Sura ya Kumi na Sita - Simba Watoto wa Serengeti

Chapter Sixteen - Lions Cubs of the Serengeti

It was early in the week, with the sun still shinning, that we came across this pride of lions sheltering from the sun under a tree. Here were two lionesses with their cubs.

All the cubs wanted to do was to play...

and cuddle.

The mother was more interested in cleaning them.

Doesn't this sound oh so familiar?

Most of the cubs played around the base of the tree, play fighting and play hunting,

and tried to make sense

 of a world gone mad,

One of them decided that he was the look-out.

checking for all possible threats.

They were safe. Most dangers had already passed. Few indeed would be rash enough to attack this pride.

When the cubs are younger however, there is a very real risk, especially from hyenas.  The cubs must be hidden.

Well hidden.

On our last day in the Serengeti we came across this female all on her own.

Or so we thought.

She was not alone.

She started to call. A lions call is loud, deep and guttural. You can feel it through your feet.
Was she calling her mate? Was she calling her siblings?

No.

She walked over to a crack in a nearby rock, and there appeared a little face responding to the call.

It was a tiny lion cub. Its eyes had recently opened for the first time. It was still learning how to walk.

And it was not on its own. A writhing pile of fluff appeared.

Four cubs, ready to discover this new world.

Ready to be cleaned

Ready to discover how to stay upright.

Ready for hugs.

Ready to discover how big mums feet are

Life.

Adventure

The hunt!

Erm, what am I supposed to do?

This way?

Or this?

over here?

but never far from the others

Time for one more adventure?

Nope

Time to be picked up

and put back into the den

Time for bed,

Last one home...

From these tiny balls of fluff, we go to the other extreme, in the penultimate chapter, get ready for buffalos, hippos, and even rhinos. Never a dull moment...

Sura ya Kimi na Saba - Wanyama Wakubwa wa Serengeti

Chapter Seventeen - Giant Beasts of the Serengeti