LIONS

We found lions almost everywhere we went but finding them doing something 'different' was pretty special. Here's a young male lion. They're not really equipped to climb trees so it's quite unusual to find one sitting in a tree.




One day when we were driving around, our guide was notified about a male lion so we went looking for him. He was a beautiful animal but kept calling and almost whimpering .. then he walked to another tree and did the same thing there ... eventually moving off into the brush and out of sight.




The next day we found out what our male lion was calling for. He and a young lady were mating in a not-so-private location. Our guide drove us there and we witnessed the process. About every 15 minutes he mounts her for perhaps half a minute then lies down again. Neither one eats or drinks for 2 - 3 days while mating is going on.




We found two females who had left their pride and were caring for their young - too small yet to join the pride. We followed them extensively hoping to catch a glimpse of their offspring, but they lost us in the thick brush. You can see this female is heavy with milk but still a beautiful specimen.





We followed a few lionesses through the bush until they finally met up with the rest of their pride. After greeting, they laid down in groups and these four proceeded to groom each other and themselves. Look closely, there are four heads here.





After a round of grooming, licking and slurping, they decided to rest for a while - with one always keeping watch.








Here we found 9 lions of varying ages, eating a large, older male buffalo they managed to bring down. We sat and watched and listened - to the snarling and growling as they challenged for the best eating areas.






They totally disregarded the three vehicles parked about 10 feet away from them as they devoured the buffalo. 24 hours later, it was merely a skeleton for the hyenas and vultures to finish off.





They would eat for a while then lie down and relax - initially it seemed difficult for them to break through the thick hide of the buffalo. One by one they'd stop and rest, sometimes walking a couple of feet away from the carcass. It wasn't a pretty sight.