Walking with Lions

Young lion at Lion Encounter

The number of African lions in the wild has decreased 80% to 90% in the last thirty years. I'm sure you already know why: growth of human population and habitat shrinkage. In Zimbabwe, we found a wonderful program designed to return lions to the wild. For a small fee (proceeds going to the rehabilitation project) the seventeen members of our group were allowed to take a walk through the grassland with a couple of lions.  Eleven months old, they were already about the size of hefty german shepherds.

It's a four stage program. In stage one, young captive lions are moved to the rehab property, but still fed and protected. They are used to human contact and cannot, themselves, ever be truly wild. In stage two they are released, but into a protected area where they hunt for themselves and hopefully form or join a pride. If the pride seems stable enough it is released into the real wild. The cubs born into this pride of lions are truly wild. Success.

Me and my walking buddies

I had to do this while still on crutches thanks to my pulled hamstring muscle and worried that the lions would see my crutch as a threat. No problem. Everyone was given a walking stick (Why? I'm not sure) so my crutch was just another walking stick. The guides also had walking sticks and they used them to distract the animals. Lions have really short attention spans and are easily distracted.

What's it like to pet a lion? Nice, but they aren't as soft as our cats. Their hair is a bit coarse. Another thing. All the wild animals we saw, lions, zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, buffalo, monkeys, wildebeest, impala, et al, look ever so much healthier than the ones you see in a zoo. Slick coats, bright eyes, easy gaits. Makes sense when you think about it.

The program is still pretty new, and the fate of the African lion is very much in doubt but if you want to know more, you can visit their site, www.lionencounter.com or their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lionalert/posts/119399634867741.