I Wonder Where the Lions Are?
What might happen if we made space for wonder? If we stopped filling our minds to overflowing. And if we opened our souls to something bigger? Sue Heatherington
©kathykarn
This month I’m celebrating lions with stories and images from my last safari. To see a lion in the wild is to understand why they are globally celebrated as symbols of nobility, courage, strength and authority. Lions may seem indomitable, but their survival is at risk. They have lost 90% of their historic range and lion numbers have crashed from as many as 200,000 lions just 100 years ago, to approximately 20,000 across Africa today. They are currently listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List. Lions need our protection if they are to survive. In Kenya organizations like Ewaso Lions are on the forefront of conservation promoting human wildlife co-existence.
One afternoon last January we headed out on an afternoon game drive hoping we’d see lions. Joseph, our Maasai guide, had heard a male lion was spotted a few kilometers from our camp. We followed a dirt track to higher ground and an open landscape. After about 30 minutes of searching we spotted a male lion in the distance limping towards us like a weary, wounded warrior returning home from battle.
©kathykarn
As he got closer, we noticed another male following behind. Lions are the only feline species that live in complex social groups. It’s not unusual for a pride to have more than one male. We wondered if these two were brothers. It looked like they had a destination in mind. They were not the least bit interested in us.
Lion #2 ©kathykarn
As lion #2 got closer we could see he looked like lion #1 minus the lameness and battle scars on his nose.
Notice the battle scars on lion #1 nose ©kathykarn
The brotherly pair led us past two more males relaxing in the open. One was dark maned like lion #1; the other was a redhead with a softer appearance. I confess, I’m partial to the dark maned lions :) We learned a pair of females were hiding in the bushes behind these big boys, but we didn’t meet them until later.
Lions spend most of their day sleeping and hanging out ©kathykarn
The first two lions walked by without a nod to their resting comrades. They paused from time to time, lifting their heads and sniffing the air. Lions are highly intelligent; I could almost see the thoughts turning in their heads. The lame lion lay down to rest a few times before continuing the march towards a green line of bushes on the horizon. Was that the destination?
Lions have a keen sense of smell ©kathykarn
Eventually the recumbent pair got up too and joined the trek towards the vegetation, taking their mantle of pesky flies along with them. Joseph put the Land Cruiser in gear, “I think they’re heading to the creek. We’ll go ahead and cross to the far side, so you have a chance to get a head-on shot. We lost sight of the lions completely as they disappeared in the tall grass.
The tall grass provided a perfect cover for the ions. Big Red had to lift his head high to see. ©kathykarn
When we pulled up on the other side of the creek we understood more of the story. Two very pregnant looking females, lay hidden below enjoying the cooler temperature of the in the stream bed. It felt like we had a sneak peek into the life of this pride. It was also a powerful revelation of how easy it is to stumble across a lion in the savanna. Imagine paddling down that creek and meeting this pair! Beware, even when the landscape looks empty, lions could be hiding nearby.
©kathykarn
Next week I’ll introduce you to a powerful feline foursome who used use teamwork to take down their prey.
