Lion

Yes, the cubs didn't look quite so cute when they were tearing that carcass apart!

You would love it Carol! I'm hoping to do a 2 week horseback safari in the Okanvango delta in Botswana at some stage when I can afford it!

Atul, it was fascinating to watch the pride dynamics! The lioness had made the kill & we spotted her as she called to her mate. She & the 3 cubs started consuming the carcass while the male stood guard for about 20 minutes. He then joined them & was initially very tolerant of the cubs but after a short while started to become more possessive of the 'prize' & began growling to warn them off. The lioness & 2 female cubs retreated but the young male cub stayed put until the lion finally lost patience & hit him hard on the head with a massive paw! The cub appeared unhurt but ran back to his mom!

Yes Sachin, it was an amazing experience!

Thanks textless! Ava, he is a very pretty lion - there is only one pride on the reserve so he didn't need to defend his territory & doesn't have the scars of a typical male!

Thanks Liz! He was actually pretty laid back as lions go & his mate was the one to watch!

Thanks Raquel! I was very lucky to be involved as a volunteer on a lion monitoring program in South Africa, so I got to spend a lot of time with these guys. Most of the action usually took place at night which was exciting but didn't make for good photos, but we did get to see the aftermath of a few daytime kills like this one during my stay.

Thanks Stian!