Sun Destinations

“Something always dies when the lion feeds and yet there is meat for those that follow him” – Wilbur Smith

Seeing a white lion in the wild is rare. Seeing white lions on kill, devouring their latest meal is even more of a rare occurrence. Yet, this is exactly what happened at Africa on Foot. Only a privileged few were there to witness the event, one of them being the unstoppable wild child of Africa, Christina Blunden. She’s part of the Africa on Foot family and knows a thing or two about lion prides in the area! 

Here’s her first hand account of Africa on Foot’s white lion sighting:

“At 9h15 we were sitting around the table finishing off a delicious potjie dinner when the radio crackled into action. A guide from anther lodge close by had been informed there was some lion activity close to four pans, we decided to jump into the Sun Destinations’ game viewer (Air Force One) and head towards the action.

Half way there the radio spoke again, the lions had made two different kills. Courteney, one of the owners of Africa on Foot, went on to tell us that this was the Giraffe Pride from the Timbavati, which are known to have two white lionesses.

As we approached the sighting, there were four lioness’s feeding on a buffalo cow. We were hardly able to distinguish the tawny females from the white females, due to all the dust from the dry summer months in the bush. Courteney turned the spotlight off, we sat in darkness, and while our eyes were adjusting we were left with the sounds of feeding lions to the front and rear. 

The white lions began to glow under the light of the half-moon and when we switched on the spotlight, we readied our cameras to catch the action. We watched as these four powerful beasts began to rip and tear away at the flesh of the animal, gradually opening up the carcass until half their bodies were submersed in their meal. 

A few meters behind the vehicle we heard a vague sound. Another tawny lioness appeared just on the edge of the road starring directly at the four lionesses feeding on the buffalo. Courteney explained that the lone lionesses was from the same pride and was coming from the other buffalo kill. Lions can be extremely aggressive when feeding so we were on the edge of our game viewer seats patiently waiting to see how it would all play out.

The lioness began to walk slowly towards the kill and received a low yet evident growl that seemed to be coming from one of the white lionesses which was now in prime feeding position on the carcass and was not willing to give up her seat.

All went well and the five females continued to feed in unison with the odd snarl here and there. We sat for a good thirty minutes, just long enough to experience the piercing of the buffalos stomach. Realising we were downwind, Courteney quickly manoeuvred us to a more comfortable position.

I can mention many moments that have been unforgettable but we are lucky to be living where we are because being able to experience what phenomenon’s the wild has to offer is an unbelievable privilege.