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with the colours of the landscape. One quick photo
and we were back on our way, keen to catch up with
the pride before the sun got too high.
Along the way we made another unscheduled stop.
Abu had seen something move. I scanned the sea of
dried grass but saw nothing. We waited, torn between
moving on in search of the lions and waiting
to see who or what was hiding from us. Finally, a
head warily appeared above the grass followed by a
long muscular body. A male cheetah sat and regarded
us for a few minutes before moving away. Clearly
we were no longer worthy of his company.
Finally we arrived at our destination, Simba Kopjes.
These huge, weathered granite boulders majestically
rise up out of the open plains and are a favourite
hangout for their namesakes. It was here that
we stumbled upon our battle-scarred lion and his
romantic liaison. Given how unimpressed he was
with our intrusion, we continued our search for the
pride. It didn’t take long to find them.
THE TEAM OF
FIVE LIONESSES
WORKED SEAM-
LESSLY TOGETH-
ER, IT WAS AS
IF THEY WERE
COMMUNICATING
TELEPATHICALLY
The team of five lionesses worked seamlessly together.
It was as if they were communicating telepathically,
each knowing exactly where they needed
to be. The two young males in their company lay
low, lingering at the rear. All eyes were focused on
two warthogs. Although desperately wanting to
capture a dramatic action shot of the hunt, I was secretly
barracking for the warthogs. Nervously, they
looked around for an escape route. This intense
game of giant cat and mouse continued for a further
45 minutes before some unsuspecting gazelle
wandered onto the scene. This diverted the attention
just long enough to give the little warthogs the
window they needed to trot away, their lives intact.
PHOTO: KARMEN HARLEY
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