The Lions Eat Tonight – Serengeti

by 100 Country Trek

Our day was almost over on our safari in the Serengeti and we came upon our grand finale! Near the road was a pride of female lions, 12 in all, enjoying their freshly killed zebra. It was a thrilling and somewhat chilling to see them tearing into the still warm flesh, devouring the meat and grinding the bones. There would be nothing left when they were finished feasting. They didn’t pay us any mind as we hovered over them taking photos only a mere 10 feet away.

The lady in the middle is smiling and the man on the right looks hungry watching his kids eating their dinner.

There were two sets of 3 cubs of different ages in the group. They seemed to be chowing down in perfect harmony, until the food got in a shorter supply. Soon there were lots of snarls and gnashing of teeth. The young cubs were kicked away at one point and ran to their Mom, as kids do, for comfort and protection.

As we near our lodge we had a chance to take a better look at some Warthogs. These strange animals are members of the pig family. They are fast runners and  are strange  comical looking animals. They have two sets of sharp tusks however and can be aggressive.  It has been reported that warthogs have given lions deep, serious, deadly wounds, which sometimes end with the lion bleeding to death.

This is our last evening on the Serengeti. As I watch the sunset, I try to take it into my minds eye. I see the vast plains that seem to stretch to the sky and the golden short grass on this September day, with large patches of black burn, that will give to new green in the weeks to come. Here and there groups of animals break the pattern. Animals living each day as nature intended in balanced harmony. Killing to live. I know I won’t return, as my quest to see new places will keep me away but I will draw upon my memories of the Serengeti for many years to come. It fills me with a sense of hope and a belief in the world and the continuation of life as we know it.

32 Comments

  4. How were you “hovering over them, taking photos, only 10 feet away”? Do you use a drone? That would be too close for me with starving lions. Please tell me your equipment was only 10 feet away and not actually you?

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    1. We visited there all over Africa for so many years .I didn’t use the drone . I take so many photos with my 35mm and zoom in. Yes we get there closer with my arms inside the jeep. We have 6 people in our jeep. Anita

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  10. Wow, Anita. Eating fresh warm meat isn’t something I’d look forward to seeing. I feel so sorry for the zebra even though that’s life. I love the little cubs. The one on the left is particularly adorable, full of attitude. “They kicked us out, Mom. Go talk to them. I’m hungry.”

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      1. Yikes. I’m so sorry they are starving. I’m sure too many animals are killed by humans. I hadn’t thought of that, but I know it’s true. I met a man who had tons of money. He hunted wild animals and sent them to a taxidermist. He showed me his collection, and though the animals were beautiful, it made me sick to see them all.

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          1. When we lived in Oregon, deer were so plentiful. The people I knew who hunted, froze the meat and ate it all winter. The deer, on the other hand, gobbled up all their gardens.

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