There’s nothing like waking up early on an extra cold morning in the African bush and breathing out steam after every sip of coffee, knowing that you’re about to go on a game drive. When the walkie-talkie radio goes off loudly and an excited voice announces, “Attention all stations: we’ve got 2 mafazi ngala”, you know you’ve got to drain that coffee and jump onto the game vehicle because you’ve got lions to see!
This was the way my day started at nThambo Tree Camp this morning. The Klaserie Private Nature Reserve is abuzz with wildlife activity and we have had sightings of moms, dads and baby elephants almost every day. The birdlife creates a raucous noise every morning and the lions have been heard every night. This morning’s radio report caught our attention and Carolynne and I jumped aboard Airforce 1 (our filming-friendly Land Rover) with Kevin MacLaughlin in charge. We arrived at Jason’s Dam and there they were, defrosting in the sunlight.
Mila and Lisa, these lionesses, are a part of the Ross Pride, which is a pride of lions famously known in this area. Guides at nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot have spent a lot of time introducing their guests to the local pride, and these girls were very comfortable with the vehicles. We had such a perfect sighting of these beautiful, relaxed females and just watched them dip in and out of their morning snooze. The only real movement was Mila’s lazy stroll to the shady patch of grass, which is fairly typical of a lion sighting such as this.
The male lions we are looking out for is called The Trilogy – 3 big boys that have been hanging out with these lionesses. They couldn’t have been far off, but it seems they were leaving the ladies in peace today. For us lucky ones in the Klaserie, our resident lions are not far away. And with a herd of elephants, some giraffes, and an impala kill all spotted on the way back to camp, we know we are in for a treat. Watch this space…
Images by Chloe Cooper.
