Blame it on the Full Moon

While in Chobe, we became intimately acquainted with a pride of lions there.  It was really interesting to watch just one pride - and see their habits for three days straight.  We saw them asleep, on the prowl, and playing with each other.

The matriarch

Jackal watching the lioness on the prowl

This pride was headed by a one-eyed matriarch.  Many years ago, she had lost the other eye in a fight with a water buffalo.  But, though one-eyed, she was a great hunter - still capable of bringing down big prey alone.  While we were there, the pride went hunting each day - she, along with her half-grown children.  But, each day they remained unfed.

On the last morning's safari, we saw her out hunting alone.  Meier said that she had stashed the kids, probably saying, "You've botched enough hunts.  I'm doing this alone."  Interestingly, following on her heels that day (and not visible the others), was a jackal and several vultures.  Apparently, they had great confidence in her hunting ability as well.

Jim had a personal encounter with her as well.  An earlier South African guide had said that the big cats view a land rover as a single entity.  He said that they can't distinguish us as individual people seated inside.  Jim would beg to differ.  One afternoon, we were sitting in the land rover, watching the cats get up from their afternoon nap and ready themselves to go hunting.  All the younger cats went walking past the land rover within  three feet of us.  Then, the one-eye matriarch came by, stopped, turned her head, and just stared into Jim's eyes.  (I can attest to this as I was sitting beside him.)  Jim stared back.  It was the eeriest feeling ever.  We knew she hadn't eaten for four days.  We also knew that she singled Jim out as a person on that rover.  Finally, she did turn and move on.

Later, Meier told us that in Kenya they no longer use the open-sided land rovers on safaris because big cats have learned that "There's lunch in there."  (Maybe it's time for Chobe to reconsider.)

The other "attraction" in this herd concerned the matriarch's four year daughter.  She had come into heat for the very first time on the day that we arrived in the park.  She and the dominant male lion took themselves off from the rest of the pride for mating.  We watched the pair of them for parts of each day.  In the process, I learned that lions mate for four days straight.  During this time, they do not eat.  They have no time to eat, because they mate 4 to 12 times an hour!  Each mating lasts about 20 seconds.  (Above is one of the more discreet photos.  I also have a video if anyone is interested...)  I am told that by the fourth day, the female has to really work to wake up the male.

I'm exhausted!

A picture from the few minutes when
they are both awake - and not mating.

I titled this posting "Blame it on the full moon" because we enjoyed a beautiful full moon while in Chobe.  Whether moon related or not, we also got the dubious "pleasure" of seeing kudu mate and worse yet, many vultures.  Ugh!

But, my favorite memory of the full moon is that both evenings - as we went driving along - we saw a solitary baboon sitting, looking at the moon.  I loved it!

Just enjoying the moon!