Our ranger slammed the Land Rover into reverse and floored it backwards down the road we just traveled.   Every single person in the car saw it at the exact same moment – the perked up head of a female lion mid-kill in the bush just feet ahead of our bumper…and therefore feet away from the feet of our tracker sitting atop the lookout seat!   While the eland was tasty, surely a carful would be even more delicious! [Ed. The lion was not happy at all. Our tracker was not happy at all. Everyone needed some space to chill out.]

We were on a quest for some elephants at the request of Mini, who had another stuffed toy to match today, and had just passed this intersection minutes before seeking out the trail of a bull elephant.   So much can change instantly in a second out in the bush and this was an important lesson for even our seasoned ranger and tracker: just because the path was clear a minute before, the wild animals move fast on the hunt and are fiercely protective of what they’ve worked so hard to procure.

Once our tracker was safely in the back of the car, catching his breath and accepting numerous apologies from the ranger for almost ending him, we inched forward again to see the show. The narration of the 3 year old wasn’t quite David Attenborough’s level of documentary, and he got bored easily returning to his Sesame Street mini figurines. The show for the rest of us was a spectacular and graphic display of the circle of life. [Ed. Note: I may have been humming a tune from The Lion King in my head as I watched the lions rip this eland apart…] The eland was still struggling when we returned to the shrub and while one lioness retreated to a separate spot to catch her breath, the first stayed nearby to suffocate the giant antelope.

We circled the car around for a better viewing angle and as we were on the move, the teenage lion cubs who heard the calls of the kill came strutting down the road to join the feast. Suddenly, we were 4 feet away from 6 feasting lions and my only instruction was to keep Mini quiet and from making sudden movements. We were toast. Why did we ever think a toddler on safari was a good idea?! [Ed. Note: Definitely a good idea.]