Lovecats - The Cure

Serengeti lion and cub
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So the morning after the Lion surround sound (props to Mom) we head out on our first early morning game drive.  The tension from the arguments the night before immediately eases when I spot two female lions resting right off the side of the road.  It was our first up close encounter with the big cats and I was jumping out of my skin, especially since these were probably the source of those big roars the night before.  They stared us down a bit and then strolled a few yards away just to keep both sides safe it seemed.  I must have took 40 pictures in a minute.  They acted as a true pair, each cat's motion matching the other, completely oblivious to our presence after a bit.  Cool as hell.  Finally the guide makes us move on.  The rest of the drive was okay on animals, giraffes, ostrich and a big elephant herd in the distance but the real draw for me was the golden plains of the Serengeti at dawn.  I can't think of there being a more beautiful morning anywhere on this globe.  During the drive two other trucks got stuck in the mud and our Akuna Matata driver proved his mettle both times, yanking the 'nicer' trucks out of the muck.  As I'm standing there watching he points down and whispers to me, "lion tracks - fresh too".  The guys just loves messing with the tourists I think but get back in the truck anyway.  On the way back to camp we see a mother lion and her cub hidden in the rocks.  Gorgeous, right out of a Wild Kingdom episode.

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After a nice lunch we make the long ride back to Ngorogoro.  The driver has consented to make a detour to look for the big migration.  We see only herds of a few thousand but to be honest I don't think it actually formed up yet.  Maybe we missed out on the big part of the migration but I saw enough to be happy.  What we did see on the detour makes up for anything missed a hundred fold.  A Cheetah kill and an angry lion.  First we pull up to a dozen trucks zoom lenses locked on a stalking cheetah and some Thompson Gazelles a few yards away.  Oblivious to us the cheetah slowly crept up on her prey.  The gazelles were clueless even after she started her attack.  I think she might have actually used all the tourists as a distraction for the attack.  The cheetah made up 20 yards before the gazelles were even aware.  Watching that animal run was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed.  After just a glimpse of the eye she had the slowest gazelle down and her jaws on its neck strangling it.  I know, gross, but wait.  After the gazelle died of strangulation she scared off some jackals looking to steal the kill and then started yelping like a small dog.  I had seen the same darn thing happen on the Discovery channel just a few months ago, so I say "Calling her cubs?"  Everyone dismissed my comment but what do ya know, three cheetah cubs stroll along a minute later.   So yeah, the pictures are nasty of an animal dying but it's so a mother could feed her young.  Nature, pure and simple.

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Nothing could top that experience I'm thinking but just ten minutes later the second biggest thrill of the trip comes close.  We come across a whole pride of lions resting in the shade.  There are three females with a bunch of cubs right off the side of the road.  It's the closest we've been to a lion.  Awesome, but I haven't seen a male yet and start whining that one has to be nearby.  Sure enough there are two males a few meters away.  They are brothers, older and clearly annoyed we have woke them up.  One is very complacent, but the other is ticked off.  The German guest (Martin) growls at the pride leader and gets a big old growl back.  Everyone jumps back in the truck from the sunroofs.  I flinch but can't stop taking photos.  I NEED that big roar photo.  The lion is eyeing me as to say, dude if you take just one more photo your lunch . .  Well I take that one more photo and he lunges at me with a fierce roar.  He's on the ground about ten feet from me maybe but damn if I don't slam back into the side of the sunroof when I flinch.  I got the picture.  It's hard to tell and not the perfect roar shot, but I'll always know that's the picture of a lion lunging at me.  The woman in the car is freaked and yelling at us all to sit down so we can leave.  I finally do and all the guys in the car break out in frightened but thrilled giggles.  There really is nothing like fear to get the feel good endorphins pumping.  The woman calls us a bunch of jerks.  We start laughing harder.  That's the Serengeti.