Sunday, September 19, 2010

Lions vs Giraffe Calf


By Tim, Head Ranger, Kapama Lodge, on September 19th, 2010
On yesterday evening’s safari, we were at one of the waterholes close to the lodge, watching a group of old male Buffalo lying about doing what they are best at, when we noticed a large group of vultures in the trees, a few hundred meters away from where we were! Which is a good sign of predator activity?

So one of the other rangers and I went to investigate!

We searched the area, and, with the help of our knowledgeable trackers, we came across the pride of lions eating a giraffe calf!

The giraffe couldn’t have been more than a month old!
Fantastic for the lions but a shame for the poor giraffe!

The female giraffe keeps a small distance from its young, most of the time, for its protection as predators would see her before the calf. This is also a downfall, when the lions discover the calf!

Now that our young lions are getting bigger, now at an age of roughly 15months, we expect the pride to be catching more of the larger species on a regular basis, to feed all the hungry mouths!

After a brilliant safari we returned to the lodge, where we were chorused by the male lion, roaring, to display his territory to the other males in the surrounding areas, while we ate dinner under the night sky!

Yet another fantastic day in the African bush on Kapama Game Reserve

kapama game reserve

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