An exciting morning occurred today for myself and my guests. After tracking some Elephants with a fellow ranger and having a great sighting we then proceeded to try and see if we could see some Lions before the guests had to check out. We responded to a sighting of our large male Lion and one female, (the mother of the two one and half year old male and female sub-adults), who were busy mating.
Lions mate for three to four days at a time. The actual mating occurs for about 45 seconds and they will repeat this every few minutes. The male Lion’s penis is barbed which makes for an uncomfortable process for the female but insures that the copulation is a success for him. Afterwards there is much growling, snarling, and possibly a slap or two in the male’s direction. All of this makes both male and female very grumpy and somewhat unpredictable.
Our male was particularly surly this morning as we approached the sighting, growling and lunging at the vehicle. We gave him and the female a wide berth which allowed them to relax and give my guests fantastic viewing and photo ops. After awhile we decided to leave and as we did the male, in his grumpy mood, decided to show us who is really King of the Bush!
Great photos in hand, smiles on faces, and adrenaline going, my guests and I left the two honeymooners to themselves.
By: Noelle DiLorenzo – River Lodge Ranger
