The lioness, the tree and the drinks stop.

1910
“A lioness has got a lot more power than the lion likes to think she has.” ~ Jacki Weaver

 

 

 

For more than 2 years I have been contributing back page articles to this magazine and I have also completed a couple of online courses with them.

My biggest Wildlife Campus achievement to date?

Probably the fact that I started a course with them about 20 years ago…and I have yet to complete it!

That being said, I have never missed the monthly deadline for my articles.

This article first appeared in The Wildlife Campus magazine in July 2021.

 

 

 

Many of you might have read ‘The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe” by C.S Lewis when you were a child. Or perhaps you discovered the book when you were an adult?

You might never have never read it and my reference in the title of this post makes no sense to you at all.

But persevere dear reader and all will be revealed…

The only reason that I mention the book was that the paraphrased title came to mind after this incident that occurred on a recent trip to a reserve in the Waterberg.

Those who have been on game drives, either morning or evening, invariably get to a point where a ‘comfort break’ starts to take precedence over game viewing, no matter how exciting the animal interactions might be. Your mind becomes focused on locating that  special tree in the shortest possible time…the lavatory( pronounced la-va-tree).

This particular drive was no different. I together with two other guests and our guide had been bumbling around for a while with no success as far as predator sightings were concerned. That was not an issue as there had been more than sufficient plains game as well as 3 of the Big5 species to keep our cameras occupied and the three of us entertained.

However, it had come to that point in the drive where our ranger was looking for a vantage point for us to stop for our evening sundowners in order to watch the spectacular sunset that this area is well-known for.

I always check with the guide before I get off a game viewer, and this time it was no exception.

“All clear to get off and take a comfort break”? I asked. The guide scanned the surrounding area and pronounced it safe for all of us to get out and stretch our legs while he set up the table with beverages and snacks.

My usual modus operandi when walking into the bush is to clap my hands, thus warning any animals, large or small, of my impending arrival.

There was a moment after I unzipped, that the hairs on the back of my neck prickled but then quickly settled and as a result, I did not see it as a warning. I finished up and walked the 20 or so paces back to the vehicle.

The four of us stood around chatting about what we had seen during the drive, what we were still hoping to see during our stay at the lodge and what we were expecting on the final part of this particular evening drive. It was the usual relaxed banter that a game drive engenders in guests.

During a lull in the conversation our guide quietly said, “Could everyone get back in the vehicle please” as he looked towards the bushes not far from where I had recently taken my break.

 

 

 

From a spot close to where I had been moments before emerged a large lioness who looked at us askance while walking purposefully on a path that took her parallel to where we were now seated back in the vehicle with camera lenses trained in her direction.

 

 

 

The snacks were of no interest to her as she never wavered from her chosen direction and only stopped to look at us momentarily before vanishing into the bushes and the encroaching darkness.

 

 

 

What did the encounter teach me? Firstly, trust your instinct and if something does not feel right, move to a safer spot.

And secondly, obey your guide without first questioning him or her. They are trained for situations like this. I have to stress that at no time during the encounter were any of us in danger, neither did the lioness show any signs of aggression towards us.

In retrospect I wonder how differently I MIGHT have reacted if this apex predator has stepped out WHILE I was ‘watering’ the vegetation.

 

 

 

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