Our journey began on an afternoon drive. It started off a little quiet so we decided to have a drinks break in a beautiful open plains area where the sun sets over the mountains. While chatting with the guests, we hear something and ask everyone to keep quiet. As we stand there waiting for that same sound, we hear it again – a male lion roaring not far away.

We start packing up and not long after starting to drive again we hear someone call in a lion sighting. It was our dominant male and a female heading towards the open plains where we had just had our break. We respond to the sighting and find them walking down the road towards us.

We switch off the vehicle and watch as they get closer. They pass the vehicle without even batting an eyelid at us. So we follow them into the bush and into the open area. We see the male lay down in the grass and the female going the opposite direction. We immediately thought that this is the perfect time for lions to hunt, and conveniently the perfect conditions – dark, with no moonlight to give away their positions.

We switch off all the lights as well as the vehicle and wait in silence. We wait for about five or ten minutes and we here the commotion. All types of plains game running in all directions in order to survive. We here the lions roar and we knew…they had caught something! We shine the light and start the vehicle as soon as possible. There they are! They caught a big male waterbuck. He was still standing while the lions hold on for as long as they can until their prey drops.

Finally, the waterbuck drops. He no longer has the energy to try and fight for his life. It is over. The lions have won.

This was my first kill at Kapama and what exciting and thrilling sighting it was!

Kim P
20/04/2012