Thankfully, him and his fellow travelers weren’t the meal! They managed to see the lions coming towards the camp just in time, and stayed safe in their car while they filmed the action.
Male lion brazenly approaches camp
The pride contained both male and female lions. They walked up to the camp site without hesitation.
Among the first to enter the camp was a large male lion. If you’re the King of the Jungle and come across a human camp, why not enter?
He walked among the chairs and inspected what appeared to be a potjiekos pot. He looked closely at each item as he strutted majestically, all muscle and bravado with a flickering tail and an awe-inspiring mane.
Curious lioness searches intently for something of value
Then there was a lioness which approached with the same measure of curiosity as the male lion. She was clearly on a mission and used her superior sense of smell to try and locate something of value.
Lions have an impressive sense of smell which plays a crucial role in their survival and social behaviour. Their noses are highly sensitive and can detect scents from several kilometres away!
This is possibly how they found the camp in the first place.
The lions had an air of authority about them as they walked about. Each item was perceived by them as something worthy studying.
Common everyday items were scrutinised by them and spectators had to wonder how these big cats perceived things like shirts and chairs.
Lioness picks up on scent of shirt
One of the lionesses stopped at a camper chair, which had a shirt hanging over its back. She spent a few moments here, sniffing the shirt and perhaps deciding on a course of action.
Owing to her superior sense of smell, she picked up on the scent of the shirt’s wearer. Thankfully that wearer was nowhere in sight… or if he was in sight, he was already safe in his vehicle and watching from a distance.
This interaction with human items was a startling reminder of how close the human world is to the animal world.
We tend to think of the animals as completely separate from us as we go out on game drives. However, these worlds can overlap, as in this instance.
Lioness finds shoe but thankfully not shoe’s owner
In a humorous moment, one of the lionesses found a shoe and lifted it up. Thankfully, the owner of the shoe wasn’t wearing it!
However, had there been humans still at the camp site, maybe things wouldn’t have been so humorous.
When lions come across humans in a camp, their behaviour can vary greatly depending on several factors. These include the lion’s past experiences with humans, whether it feels threatened or curious, the time of day, and whether it is hungry or injured.
In general, lions tend to avoid humans, especially if the people are alert, noisy, or grouped together. Most wild lions are wary of human presence and will keep their distance if they sense that people are awake and aware.
However, if the camp is poorly secured, quiet, and especially at night when lions are most active, the risk increases.
Lions may approach a camp out of curiosity, the smell of food, or in search of an easy meal. It seems an easy meal is what this opportunistic pride was after!