I was just so happy: having seen a leopard cub on the first morning of my first safari had put me in a state of bliss. What else could I wish for? Well, maybe a lion would be nice, after all.

I didn’t have to wait long: as our jeep continued on our off-road expedition we soon saw her, a lioness under attack by her three little cubs who all wanted to feed, all at the same time.

The mother may have been used to jeeps, people and camera clicks (we did our best to be quiet and moved only very slightly and then with great care), but the cubs soon, but not until after feeding, started wondering what was going on:

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No threat, nothing to play with – they very soon lost all interest in us. Much more fun to play, for instance with mummy’s tail!

I suppose nobody likes to have their tail bitten, and the lioness was no exception. She took immediate action:

By this time, I almost suffered from cuteness overdose and started feeling a bit woozy.

All the while the cubs happily continued their exploration of the world, and of their mother’s limits. Is the coast clear now? Yes! Then we can play! But who are these people watching us all the time?

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One day later we learned from the guides that a male had come to make an attempt to take over the pride, led by three brothers. Should he be successful he would kill these three cubs, and not only those: another lioness also had three cubs, of similar age.

That night we didn’t sleep well.