| The African lion is fabled as the King of
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| | beeline to a river, 100m between them and
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| the African Jungle. On a recent vacation
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| | the mating lions.
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| to the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya,
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| | Maasai co-exist with the wildlife
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| I was awed at the sheer respect that the
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| | We were about to leave when I noticed
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| African lion commands. It was one of the
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| | their surprised look. Like we didn't
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| most rewarding trips in all my wildlife
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| | understand that lions are part of their
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| safari vacations.
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| | life. Like we needed not to have bothered
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| It was the morning a day after our
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| | them with the obvious. That's when I
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| arrival at Olarro Camp located in the
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| | realized how much the Maasai have learnt
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| Maasai Mara, one of the best animal
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| | the art of co-existence with the
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| safari destinations in Africa. We
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| | wildlife. I wouldn't have been amazed if
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| departed camp at around 6.00am in the
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| | they had walked right passed us, as we
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| morning for our much awaited morning game
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| | watched the lions like there was no
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| drive. Our Maasai guide, Sammy, and the
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| | danger. I imagine them walking in between
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| camp manager Sean packed us in their open
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| | us and the pride, chatting and laughing
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| Land rover truck and off we went on a
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| | at this group of tourists huddled
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| popular game track. We were pleasantly
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| | silently, scarred stiff and almost
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| surprised at Sammy's spotting prowess
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| | immobilized by the sheer might of the
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| that, less than a kilometer from camp,
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| | African lion at a mating contest.
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| had already spotted a lone male cheetah.
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| | The million dollar gaze of the lion
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| Probably on its early morning hunting
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| | This was an experience that I always
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| stakeout, the cheetah wasn't very amused
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| | relive when I look at the photos taken on
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| at our unwelcome intrusion and trudged
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| | that safari. It's what an African lion
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| along grudgingly.
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| | safari does to you. You get to be in the
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| The mating Lions
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| | presence of his highness the majesty king
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| Off we went to look out for the elusive
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| | of the Jungle...in his tuff. Nothing
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| lions in the short savannah brush. We
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| | beats that glaring look and the thrill
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| were negotiating a blind corner when
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| | that goes with it when your eyes lock
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| .....Wham... a pride of 3 young males in
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| | into his menacing, unblinking and
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| the company of a lone female. The minute
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| | threatening stare...That's the African
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| I spotted the lions, I knew this is not
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| | lion stare....humbling it is.
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| the situation you want to seem too
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| | African Lion coming of age
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| intrusive. One seemingly larger male Lion
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| | The African lion matures at the age of
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| with a slightly darkening mane was
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| | 4-5 years. A fully grown male lion has a
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| separated from other 2 young and was busy
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| | very dark mane while the youth grow a
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| courting a Lioness. The two other lions
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| | mane gradually, which then darkens as
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| seemed to have lost the contest for the
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| | they progress in age. The males are
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| single lioness and were circling around
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| | pushed off their families when they
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| the pair with a lot of bitterness. Our
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| | become sexually mature by the king of the
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| arrival had simply compounded their
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| | pride. African Lions usually sleep and
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| anger. On the other hand, we had walked
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| | rest for 16hours a day only getting up to
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| onto a mating pair and the dominant male
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| | hunt in the early mornings, late evenings
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| was so infuriated by our interruption of
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| | and at night. Usually the King-lion of
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| his engrossing activities with the
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| | the pride commands between 5-10 lionesses
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| lioness. We simply had too many lions
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| | including the cubs. This male will
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| against our arrival. For a full 5
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| | aggressively protect its territory
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| minutes, there was absolute silence as
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| | against intruding males who contest for
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| each party looked deep and hard into the
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| | the females.
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| eyes of the other. Trying to read the
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| | Overthrowing the Lion King
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| intent of either, we starred long and
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| | There are a lot of coup d'e'tat in the
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| hard. I could feel my thunderous pulse as
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| | lion kingdom and the male constantly gets
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| through my heart had moved into my arms
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| | into territorial wars with invading
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| and ears. Our fear was worsened by the
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| | lions. Once in a while a female becomes
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| fact that we were riding in an open
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| | disenchanted and leaves the pride to seek
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| vehicle and the lions would have had no
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| | out younger and more aggressive males.
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| trouble taking us out .... one by one.
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| | Once a lion has successfully overthrown a
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| Deceitful distraction
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| | dominant male, they set upon establishing
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| The African lion has this uncanny
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| | their kingdom immediately by making the
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| behaviour when faced by such an intense
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| | females submissive. How they do this is
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| gridlock. It simply looks aside as if
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| | what will surprise you.
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| something else more urgent got its
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| | Conqueror males kill all Cubs
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| attention, while keeping you within its
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| | One of the most bizarre behaviour of
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| visual sphere. This serves two purposes,
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| | lions is that a conqueror male often
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| one is to disarm you by trying to
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| | kills all young cubs fathered by the
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| distract your stare and secondly to
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| | defeated former king lion of the pride.
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| cleverly provide a leeway to the impasse
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| | The lioness will fight, sometimes to
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| and hostility created by locking eyes in
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| | death, when the male lion goes for her
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| an imminent confrontation. When faced by
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| | cubs. There are two reasons for this
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| a formidable enemy who it cannot
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| | behaviour, one is to establish a lineage
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| translate to food, the African lion will
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| | of his own and secondly to as quickly as
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| never attack if you have your eyes
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| | possible make the females come to oestrus
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| locked. One cannot be too cautious; "you
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| | and ready to mate. It's always a rush
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| never know what surprise these humans can
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| | before other male lions come to undermine
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| spring... a club, machete or worse
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| | his authority over the pride.
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| even....a bloody gun".
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| | Traveling to the Maasai Mara -Kenya
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| The day is saved
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| | On arrival in Nairobi, one is picked up
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| A relief to this situation came from the
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| | by his tour operator for an overnight
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| other two young, small maned lions who
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| | stay at the city's many five star Hotels.
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| noticed their chances of contesting for
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| | It's always advisable to have a night
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| the lioness, had just gone from worse to
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| | rest before embarking on to the Mara; if
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| impossible.....there were just too many
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| | you are to enjoy your game drives. The
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| of us for their liking. They casually
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| | next morning you drive about 400km to the
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| strolled of with their heads high and
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| | Mara in either a 4x4 or a minivan and you
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| into underbrush. It took the older male
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| | are booked into many of the world class
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| Lion about five minutes to be reassured
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| | lodges in the Game Reserve. You will be
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| that we posed no threat to his mating
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| | entitled to at least 2 game drives a day
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| advances to the lioness. Usually, the
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| | and you will be surprised at the animals
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| most dangerous situations to be caught in
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| | you will see immediately outside the gate
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| are between a mating pair or a lioness
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| | to your lodge...That's Mara for you.
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| with its cubs. The King lion proceeded to
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| | The wonder that is the Mara
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| mate with the female unperturbed by our
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| | Elephants graze 1 metre off your game
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| presence; like we never existed.... and
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| | drive tracks, cheetahs will stare at you
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| if we did then he was seeing things or
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| | seated majestically under tree trunks and
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| could as well have been blind. "A lion's
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| | occasionally jump on the hood of your car
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| got to do what a lion got to do....you
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| | for that vantage view point for prey, a
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| want to stay and watch... well that's
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| | herd of a thousand buffalos will gaze at
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| your problem"
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| | you all at once with over 2,000 eye
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| We finally decided that we needed to give
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| | balls, lions will sprawl for an hour
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| them their space and started to drive
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| | underneath your van for the shade and
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| off. The dominant king lion must have
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| | wildebeest will gallop past your car in
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| thanked us for making his competition
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| | their millions as they head for the
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| from the other two go away. But just as
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| | breath taking river crossings packed with
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| we started off we heard excited human
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| | crocodiles and strong currents.
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| voices and knew they were headed for
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| | An experience worth its weight in
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| certain disaster. We revved off our car
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| | platinum. Please email this article to
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| towards the noises and found four Maasai
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| | friends who enjoy wildlife in the Wild.
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| women chatting animatedly as they made a
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