The Heart of a Lion

 The winter air brushed against our cheeks, while the Ubizane Land Rover chugges through the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park, the dry winter bush creating an ideal game viewing opportunity.

Slowing down to get a better viewing of a Rhino and her calf, a rustle in the nearby grass catches our attention but in the hazy morning light, it is difficult to get a clear view. 

Then we see it! Lions, 5 of them! Perched on the edge of our seats with anticipation, we eagerly watch them as they stealthily walk through the bush, without stirring a single blade of grass. Walking with purpose, the lions seem to be on the hunt moving off in the direction of the Rhino and her calf. Surely they are not the brave?   

At first, the female in the front gives the Rhino a cautious wide birth, wary of her colossal size and strength. Ears pricked and facing in the direction of the approaching lions, the young calf bravely stands guard alongside its mother. The youngster’s tensions begin to rise as 1 lion gets a bit too close for comfort; crouched low in a stalking posture the lion ambles on, in front of the Rhino. 

Not having any of this the mother rhino raises her immense head, almost as a warning to the inexperienced lioness. Still not catching the hint, the mother and her calf casually walk towards the lioness, almost as if to give ‘Back off or else...’   stare. Scurrying out of harm’s way, the lioness’s hasty retreat comes to a halt not too far from the Rhino and her calf, and casually looks back at the meal that could have been.