Setting out early one morning, we stumble across the Ntsevu Pride mid-hunt. One lioness was clearly more focused than the others, stalking with purpose while the cubs hung back, unsure of what role – if any – they should be playing. With the wildebeest and impala slowly grazing in the distance, the setup was perfect.
But as is so often the case in the wild, things don’t always go according to plan. A spooked wildebeest somewhere out of frame set off a chain reaction, drawing unwanted attention to the pride. The lioness lifted her head to see what had caused the stir, and in that moment, an impala spotted her. The game was up. The pride reluctantly settled on a nearby mound.
Later that afternoon, we returned to the same spot to find a very different scene. The lionesses had moved on, and a lone Ndzhenga Male was now on patrol. We watched as he moved steadily across the landscape, stopping to roar and then, unexpectedly, to roll in a pile of dung. It’s often said that this behaviour helps mask their scent. But during this sighting, I had a moment of clarity… a new theory, if you will.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari as we follow these big cats through a morning of strategy, surprise, and a bit of unexpected behaviour.
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I can’t believe it has taken eight months for that lionesses wound to heal–wow! It looked gnarly, but like you said, if the muscles and tendons were all intact she did well to keep going and avoid an infection. That’s still a long recovery time, but it looks like it’s nearly healed.
I like your theory about the buffalo dung, Sean – it’s just so much more convenient than popping to the shops to buy some hair dye!
Hi Sean- double wow, what a video on lions activities! The landscape is superbly caught too. My heart wretched when I saw the lioness ‘ wound, it looks so bad, thanks goodness that they have a pride to rely on, and a great resilience. It seems she’s improving though she cannot hunt. Yes your theory on lion’s mane sounds perfect, all big cats roll in dungs, I know also to keep some parasites at bay, but this lion is clearly darkening his mane and testing his power… is he the dominant one of the two? You never know, Plain Camp males may be around the corner, better looking absolutely fit! Then lionesses tend to mate with darker-maned lions in order to gave birth to stronger cubs. The cub following uncertainty made me smile. Great final images with fantastic colours and the moon in the background… the lion and the moon. Thank you!
Dear Sean, what a sound- and it is a new aspect of the darkness of the hair from lions. A great safari, thanks a lot.
Hi Sean, very impressive these roaring lions. And I think I would agree with your theory that that one lion was dolling himself up with the help of the dung bath; he looks very impressive, nearly frightening, indeed.
Bad luck for the two lionesses and their cubs that their prey got away.
The wound that one lioness had last year looked horrible . I always wonder how extremely well these wounds do heal. Though this one seems to have developed a kind of ulcer underneath the skin and this might fester from time to time. The second one has a bad looking wound right underneath her eye. It’s amazing that they are still able to hunt and raise their cubs with all these wounds and problems. I do hope for them that they will heal and be able to care for their cubs.
What an awesome video, to see the lion roaring! Thanks!
Hi Sean, your theory of the male lion rolling in the dun makes sense to me, and also to smell more like the buffalo or wildebeest in the bush. The lioness that has her elbow injury seems to quite hindering for her to walk. The other lioness with the opening on her face near her eye looks ugly as well. Hope they both recover quickly.
Thank you for the amazing and packed full of Lions sightings. Incredible stuff.
It’s always fascinating to watch lions as they prepare to hunt, especially if they have cubs , since the cubs don’t know what to do and often give themselves away to the prey. The video was great to watch even though they missed their opportunity. More interesting was the Ndhzenga male rolling in the dung. I always thought it was to throw off their scent to prey but your theory sounds reasonable as well. There’s always something more to learn about animals, especially those in the wild.
really fascinating!
Hi Paul, this is all just my own ideas about it. But seems like a pretty good theory.