One of the hardest animals to spot in the bushveld is a lion -- first of all, it is a nocturnal creature so it is usually sleeping in the shade during the daytime, and it blends in so well with its surroundings that it is very difficult to see! Imagine my delight when we came across a pride of ten lions lounging around during the daytime! Apparently this pride had brought down a pair of giraffes the week before we arrived but had been MIA for a few days before our arrival on a hunting mission deep in the bush.
We came around a corner and spotted them under a thicket of trees - they were moving around in the shadows so we thought we could get a better glimpse from the other side of the trees. As we pulled around the back, the pride began to move in our direction and decided to flop down in the shade directly in front of us!
We were literally 15 feet away from these magnificent creatures as they rolled around in the grass, cleaned each other, and slept in the shade. I could've watched them for hours on end -- and definitely wanted to bring one home with me! I don't think my kitty cat at home would have like that though... :-)
Here is the first younger male who came and posed for us.
(Below is a series of him making a really big yawn, but looked like a snarl at the end)
And then he promptly fell asleep...!
And here is the Lead Male up close and personal
Isn't he SO cute?!?
On the second day, we spotted the pride lounging in an open field. Now, you would think since they are out in the open, they would be easier to see right? Wrong! With the grass being so long, when they lie down to sleep you can barely see them! Luckily we caught the young male lion causing some trouble -- it seemed like he was trying to wake up the rest of the pride to get them to move to a different location. I was able to get a few good shots of the pride in the grass though...
(This is another favorite of mine! Lion Hug!)
rad
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