Africa 32: Lions in the Crater

Shortly after lunch, we came upon a lioness lying in the middle of the road.

She and a companion had just made a kill.  She was clearly winded from the exertion.

Her companion out in the nearby grass, also winded, guarded the kill while dingos circled.

In the beginning, there were only our two trucks, and the one opposite her.

More trucks arrived.  She did not seem to mind them.  Indeed, she took the opportunity to lay under this one.

But, twenty minutes later, she was still winded, but was now completely surrounded by trucks.  We counted at least ten behind us.

The traffic jam got so bad that rangers finally showed up and shooed her off the road.

They also demanded that we leave, as we had been parked there for quite some time.

Still breathing heavily, she strode out into the grass to join her companion.  I got this last shot of her as we drove off.

Sorry for the shake, but this short clip shows how heavy she was breathing after almost a half an hour.

We drove down the road not very far and came upon this lion resting in the shade of another truck.  We thought its choice of trucks to use as shade was appropriate.

After a few moments, he got up and walked around another truck that had arrived.

Then he walked right in front of us, giving me a clear shot of him.

After that, he made his way around the truck in front of us...

...and stretched out on the ground again.  What a treat.  It was almost as if he had been brought in by central casting. 

Next time, we visit the Serengeti.

Continue on to Post 33: We see the Famous Serengeti, by clicking here.