In the language of the Zulus the words for ‘King’ and for a ‘male Lion’ are one and the same: iNgonyama
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THE KING
Night Drive
It is very exciting when Lions pass a safari vehicle during a night drive.
The cats are used to this passing in the night, but for first time safari guests it is an incredible experience!
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The Big Five in one drive!
We went on game drive this afternoon to find Elephants, but we got much more. As we left the Thanda Safari Lodge we encountered two male Lions and when we stopped to watch a few Warthogs and Impalas we spotted a large male Leopard hunting. After this very special encounter we continued on our Elephant quest and almost immediately ran into a White Rhino. And towards the end of the drive we finally found the long-noses.
What a day! The Big Five on one drive.
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European Travel Journal 2021 – Post 10
That’s it. After a 10.5 hour flight I am back in South Africa. I will spend a few days in Pretoria and Durban and I will be back at Thanda Safari next Monday: Back to Wildlife Photography.
I hope you have enjoyed this travel (food 😊) journal.
Today’s picture was take from the plane just before landing in Johannesburg..
If you would like to read the complete travel journal with all pictures go to http://sperka.info (profile link)
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Picture data: iPhone 12 Pro Max
A stroll past the gate …
at Thanda Safari’s Villa iZulu
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A young male …
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On a mission …
In this picture one of Thanda Safari’s male Lions was tracking some females using his sense of smell.
The morning after I took this image he had caught up with the ladies, who were ‘hanging out’ with the dominate male, my photo model’s brother.
He therefore kept a respectful distance to the pride to avoid any conflicts.
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Possessive
These two were mating for a while now (as Lions do every 20-30 min for a few days). And the male’s brother is always nearby, but in a respectful distance to the mating couple.
Yesterday afternoon I observed the scene for a few hours and realized that the female was trying to get closer to the second – non mating – brother, but got pushed off by her possessive mate as soon as she tried to move into the submissive brothers direction.
Lion family life live!
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Those eyes!
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Looking for the ladies!
Yesterday morning our two dominant male Lions were scanning a valley and following a scent trail in search for two young females. We had tracked the them for a few kilometers when we found them on top of a hill displaying themselves in all their ‘majesty’. But they never caught up with the ladies on that morning.
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