I am posting this diary only as a brief distraction for my fellow Kossacks. I have maxed out my contributions to Barack and have donated to several down ticket races thousands of miles from my home. I am a compulsive poll watcher and my daily stress level from the race is far higher than it should be. Every so often I need a little mental health break and I hope this diary serve that purpose to some of you.
I was fortunate enough to take a trip to the Okavango Delta of Botswana earlier this year. I have posted a couple of other big cat diaries, (leopards and cheetahs) so now it is time for the really big pooties.
Panthera leo.
This is a mature male, the dominant male of a large pride:
A lioness taking pausing while taking a drink:
Cubs at play:
This is an interesting animal. She is a female with a mane. Our guide said that they are rare but not unknown. There was even one they called "Martina" who behaved like an alpha male of another pride.
The Brothers. These two young males along with two other male siblings has just been kicked out of their pride the night before. We heard the roaring through the night. They had apparently reached the age that the older males in the pride forced them to go seek their own unrelated females. A group of four males will likely be a force to be reckoned with, and once they find another pride of females they could become a very stable breeding force for years to come.
One of the brothers on the road:
I can haz bufflo. This cub was taking a break from the pride's meal for the day, an adult female Cape Buffalo.
Playing:
Hangin' with Dad:
For more information on these increasingly threatened animals the Wikipedia page is HERE
I have lot more wildlife and ocean photos HERE
I have polled if ya'all think these photo diaries are inappropriate in these intense last days and I have gotten encouragement to keep them up. So here is a to a quick break and then back to the battle. Two weeks to go.
Please feel free to post your photos, vent, cuss me out for wasting space, whatever you feel the need to do. Aloha!