At dusk, our Land Rover rolled to a stop in front of seven lions lazing in the long grass. They looked every bit the house cats, licking one another and playfully rolling on their backs in the evening light. We were positioned about 25 feet away, but they were completely oblivious to us. This has been universally true in Kruger and Londolozi–it’s a strange phenonmenon, but the animals are either so accustomed or so apathetic to the vehicles that they pay them no heed.
The first rule of open Land Rover wildlife viewing is that you DON”T STAND UP IN THE VEHICLE. This ‘breaks the profile’ of the vehicle. To the animals (and the big cats in particular), you stop looking like a massive, growling beast and start looking like a tasty treat.
The lions yawned, and got to their feet. The first one walked toward the vehicle, and we all froze. Up to now, I hadn’t felt concerned about any of the animals and their proximity to us. That changed in an instant as the lion’s big amber eyes seemed to stare through me. I glanced at the ranger and tracked, but they seemed unconcerned. Each of the lions got within spitting distance of the Land Rover, then turned and walked behind us.
We followed them at a cautious distance as they wandered through the brush. They walked in a long line, and you could see how the black on the back of their ears and the tips of their tails helped them follow each other. They lazily wandered along an animal track for several minutes, and then suddenly froze. Ears twitching, they crouched and began to spread out, flanking an unseen quarry. We laid back at this point…it’s important not to disturb an animal while it hunts.
The alpha female pounced, bursting forward. The others followed, and they all closed on something in the underbrush. The ranger lurched the Land Rover forward. As we approached the kill site, we could hear the lions’ throaty growls and the whine of another animal. There was also a strange odor–a musky smell a bit like that of a skunk, but not as powerful.
The lions had caught a honey badger, and were struggling with it. One, then another, would drag it through the grass, trying to kill it. Surprisingly, four of the cats gave up on it, and walked off. The other three settled down, and continued their grisly work. You could hear their teeth on the badger’s bones. The ranger explained that badgers were particularly difficult to kill, and that the other lions weren’t interested in working so hard for so small a prey. Furthermore, the badger had released a musk, which probably discouraged the predators as well.
Eventually, the other three lions gave up as well. Once they left, we rolled up on their discarded dinner. The badger, about the size of a skunk, lay on its side, mortally wounded. We could heard its shallow, gurgling breathing. This being a game reserve, we couldn’t actually put it out of its misery. However, we were certain that something would come along soon and have an easy meal.
DarrenBarefoot.com 