My first couple of weeks working at Kapama river lodge have been awesome! I have seen and experienced many different and amazing things. However, one of the drives did stand out. I was busy “shadowing” a fellow ranger and we heard on the radio that there were lions in the area in which we were driving so we responded to the sighting. When we got there we saw Kapama’s young male lion and a female lying on the side of the road. They were very relaxed, as lions are for about 20 hours per day. On the other side of the road, down a small incline, were 3 cubs – about 3 months old. They were playing with twigs and tackling each other, something that is very important when they are young as it helps them become strong hunters. The mother then came to them and started playing with them. This interaction was so unique, something I never thought I would see or experience. She was rough yet gentle with her cubs – a very good mother teaching them how to put their strength to good use. Her motherly ways showed exactly how family orientated these big cats are. It was such a great sighting I could have sat there for hours watching these little ones play and learn and, in turn, learning from these amazing animals.

Kim Pretorius
02/04/2012