The Lion is the King

Oh My God, What a Day!!

Because of the “Mystery Dinner” last night, we unanimously decided to forgo the morning game drive. Everyone slept in for a little while. Breakfast wasn’t planned until 9:30.

When we did wake up (about 7:00), I discovered four nyala (a small antelope) in our back yard. The pace was slow until lunch and then after lunch we spent some time packing our bags in preparation for our departure tomorrow.

Nyala

Tortoise

At the beginning of the afternoon safari, the pace was still slow. We saw some new animals: banded mongooses and a beautiful tortoise. Then the excitement began.

Our second viewing of a leopard was out in the open and perfectly clear.

Our Second Leopard

Early in the drive, Deb had asked to see more elephants. Now she got her wish. A small group materialized around us, dining on tree leaves and bark. One turned towards us and came right up to the back corner (Deb’s corner) of the Land Cruiser. Debby could have reached out and touched him. As he came around the corner of the vehicle he was actually to close to allow the camera to focus on him. Only as he roamed away did I get a photo of his bum.

Elephant Approaching

Elephant up Close

Then came the climax. On our way home, only about a minute from Buffalo Camp (our home), the guide suddenly veered off the road and the tracker focused his spotlight on the vision of a lifetime. There we found a young male lion with his jaws clamped on the neck of a young african buffalo. The life was fading from the glassy eyes of the buffalo but his legs occasionally flexed weakly. We had only just missed the chase and the takedown. The lion just lay still and held on. Eventually he changed his grip and we could hear the sound of bones cracking. When death finally did come, the lion let go and began licking the body of his prey. As he settled on his haunches to begin his meal, it was time for us to go home.

The King of the Savannah

At home, dinner was served in the Boma. This is an enclosed circle with a fire pit in the middle and tables around the outside. The guides sat with the group for dinner and were absolutely bombarded with questions. Dinner was great, but the events of the day were relived again and again.