The Royal Family of Lionesses

In celebration of National Cat Day, let me introduce you to The Royal Family of Lionesses. In the foreground is the Queen. On the left in the background is the Queen Mother. The lovelies to the left of QM are the princesses. In the photo on the right, two of the princesses are having a precious moment together. The ladies are calm, beautiful, and very photogenic. And terrifying.

Moments before they settled into their poses, the felines sauntered by our vehicle. In fact, they surrounded us as they passed. I know they could have cared less that we were there - they only see a big blob that smells of diesel fuel, not something wonderfully delicious. Nevertheless, there are rules to follow during an encounter with a dangerous animal. Move as slowly as a chameleon pretending not to exist, fight flailing your arms even if a spider is crawling on you or a wasp is circling your nose, whisper, don’t stretch outside of the frame of the vehicle to “get the shot,” and if you are me, keep your breathing to a minimum and only follow the predators with your eyes.

And if ever caught outside of the game vehicle, say to relieve oneself, and a lion strolls by (yes, this has happened), DON’T RUN.

I love watching lions in the bush. They are golden, muscular animals that show no mercy for their prey when on the hunt. Survival! The females in the pride do most of the hunting; they are protective nurturers of the cubs and vicious defenders of their territory. Like Katniss Everdeen or Ellen Ripley or real women of power like Harriet Tubman or Ruth Bader Ginsburg, they are symbols of female power.

Except when the males, who are dominant, demanding, and, yep, pretty dang lazy, show up. They come and go as they please, protecting the pride’s territory. Oh, they will assist in taking down dinner if the prey is big. But mostly, the ladies do the work and let the males eat their fill first.

I guess it’s a relationship that works. The females provide, and the males protect. Simple, right?

#writing #personalessays #nationalcatday #theroyalfamily #femalepower #mylastmonthsinsafrica #lionesses #respectwildlife #animalsreflectlife #watchoutforlions #ilovethebush

Comments

The Tragedy of Human Despair

The Tragedy of Human Despair in South Africa I came across this scene while running errands. The person, a man, I think, sat on the dirty, tar road at a robot, straddling the center and right turn lanes on a busy street. The light had turned red, so I was forced to face the human tragedy of poverty, hunger, and hopelessness. It’s not like I hadn’t seen people on the streets begging for food, clothes, jobs, or anything to sustain them for another day, but this was different. He rested in a fetal position, head bowed and covered by a white t-shirt juxtaposed against black clothing. And what about the books? I couldn’t see their titles; maybe one was a bible. He was as still as a statue and as quiet as the dark before the dawn. He did not flinch or moan, nor did he have pleading hands reaching out for a tidbit of salvation. The human was simply there, a tableau worthy of a production by the Ontological-Hysterical theatre company in New York City’s lower...

A Baboon Family

A Baboon Family This baboon family makes me happy. The setting is peaceful, all four calmly sitting on a rock, at rest. Except for the baby looking directly at our game vehicle with curiosity, the other three's eyes gazing elsewhere. Despite their sharp as daggers canine teeth, nut-crushing jaws, naughty opportunistic foraging of camper's food, and a hierarchy of dominating male bullies, baboons can be quiet and peaceful, going about their daily business in a well-defined social order. These old-world monkeys thrive in friend and family units; females form strong bonds to raise and protect the kids, forage for food, and stay loyal to the troop for their entire lives. Like human families, they comfort each other, play, and squabble but ultimately come together for the good of the community and protection from predators - for the most part. Yes, there's a bit of infanticide by the males, beating females for the heck of it, violently tossing little ones to the side when ...

Giraffes

A couple of things are going on in this photo. First, the ubiquitous bush butt shot. The rear-angle view of animals is so common that a friend of mine has a series of animal bottoms framed and hung on her bathroom wall. I have about a million bottom shots languishing on a flash drive, I hate to get rid of them, but I’m not sure what I should do with the backside collection. Secondly, have a look at this trio of male giraffes. Elder, younger, and the one in the middle. In this photo, the animals seem like pals. The three were playing rather than foraging on the treetops for food, so the sighting was special. Playing around to male giraffes looks like a neck-swinging dance and is weirdly elegant. The behavior is called “necking,” and it can cause damage if the play turns aggressive. It’s a dominance thing, a way to sort out who’s the boss of the females in the tower (or journey if they are moving). As it turns out, male giraffes, like human males, have testo...

Donna Moreau - Writer On The Road

Search This Blog