The lion gazes at the tourists in Queen Elizabeth NationalPark. The writer was lucky to see the pride as they are not easy to find.
In splendor the king of the jungle lay, the calmness he
exuded would easily make one forget that he is the most feared predator. It was
great watching the lion
Seeing the prized lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park is
the anticipation of any tourist. Many will tell you that they have visited five
times and not seen them, but on my second visit, I was able to see not just
one, but a pride, perhaps a family.
There were the two females on the side and then a couple
enjoying an early morning bask in the sun as the skies opened. This was the
highlight of my weekend in the wild.
You could wonder why the lion is so treasured, but any
tourist will tell you that it all lies in its magnificent as a symbol of
courage and might.
Excited local tourists kept clicking away on their digital
cameras at the sight of the peaceful and proud lions who were taking it slow in
the green savannah grass near a thicket as they enjoyed the last pieces of their
breakfast, most likely from a previous night’s hunt.
A first-time to be within a meter of these fierce animals
was an experience that came with mixed feelings, of tension and excitement,
before our guide, Paul of Tailor safaris Ltd, put our
fears at ease.
“They are not dangerous at all unless provoked,” he
comforted the faint-hearted tourists. “They are enjoying their meal and they
are used to tourists coming around, so be strong and enjoy your viewing,” he
added. “The female does the hunting as the male and the little ones stay back
to wait for the meal,” S.K, a wildlife enthusiast volunteered.
“So when she hunts and returns like it is in the traditional
African setting, she will serve her husband then the children and eat last,” he
added, something we had a chance to prove during the time we viewed the pride
in nature’s splendor.
Very few moments beat the experience of being in the middle
of the most popular national park in the pearl of Africa, where Africa’s, and
truly Uganda spirit lives on, watching the animal whose sight startles just
about any animal.
This partly explains why the lion is part of the
enchantments on this voyage of discovery. Nature’s wonder in this park extends
to vast open grasslands, elephants that gigantically saunter through them, with
gait.
You will find Queen Elizabeth along Mpondwe Road near Fort
Portal, 38 kilometers before the Congo border and at the backdrop of the
Mountain Rwenzori ranges.
According to historical records, the park was founded in
1952 as Kazinga National Park, and renamed two years later to commemorate Queen
Elizabeth II’s visit.
From the road, as we drive through the extensive park,
Paul showed us the point at which the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II
whose full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, stood, to honour the park being
names after her.
No comments:
Post a Comment