another trip to the kruger produced a beautiful sighting of the above lion. her face is stained by the remains of a dead hippo that they were scavenging off. she walked so close to the car that i actually had to stop taking photos to quickly close the window just in case she decided to have my arm for dessert.
the above picture is what remains of the hippo after two days. the lion still monopolised the carcass but the trees were heavy with vultures patiently waiting their turn. the maggots had also had a good innings.
it is difficult to explain how cleansing for my soul a visit to the park is. suffice to say it is.
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOh....so homesick for the heat...for the stillness of the bush...for the feel and smell and texture of the raw red earth...great photos
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have been too worried about the lioness eating your arm if she'd just had her fill of hippo! If I had been eating a hippo, I'd be stuffed! I'm surprised she's up and walking after a smorgasbord like that! And I hope I spelt that right. Heehee. Amazing picture!
ReplyDeleteI am feeling kind of sorry and sad for the Hippo. Couldn't you have operated or something on him?
ReplyDeletemel, this is one of the reasons i don't think i could leave. i miss visiting the park if i haven't been there for a month or two. leaving the whole country...
ReplyDeletemary, you are right. the lion had been gouging themselves for two to three days. their abdomens were distended and most were passed out under a tree. still to see a lion pass less than a meter away with an open window... well better safe than sorry.
cathy, i would never treat lion so badly by depriving them of food. besides, according to my friend in the park, this hippo was the victim of a territorial fight with another male. clearly he lost so even if he survived, he lost mating privileges. you need to ask yourself, if that is the case, is life worth living??
I've been to the park countless times and still have not seen a lion there. Pls tell me where you go through to. I'm planing to take a friend of mine frm E.cape to the park round May and still haven't found the best place to go 2. I was planing to join one of those safaris that start from Hazyview but it is proving to be too expensive for our student ( +non tourist) pockets
ReplyDeletejade, lion sightings will always be special. a lion can be in the grass literally 2m from the road and you can miss it. my favourite gate is phabeni, but any gate is good. the south of the park is more accessible to normal tourists, but lion are apparently more plentiful around satara. i would suggest going in your own car because you are more mobile. an organised night drive from one of the camps is something to consider seriously though. definitely spend a night or two at one of the camps. book early. also when you are there, find out where people have seen lion etc and go there. sometimes you are lucky.
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