The Lions

I could not believe how fortunate we had been to catch sightings of wild dogs chasing after a leopard and a hyena on our first day in the Okavango Delta . As I replayed the scenes in my head, I thought to myself, “What a mind-blowing experience we had!”

So, the following day, I headed out for my second game drive in anticipation. I was not sure what to expect, as the wilderness can be so unpredictable. The more ‘glamorous’ animals often do not show up when you want them to. In fact, there are times when you can be driving around the savannah for hours, searching for interesting sights, only to be rewarded with a mere glimpse of a scrub hare.

Personally, I am not overly concerned as my priorities are a bit different. I just love the feeling of being out in the bush, experiencing a sense of freedom in the vast openness of the African plains. These simple desires are enough to captivate me and to take my breath away.

We boarded our small boat and headed back to the jetty where our vehicle was waiting. As we cruised along the peaceful channel, I dipped my fingers into the water and thought to myself, “The Okavango Delta. Such a magical place!”

A few minutes later, we arrived at the jetty. With the help of Bill and Sevara, my camera equipment was carefully loaded into the vehicle. Once we had settled down comfortably, Severa started the engine and soon we were off for another new adventure.

The ride was bumpy as we drove across the rough African terrain. Our poor backs and buttocks were sore, but none of this mattered.

I began to survey every inch of the plains meticulously, hoping to spot a cheetah weaving its way through the tall grass. It was not an easy task as my eyes are not trained to spot camouflaged wildlife.

I was just about to give up when Severa, with his experienced ‘bush-eyes’, managed to spot a coalition of male lions in the far distance. Excited and happy with our new discovery, we quickly and discreetly made our way towards the big cats.

We counted four massive male lions lolling around by the bushes. They basked under the sun without a care in the world, unperturbed by our presence as we approached them.

One of them was sprawled on the ground, unashamedly baring his underside. Another let out a huge yawn, exposing his fearsome canines. Their broad muzzles were covered with old battle scars, possibly inflicted by their enemies during fights over a kill, a territory or a mate.

As we looked on, the largest of the lions, got up and exposed his muscular, tawny body. He shook his huge dark mane and looked around his ‘kingdom’. Without any warning, he let out a huge deafening roar, as if to say, “Whose land is this? Whose land is this? It is mine! It is mine! It is MINE!”

It was an intimidating moment, knowing that a swipe from one of those mighty paws could easily kill me. Being next to the ‘king of the beasts’ made me feel so small and insignificant.

As I regained my composure, I picked up my camera, pointed it at the dark-maned lion and began to click away furiously. Sensing that his picture was being taken, he looked into my camera and began to strike some poses. To have such a strong and beautiful subject as a model would be any photographer’s dream come true. Here he was, right in front of me. He was simply perfect!

As we sat there for the next couple of hours, I began to feel a sense of sadness that these majestic cats are being driven to the brink of extinction. Over the past two decades, the lion population has been decreasing drastically. One of the reasons for such a huge decline is that they are often hunted as trophies. I find this ‘sport’ extremely distasteful. I just cannot understand how anyone could feel the urge to shoot such a magnificent animal?

The thought of there being no lions roaming the African plains is enough to break my heart. I put my camera away, sat back and simply enjoyed the company of these beautiful creatures.

A Lion Kill

On our second day, we set-off for a particularly early game drive, hoping to catch the African sunrise. The morning air was so cold that I had to wrap myself with thick blankets before heading out to the bush.

We drove around for a while before coming across a large herd of African Cape buffalo roaming languidly across the dry yellow plains.

We sat in our vehicle and enjoyed the company of these massive bovines from a distance. They grazed peacefully, save for the occasional bellow or grunt. The calves stuck close to their mothers whilst the bachelor bulls, their lethal horns proudly displayed, kept to themselves. Colourful ox-peckers followed their every move; frantically picking at the abundant parasites.

In the distance, we spotted a pride of seven lions stalking the buffalos. Their tawny bodies, rippling with muscle, blended seamlessly into the background.

The lioness leading the hunt stood majestically next to a termite mound. She surveyed the herd of buffalos, searching for a straggler or a weakness in the herd.

The lions picked up their pace and quickly moved into position to launch an ambush. A red lechwe sensed the danger and quickly fled the scene.

Can you spot the four lionesses in the background?

Suddenly, everything began to happen so fast. A francolin gave out an alarm call and the spooked buffalo herd took flight.

The lions spotted a cow lagging behind. She seemed to be having difficulty in keeping up with the others.

Sensing an opportunity, the hunters moved in on their quarry. Within seconds, they were wrestling with the buffalo. One grabbed her rear while another pounced on her back. A third clamped its powerful jaws over the buffalo’s snout and delivered the ‘kiss of death’.

The buffalo was soon pinned to the ground. It struggled desperately, frantically kicking its hooves in an attempt to break free.

The rest of the buffalos regrouped like a huge black wall and marched towards the lions in an attempt to rescue the stricken cow. However, the lions stood their ground and defended the kill. One of them charged at the buffalos and they hurriedly backed-off. Each time the buffalos moved forward, the lion forced a retreat.

We watched, transfixed, as these events played out and were lucky enough to capture some of the action on video.

The hungry lions began to gorge on the dead buffalo.

To our surprise, the lioness which had been fending-off the buffalo herd, did not partake in the feast. After a short rest, she got up and walked away.

We were puzzled by this strange behaviour. I thought to myself, after all of that effort, why would she simply walk away from her meal?

Our experienced guide suggested that we should abandon the kill and follow her.

The answer was soon at hand. She had returned to collect the pride’s cubs.

Her pride (and joy).

The playful youngsters struggled to keep up…

…but persevered.

Upon reaching the scene of the kill, the ravenous youngsters made a mad dash for the carcass.

“I am the King of the castle!”

An adult lioness and her cub.

We remained with the lions for the next few hours. We were engrossed by the spectacle, despite the foul stench emanating from the dead buffalo.

The lions begrudgingly tolerated our presence, giving an occasional growl of disapproval.

Not knowing when its next meal would come, this cub kept eating until its little belly was engorged.

Eventually, with the carcass stripped down to bare bones, we left the cats and headed off for our ‘sun-downers’. I sipped my drink and pondered over our amazing experiences with the lions.

As the day came to an end, I marvelled at the beautiful African sun as it slipped below the horizon like a dying candle flame. This would be our last night at Kwando concession. The following morning we were due to travel to our next camp. I wondered to myself, what adventures would be in store for us.

Breath-taking!