Afternoon in the Maasai Mara

Our game drive this Saturday afternoon was a show of lions. We found a male and female on honeymoon.  Our guide said this may have gone on for several days and they will continue until her hormones shift the minute she becomes pregnant.  They were resting for over an hour and we waited and waited until the Park Ranger told us to leave.  We were doing nothing wrong, but he thought the lions were bothered.  It wasn't like we didn't know the ending of the story and who knows how long they would have rested.  The male was a perfect specimen with a gorgeous mane like we hadn't seen.  The female never got up out of the grass.

                He is the Africa we all expect to see!

Later on our way back into the lodge, we come upon the two females and seven cubs who were at the zebra kill last night.  They haven't had to hunt today as they are still full from their hunt last night.  Today, the cubs are full of themselves and cavort right in front of us as close as 20 feet.  Four of the cubs try nursing at the same time.  They are nearly ready for weaning and 4 at once was hilarious.  The mother swatted at one of them once, but he was not deterred.  In the midst of our lion watching, Judy dropped her glasses outside the van!!!!  We all think of 100 ways to try and retrieve them without getting out of the van.  Two problems with getting out....the 2 female lions and their cubs and the other is there is a darn Park Ranger close enough to see us get out.  Finally, our driver is able to signal another of the van drivers, and he pulls up between us and the ranger.  Quickly, Lawrence, our trusty driver opens his door, slips to the ground, grabs the glasses and hops back into the van and the other van moves on.

                      Can you imagine 7 of these guys playing and romping all over the grass and down in the ditch.  The funniest time was when one of the cubs grabbed the tail of another one and pulled and pulled and pulled some more.  We laughed so hard and no one had the video running.

          This looks like 3, but when they quit nursing, 4      cubs emerged.