“An enemy state”
The Springbok Lodge guests were treated to what I consider one of the best things about the Bush.
On this day two old rivals meet, the predator, lion and the prey, buffalo. The thrill of the interaction gets me every time. The respect given to the buffalo by the lion for its formidable size and aggression, the eagerness of the lion recognising a four-day meal that can feed the pride. It becomes a standoff, who is going to make the first move and as you wait patiently with the guests, time goes silently by waiting for that first attack. Then the look on the face of the lioness makes it clear that she realises there are more buffalo appearing and being young and inexperienced at killing a buffalo she decides to move on. Buffalo have a herd mentality and when provoked attack as a unit. This does not work out well for lions as history has shown and many lions have been killed by buffalo’s.
Guests always love to ask how long we have been doing this and if we ever get bored, the answer is a definite “NO”. The life of a guide no doubt has its challenges but as we all say, this is a lifestyle, a privilege to contribute towards conservation and the people you meet make it an adventure.
The daily activities of animals are never the same and with each new day you always wonder ‘what is going on to happen today?’
Written by Ranger Brent Scott