6:15 AM Start, and 200metres from the camp we spot a hunting lioness – powerful, astute and studying her surroundings, she is on the prowl, there is no doubt.
we wait until maybe 7:30, but nothing intrigues her enough to warrant energy expenditure. It has become clear here that conserving energy whenever possible is critically important. Lions and predators are constantly weighing out the risk and input vs. the reward and output. It’s truly amazing to witness. It makes me think that we, as humans, can overthink things a bit, and relying on instinct and basic laws of nature may serve us well. After all, lions have been hunting for thousands of years and are still thriving (barring human threats of course).
We then move on and run into an old bull elephant, enjoying the marshy long grasses.
He tolerates us and even strikes a pose and then we bid him farewell and meander around the conservancy until we spot a few cars in the distance stopped. this is a sign that they are viewing something. Out come the binoculars and sure enough, a lion pride is feeding on something.
We head over and find one of Handsome’s prides (he wasn’t present) finishing up what turns out to be a baby elephant (maybe 2 years of age). The scale/balance of nature is terribly evident. My heart hurts for the elephants who lost a baby and my heart rejoices for the lions that were in need of food.
We observe for about an hour and we believe that hyenas actually made this kill as we are surrounded by about 40 of them, waiting to get back into eat. Many of the hyenas look full and happy, which may mean that the lions came in and moved them out. We also notice that the larger dominant lions are already resting, digesting and enjoying the sun while the lower ranks are picking off the last bits of flesh from the bone.
As you can see, she is extremely happy, full and loving life.
Out here on the savannah there is a rule – eat what you can as you don’t know when you’re next meal will come.
When we finally pulled away, the lowest ranks were still chewing on the ribs and skull – licking off any sign of meat/nutrition.
This was a special and unique morning. Though i mourn the loss of an elephant, i respect the natural order of the savannah.
That afternoon/evening, we had the pleasure of witnessing two young male giraffes necking – no, not an affectionate necking, but a playful practice round of fighting. Male giraffes fight by swinging his 6 foot long neck and banging his head/horns into the other giraffe.
Real fights can be quite violent, but it was clear these two were just horsing around and practicing for real fights.
I feel so very fortunate to be able to witness the behaviors of wild animals. Often times, i see humans in these interactions and wonder what we can learn.
As we drive back toward camp that evening, we are stopped by a pride of lions feasting along the side of the river. Seems they’ve killed a warthog and are enjoying a small but tasty dinner.
Though it was tough to see, the entire pride was piled on top of one another trying to get a bite.
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It’s very clear how the weaker smaller animals are weeded out here…survival of the fittest in action.
The sounds of big cats eating will stick with me for a long time.
As i head to bed tonight, i sleep well knowing that the lions are fed. Yes, others have sacrificed, but this is the circle of life.