Designed to kill, they stalk with stealth and attack in a group. The only big cat in the world to have a social network. The lion is an amazing animal, and in the wild their true power can be seen in full glory. The day before we had seen a pride of lions in the distance which were coming down from the rolling hills bordering Tanzania and Kenya. We stopped on the dirt track and could see that they were looking for food. Behind us was a small herd of wildebeest numbering 30 strong. The mother of the pride was assessing the situation for a kill, but there was no cover for the lions to utilise in order to get close to the herd for an attack. After a few minutes the pride walked off into the distance.

After breakfast we had planned to drive to the river to watch the wildebeest crossing, this was 50 km away from camp and as we drove out of the gates, we heard on the radio that there had been a lion kill not far from the airstrip. As we got closer to the kill site, we could smell in the air the potent stench of death, we were close by. As we arrived we quickly counted the lions in the pride. There were 14 lions in total, several females and many young males, but no big male. This was the pride we had seen the day before, and that night, just after dark, we could hear the male near camp calling out marking territory.

The pride must have had a kill in the night as there was not much left of the large wildebeest when we arrived. The pride were clearly satisfied and full, as some of the young males were playing and others were rolling around in the short grass. It was enthralling to be able to watch such a large pride interact with each other. As they approached one another they would rub heads and against each other’s bodies. In a way it felt like they were congratulating each member of the pride for a job well done. Even the smallest cubs of the pride were relaxing and showing affection to their siblings.

There has been many years of research and study on Lion prides in Kenya and Tanzania,  trying to understand why Lions are the only big cat with a social network. To date there is no definitive answer to why this is. With the ever encroaching human population on the Lion’s territory, will we ever understand them fully, or will we forever be second guessing long past their existence?