This story starts with an evening drive with a ranger in an open-top, open-sided vehicle in South Africa. Picture this: We came upon 2 lions probably a brother and a sister lying on the road track in front of us. The ranger stopped the vehicle and waited until the couple got up and started on their way. We followed at a cautious pace. It felt like they were leading us somewhere.
The female went ahead of the male and as I turned my gaze to the left, I sensed a presence up in the tree in front – hence I took this snapshot.
Some people in the vehicle wanted us to drive on regardless. My preference was to wait a little while (but for how long?). While the debate continued the lioness decided to jump down in front of the vehicle and continue her walk. But where was the male lion? He was nowhere to be seen.
While our attention had been diverted to the female – he had apparently disappeared. Then suddenly – there he was emerging from the undergrowth to the right on the other side of the road! Did he cross in front or behind the vehicle? No-one knew for sure. Suddenly we felt they were playing a game, and we were part of it. They were calm, confident, and in control. A passing thought was – maybe they were leading us back to the pride. Could it have been an invitation to join them for dinner?
But …. what or rather who would be on the menu?
However, they soon got bored and sauntered off. We all breathed a sigh of relief, and the ranger speeded up the vehicle, turned on to another dirt track and accelerated in a different direction.
After this somewhat scary moment we found some humour in the experience.
For a while there we certainly had not been in charge.
It was their game in their territory!
Maybe the lioness had climbed the tree to check us out – and then she didn’t feel quite that hungry after all 😉.
Or perhaps they just enjoyed playing a trick on us 😂.
by Dr Julie Charlesworth 15/5/25
[Apparently ‘Lions don’t typically attack safari vehicles because they perceive the vehicle and its occupants as one large, solid object rather than distinct, moving individuals.’ An etiquette on safari is that animals are minimally disturbed hence the waiting for the lions to move on]