THE KING OF THE JUNGLE

On 28th August 2010, we had a rather busy morning. On our way to the crater we came across a lioness walking up a hill in the middle of a descending road. We observed her walking and stopping every few metres, sniffing the ground and grass stems. She was more than likely tracking other members of the pride. She passed our vehicle and continued walking until she disappeared from our sight. She was probably going out of the crater and into the rim.

We continued on with our drive. I enjoy driving through the lerai forest in the mornings. We drove in that direction, and just before we reached the forest, we heard lions roaring loudly on our righthand side. I switched off the vehicle quickly. There were 5 lions running toward our vehicle. Suprisingly, 3 large males with black hair manes were chasing 2 females. We were not sure as to why. They must have had a kill as their faces were coverd with blood.

It was an amazing sighting. Zebras, wildebeest and other animals were running around everywhere. They seemed too scared of the lions. The five running lions passed in front of our vehicle. The males then stopped chasing the females, who continued running at a very fast pace until they disappeared into the long grass close to Lake Magadi.

The males then began to walk back slowly to where the kill was. We were unable to see what animal had been killed. It was about 200 metres away from the road and laying in thick bush.

Posted: Ngorongoro Crater by Vicky Simbeye, Date: 30 August 2010