The Hunt

 (or not)

Welgevonden Reserve is a big one, with a variety of geography. 

One morning, in drenching rain, we went over the steep hills onto the savannah to see what we could see.

The roads are mostly dirt, but on steep inclines, they have been reinforced by concrete strips so the vehicles can climb and descend without getting mired in mud. 

You see those tiny little orange strings going
up the hill?

Yes, that’s the road we climbed and descended getting onto the savannah. What a fun ride!

Once over the pass and into the grass, we spotted a male lion and then the two females who had just been foiled by a zebra.

We watched on the plains for a bit then we climbed up to the far hill to watch the drama unfold down below.  It was kind of like what spectators used to do during American Civil War battles: people would gather above the fray (think that’s where the phrase came from) had a picnic while the fighting raged below. 

Here we are, having our bush
breakfast, while the lions are
hunting down below

An odd feeling.

Anyway, the lazy male lion just watched, of course. The females do all the heavy lifting when it comes to the hunt and the kill.

But then they reconnoitred and began a strategy of luring the zebra back out of the hills, while we were having our Bush Breakfast.

They took their time so we headed back over the pass.

In the Waterberg, the lions were done, and napping. 

    BTW this is what it sounds like when the lion is letting his family know he’s there:

    Now you can see why the Cheetah Brothers were a little concerned.  And that, folks, is not his real roar. A proper Lion's Roar can be heard for miles. And it gets into your bones.

    One last story about the lion and his kill (killed of course by his mate)

    We saw this fella on our last morning drive and dubbed him "Big Foot" because his paws are so big they'll envelop your head.

    Now. Our intrepid Ranger, James told us a story about his own close encounter with this guy. He was walking with a fellow Ranger and two guests. He was following elephant tracks and not really paying attention to his surroundings when suddenly he found he was between this lion and his food.

    He was too close to get his rifle up. He did not flee. He did not turn his back.  He stood his ground and looked that lion right in the eye.

    Slowly, he took one step back.  Waited.  The lion did nothing.

    Another step back.  The lion did nothing.

    This went on until he and the others were well away and no longer between the lion and his food.

    James learned how to live through that from the intense and years-long training to become a Ranger.

I'll talk a bit more about our two guides in a future post. But for now, the only thing that would have saved his life if the lion charged was if the other guide shot it. (big sigh of relief)