African Lions – Masai Mara Photography

I had clicked zillions of pics during my last trip to Mara in Aug 2018 and had just published few teaser pics post the trip. I finally caught up with the processing of entire footage during the holiday weekend, so that I can close the project, as I look forward to my next big adventure, coming up shortly. I have decided to publish some of the cool pics shot during Masai Mara trip in a series of blogs this weekend. Here is the first one dedicated to lions of Africa. Coincidently, this is my 400^th blog, since I have started blogging 7 years ago.

The African Lion is the second largest cat in the world the Tiger being the largest. Lions are incredibly social and live in groups called a Pride. Pride can have up to 3 males and the remainder will be females and their young. The pride size will be dependent on the availability of food and water. A Lion’s roar can be heard as far away as 8 km. A prides territory can extend as far as 260 square kilometers. It is the male’s that will protect this territory. The thick mane of a male Lion safeguards them from fights. Female Lions primary job is to hunt and care for their young. Being smaller and a bit slower they hunt together contributing to their success rates.

African lion numbers have plummeted by over 40% in the last three generations, due to loss of living space and conﬂict with people. Three-quarters of African lion populations are in decline. With only around 20,000 in the wild, they’re now officially classified as ‘vulnerable’: Lions are top predators in their environment, whether that’s grasslands, desert or open woodland. It means they play a crucial role in keeping a healthy balance of numbers among other animals, especially herbivores like zebra and wildebeest – which in turn influences the condition of grasslands and forests. By protecting a lion’s landscape, we’re helping the whole area to thrive, which doesn’t just benefit wildlife but the people who rely on local natural resources too.Source Internet