Stuck With A Pride

It was dead of the night and there was an eerie silence around but the mighty predator was awake and alert. The lion pride had sensed the lone elephant passing by and the elephant too noticed the hungry lions. One of the lionesses got up and stood in front of the elephant as if challenging it to a fight. The pachyderm was trying to deal with the lioness by mock charging her and trumpeting. The lioness also stood her ground. The elephant was about to charge when two huge male lions, jumped on his back and started digging into its thick skin with their claws and canines. The tusker was shocked and before it could figure out how to deal with those lions, two more lionesses grabbed him from the hind and the lioness who was in the front went for the deathly grip of the jugular vein. Roars of the determined lions and trumpeting of the helpless elephant shook the very ground. Within a matter of minutes, the trumpeting died down, the elephant though not dead, had gone into comatose due to trauma and the lions started their feast with the two males tearing apart its skin near the neck and enjoying their meal.

This was one of the most savage pride of the Savuti region in Botswana. The pride of 2 males, 4 females and 6 cubs were famous for hunting elephants.

After feeding for three days, the carcass was now left for scavenging vultures, hyenas and maggots.

The lions were well fed and rested and the pride was now moving towards a waterhole for a drink. But what was Stuti doing there, in the middle of the road? Where was her gypsy? Where was the guide who was with her? How did she land up in the middle of the jungle, in front of the 12 aggressive lions who were about to approach her? Her scream died in her throat. What will she do and how will she escape the lions. This was the only thought she had. Yet, she stood there, frozen, totally awed by the huge majestic creatures as they fast approached her……………………………………..........

Since the time she was a little girl, Stuti had been an ardent wildlife enthusiast. As a little girl, she used to watch documentaries and read as much as possible about animals, aspiring to become a renowned naturalist or ethologist. While pursuing higher education in ethology, as a part of her project, she was studying the behaviour of lions. She was so enthralled by one particular pride that she used to follow the updates regularly. This pride was particularly huge on - 3 males, 5 females and 6 cubs and another litter on the way. It was one of the largest and fiercest pride.

 Within a few days, the expecting lioness separated herself from the rest of the lions and chose a safe and seclusive spot to deliver the cubs. 4 cubs were delivered. The lioness tended to the cubs all by her own till they were big enough to be introduced to other family members. The day the mother took her cubs to the family, other lionesses welcomed them with love by nuzzling and licking them. They were like one big happy family. The pride thrived until that one woeful day.

It was a warm summer afternoon and the lions were resting when that challenging roar was heard. The males got vigilant and roared back in response. But that roar was coming nearer and nearer. Two young males were challenging the pride males. They went to defend the pride and to fend off the intruders which resulted in a petrifying fight. The young males proved to be much stronger and the pride males were defeated. They left badly wounded and broken. 

Meanwhile, as the battle for the pride had raged on, the two nearly adult male cubs were driven out from the pride by the lionesses, for their safety, and because their time to leave the family was near. Moreover, the lionesses were confident that the cubs had learnt all the necessary skills to survive and hunt. As soon as the pride was taken over, the two young lions killed all the cubs of the pride. They would now mate with the lionesses and raise new cubs carrying forward their genes. However, with the 3 lions who got defeated, one lioness also left the pride. 

She was the eldest of all the lionesses and had mated with only one lion and was also the most skilful hunter of the pride who had always walked by the side of her male. The veteran left the pride with him. Two of the three lions soon succumbed to their wounds. The third survived but was in bad condition. During the fight, he lost an eye and a deep gash was found on his stomach which got infected badly. The lioness used to hunt for both of them and take care of him, but the lion was hardly able to eat anything. His infection continued to spread, leading to maggot infestation and tremendous pain.

One day, the lioness was stalking a zebra group. She focused on a young zebra who was a little distant from the group and zeroed in on him. The experienced hunter started confidently towards her meal and pounced on him from behind. As soon as she pounced, the zebra kicked in self-defence. The hind kick gave the lioness a massive blow in the head which resulted in a broken jaw. Dejected, she returned to her mate, only to find him dead. The grief-stricken lioness was now unable to hunt due to her broken jaw and soon succumbed to starvation. The skilled and experienced hunter met a bitter end. And with that, the pride that once ruled the jungle also met a sorrowful end.

The new pride was now ready to rule the jungle with new vigour.

Meanwhile, the two cubs who were driven out of the pride were on their own. Initially, they tried to hunt and failed. Meanwhile, they were also regularly harassed by the local hyenas. Sometimes their kill would be stolen and they would not know how to defend, but eventually, they learned things and the ways of the jungle. They became master hunters and could now hunt big animals effortlessly. One day they came across a pride of 4 females and no males. Soon they took over the pride and mated with the females.

Over a period, this pride of 2 males and 4 females had 6 cubs and had taken down a few elephants too. It became to be known as the most savage and fierce pride of Savuti.

Stuti was obsessed with this story and now had a hankering to see these two prides. She had her trip to Botswana planned and arranged the best guide who would take her to both these prides. Soon she arrived in Savuti and checked in and she came to know about how the pride had again hunted an elephant two days back. The guide had informed her that lions were spotted near the kill and will be easy to locate them. Stuti’s game drive was planned for early morning the next day. All the travelling had exhausted her yet she was excited to see the pride finally in front of her, with her own eyes.

Next morning, she got dressed on time, took a thermos of coffee, checked her camera and other gears and waited for the guide. The guide arrived in time and both of them left for the spot in a gypsy. 

The pride was resting hardly a few feet from the vehicle. Soon the lions stirred and started getting up. They were going towards the waterhole for a drink.

 Stuti did not want to miss capturing this moment and started assembling her camera to shoot. At that very moment, she heard a sudden grunt advancing towards her. Instinctively she looked up and found herself stranded all alone in the middle of the deep jungle. The gypsy, the guide, her camera everything just vanished in the thin air. The lions were now approaching her. Questions were forming in her mind, but there was nobody in the vicinity who could answer her. She wanted to run but her legs were glued, she tried to scream but the scream died in her throat. She was baffled and scared, yet she was awed by these majestic beasts. They were coming towards her, stealthily and steadily instead of going towards the waterhole. Her eyes met the eyes of the largest male. Those yellowish-green eyes seemed to grow larger and larger as the pride came nearer and nearer. She could now feel them almost upon her.

And her alarm rang. Stuti woke up to realise that it was time for her safari and she needed to get ready. She just had a dream. The same recurring one that had been haunting her, captivating her, since she was a little girl. Her adventure with these majestic beasts, she realized, will always stay with her. No matter where she went.

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This story has been developed from my own recurring dreams about being stranded in the jungle and big cats approaching me.

This somehow became one of the personal favourites and I dedicate it to a very dear friend who persuaded me to write, who is an ardent wildlife lover and above all who relates to this dream as much as I do.