A Photo Journal: African Safari - Part V (The Big Kitties)

If you were to ask me "What was your other favorite part of your African Safari?," I would tell you that in addition to the Hot Air Balloon Ride, I really enjoyed watching the big kitties. During one of our game-viewing days in the Serengeti, we were fortunate to observe a pride of fifteen lions for more than an hour.   

That afternoon, we took a turn onto a quiet road. Guide Driver Miya was in the lead, piloting the Land Crusier in which Mom and I were passengers. Guide Driver Dotto and the rest of the group were in the other Land Cruiser a ways behind us. We didn't travel down the quiet road very far before we spotted a group of lions casually walking in our direction. 

Miya radioed Dotto. "We've come across a pride of lions on such-and-such road," he said. "Come quickly." Meanwhile, Miya pulled over so we could watch the lions pass.

Head Guide Goodluck popped his head out the top of the vehicle and watched from above as the lions strutted by.

I decided to stay seated so I could be closer to the lions. Most of the big kitties walked within feet of our Land Cruiser.

Some of the lions brushed their coats up against the sides of our vehicle. Wow!

As the lions passed, I held two very different emotions simultaneously inside of me. I was in complete awe as I watched these beautiful creatures walk by. I could even hear some of them breathe. Wow, just wow! At the same time, I felt fear. All the windows next to our seats were wide open, and the top of the vehicle was open, too. As the lions walked by, it wouldn't have taken much for them to get up on their haunches and reach through the windows...or to jump up on the hood and have easy access to some human meat.

Alas, they lions weren't interested in us. And so they walked on by and continued their hunt.

Once the pride passed, Miya turned the vehicle around and started slowly following the lions in the direction they were traveling. By now, Dotto's Land Cruiser had arrived. But so had other safari goers that were not a part of our group. Apparently the radio call to summon Dotto had been broadcasted to all the safari drivers in the region. As a pride sighting is a big deal, many nearby drivers came to watch the hunt. At this point, there were a handful of vehicles watching the lions.

After walking a little ways, the pride stopped at a puddle to have a drink. Some took longer sips than others.

It was interesting to hear Goodluck's commentary on the pride. He noted that they all looked rather thin, suggesting they probably hadn't eaten in awhile. Goodluck also pointed out the resting lions, explaining that this behavior likely meant the lions had been hunting for awhile and that in addition to being hungry, they were getting tired, too.

The lions made their way to another puddle before continuing on.

I love this capture of one of the lions. He looks very Simba-like.

As a lover of domestic cats, I really enjoyed observing the similarities between the kitties at home and these much bigger kitties in the wild. In the photo below, notice the lion at the base of the tree scratching his claws against the trunk.

While two of the lions sharpened their claws, another lion jumped onto the tree...

...and climbed his way up to the tree's crotch.

Goodluck explained that when hunting, members of the pride have specific roles and responsibilities. One lion is the scout who scans the environment for prey. Another lion, likely the fastest of the group, serves as the leader who first approaches the prey. One is responsible for biting the neck of the prey, while another goes for the leg or pounces on the prey's back. 

The lion in the tree was likely the scout, getting a higher vantage point from which to spot prey. Goodluck himself had observed two potential feasting opportunities in the distance. One was a group of wildebeest not too far away; the other was an elephant in the far off distance. Perhaps the lion scouted other dinner possibilities as well.

While the lion scouted from the tree, the rest of the group continued on.

Miya and Dotto sped ahead on a parallel side road. After a short distance, the Guide Drivers reconnected with the main road, enabling us to once again see the lions walk towards us...

...and then past us.

With time, more and more safari vehicles arrived. By now, there were eight vehicles in total. Though Miya and Dotto were respectful drivers giving the lions plenty of space and allowing them to move freely, other drivers were not so considerate. As you can see in the photo below, some of the safari vehicles blocked the road ahead, forcing the lions to venture into the grass in the direction of the distance elephant.

As the lions walked further from the road, we figured this was our last viewing of these lions. 

Thomas and Mom watched the lions head deeper into the endless plains.

But then the lions turned back towards the road, weaved through the vehicles, and made their way towards the confusion of wildebeest on the other side of the road. ("Confusion" is the word for a herd of wildebeests. The terms aptly describes the noise and confusion that abounds whenever a group of these animals gathers together.)

By now, fifteen vehicles — precisely one per lion — had congregated to watch the pride. Perhaps a crowd of safari jeeps should be called a confusion as well!

Before the lions returned to the road, the wildebeest had been grazing on the grasses off to the side of the road (you can see them in the far right of the photo below). With the commotion of the vehicular traffic, however, the prey had started to disperse. 

At this point in time, Goodluck asked if we wanted to keep viewing the lions. We talked amongst ourselves and decided we didn't feel right following the lions anymore. Though we were somewhat unobtrusive when we were just one or two vehicles, with 15 vehicles clamoring for the primo viewing spot, we were clearly interfering with the pride's hunt. Miya and Dotto turned our vehicles around and drove back to camp.

Mom and I are incredibly fortunate to have seen the lion pride. We were especially grateful that we were the first vehicle on site, as we had a nice chuck of time to observe the lions without the crowds.

The big kitty sighting had me wondering about our impact on the wildlife. The Serengeti is a 12,000-square-mile protected area that hosts the world's most massive animal migration. Though the area is protected, the animals in the Serengeti undoubtedly live in a zoo of sorts as many of them are observed in close range.

I couldn't stop thinking about the animals and what they thought of all the safari vehicles that criss-cross their lands on a daily basis. What did they think of the vehicles? What did they think of the animals inside those vehicles? How much of their behavior was influenced by our presence? I can't possibly know the answers to these question. But I do know this: Where there are humans, there are roads; and where there are roads, nothing is truly wild.

I hope the other safari vehicles quickly dispersed, and I hope the big kitties were soon able to catch their next meal.