Lisa Roberti, Author at Lisa M Roberti

February 16, 2023March 14, 2023

A Lion’s Dilemma: Witnessing the Complex Behavior of an Older Male Lion Who Reluctantly Shares A Kill with Two Other Males

lion with a little bit of a black mane laying behind a dark carcass in the green grass

- From: Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

From a distance, my driver spotted 2 male lions walking across the plains. Through the binoculars, they looked like stunning blond males. Big boys with flowing blond manes.

Because it was very wet and muddy, it took us about 15-20 minutes to circle around to find them.

But at first, we didn't find them. We found a beautiful lion with a little bit of black on his mane with the remnants of a kill. (I refer to him as the black-maned male for ease through the rest of this article.)

It was obvious that he didn't make the kill himself as the carcass was almost gone and he didn't have the huge belly that would have indicated a large meal. So many questions remain unanswered - who made the kill? Where is the killer now? How did he get the kill?

We then spotted the 2 blond males further away laying low in the grass. It was obvious the black maned male knew they were there.

The 2 blond male lions laying in the grass close to each other and quite a distance from the male with the carcass

The two brothers were closely bonded and they demonstrated that through several greetings of head rubbings while we watched them.

The black maned boy eventually stood up and took a few steps towards the blondies.

The male with a darker mane walks a few steps towards the 2 younger males

He appeared undecided as he looked back at his kill and then back at the interlopers - not sure what to do.

The older male looks back towards the carcass as if undecided what to do...leave the carcass or confront the interlopers

As he approached closer, the blond males displayed submissive behavior.

The behavior of the black-maned male was not overly aggressive and I really had no idea what to expect.

Unfortunately, I switched cameras to get a wider view and the camera I switched to did not have the audio set up correctly, so I missed the vocalizations of the tiff between the lions.

Within 10 minutes of that slight tiff, one of the blond males moved over 1/2 way towards the black-maned male and his prize possession carcass.

The black maned male ate a little bit and watched the blond male a little bit.

After about 7 minutes, the other blond male joined the first one..he was very slow and submissive and the two brothers did a bonding greeting.

10 minutes after the blond lion closed the distance - he made his move. His brother quickly joined him.

The lions continued to feed on the carcass with a little bit of tension. The original black-mane male laid on the carcass to try to keep it from the others but a bit of tug of war happened.

The hyenas came to wait their turn and so did the vultures.

We left while they were still feeding fairly harmoniously.

General Lion Behavior during a "meal"

Lions are notoriously possessive around their kill. A male lion much more so than any other.

Females generally make the kill (although males are certainly capable of making their own and often do). If a male is in the area when a female(s) make a kill, he will come running in and chase the females off the kill.

Sometimes, the males will let young cubs eat, sometimes not.

When the male has his fill, he will then allow the females and the older cubs to eat.

Male lions are also very territorial. They will often fight to the death to hold their territory and aggressively keep intruders out of their territory.

When a male is too young or too old or just not experienced enough to hold its own territory, he will be a nomad - the nomads stay on the outskirts of other lions territories and try to survive until they can fight to gain a territory or until they die.

I'm not familiar with the lions in this region so I have no idea who any of them are or if there is any relation between the three of them.

Based on the behavior witnessed over the hour we sat with them, we had a few guesses.

They were all nomads - the 2 blond boys together and the black-maned one alone and therefore there was no territory dispute
a father with 2 sons that were not together but tolerated

I will never know the real reasons behind what transpired. It was really interesting to witness to the unusual behavior.

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January 22, 2023January 22, 2023

Leatherback Turtles Nesting in Gabon

one of the guests near the turtle to show her size

As I stroll along the sandy shore, the soft grains of sand shift beneath my toes. The ocean stretches out before my eyes, its surface rippling and glinting in the sunlight.

The water is warm and inviting and as I wade through the shallow waves, I can feel the rush of the water running over my feet and hear the soothing sound of it flowing over the shoreline.

It's a moment of pure peace and tranquility, a moment that seems to last forever. The world fades away, and all that matters is the gentle roar of the water and the feeling of surrender.

I breathe in the salt air and savor the simple joy of being alive, of feeling the sand and the water beneath me. It's a moment of pure magic, and I am forever grateful for it whenever I can experience it.

For me, walking on the beach is one of my absolute favorite past times and it's usually very relaxing and calming.

But on December 20, 2022, it wasn't relaxing and calming -- it was exciting and full of anticipation and curiosity and darkness.

I was in Gabon with The Odysseia Collection on a photo adventure. During the day, I had my tranquil time on the beach with the sun beating on my skin...but now it was night. 10 pm actually and it was time for a new adventure.

Our group was joined by some others staying at the lodge along with 2 naturalists - our goal was to hopefully find turtles nesting on the beach. There were 4 species of turtles that used this beach as a nesting spot.

The white lights from flashlights or other artificial lights can disorient the turtles, so we had to walk with no lights. There was some ambient light from the sky and occasionally the naturalists would shine their red lights on the beach so we could see any obstacles (like big logs and branches and debris that had washed up).

It was an in-between tide time. There wasn't much dry sand and there wasn't much hard compacted wet sand to walk on ...so we ended up walking in mushy wet sand - sinking up to our ankles with almost every step.

The night was pleasant and we were walking in silence out of respect for the wildlife.

I'm not even sure how long or how far we walked but we were getting to the point of wondering if we would ever see a turtle -- and quietly asked -- do we know how often they actually see one?

We were all quite tired from the long adventurous trip we had already undertaken and were longing for a good nights rest.

Several of the guests were wondering if it made sense to turn back when we saw a light a little bit further (ok a lot a bit further) down the beach and our naturalist said that the conservationists had spotted a turtle just down there.

So we continued to walk. Then they had us stop and we waited. It felt like we were waiting forever. We had no idea what was going on. Couldn't see anything or hear anything and then they had us just walk about 10 more feet and there she was!

1 hour and 43 minutes and 2.5 miles to our first turtle - a leatherback. The largest of all turtles.

She was still digging her hole for her eggs and we were not allowed to use our cameras because the light on the back panels (or on the phones) could disorient her. So we just watched in awe as this magnificent leatherback turtle.

She completely ignored us as she laid her eggs. At some point, they go into a trance and that's when the volunteers measure her and tag her.

volunteers measuring the turtle under the red lights

At that point they offered us a chance to touch her.

OHHHH... I REALLY WRESTLED WITH THAT ONE. I wanted so badly to touch her and feel what her skin and shell felt like but I also believe that we should not interfere with wildlife and just being there and watching her, wasn't that interfering enough? Does she really not care if all these people touch her? Can our human touch and human germs somehow effect her? .... I wrestled with the decision...for awhile and then chose to NOT touch her. I still wonder what she would have felt like, but I do not regret my decision to override my own desire for hopefully her benefit.

We stayed with her for a short time and once she started covering her nest, they told us we had to go. She would not leave if we were there and she needed to get back to the ocean. So we left her to finish her work.

It's really hard to put into words what that short sighting of her meant. What it felt like. But we were all invigorated.

As we walked back the way we had come, they had found a second nesting turtle. I was walking quite slow so by the time I got to her, I didn't get to spend much time before she was burying her nest and once again we had to move on to leave her to her work.

We continued to walk back to the hotel and then saw a third turtle. This one was coming up from the ocean onto the beach. Without the red lights on we didn't see her until she was disoriented by all of us and she went back in the water and then back on the beach...we all quickly moved along to let her orientate herself and get to her business of laying eggs.

By now, it was 12:30 the next morning. Our adventure had lasted 2.5 hours. The tide was up and we couldn't continue to walk the beach so we had to go up onto the "grass" area and all climb into a buggy to get driven the last .4 miles back to camp.

I had no idea what to expect on this night, December 20, 2022, that started full of anticipation and curiosity and darkness. The night ended with awe and wonder and a newfound respect and love of turtles.

The pictures and video were all taken with my iPhone. We were under the guidance of naturalists and researches the entire time. Because lights can greatly disorient the turtles, the naturalists and researchers were the only ones allowed to have lights.

About the Leatherback Turtle

The leatherback turtle, also known as the lute turtle or leathery turtle, is a truly remarkable species. With a scientific name of Dermochelys coriacea, this turtle is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth heaviest reptile in the world.

The females can reach up to 6.5 feet long and weigh up to 2000 pounds and the male can grow to 5.5 feet long and 1100 pounds.

One of the primary nesting areas for the leatherback turtle is in Gabon, a country located on the west coast of central Africa. In fact, Gabon is home to the largest leatherback turtle nesting population in the world, with over 6,000 females coming to nest on the country's beaches each year.

Leatherback turtles can migrate long distances and can travel up to 12,000 miles per year.

One of the most interesting things about the leatherback turtle is its ability to inhabit a wide range of environments, from tropical to temperate waters.

Even with this flexibility, the leatherback turtle is listed as a critically endangered species, and conservation efforts are underway to protect these amazing creatures and their nesting areas.

In Gabon, organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) are working to conserve and protect the leatherback turtle and its habitat.

The nesting process for leatherback turtles is quite an impressive feat. Female leatherbacks will come ashore at night to lay their eggs in a nest that they have dug in the sand. Once the eggs are laid, the female will cover the nest with sand and return to the ocean, leaving the eggs to incubate and hatch on their own.

Because the leatherbacks are endangered, the nests are marked and monitored by the volunteers. They are left mostly undisturbed. If a nest is attacked by a natural predator, the volunteers will remove any surviving eggs and put them into an artificial nest so they can incubate. If the nest is too close to a lodge, they will fence off the nest with a small fence so as it stays undisturbed until such a time as the turtles are due to hatch.

Unfortunately, one of the major challenges facing the leatherback turtle and the other nesting turtles in Gabon is the issue of pollution and marine debris. Gabon's beaches are often littered with garbage (mostly plastic) that has washed up from the ocean, much of which is from neighboring countries. This garbage can pose a serious threat to the leatherback turtle and other marine life, as it can get tangled in their habitats and even ingested as well as prohibit the turtles from getting up the beach to a safe location for a nest.

Efforts are being made to address this issue in Gabon and work towards cleaner beaches and oceans. For example, the WCS is collaborating with local communities to cleanup the beaches and educate people about the importance of reducing marine debris.

Another issue for the turtles is the logging industry. Many logs are transferred over the ocean and so many of the logs fall into the ocean and are washed ashore on the beaches. At times, the turtles can get "stuck" behind a log and not be able to get around to get back to the ocean. Many times, the volunteers and locals have to work together to pick up the turtle to move her around the logs.

Where I was staying, in Pongara, the beach was kept clean by the conservation community and by the lodges. Where tourism isn't so prominent, the beaches are littered with plastic. This plastic is not coming from Gabon but from neighboring countries and the Congo river basin.

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January 3, 2023January 20, 2023

Complexe Hotelier de la Sabliere – Hotel in Libreville Gabon Review

I usually like to plan out the details of my trip and research any new destinations before departing from home, but this time I was unable to do that.

Luckily, sometimes the unexpected is what makes a trip truly memorable.

Gabon, a country in West Africa that isn't exactly a tourist hotspot and I wasn't sure what to expect. But boy, was I in for a surprise!

The first stop was Libreville, the capital city, and we stayed at the Complexe Hotelier de la Sabliere hotel.

I'm used to traveling in English-speaking countries in East and Southern Africa, so I wasn't prepared for the language barrier in Gabon.

Very few staff members in the hotel spoke English and I have 0 knowledge of the French language.

The company I was traveling with, The Odysseia Collection, has Alice, one of the founding members, who is amazing in every way and speaks fluent French. She was our much-needed translator for the entire trip as well as hostess extraordinaire.

The hotel itself is beautiful with air-conditioned rooms and all the amenities you could ask for - private bathrooms with a bathtub/ shower, plush king-sized beds, and plenty of storage space.

The hotel uses the C type plug.

The staff, despite the language barrier, were all smiles and went above and beyond to make sure we had a comfortable stay.

And the food? Let's just say the croissants and bread had a distinct French flair that left me wanting more. The rest of the food was delicious too.

One of the highlights of the Complexe Hotelier de la Sabliere was the pool area. With lounge chairs, a bar, and a seating area, it was the perfect spot to relax and unwind after a day of exploring or just getting over jet lag. And I heard the mango mojitos were to die for.

walkway to the pool and the beach overlook

Although we weren't able to access the beach directly from the hotel, the deck provided stunning views of the water. And even during high tide, when the water came upalmost to the wall, it was still a sight to behold.

A beautiful deck with sitting areas just beyond the pool and above the beach

Overall,my stay at the Complexe Hotelier de la Sabliere in Gabon was a pleasant surprise. From the exceptional service to the delicious food and stunning pool area, it was the start to a trip I'll never forget.

room service breakfast tray with beautiful fresh fruit - watermelon pineapple kiwi and freshly baked croissants

We had to leave in the morning before the restaurant was open, so the hotel provided us with this beautiful room service breakfast

The hotel is less than 1/2 hour from the Libreville airport. I would absolutely recommend this hotel and would stay there again if the opportunity ever arises.

Below is a video -- very similar information with a bit more 🙂

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December 28, 2022January 2, 2023

2022 recap and 2023 plans

(Lots of pictures at the end of the article)

2022! What a year.

It was full of travel and some life changes.

Holly, the last of my dogs was dying and so I pushed off all the travel I could until the end of the year because the Drs. and I were certain she wouldn't survive the summer.

I helped Holly cross over in April and you can read Holly's tribute here.

I've had a pet every single day of my life for the last 45 years and I was unsure how I was going to deal with being pet free.

Although I am ready to be pet free so I can travel more easily, I was a wee bit nervous as a "doggie mama" is a big part of my identity.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am not yet pet free as I have my ex's 3 dogs. I love them dearly but am looking forward to when they can move in with him and I can be truly pet free for at least a little while. The stress of finding them pet sitters since a few of my trips were really long took it's toll on me and my enjoyment of the travel.

In 2022, I was away from home for 160 days. 110 of those were between August and the end of December.

In addition to some short trips in the USA, I visited 13 countries (6 of which were on a Caribbean Cruise).

The countries that I visited to see their wild places were (in the order I saw them):
Ecuador
Zimbabwe
Namibia
Brazil
Botswana
Kenya
Gabon

Although I loved every minute being in the field, what 2022 showed me is that 110 days away from home in the last 5 months of the year was way to much for me and what I want to do.

I captured so many amazing moments in time and have so many stories to write, but had no time off to look through, edit and cull images or to write any of the stories.

So, 2023 is going to be a slower travel year and a year for me to write about some of the experiences I've already had as well as showcase some of the images and videos I've taken over the years.

As of now, the wildlife countries I plan on visiting next year are:
Tanzania
Kenya
Mexico
Botswana
South Africa and
Zimbabwe

These trips will be shorter than the ones in 2022. My goal is to be gone less than 130 days and to spread them out out over the year instead of concentrating the travel like I felt I had to do in 2022.

I also want to take some more trips in the continental USA to see family and friends.

I've met some amazing people on my journeys this year and had so many incredible wildlife moments. I learned a lot about the different wild places and wildlife.

The trip reports for Ecuador are done -- they are written in more of a travel journal style with loads of photographs and videos. You can find them here:
Galapagos
Ecuadorian Amazon

I got to see wildlife on foot in Mana Pools - a very new and extraordinary experience.

I saw animals from the water in Chobe - another new experience.

My soul was shattered in Kenya when I saw the devastating effects of the drought first hand - read this difficult article here

I got to see wildlife I've never seen before (or even heard of) in Gabon - what an adventure and again, on foot - my favorite way to experience wildlife!

I'll be working on the articles about the these trips over the next several months, so be sure to check back often to read the latest posts and to see more images and videos.

Until then, here are a few images for you to enjoy from the trips other than Ecuador (as you can see those in the articles linked above):

Zimbabwe - Mana Pools

beautiful orange and red sunset over the Zambezi river

an elephant standing to reach the fruit on the higher branches

Zimbabwe - Hwange

Namibia and Botswana - Chobe

Brazil - The Pantanal

Kenya

Gabon

western lowland gorilla with a baby on her back

looking up to the tree tops in the forest

I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek of images from my trips this year. More pictures will be posted on my social media platforms and I'll be writing about my experiences over the next few months.

Here is a video that I put together that has additional images from my 2022 travels. I still have over 44,000 images to go thru and cull. The majority of the ones in this video are not edited and I'm not even sure they will make the final cut.

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November 15, 2022November 17, 2022

Amboseli and the Kenya drought of 2022

Maasai giraffe at a water hole where the body of a dead giraffe lays prone

The road was bumpy and the wind was cool blowing through the sides of the open 4 x 4 vehicle.

I felt a slight mist on my face and saw the evidence of the water droplets on my hiking pants.

And I began to cry.

Tears of gratitude. Tears of hope.

Hope that the mist was a symbol of the rains to come.

Hope that the rains this time would be enough to start and sustain growth of the grass and plants. Food desperately needed by man and animal.

Many parts of Kenya are in a severe drought. The worst drought since 2008. And news media is now saying the worst drought in 40 years.

It's hard to understand because Amboseli has water and you'll see pictures in this post (and probably in social media) of water.

The swamp areas are fed underground by Mt. Kilimanjaro BUT there has been NO RAIN and NO RAIN = NO FOOD.

The animals are starving to death. In this cases drought = starvation.

According to a report released in early November by the Kenya's Ministry of Tourism,

“The Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers, Community Scouts, and Research Teams counted the deaths of 205 elephants, 512 wildebeests, 381 common zebras, 51 buffalos, 49 Grevy’s zebras, and 12 giraffes in the past nine months”.

Hundreds of thousands of people are also impacted as is their livestock.

The drought is impacting the tourist regions of Samburu, Amboseli and Tsavo. Of course, it is impacting other regions of Kenya that as a tourist, I am not familiar with.

I was a little nervous to come on safari in Amboseli due to the drought but I also know that tourism brings much needed funds to the locals, so I decided not to change this part of my trip.

WAS

NOT

PREPARED .

I've seen some really hard things while on safari but I was not prepared for the carnage of the severe drought.

WARNING!

Many pictures in this article are very difficult to see...they were excruciatingly hard to take.

I do have some beautiful pictures taken during the same trip later in the article - so please, buckle up and proceed so you can be aware...

because with awareness brings change.

I became numb as we drove from the airstrip on our first game drive.

We started counting carcasses and within minutes we stopped because there were too many.

Every corner we went around there were carcasses. Sometimes one or two, sometimes we could see 6-8 with one glance.

a picture showing 5 carcasses with animals trying to graze in the background

This image shows 5 animals that died from starvation while some other animals try to get some nutrients out of the remaining grass

They were in different states of decay. Some had just died. Too weak to continue, the bodies just laying there with eyes that could no longer see.

Others had been scavenged completely and others had part of them gone and parts still in tact, eaten by scavengers.

The carcass of a gazelle which had not been touched by scavengers

Another carcass of an animal that starved to death

A carcass of a very skinny animal from starving

This is the time for scavengers. But even with all the lions, hyenas, jackals, and vultures, they can't keep up with so much death. There is rotting flesh everywhere.

And with weak animals all around, they preferred to hunt to get fresh meat.

a lioness with a death grip on a wildebeest neck

The wildebeest was too weak to defend itself or stand up and the lioness takes advantage.

We saw animals so weak they struggled to walk.

We saw animals so thin they looked like a wind would certainly blow them over.

A very thin wildebeest photographed with a long lens thru the windshield as to not startle him

A healthy wildebeest taken a few days later in the Maasai Mara - an area not effected by the drought.

I wasn't prepared.

I could never be prepared to see this, smell it, and stand by helplessly watching the animals I love so much suffer.

For me, it was like my soul had been torn into pieces.

The drought has had the worst effect on the wildebeest. The live ones were so skinny and weak. I'm sure the number of wildebeest bodies we saw was in the hundreds. Next was zebra and then gazelles.

On top of all those dead bodies, we also saw one giraffe and 3 elephants including a baby.

3 giraffe at a water hole. A dead giraffe lays on the side probably too weak to stand after drinking

Seeing the elephant carcasses was the hardest for me because not only are they my favorite animal but also because the government comes and cuts the tusks off them so the tusks can't be sold on the black market....this leaves a hole in the front of the face - a face that had once belonged to a beautiful and sentient creature.

the carcass of an elephant with his tusks cut off

We saw this elephant just a few hours before he went down and was too weak to stand up.

(I'm in tears just writing and remembering it.)

The toll on the people is just as bad. The Masai people live and die with their livestock. Livestock is their food and their money and they (the livestock and the people) are starving.

They can't grow fresh produce for themselves and they can't feed their cows, sheep, and goats which means no milk for them or their children. Their entire wealth gone in a matter of a few months.

We went to a Masai village and I watched a beautiful young lady carry a heavy bag followed eagerly by goats and small sheep. She opened the bag and took out fresh greens that the animals eagerly ate. I assumed she had purchased the greens but I found out that she walked almost every day to the marsh to cut the greens and carried the heavy bag back to feed the animals. The marsh is almost gone too. The plants overgrazed and the water getting low.

The young Masai woman walked through land that had lions, hippos, buffalo, hyena, elephants and snakes.

Risking her own life with every step so she could bring grass to her charges.

Buying grain and feed isn't an option in this remote area. There is no money and no supply.

Some NGOs (non-profits) and to a small extent the Kenyan government have been helping where they can with food for the people and hay for the wildlife. Big Life Foundation has set up 2 feeding stations - knowing they can't possibly save them all, they found the routes of the most vulnerable and feed 10 bales of hay at each location every day.

The day we left, the government came into the park to lay hay for the wildlife.

It's an impossible task. There are too many animals to save them all. The only thing that can save these people and animals is a good and proper sustained rainfall.

Enough rain over an extended period of time so the grasses and marshes can regrow and so the trees can regenerate.

I realize droughts are a common part of nature. As are floods and fires and so many other things. But I have to wonder, why are they coming so much more frequently and severely...or do I have to wonder?

Have you ever been to a city with an air quality warning? The air pollution causing difficulty to breath? How can we even question if our pollution is hurting our planet?

It makes me wonder how I could live a better life with less impact on the planet? Can I do more/better? I know I can.

Can you imagine if every person just did one little thing to help the planet (plant a tree, recycle, buy products with less waste, buy used instead of new, etc) the impact we could have on our planet in a good way?

Will these changes save the weak animals I just saw? No. They won't. But maybe, if we all change just a little bit, the next drought or flood won't come so soon or be as severe. And being a better steward of the Earth certainly won't hurt anyone or any animals or plants or trees or rivers or oceans.

Please comment below if you have ideas of a small change that would have a good impact on the planet.

The pictures of the carcasses in this article were taken on the last day as we drove around our camp and then to the airstrip. I had decided I needed to write this article and that I needed to show the carcasses so I took the pictures of the dead and of the weak.

These carcasses pictures were all within a 10-15 minute drive from our camp. I did not post them all. I couldn't photograph them all. The very essence of my soul was torn and I had to stop photographing them.

If you are thinking of visiting Kenya and any of the parks mentioned above, I say please go.

Don't let this article dissuade you. There are many beautiful things to see in Amboseli and all over Kenya.

There are healthy populations of elephant and beautiful sunrises and sunsets and lions and hyenas and cheetahs and so much more..

If you do come to Kenya, maybe you could bring a few extra dollars and buy some handmade goods from the locals.

A few of the beautiful and fun images I took in Amboseli that will hopefully lighten your heart.

sunrise with a silhouette of a giraffe and wildebeest

Image taken by my guide Junior with my iPhone

photo of an elephant with big tusks - his name is Craig

If you would like to help with the current situation, Big Life Foundation is accepting donations for hay and water for the wildlife, the people, and the livestock in and around the greater Amboseli ecosystem.

Another great organization that is helping is Amboseli Trust for Elephants.
From their Facebook page:

"Some (organizations) are already focusing on feeding wildlife & livestock which helps save some lives but there are many more issues that require action. We are therefore putting our resources into working with our partners on:⁠

1) Primary school nutrition as well as feeding elderly community members ⁠

2) Borehole restoration from elephant damage, and construction of elephant proofing, as well as wildlife troughs.⁠

3) Livestock nutrition and health support - one of the biggest challenges right now are heavy parasite loads in both livestock and wildlife. This initiative will support livelihoods, and protect wildlife health by efforts to manage parasite burden.⁠

⁠As many of you know our work is entirely reliant on donations. If you wish to make a donation please visit our website" https://www.elephanttrust.org/donation-online/

And one last little note. Most of my posts are about happy and cute and fun things... so if you are interested in wildlife and are new here -- please subscribe below to my newsletter which is sent out periodically through the year.

November 9, 2022November 10, 2022

The right place at the right time…rescuing 2 herders from a charging lioness

Her beautiful amber eyes changed from soft and alert to cold and piercing.

They looked like they could burn holes into a 10 foot wide concrete wall.

The air changed too. You could feel it on your skin and in your gut.

It's one thing to know the lioness was a fierce predator. But, it's so easy to forget when you watch them relaxing and walking gracefully, playing with their cubs. It's so easy to forget even with the evidence of a dead buffalo right behind her.

It's another thing to see her become that fierce predator. The shift happened in a millisecond. In her eyes, her posture, the air, her voice.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was on safari in Ol Pejeta Conservancy. A fabulous conservancy and rhino sanctuary. I was traveling with my friend Michelle who had never been on an African safari and my sister Lynne who has been on safari a handful of times. We were guided by James Mwenda of Jemu Expeditions.

The morning started out by photographing giraffe and then hyenas (fierce predators in their own right - but they are so cute and fluffy and funny - it's hard to remember the other side of their nature).

2 Reticulated giraffe peek around a tree

One of the other guides told us that he saw a male lion and a recent kill. We hadn't seen a male lion yet on this trip, so we decided to go try to find him.

The topography in Ol Pejeta has so much variety. From huge open grasslands (because of the drought, the grasslands were super short and brown), to scrubby bushes, and large forests of acacia and other types of trees. Their are swamps and other types too. The variety supports a number of different species and it's a fabulous place to start a safari.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is well known because they are the sanctuary for the last 2 northern white rhino in the world and they only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees - a sanctuary for chimps that were rescued from the pet trade (they don't live in Kenya in the wild).

We drove awhile and found ourselves on a narrow dirt road surrounded on both sides by thick brush and bushes.

Michelle shouted stop stop stop.

There was a lion cub very close to the road just on the outside of the bushes.

Through the very thick brush, we counted 3 cubs, mama lioness, and the buffalo kill was seen hidden inside the brush.

Two of the cubs were deep in the bushes and mama was behind some branches. Just one brave cub was out in the open.

The bushes were not far from the road - probably about 10'.

We were photographing from the windows to get under the branches but mom was so hard to see so Lynne stood up to see if she could see mama's face clearer.

I then also stood up. The mama lioness watched us.

Lions in tourist wildlife areas are usually very relaxed around cars. They will often use them to lie in the shade on hot days, walk next to them, and sometimes even spray them to mark their territory.

This lioness wasn't as relaxed as others I've been around but she was comfortable.

Her deep amber eyes soft but alert.

James also wanted a different vantage point to see if he could see the male in the thick underbrush.

He opened the roof over the driver's area and stood up.

The change in the mama lions eyes was dramatic...the change in the atmosphere was also dramatic.

Have you ever seen soft eyes go cold and hard? Perhaps a horror movie of a killer animal? or perhaps in a person?

The tingling up and down your spine, the hair on the back of your neck stands up. All your senses get magnified. If you haven't ever seen it, you'd recognize it instantaneously as I did.

Her soft but watchful eyes changed to daggers. The energy in the air changed from cautious to high alert and maybe even anger.

Everything melted away in my vision except her and her eyes. The sounds were magnified in my ears as I listened to any sound that would indicate a tiny shift in her weight.

It is hard to define but it could be felt on every inch of my skin and in my gut.

She was really close and could close the distance to our vehicle in one stride.

Her amber eyes became so large and piercing they demanded all the attention in our bodies.

She started to sound a warning growl. James sat down slowly as did my sister and I.

intense eyes on the mama lioness behind the branches

She stopped growling as soon as we sat down, but her eyes didn't soften. We slowly drove away - no sudden movements around a lioness that was in protector mode.

We drove a few minutes trying to find the male.

We circled and came back and then James found him under branches covered in various shades of green leaves. He was probably about 50 yards away from mom and cubs.

When he was lying flat, you couldn't see him at all. If he moved an ear or sat up, you could just see the outlines of his head.

We decided to have our breakfast boxes in the car watching him, hoping he'd get up or move position so we could actually see him.

As we dug into our breakfast, Michelle saw 2 people walking on the road getting closer to where the mama lion and the cubs were hiding.

The rangers and anti-poaching teams are always on foot at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. And we later learned that the herders also often walked from the cattle herds to the office.

The herders have some training but not the type of training that the rangers and anti-poaching teams have....at the time we thought the men were experienced rangers.

James signaled them that there was a lion in the underbrush. They had not seen her as she was very well camouflaged by the bushes.

As soon as they saw her, she saw them and the vocal message she sent them was undeniable -- GET AWAY FROM ME AND MY CUBS. The throaty sound was eerie and unnerving!

Lynne and Michelle were scared and you could hear "oh my God, Oh my God" echoing thru the car.

James kept a very watchful eye.

I was certain the men would be ok. I didn't think with their training they would be in real danger. I don't know if that was my intuition, my gut, or just denial - my mind not wanting to consider the potential of a horrific and tragic outcome.

I could hear myself saying staying impossibly calm - "They'll be ok. It's ok" as if my words could manifest a safe outcome.

The men quickly changed direction and cut into the underbrush on the other side of the road.

Any movement on our part could have triggered the lioness or the men so James stayed put ready, hyper vigilant and very calm and composed.

We lost sight of the men through the bushes and everything seemed to be fine. Until...

We heard the bushes rustle (it's truly amazing how loud things sound when you are on high alert) and she was out charging towards where we last saw them with what appeared to be blood lust in her eyes.

I can't even explain the sounds coming from her - alerting the entire pride probably hidden in the nearby bushes of the perceived threat to her cubs.

The sound so guttural and biological I'm sure all our bodies reacted the same way - with the knowledge of extreme and eminent danger.

In that same fraction of a second, James had the car racing towards the lioness.

He expertly turned the vehicle over the large dirt curb and placed the vehicle between her and the two men.

The movement was so fast and sharp, our breakfasts went flying through the cabin of the car.

We were grabbing things and moving them around in the car as fast as possible so the men could get into the vehicle and into safety.

Mama lion was PISSED. You could see it in her eyes and her stance and you could feel it in the air.

I was silently praying that she would not redirect that anger towards us and charge the car.

She stood her ground.

Once the men were safely in the car, James quickly and efficiently backed the car down the road to give the angry lioness space to calm down as well as the rest of us to gather ourselves.

After a few moments of silence the rush of voices started as often happens in high tension scenarios.

The men had never been charged by a lion before. We found out that they were herders.

They had been watching a herd of buffalo on the other side of the road and didn't see the lioness due to the heavy underbrush until we pointed her out from the car. (Buffalo are very dangerous as well and for them, that was the threat.)

We showed them where the male lion was. The cubs were now with the male. Mama at some point during the ordeal must have commanded them to go hide with him.

James explained that the growling she had done when she saw the men alerted the rest of the pride including the male.

James was quite certain the lioness would not have hurt the men but that since the male was on high alert, he may have especially if the herders continued on their path and "bumped" into him.

The rangers and anti-poaching team are trained extensively on how to handle being around dangerous and aggressive animals. However, every day they put their lives on the line and any day, they can be killed by the animals they protect or by poachers.

We were also told that the lioness was well known to be very aggressive and has sent many experienced rangers up the thorny acacia trees.

Do you believe in fate? That things happen for a reason? I usually don't...but the night before, it was raining, so James put the glass windows back in the vehicle. Usually the sides of the car were just open with no windows and just very large openings.

Had the windows been off the car, the lioness could have easily jumped into the vehicle and taken her aggression out on us. Had the windows been removed, all of us would have had a much different and much scarier experience.

Photo courtesy of @Michelle Osterhus

We decided on the spur of the moment to have a boxed breakfast that day and we luckily spotted the male under the trees once when he sat up and decided to eat breakfast there-- otherwise we would NOT have been there.

breakfast all over the car which James cleaned up beautifully once we were in a safe area

Breakfast all over the car. James cleaned it beautifully once we were in a safe area

After cleaning the vehicle, we had to go back through the road to get out. The mama lion and male lion were much calmer but we just drove through to give them space.

The information was quickly passed through the tourist vehicles so that the drivers would stay away from the area to give the lions a rest.

mama lioness a bit calmer after some time

The rangers, anti-poaching teams, herders, and staff risk their lives EVERY SINGLE DAY to help ensure the safety of the wildlife, the wild places, and the clueless visitors stay safe.

Something I will never ever forget again.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is about a 4.5 hour drive North from Nairobi. They work with the locals and use the land as a wildlife sanctuary as well as a working cattle farm. It is a beautiful example of how humans and wildlife can live peacefully side by side (with a few scary moments here and there.)

There has never been a "successful" lion attack on humans in the conservancy. Many charges and many men up in trees, but no one has ever been injured by a lion.

James Mwenda, founder of Jemu Expeditions was a ranger in Ol Pejeta for 3 years and then became the caretaker for Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino in the world. He also cared for Najin and Fatu, the last female Northern White Rhinos.

He is the bushman that is very concerned about our world and environment. You can find his podcast on Spotify called Conservation Couch where he and 3 others discuss the world and what we can do to respect it.

He now organizes and leads safaris through Kenya and other areas of East Africa for conservation minded guests.

This and other stories will be available in my book

Safari Tales

Coming mid-2023

September 18, 2022

Leaf Cutter Ants at Napo Cultural Center Ecuador

I don't know much about leaf cutter ants. I've only seen them on two occasions. Once on a night walk in Costa Rica and once in the Ecuadorian Amazon when I was staying at the Napo Cultural Center.

Doing a quick search on the internet, I've read that the name "leaf cutter ant" is generic and there are 47 species of ants that can be considered leaf cutters.

I also read that they can destroy crops - and I believe it after what I saw.

But with all that - they are fascinating creatures!

At the Napo Cultural Center lodge, there were a lot of walkways and natural areas all around the lodge area.

Walking from the main dining area to my tent, I couldn't help but notice the ants carrying the leafs across one of the pathways.

As I looked, the path was really far starting further than I could see, over the grass, down and over the walkway over the grass, across another walkway until their hole in the ground. Even the grass path was trampled down by these tiny little ants.

September 18, 2022September 18, 2022

Walks and Canoe rides at Napo Cultural Center Ecuador

There are many activities at the Napo Cultural Center. This article is about the things we saw while hiking and canoeing through the tributaries.

To read the article about the Clay Licks and Tree Top Tower, you can go here: Lisamroberti.com/amazon-clay-licks

I was graced with one magical sunrise. The first day there, it was overcast and the last day we paddled out before the sunrise in the dark - more on that later.

The only way to get to the Napo Cultural Center is via canoe...so we spent a lot of time in the canoes. The naturalist and one other person paddled the canoes and we sat 2 side by side.

The amount of plant life was spell bounding and the canoeing was very peaceful.

Here are some videos and images from the canoe and from the hikes around the water and lodge.

To see more images from the Amazon and the Napo Cultural Center, go to my photo galleries at

www.lisamroberti.photos

September 17, 2022September 17, 2022

Night Walks at Napo Cultural Center – Ecuadorian Amazon

When the opportunity for a night walk came up, I wasn't too sure. I am not a fan of insects - especially spiders.

All my little girl nightmares whirled around in my head about giant insects.

But, I've never missed an outing in the wild, so I put on my "big girl panties" and headed off with the group.

I was so surprised how much I really loved it and as other people left to go to bed, I stayed until the end.

Aaron Baggenstos, the trip leader from Aarons Tours (a company I travel with often), had brought macro kits with him. So, I was able to borrow a trigger unit and he held the flash unit on the animal.

This was really my first time shooting macro, so the photographs aren't stellar - but they will give you an idea of the little critters that roam the jungle at night.

I have to admit there was one - that was so very creepy looking, I just couldn't take its picture - it looked like a giant spider and scorpion mated...just thinking about it gives me the willies.

We went out on two different nights for macro. The last night we didn't stay too long as we had to pack and had a very early departure the following morning.

This scorpion was very small.. you can see by the size of the leaf - but I still would NOT want to get stung by him.

some kind of creature with tons of legs - looks blue

This spider was quite big - bigger than my hand. It's the same spider, the second picture is just cropped in so you can see some detail on it's body and face.

smiley face spider. a clear spider with black markings that look like a smiley face

close up of the body of the smiley face spider

A spider with a translucent body and then a smiley face on it's back. This was a very small spider. We couldn't see the smiley face with the naked eye, we saw it when zooming into the camera to see if the image was sharp.

September 17, 2022

Amazon Clay Licks and Tree Top at Napo Cultural Center Ecuador

One of the activities at the Napo Cultural Center is visiting the Clay licks and another is the Tree Top Tower. On my trip, we visited two of the clay licks and the Tree Top Tower on the same day.

The day started early with a 5:00 am breakfast. We got on the rowed canoes with the rubber boots that we had been fitted with the night before and they rowed us in the dark back to the welcome center - where we stopped the day before.

It was unsettling to be in the canoe, very low to the water in the dark. It was a very overcast day, so no sunrise.

At the welcome center, we boarded a power canoe and canoed back to the main river to get to the clay lick.

We stayed pretty far back on the river so as to not disturb the birds. They hadn't made their way down onto the soil yet.

the clay lick area from across the river

There were a lot of birds flying around and resting in the trees. We couldn't see them very well, but we could hear them.

There was another bird hunting the parakeets and the parakeets didn't stay long. As we boated back to the welcome center, we saw a Howler monkey and her baby up in the tree and 2 red titi monkeys.

howler monkey high in the tree holding her baby

We then went to the tree top tower. It was a decent walk thru some mud to get to the tower.

Not only am I afraid of spiders, I am super scared of heights...I don't even like to get on a glass elevator or a Ferris wheel.

It was a little scary as the whole tower moved quite a bit. We went to the first landing and it was a really nice view point that was still in the trees and then went up to the upper landing which was above all the trees. It shook a lot more up there and I didn't stay too long before going back to the first landing.

looking down from the first landing - you can see some of the tree tops and part of the stairs

Looking down from the first landing area

the stair case down from the first landing area

The following images were taken from the very top:

View from the top looking towards the river...so many tree tops

looking down at the first platform from the top

leaning over looking straight down from the top

Being above the trees offered such a different perspective. We were, unfortunately, not rewarded with lots of birds as we hoped but still an experience.

We had a little snack up in the tower and as we walked back out we stopped to take a few images.

The tree trunk below was at the bottom of the stairs and a 6' tall person is a midget standing inside .

We than went to the other clay lick. This one was very different from the first. They had a covered seated stadium area in front of the clay lick. I didn't take any pictures of it or the seats. We got there early so we were the first group. We had to sit and be quiet to not scare the birds and since we were photographers, we wanted a clear view.

The birds have a lot of natural predators so they are timid to come down to the clay lick to get their needed minerals.

Again, we could hear the birds and see a few. So we sat quietly waiting for nature to do its thing.

Another group came in and sat behind us. They stayed a short while and then left.

After about 2 hours of waiting in silence, the parakeet show happened.

They stayed there for about 10-12 minutes with many of the parakeets leaving and more joining. It was fascinating to watch them and to hear them!

parakeets on the ground and some flying in

many parakeets on the clay lick making a mound

We walked back to the cultural center for lunch and then a slow canoe ride to the lodge. A fabulous day in the amazon.