About 10 kilometers west of Livingstone, nestled in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Forest, lies ALERT’s headquarters in Zambia. It’s here on our first day at Lion Encounter that we took our first walk with Zamfara and Zaria along the banks of the Zambezi river. The two sisters are one of three sets of walking lions in the Stage 1 program here – the others being Madoda, Munali and Zambezi, and Dendi and Damara. All the walking lions are between 18-24 months and their size is a bit intimidating when you first meet them, but once we’re reminded how to “properly receive a lion” and subsequently get to know these kitties better over the next few weeks (and they us), the lumps in our throats are replaced by swelling hearts and it’s magical to watch the Zs romp and roam, frolic and play, and both frustrate and delight us on our daily walks – as only cats can do. An absolute privilege to spend time with them every day and see the world through their eyes.
(Click on a pic to embiggen and view the full gallery.)
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