We had been there almost thirty minutes before I snapped this picture. He sat alone, watching the others wrestle and play. There was not a moment all evening when he really cared to jump in and join them. It was almost like he was watching, observing the world around him, and he couldn't be bothered. He may have only been a few pounds, just a little larger than a house cat but there was no mistaking his presence.
Unlike the one above, these two played for quite some time. Most all of my photographs were of the two of them as they pounced and played, chasing eachother this way and that. They would make light squeeks and growls and they rolled all over the ground and it was hard to keep our laughs down. They acted just like kittens.
A little while later, much to everyones surprise, one of the older cubs worked its way up into a tree, balancing as best she could on the branch. It was very clear that lions are not meant to be off the ground, and she looked unsure of herself the entire time, but I was able to capture this photo as she kept her eye on her siblings playing just a few yards away.
This was just a magical evening. We sat with the pride as they finisehd off dinner, a wildebest from the morning. The cubs rolled about, sleeping mostly with full bellies and blood stained chins. After a while a few of them got up and began to chase eachother around. Eventually one of the little ones found a feather and was playing with it as though it was the greatest toy in the world. After just a few moments, these three caught eye of the activity and started watching intently, as if all three wanted the same feather.
She was a beautiful girl. The mother of a few of the young cubs in the pride. They had killed a wildebest the night before and were all gorging themselves for the second or third time that day. While not overly concerned about our presence, she always seemed to keep her eye on us. I was able to capture this image as she sat down, and looked directly at me. I am still not sure if she was looking at me or not, but it was a great moment with this beautiful, beautiful girl.
On first blush there isn't much to this photo. It was an incredible evening, after getting to camp we immediatly left for the bush. Within only an hour or so we were surrounded by lions, and for the rest of the night we followed the pride as they went on their evening hunt. It was perhaps the most intense moments I have experienced as a wildlife photographer and I will never forget that thrill. I snapped this photo as the hunt wound down and the animals again started to relax. I didn't think much of it until the next morning. Upon heading out on our morning trip we found the cup pictured above dead in the road, killed by a rival lion only a few minutes earlier. This photo was most likely the last picture taken of this little cub before his untimely exit from this earth. I found this a beautiful tribute to him.
As the hunt wound down, these two decided to find a place to rest. She laid down first, and after a few passes, he sat right on top of her, plopping down. She didn't appreciate it, and apparently wanted a little space. She gave him a bit of attidude, and a loud growl, one that shakes you to your core. However he was unfazed and put his head down. A few moments later she did the same.
The morning the cub died was awkward. I have been around a great deal of death and violence in the animal world but there was something different about this. There was a still in the air and an intense feeling of emotion. Not from us, but from the pride males. You could see in their eyes they were grieving, angry and out for blood. The three of them moved silently down the dirt road following the scent of the invading males, often stopping to listen, or smell the air. I was able to capture this photo as he listened for a sign of the invader.
There was little we could do other than follow them. After spending last night with them you feel for the pride. It is a strange thing to feel their pain, see their emotion. You find yourself feeling wronged in some way. It was my first experience with the unforgiving nature of Africa, and a moment I will not soon forget. It is one of those things that draws you in and holds onto your soul. I felt this photo captured the essence of not only that morning and the solem feel of it, but that it also captured the emotion and tone of Africa itself.
We hand't seen these lions since the invasion a few days before. When we finally caught up with them, life seems to have settled back down a little bit. We sat with them for a few minutes as they lazied about in the river bed, waking up from their nap and preparing for the afternoon rest.
It is difficult to describe the raw power of one of these animals until you see it in person, witness it for yourself. We had sat with her for an hour or more, struggling to position our car on the road for the shot we thought we were going to have. We were set up perfectly. We were set up able to shoot out the side of the vehicle looking out over the plains, she was laying next to our car, maybe 40 feet away watching a few impala as they passed. Within moments she was up, and at a full sprint on her way in the completly different direction. Our driver threw the car in fast gear and we almost lost everything over the side. He worked his way, winding in between multiple cars to keep us in line for the shot. We slid into position just as she took down a warthog that just happened to wonder into the wrong area. It was an incredible display of power, both terrifying and awe inspiring. With little effort she held down this large warthog as its life slipped away.
