I was recently at Mara Plains, post-Indaba, hosting my parents on a bit of a family safari. We had just completed our 4-night stay at Mara Plains and it was hard to imagine that we could top the sightings we had already had over the course of the previous days…..cheetah with cubs, multiple kills, the Loita zebra migration, leopard dragging impala up a tree, really the list is long. And then, sure as we are on our way to the airstrip and we crest a small hill and BOOM! There before us is the infamous Notch (of Big Cat Diaries) and his four utterly handsome sons. It was truly jaw-dropping. It’s hard to explain the sheer power of seeing five full-maned lions, walking casually in a line paws quietly slapping the soil, yet with complete command of their space, toward you. For all the sightings I have had of lion (and there have been many!), there is no doubt this was the finest. I felt I was in the presence of something far greater than what I was seeing – five individuals with many stories to share, many miles walked, conflicts won and challenges faced.

It was very difficult to capture this on film (and compounded by the poor skills of the photographer, me). But I have captured what I can, and let your imagination fill in the rest.

This sighting was mere minutes outside of Mara Plains, and brought our lion total to 42 individuals for our 4-day stay at Mara Plains. Unbelievable. More stories to follow.

Enjoy,

Caitlin

North  America representative for Great Plains Conservation ~ caitlin@greatplainsconservation.com