Just 'Lion' Around...
I was sorting through my camera yesterday, looking for a few shots I remembered taking on tour earlier this year. July tends to be a quieter month, so it’s the perfect time to reflect and finally clean out those overflowing memory cards.
That’s when I stumbled across a forgotten set of photos: a pride of lions at a local reserve near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). I thought they were lost for good. But old age will do that to you; things slip the mind. Still, I say embrace the grey; it comes with good stories.
There they were, sprawled out in the sun without a care in the world. Imagine sleeping up to 20 hours a day and, if anyone questions your laziness, you just tell them you’re conserving energy. Lions are basically professional nappers, with a side gig in savannah management.
Who doesn’t love watching lions in the wild? At first glance, they could be mistaken for oversized, fuzzy throw pillows, flopped into dramatic nap poses, occasionally roaring like toddlers denied their favourite snack. I’ve always thought male lions are a lot like that one mate we all seem to know, the guy who rocks up late to the braai, doesn’t lift a finger, and somehow still manages to be the star of the show.
And the cubs? Chaos in fur coats. They treat Dad’s tail like a tug rope, sometimes dangling from it like festive decorations gone rogue.
But behind all the drama and fluff, there’s something deeply powerful about lions. In many African cultures, they symbolise leadership, courage, and protection. Some even see them as messengers between the living and the spirit world. The Dogon people of Mali believe lions helped shape the universe, while the Himba of Namibia view them as among the first creatures ever created.
A few fun facts for your next pub quiz: Lions have incredible night vision, up to six times better than ours. The male’s mane isn’t just for show either; it’s a signal of health and strength. The darker and fuller the mane, the higher the testosterone, basically the supermodels of the lowveld. And unlike most big cats, lions are proper social animals. They live in prides, raise cubs together, defend their territory, and take down large prey as a team.
There’s something about lions that stays with you long after the sighting. Maybe it’s the presence they carry, or the stories woven through their history. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s the nap envy. - Jaco Jc Ras