Or, one of many ways Kansas is different than Tanzania.
We saw a lot of lions on safari – mostly mothers and cubs – but they were usually tucked back in the tall grass and were hard to photograph. Once again, proving that wild animals have no manners when it comes to posing for us humans. Sheesh.
This was awfully nice posing, so I take back my previous griping.
I doubt this was this little one’s first Land Rover sighting, but he/she was keeping an eye on us regardless.
This one couldn’t have cared less. (Note the other cub’s tail in the upper left. He/she was resting behind some branches, or I would have included the bonus lion cuteness here.)
We didn’t see many male lions, but when we did – hoo boy. The first male sighting was when we came upon a kopje (a rock formation that animals perch on to watch out for prey or predators), and saw a male and female doing what can only be described as the Tanzania Tango.
He would get close and she’d shimmy away. Then he’d back off and she’d stretch out, tossing a look at him over her shoulder. They’d circle each other at a short distance, eyes locked. All that was missing was silk lingerie and an Al Green record.
You can see where this was going.
After a few minutes of the dance, she lay down on her belly and he – well, he did what comes naturally to animals of all species. And nope, I’m not going to post photos of that, even though I have them. Not that I’m a prude, but simply because the romance denouement didn’t make for great photography.
I will say this: I’m guessing the female lions all get together over coffee and talk about how frustrated they are with their love lives, because I’m not kidding when I say the whole act was over in eight seconds. Which is, fittingly enough, how long a rodeo rider is supposed to stay on a bull.
I will share the lovely afterglow:
Him: “Where did I put my gazelle-flavored cigarettes?” Her: “I don’t know, because I’m not the maid. Hand me the remote, my favorite nature show is about to start.”
Next time I’ll share the second male lion experience we had on safari, which was quite a bit different than this one. Stay tuned.
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