Leaping Lion Wins
I’m delighted to announce one of my images won the Greenpeace 2020 photo competition. I’m proud my photo is associated with Greenpeace, an organization that works tirelessly to raise awareness about environmental issues and conservation. The contest theme this year was wildlife mothers and offspring.
The Story Behind the Shot
In April 2019, while on a game drive with two Maasai guides and friends, Dominic Maitai and Joseph Mutemi, we came across four lionesses and several cubs.
The scene was very relatable—a group of toddlers roughhousing and playing while their mothers rested before heading out for the hunting night shift. Lions are the only members of the cat family that live in groups with a strong family social structure. Females raise their family communally and even suckle each other’s offspring.
In this group three of the lions were mothers. The fourth lioness was like a well-loved auntie clearly part of the group and protectively watching over the shenanigans.
The cub’s behaviour was so familiar it was hard to keep in mind that these were lions not super big domestic cats.
Their playful antics were preparation for real life survival scenarios in the future: ambush, attack, take down (as you can see in my video here).
Timing is everything in wildlife photography. I noticed one cub preparing to ambush its mother as she approached the tangle of wild kittens. With a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second, I fired off several shots when the cub leapt onto its mother’s head. “Did you get that?” asked Dominic with a grin. The next shots told more of the story. I knew I had it.
Displaying all the patience of a mother with toddlers Mama lay down and let the rest of the gang mob her as well.
As a parent it was easy to identify with the attitude of the mother and attending aunties. They tolerated the rambunctious kids until a youngster pushed the envelope. Then a paw or a mouth would slam the offender into the ground. The message “Settle down!” was clear—not fierce but definitely firm.
My goal with the leaping cub image is to engage the viewer and augment the story with humour. Many of us can relate to being enthusiastically embraced by a youngster. There is nothing amusing about the current status of lions, however: big cats are among the planet’s most imperilled wildlife. African lions once roamed most of Africa. Now, the species has disappeared from 94% of its historic range. The number of African lions has dropped 50% since The Lion King premiered in theatres in 1994. They are under threat of extinction due to habitat loss, human wildlife conflict, climate change, and trophy hunting. Supporting organizations like Greenpeace and National Geographic’s Big Cat Initiative helps protect these keystone species. Protecting wild spaces is an essential strategy for fighting climate change.
The winning print of the “Leaping Cub” is featured this week in my online store. A percentage of all profits goes to conservation of these iconic Big Cats and their wilderness habitat.