The handler calls out one single word. “Lion!” It’s enough to make all 15 of us immediately turn around. The call means that one of the lions had gotten behind the group, and was sizing us up for dinner.
In the scrublands surrounding the Masuwe Estate lodge, I find myself eye to eye with the kings of the savannah. Or princes, rather, because The Lion Encounter would be too dangerous with fully-grown adult lions. Located just outside of Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean border, The Lion Encounter is home to an ever-changing number of lion cubs which will be released into game reserves once they are a year old.
Conservation projects for the African lion
Most of the cubs there have been left by their parents or been born in captivity. Because they are used to the handlers, the cubs cannot be released directly into the Wild. Once they are old enough, they will be released into National Parks and game reserves, where they can be traced and their behaviour supervised. But before that, they have to learn how to hunt and where it is safe to roam. These walks through the bush are training sessions for the lions, and visitors are permitted to come along, watch, study and sporadically even interact. This is stage one of the African Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild programme, which is supported by ALERT, the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust.
Read more at Suite101: Walking With Lions In Zimbabwe http://www.suite101.com
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