lion (panthera leo) killing machines! - Masai Mara N.R.- Kenya

When I first started taking wildlife shots in Africa, I do remember how

excited I was with the possibility of witnessing a "live" big cat hunt-kill.

The truth is that this is not a common sight during game drives in the

african savannah, since big cats (among them lions too) hunt once

every 2-3 days, mainly at night when vehicles are not allowed to do

game drives.That means that one must be extremely lucky to see such

a scene during day light. My luck only changed last summer when I

saw and photographed my first lion kill! The adult lioness on the left of

the picture strungles the wildebeest by biting it's throat, while the same

time two younger members of the pride try to assist her by placing their

bodies on top of the prey in order to immobilize it!! If you wonder what is

the feeling when you see such a dramatic event I would say that

emotions are mixed....in the beginning you are that excited and happy

for the lions that you think that your adrenaline will "explode" but in the

end you can't help it feeling sad too for the poor creature which fought

bravely for it's life....photo taken in Masai Mara N.R. (Kenya). Thank you

for your comments

That must have been amazing to see/photograph! I like it, but I would do some slight shadow/highlight adjustment in PS just to brighten up the lions a tad. Once Again.......Congrats Teo!

Teo... Nature displays some of it's beauty when it is most cruel, so it seems. Very good capture... Thanks for sharing... Mike

 

 

Impressive picture!