I took these pictures during a safari in the Kruger National Park, in South Africa.
We went out for a late afternoon drive, just before the sunset, in the hope to spot the big cats. We were slowly driving in the park, when we saw three lions on the side of the road. We turned off the engine while approaching them and just stayed in absolute silence to observe the behaviour of these majestic animals in their natural environment. They looked at us as they kept moving and then stopped few meters away. Two of them had a nap on the warm asphalt, while the third kept watching us carefully.
Kruger National Park. I took this picture from the safari’s open vehicle, as this beautiful animal passed by. What fierce eyes!
Photo taken in April 2019.
Kruger National Park. He’s looking into my eyes while I look into his. And we are both wondering what the other is thinking and asking: is it a threat?
Photo taken in April 2019.
Kruger National Park. This lion, together with other two, walked next to our jeep and then stopped few meters away. He sharpened its claws by the bark of a tree nearby and then lay down to rest.
Photo taken in April 2019.
While taking the pictures, I could not stop thinking about nature’s perfection, which comes with a delicate equilibrium. And that is why I decided to write this post.
Have you seen the movie Mia and the White Lion? I heard about this movie, but it is only on the way back from South Africa that I eventually watched it. The movie tells the story of Mia, a young girl, and Charlie, a white lion that was born in the farm owned by Mia’s parents. I found it particularly moving, especially after hearing a lot about poaching and killing for sport in South Africa.
Lions are among the strongest predators in nature, but, at the current rate, could go extinct by 2050.
Unfortunately we do not have to go too far to find who is responsible for such horrible trend. Lions are hunted for sport and poached by one species: humans.
Rich tourists pay huge amounts of money to get the chance to have fun by hunting and eventually killing these wild animals. It is like any other sport. And the sad news is that it is all perfectly legal.
If not for sport, lions are killed by poachers, who collect the animals’ teeth, claws and bones, which can then be sold on the black market as trophies or even as ingredients for cake and wine production in Asia. The tragic thing is that it is actually much easier to kill a lion than to kill a rhino, since lions scavenge and can be easily poisoned by poachers, who just have to kill an antelope, poison its carcass and wait. Poachers are not to be blamed though. They are the result of a critical lack of education and opportunities for local people, and they see in poaching a quick and easy way to make good money for them and their families. The wealthy people on the other side of the line are, again, those to blame.
I hope that this simple post can contribute to raise awareness about the risk of extinction that lions and other wild animals are facing.
If you want to know more and support the cause, here is a list of interesting articles from The Guardian and The Independent, as well as the official website of the African Wildlife Foundation:
Please share your thoughts with your connections and help to stop this!
Kruger National Park. "Mmm what a delicious meal I just had!", is this what you are thinking?
Photo taken in April 2019.
Kruger National Park. This lioness just finished eating her prey and then looked curious at us. Her sister was on the opposite side of the road, napping in the shadow of a tree.
Photo taken in April 2019.
Published by Federica on 26 May 2019
Category: Travels
Tags: Africa, South Africa, Wildlife, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter