THE roar of a lion shattered the predawn silence. The air trembled. A snarl, then another mighty roar erupted, this time even closer. The slumbering campers at Nossob were instantly awake. There were no laggards that morning. Long before 6am, the gate opening time, a long line of vehicles had assembled. For the last couple of weeks, I have done some virtual wandering down Memory Lane, revisiting some happy memories of travelling around South Africa with a tent. As regular visitors to South Africa’s magnificent national parks and other reserves, many of Bill and my favourite memories are wrapped around exciting game viewing experiences. Everyone loves lions. Everyone loves to see them. So let’s start with some memories of close encounters of a leonine kind.
Of course, a visit to Kruger National Park without seeing lion would be very rare and we have wonderful memories of exceptional lion spotting, particularly once at Satara, where a mega-pride had just moved in. Wow, the lions were almost falling out of trees. It is, however, our wild and wonderful Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park that I most associate with lions so let’s wander into Nossob camp to see what all the early morning fuss was about. Even before the gates had opened, camp residents had filled the Nossob hide overlooking the waterhole and everyone was peering into the darkness to find the source of the early morning roaring.
The king of beasts and his consorts were still hidden in the shadows but the sound effects were terrific.
That day the lion hunters were really in luck. When the gates opened they were thrilled to discover there has been a kill right outside. A lion and two lionesses were lying replete, right next to the road. Further away, in the long grass, we could just make out more tawny feline rumps and the vague shape of what, a few hours ago, had been a living creature.
The great Kalahari lions, along with their spotted cousins, the leopards and cheetahs, are among the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park’s star attractions. You’d be unlucky to spend time in the park without seeing at least a few big predators. Kalahari lions are truly magnificent and their manes, often a startling, contrasting black, seem fuller that those I’ve seen elsewhere. Lions are often labelled lazy layabouts, usually spotted sleeping away the daylight hours. I don’t begrudge the Kalahari cats their daytime naps. Theirs is a harsh environment and they have to work extra hard for their meals. The cubs have a particularly tough time. Only about a third of them survive their first birthdays.
The area around Nossob, one of the three traditional camps on the South African side of the park, seems to be particularly good lion country although these mighty felines can pop up anywhere else in the park. Over the years, we have been were incredibly lucky regarding quality Kgalagadi lion sightings. Once we stayed at Nossob for a week and saw lion every day. One early morning drive, heading north from Nossob, we quietly followed a lioness and her bouncy cub as they strolled leisurely along the Nossob river bed. Marie se Draai, a lovely loop road near Nossob, has always been good for lion sightings. On one occasion we were watching two jackal gnawing a bone in the long grass next to the side of the road. They seemed a bit agitated. Suddenly there was an angry roar and a big, black-maned lion burst onto the scene, scattering the jackal and reclaiming the mauled carcass of an animal his pride must have hunted down the previous day.
It was also on Marie se Draai that we had an unforgettable encounter with a bunch of leonine teenagers lounging in the road. One of the males was just growing his beard and the two smallest ones still had their baby spots. They all displayed a lively curiosity about our vehicle and soon began to show great interest in the back section of the canopy on our bakkie. We realised they could smell the salami we had brought with us to the park. As we slowly drove off two lions followed the car, almost walking on tip-toes and sniffing hungrily at the salami. The morning lion kill just outside Nossob was also exciting and we spent some time watching the action before driving on to see what else was happening in the park. By the time we returned from our morning drive the lions had moved the carcass to a shady spot beneath a tree right in front of the hide. Everyone at Nossob had grandstand views of them all day but, unfortunately, they were just doing what lions do best – sleeping off their heavy meal.
We joined the crowd of lion watchers in the hide. Soon a herd of red hartebeest danced over to the spot where a big male was sleeping. We braced ourselves for action. The lion just glared at the silly creatures and rolled over with a groan. We made a couple of trips to the hide that day, dutifully peering at the sleeping lions, before we settled down for a quiet afternoon in camp. A couple of baby squirrels raced past us, playing a marvellously boisterous game of tag. Above our heads a pair of bataleurs performed a graceful aerial ballet. All sorts of little birds lined up to bath in the puddle beneath our tap and a delightful little mongoose stretched out for a nap in the cool sand beneath our vehicle. Lion sightings are all very well but even without its big cats, wild places like Nossob offer so many special moments.
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