I have to tell you about Lionel, my favourite here and makes me weep a tear every time i think of him. (i know Im turning into sissy). Anyway background, Zero (male Lion) has 2 female mates Lisa and Maggie who are sisters (yes i think the reserve mananger likes The Simpsons). Zero and Lisa produced Lionel who is now an adolescent male. A few weeks before we arrived Zero attached Lionel and bit his back, poor Lionel got a large abcess and stopped eating, he went very skinny....poor thing he was very ill. The reserve manager decided to intervene. This is a tough decision as its a balance between watching a wild animal suffer or letting nature take its course. Ordinarily with other animals they let nature do her thing, but there's something about Lionel that saved him. (must be his oh so sad face). They decided to section him off in a large boma to let him recoup from his injuries and build his strength up. The fisrt time we drove in the boma to see him he was hiding in a bush, he looked so depressed my heart sank and I instantly fell in love with him. Half a Kudu was left for him to eat, but two days later it was still there. Seriously sad no one thought he would pull through and they talked about getting the vet to come and shoot him. Anyway thankfully he started to eat a small amount and they decided to give him a few more days.
Then one day on our ususal visit to him we saw the sweetest thing. His mum Lisa and his Aunty Maggie had walked right across from the other side of the reserve and were sitting by the fence calling to Lionel. Apparently he had been calling in the night and they both walked miles to get to him. So sad... Lionel was looking at them through the fence and pacing to try and find a place to jump over. Honestly it was such a touching sight the tears streamed down my face ...I wasnt the only one tho. The lionesses sat there all day and then went off to catch a kill for Zero.... lazy sod and a bully. Anyway sadly although Lionel is getting much better he cant be released back into the reserve and reunited with his family as they fear that Zero will kill him. So poor Lionel is being moved onto another reserve. Heartbreaking but at least he can start his own pride there. In the meantime Lisa and Maggie often visit him.
On a happier note Nyeleti (Cheetah) has 3 cubs afterall, she's been hiding them so well we thought she had lost one of them. They are the cutiest things on earth and are now getting to the playfull age where they jump around and attack eachother...its an amazing sight and rare to see as she moves them each night to keep them safe so it ususally takes us a few days before we find her again.
My other favs are the Hyena, apart from the fact they would chew your face off given half the chance, they are actually quite cute and very entertaining. We woke up one night to Gerry calling out "Fook there's a Hyena in the hoose" (he's Scottish). With that we all sat there listening as Giggles the male hyena russel around the kitchen and dragged the bio-bin through the hall passed the bedroom and out ..we've not seen it since.
I could go on and on about the animals they are just so amazing and I'll be really sad to leave here....would consider becoming a reserve guide but not sure I can live in Karki much longer!!!
