Tree Climbing Londolozi Lions – Are Lions Good Climbers?

Not way back, I TWIP posted an lovable sight of a Styx lioness in a Marula tree. It is a comply with up weblog publish that highlights, in better element, the wonderful viewing my company, Joey and I are lucky to witness.

This specific morning, we launched into a recreation drive, hoping to catch a glimpse of a number of the Huge 5. My company had been significantly keen on lions and needed to get to know and see the totally different prides that occupy an space in Londolozi. After an hour or so of driving within the southwestern components of the reserve, the Ranger and Tracker duo: Ross Cheshire and Life Sibuyi discover Styx Satisfaction.

Arriving on the scene of the accident, I finished the automobile abruptly, pointing in the direction of a tree within the distance. At first, I could not inform if it was a leopard, however after we took out the binoculars and seemed carefully, a lion stood perched on a department within the Marula tree! I used to be stunned by what I noticed, as a result of I had by no means seen a lion in a tree earlier than.

A younger lioness in a tree shouldn’t be one thing you see on daily basis!

Are lions good climbers?

This was the primary query one among my company requested as we bought a bit of nearer to the marula tree. Graduate information Pete Thorpe has executed the analysis and gathered some proof to reply this query and I recommend you learn his weblog to get an in-depth understanding of their climbing skills, briefly, lions can and should climb timber for plenty of causes, listed below are a number of of them beneath:

to get a greater view

In the summertime months, the grass has been recognized to develop fairly tall. By climbing excessive, they’ll scan an space and establish potential prey or threats. On this approach, climbing timber shouldn’t be solely a survival technique, but additionally permits lions to be extra environment friendly hunters. This lioness was inspecting the open grasslands the place a zebra was feeding within the distance.

Lions have additionally been recognized to scramble into timber to steal a carcass that will have been lifted by a tiger.

To flee from potential threats

One more reason why lions climb timber is to flee from predators corresponding to hyenas or different lions. Lions are territorial animals, and they’re recognized to aggressively defend their territory. Nevertheless, if they’re threatened by a satisfaction of lions or a clan of hyenas, they could climb a tree to flee hazard.

This lioness, outnumbered by a hyena, runs hidden in the direction of the forest.

With the aforementioned, tracker Pleasure advised that as a result of lionesses’ lifespan within the satisfaction, it was curiosity and playfulness that inspired them to go up the tree and maybe to get a greater view. There was no signal of a useless physique round and no obvious risk to the Satisfaction.

We determined to take a seat tight and after 10 minutes the lioness awkwardly handed by and began shifting and repositioning herself on the department. “That is the second we now have been ready for, you’ll come down from the tree,” she stated to the company.

Though lions are first rate climbers, they make it look tougher than they have to be. Thus started the ungraceful descent.

Hugging the tree tightly.

This lioness lastly resorted to the “all the way down to again” strategy—she was safely on terra firma.

As we noticed within the hilarious video above, the lioness took her time to maneuver down the tree and did so somewhat awkwardly, may I add. However what a particular encounter it’s, and I’m delighted to witness one other memorable sighting of Styx Satisfaction in Londolozi.

There have been a number of memorable sightings of lions within the timber through the years in Londolozi. I believed I would dive into the archives and share a imaginative and prescient of the Tsalala lioness making an attempt to steal the carcass of a Senegalese male Bush!

Get pleasure from!