Walking with Lions

This morning we rose with the sun and headed into Antelope National Park in Zimbabwe to walk with lion cubs. It was amazing. The 12 month old lion cubs looked fully grown and were very relaxed around people, it was fascinating to interact with such wild and instinctive animals.

We were required to carry a large stick each and were given 3 very strict rules:
1) show no fear(this is easier said than done when a lion is heading straight for you! :)
2) never run or back away from a lion, stand your ground and look the lion in the eyes; and
3) don't ever turn your back to the lion.

After signing an indemnity form, which meant we would not be able to take legal action if the lions attacked and ate us, we headed into the park. The lions were beautiful, graceful and playful. Aidan was a master lion tamer and looked very natural strolling through the bush walking a couple of lions! The cubs were happy for us to pat them and I think they quite enjoyed all the attention. I felt confident that we would not be eaten alive as a spotter with a rifle kept a very close eye on things!

We were also lucky enough to visit two cubs that had been at the park for only 2 weeks, they were a brother and sister that were two months old. The male cub was quite playful and not threatened by us at all, but the female cub was terrified. She did not like to walk with us, we couldn't touch her and she was attempting to roar at us, but it sounded more like a little bark.

All in all it was a fantastic experience and all the proceeds go towards programs to help re-introduce lions into the wild as their populations are declining rapidly. At last count there are less than 20,000 of these beautiful creatures left in the wild.