Lions of East Africa

The lion is one of the most majestic animals in all of Africa and was the one I was most excited to see in the wild. Anyone of my generation grew up with the Lion King and can sing at least half the songs by heart. Our first lion spotting was in the Masai Mara and from the time our driver Luke told us there had been a nearby spotting “Be Prepared” started tumbling around in the back of my mind- my very own soundtrack for the sighting. The first sighting of a male and female together in the high grass did not disappoint. They had just mated and they were lying down, occasionally lifting their heads or standing up to scan the horizon before lying back down. We had a moment alone with them while all the other cars in the area watched a wildebeest crossing nearby and it was magical. We saw lions at each camp, but these first two were my favorite. At Ngorongoro we had multiple sightings of a large pride made up of 18 lions. We saw a few cubs, including one nursing, but it was in the high grass and I couldn’t get any clear shots. I was humming “I’m Gonna Be a Mighty King” the first time we saw a cub, and right after I sang “I’m working on my roar” the tiniest little cub let out the tiniest little roar. It is so sad to think these animals are still being actively hunted and are considered vulnerable by the IUCN.  For more information and to see how you can help out click here.