On May 9th, a camper at the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park had the encounter of a lifetime when two female lions began licking the outside of their tent during the rain, catching the water. One of the most shocking things was that the person holding the camera did not even budge or act in fear. It was a beautiful moment with wildlife.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is located in Botswana and South Africa, in the Kalahari Desert area. It is a vast piece of land, and is the home to many wild animals such as wildebeests, rhinos, and yes, black-maned Kalahari lions.
For the full video of the lioness encounter, please check out the video below.
Currently, African Lions are considered to be at a vulnerable status, mostly due to habitat loss. According to a study done by IUCN, there are currently less than 20,000 African lions in total. This was a 42% decline over the past 21 years, and it’s fear that this number is only going to get worse. Lionesses can give birth to 2-3 cubs at a time usually, though the cubs have a mortality rate of over 60%, making their survival extremely difficult.
The importance of wildlife reserves is vital to the existence of many wild animals, the African lion included. While killing lions is mostly illegal, it’s still done. Often times farmers are killing lions due to their moving into new areas, which is directly because of their habitat loss. African Lions might be gone within our lifetime, and completely wiped out from Kenyan Massailand within the next decade.