Botswana, Animals

Lion

Lions are the star attractions of safaris. In Chobe National Park, each lion was followed by dozens of tourist jeeps. As a private reserve, we had Selinda almost to ourselves.

The pride there was centered around three brothers. They had grown up together, and stayed together as adults.

While his brothers guarded the dead elephant, the lion above patrolled their territory. From our tents, we heard his low moans late into the night. He was telling his family where he was. I took the above picture early in the morning, very near our camp.

Next, one of his brothers with all three cubs. Their noses are dark because they've been sticking their faces into the elephant carcass for many days now. Below is a closeup of one of those cubs, the one with a relatively clean face!

Below is a lioness from a different pride, the one in Chobe National Park. Young and sleek, she is looking for a jackal that's been wandering around near her family.

The lioness below is from the Selinda pride. She is older, stuffed with elephant meat, and pregnant.

At this moment, she is looking at me and asking herself “Do photographers taste good?”

I've mentioned the dead elephant that the lions were eating. Those photos are quite gruesome, but you can see them here.