Antelope Park - Day 3

I was able to 'sleep in' until 7am and arose with the gentle patter of light rain on my tent. I had some light breakfast from the truck and heard that wildebeest had been grazing around our tents during the night which explained the chewing sound I'd heard by my tent during the night.
I had a slight migraine headache and so rested in my tent until the next close animal encounter with lions who have been bred in the park to one day hopefully be released back into the wild. We boarded the safari vehicle again and headed out to the lion's enclosure. We set up our cameras by a wire fence with a large pile of chicken in front of us for the lions to feed on. When we were all prepared three large male lions were released and raced towards us to feed on the pile of chicken. It was a heart stopping moment to have the sense of what it would be like to have three large lions running towards you for the kill. The lions guarded their prize ferociously and ticked into the meat lustily. It was a great privilege to see such a scene so close with only a thin wire fence between us. The lions looked muscular and powerful with large heavy paws and short thick set hind legs. They looked like evolutionary perfection.
Then we moved over to the next enclosure and repeated the experience with three younger male lions. I took my photos and video and then sat watching them feed for several minutes to try and connect more deeply with the animals.
I then went back to the first enclosure and sat the the large dominant male lions. They guarded their 'prey' ferociously and suddenly the dominant male lion, Arosha, made a charge for us at the fence and roared loudly. One couldn't help buy jump with fright at thos primal, electric, and sudden motion of thr lion. I remained close to the fence as Arosha prowled and dug into the earth to mark his territory. Arosha then lay down by fence and seemed to become calmer, with one final shocking snarl. I moved closer to the fance as most of my fellow travellers moved away. I instinctively made a deep humming sound which the lion seemed to respond to. Arosha then looked directly into my eyes, and I had one of the deepest moments of connection with another living being that I have ever experienced in my life. My heart seemed to open wide and we looked at each other for a long time. The lion seemed relaxed and at ease in my presence. It was like a dream experience but this was as real as anything could possibly feel. All my fellow travellers had already boarded the safari vehicle and I knew it was time to leave. As I walked away from this magnificent animal, I knew that my life had changed in some fundamental way in that moment of connection with Arosha, but I didn't yet know in what way. I had just seen the eternal fire of creation in that lion's eyes and knew that he and his wild kin must be preserved so that light of creation is never extinguished. I returned to the camp in the vehicle feeling highly emotionally charged and in a sort of wild reverie. When we returned I walked down to the river to write, and try to process what had just happened. I knew deeply that I couldn't be same again after that moment.
I spent the afternoon resting at the camp, having some lunch and passion fruit juice in the cafe, and observing the wildlife by the river as I walked over a wooden bridge with geckos skitting away in front of me. We had an early dinner cooked by our fellow travellers ahead of our planned night safari with some the the lions lions who are released from their enclosures to learn how to hunt in the park so that they can be released into the wild in the future.
We boarded our safari vehicle at around 5.30pm and headed out into the park. Unfortunately, the very dark skies ahead looked ominous with lightning flashing in the distance. A rainbow appeared in the grey-brown clouds to our right. The lions were released from their enclosure by the two park rangers who accompanied us and ran up towards the back of our vehicle. They were two adult females with one of them being the better hunter according to our guides. They were lithe, muscled and impressive looking animals. They followed our vehicle for a while, but then struck out ahead to look for prey to hunt. It was lovely to watch them interact with each other and roll around in the brush together.
Sadly and inevitably, it began to rain and we considered whether to go on which we did. We came across some wildebeest and antelope which the lions attempted to pursue. They also found some rotten meat to scavenge which their powerful immune systems are adapted to withstand. The darkness descended and we followed the lions through the night. Then the rain began to hammer down hard and we all started to get a real soaking in the open topped vehicle. Eventually, and to our disappointment, we had to give up on the night safari and take the lions back to their enclosure. We transferred to a covered vehicle and returned to the campsite, wet, bedraggled and more than a little demoralised. A few of us tried to dry ourselves by the camp fire before returning to our tents for some well needed sleep. The guides for the night safari offered to take us out again in the morning as compensation from our abandoned night safari. I thought it unlikely that I could muster the energy to get early enough to do it.Read more