A magical winter day of sightings with Ranger Alfie and Tracker Euce culminated with two sightings of one of the Majingilane males.  As the sun had set it was time for him to begin patrolling his swath of Londolozi, but being alone he needed to locate his brothers and that’s when the fun really started.

Alfie positioned the Land Rover strategically ahead of the path of the male and he silently trod towards us at a deliberate but not overly exciting pace.  Hey, he’s the king of all he surveys so no need to rush or hurry I guess. Trusty GoPro in hand I watched the male get closer and closer – first just spec, then a recognizable figure, then a closing presence.  At the point where he was 40 meters from the vehicle the male began roaring.  This was not a quiet roar – it was the kind of roar meant to be heard many kilometers away!  It was a deafening sound and you could feel and hear it, amazing. The lion continued to close his space with the Land Rover and seemed to stare at me and my camera as he did, finally ending up just a meter away as he walked by.

Majestic and awe-inspiring are the words that come to mind to describe this sighting. What a wonderful experience that these creatures give, allowing us to briefly share their space.  

Rod captured footage of the male lion below, watch and listen to the wonderful sound of roaring in the night!

Some of the other images taken by Rod during his stay:

Written and photographed by Rod Dillehay. 

Video footage by: Rod Dillehay.