, or they may travel in all-male groups called bachelor herds. These timid deer-like creatures are constantly alert for predators, as they are common targets for lions and leopards. When startled, impala seem to explode like fireworks in all directions, soaring in great bounds and making it difficult for a predator to focus on a single victim.

Warthog

The endearing Warthog is a commonly seen animal in the bush in Tarangire. These funny little animals resemble pigs. They feed on their knees and run away with their tails sticking straight up in the air when startled. But don't let their cute appearance fool you completely - the tusks on a male warthog can rip open a lion. Warthogs are usually seen grazing or running in family groups with 2-4 young. Older male warthogs may become solitary over time.