LION WHISPERER

Blog number 510*******  25 April 2011

I know that most of you don't like me telling you about things I have read or seen on the telly, but Brubaker damn it, this one boggles my mind.

There was an old man - an African native that was going to teach these two young fellas how to steal meat from lions.  The lions  catch the prey, he steals the meat.  Says it's easier than doing the hunting themselves.  It's like going to the market, I guess. 

So they start tracking a pride that is on the hunt.  He wants to see the lions before they see him.  The three come upon a pride of at least six lions, including a big male, eating a gnu they had just killed.  They hide in the bushes for awhile, then all three men stand up and start walking toward this pride of bloody-faced feeding lions.

The old man says the important thing is to show no fear.  They walk steadily toward the lions, who are all staring at the three men.  Suddenly one of the lions bolts, then two or three heartbeats later, another bolts, then another and then all run off.

The men start cutting a haunch off the gnu. This is the dangerous part and the old man says his heart is pounding. The fear is the lions will get their courage back and come seeking revenge. And you can see, they have come back and are standing in the bushes, looking. One man picks up the haunch, flings it over his shoulder and the three leave. Here, relief sets in because the men are safe. The lions just want to eat - they really don't want a confrontation.

Now what boggles my mind about this is that lions do not give up their food to anything without a fight. And these are big, strong animals with sharp teeth and claws. Men? Nothing. Just a reputation, evidently. How did humans get such a fearful reputation?