After spending one night in the reserve monitoring the resident lions, I returned to Echo Lima camp on the 24th of July. Jeneria and Joseph greeted me and immediately told me that 4 lions had killed a young elephant in the Conservation Area that morning. The calf had been lost or abandoned and was roaming the area alone until the lions came across it. I decided to quickly head for the area knowing that since this was a large kill, there were greater chances that the lions would still be there.
I was fortunate to have the GPS location of the carcass as some community scouts had been there that morning. I realized later that if it hadn’t been for that GPS I would never have found the carcass because of the thick impenetrable bush.
I drove quickly to the Conservation Area with the guys. When we got close to the location where the carcass was, I slowed down and headed for some thick Salvadora bushes. The GPS stated that we were 60 metres away however I could get no closer. I turned off the engine and waited and listened. We sat there for about 20 minutes and then heard a sound. It was the crunching of a bone. The lions were there!
Thick Salvadora persica bushes in the Conservation Area
I decided to try another route to get to the carcass. I went round the area towards the river and then back in again through the thick bush. Again, we waited and listened. The GPS now stated that we were 30 metres away from the carcass. We were in a small clearing where I hoped the lions would eventually emerge through as they headed down to the river. However, it was getting dark and we didn’t see or hear anything.
Jeneria noticed a small gap in the bushes and indicated that we should try go through there. I creeped slowly through the bushes and then we saw him. There was a huge male lion, maneless, standing on what appeared to be a mound (which was actually the elephant) staring at us. I couldn’t believe it. With the sound and sight of the car and us, he did not run away. He stood his ground and just looked at us. It was pretty dark by now and all we could make out was the faint outline of his head which was covered with blood.
I was thrilled to see him but did not want to disturb him on the carcass. I turned around in a very small space and we then saw another male. He was smaller and appeared to be growing a small mane. He also just stared at us.
I left the scene, very excited by what we had just seen. Jeneria was also thrilled. This was the first time he had seen lions properly and so close. These lions were definitely bolder and not as nervous as the female I had seen a few weeks before. I really hoped I would see them again…