A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY HOME FROM the Hippo Pool. We came upon a group of lionesses and a cub stretching alongside the road. While we were ooh-ing and aah-ing at the cub the lionesses came on alert. They separated and took up attack positions like a well-drilled infantry squad. We never even saw the wildebeeste coming and they obviously didn’t sense the lions. The attack was over quickly and when the dust settled, one lion had the wildebeeste by the throat while two others held it down. The rest of the herd escaped and the lions had food for another day. Except for our gasps and the thudding of hooves, the entire event took place in silence.
Attack
Escape
Success
As for the hippos, Candace counted 180 in the slimy pool, rife with the smell of hippo poo. We can’t figure out what the attraction is for the hippos, but every safari truck in the center of the park arrived around 4PM for the show. Mothers with young calfs stayed safely to the outside while adults splashed, grunted and displayed razor sharp tusks in hope of gaining a few more centimeters of space.
The Hippo Pool
And in case you’re wondering, we had a great morning of birding and got our first good look at the king of beasts in all his glory. Today was worthy of a National Geographic special.
The Lion King
