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| Lioness at Tsavo Ngutuni |
Yes i have finally come out and admitted it, there is nothing comparable to my big cats of Tsavo and especially the lions of Ngutuni Sanctuary. Having spent years visiting and revisiting the lion prides there and having followed the lives of these families so closely, i have shared in their happiness, sadness, successes and failures as if i were a part of their prides.
Memories of the late 'Scar Face' who was a rare fully maned lion of Ngutuni came flooding back to me this morning. He was a popular topic of conversation among tour drivers as he was known to charge at their vehicles and i have often witnessed this first hand. He would barely give the tourists more than 5 minutes of his time to catch a quick glimpse of him, before he raced towards their windows.
Yet, Scar Face and i had a very different kind of bond. We had become so accustomed to one another that he even grew to recognize the sound of my little Totota Carina. I remember sitting in my vehicle for hours joyfully watching him, window all the way down and sometimes even falling a sleep while he was just a few meters away, we knew we were in the best of company of one another.
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| Scar Face at Ngutuni on September 13 2011 just a few weeks before his death |
Most wildlife conservationists only have this kind of relationship with elephants, or rehabilitated lions, but not with the wild lions of Tsavo.
Yes i am admitting again, i have seen the big cats all over Kenya and Tanzania, but my Tsavo Lions will always be the ones i cherish the most.
Keeping it Tsavo,
Shazaad Kasmani
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