African Lion Hunt for Photo Friday

March 11th, 2011
Amie from Ciao Bambino

I took 1,300 photos on our recent family safari vacation in Kenya and Tanzania.  Enough fodder for Photo Friday for the next few years!

I’ll be judicious, however, and just feature the photos of moments that really wowed us.  I’m going to start with a biggie — photos of a kill from start to finish.  Witnessing one of Africa’s great cats hunt is absolutely fascinating and elicits a range of emotions: excitement, joy, sadness, and terror (depending on your proximity to the action).

The awe-inspiring experience of observing life’s most basic instinct — survival — in progress is unforgettable.

Watching a kill is all about luck and timing.  Experienced guides help as they can read the animals and what they are more or less likely to do next. These photos were taken while we were in the Serengeti staying at &Beyond’s exceptional Serengeti Under Canvas (this camp follows the wildebeest migration across the park).  Poor luck and timing meant we missed the migration by just 3 days. Nonetheless, the game viewing was extraordinary.

lion yawning in the serengeti tanzania africa

We came across a pride of lions relaxing mid-morning. A yawn thrills all but passes quickly (finally caught on film!).

lioness hunting in serengeti national park tanzania africa

Our guide suspected the lioness was hungry and sure enough, she set out to look for a snack.

baby wildebeast wandering in serengeti tanzania africa

As soon as she (and we) saw this baby wildebeest meandering without the herd, we knew we were in for some action. This wildebeest didn’t stand a chance.

lioness about to capture baby wildebeest in tanzania africa

We were all holding our breath as we watched the lioness stalk her prey.

Success!  (Loving my new Sony A55 at this moment)

male lion moving in for his share of the kill tanzania africa

The male lion is happy.  The lioness did all the work, but he gets to eat first.

Check back for a flurry of articles on our tremendous family safari in Africa.  In the meantime, Delicious Baby has many great posts lined up this week for Photo Friday.

Relevant Links:

Family safari in Africa FAQ

Planning a family safari in Africa

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4 Comments to African Lion Hunt for Photo Friday:

  1. Monique wrote: March 11th, 2011 at 6:36 am

    Love how the lion just comes in after all the hard work is done. I’m thinking that lioness needs to be introduced to feminism.

  2. Camels & Chocolate wrote: March 11th, 2011 at 10:03 am

    Can’t believe you witnessed a kill! Amazing. We saw a pride of 10 lions in South Africa last spring, but alas, they weren’t on the prowl. Just lounging, all lazy like. Though that said, it would have broken my heart to see a lion chow down on a baby wildebeest.

  3. Mara wrote: March 11th, 2011 at 11:27 am

    Woah. That is amazing. I like to think of doing this with the kids, although clearly I need to wait until Teddy is older. I can’t imagine how he’d handle seeing a baby anything get eaten.

    I look forward to seeing lots of other pix Amie.

  4. Wanderluster wrote: March 11th, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    Thank your lucky travel stars! What an amazing event to witness.

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