Tanzania - Lions

Our first sighting of the Majestic African Lion was on day 1. As we were entering the Tarangire National Park, we saw two lionesses sleeping on a high branch of a tree. This is the first time that we became aware of the fact that lions can climb trees. 

I learnt later that evolutionarily, lions are not adapted to climb trees and sit on the branches. In fact, this phenomenon is so rare that there are only two documented populations of tree climbing lions on the planet have been noted. On researching this, I came to know that one such population of tree climbing lions can be found in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Ishasha, Western Uganda and the other in the parks of Tanzania (Tarangire, Serengeti and Lake Manyara). 

The reason why lions have taken to climbing trees in these parts is attributed, by experts, to avoiding constant irritation from insect bites while resting under a tree. One such insect commonly found in the parks of Africa is the Tsetse fly. The bites can cause several diseases some of which can be fatal. 

Another reason for the lions to climb trees could be to escape the heat conditions of the ground. 

I also think that lions have learnt to climb trees in the Savanah areas to look out for prey. They have a vantage point and can see any animal that is walking around before the animal sees the lion, making their search and hunt for food easier. 

What is amazing is that not only have the lions mastered this unique tree climbing skills, they have also taught their young ones and hence have passed on this skill to the subsequent generations. This is a great example of learned behaviour as opposed to natural instincts. 

We saw at least three dozen lions during our safaris in Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro. We saw lions hunting, and eating. We saw a pregnant lioness. We saw cubs playing. We were also lucky enough to see a mating pair of lions. The best sighting of course was the this one lion standing on top of a huge rock which reminded us of Mufasa from Lion King.